The

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

had no standby force ready in 1971 with the specific task of attacking

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

, one of the many reasons why

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

did not immediately intervene after

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

launched

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was a military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the operation on the basis of ant ...

in March 1971. Indian Army's Eastern Command was tasked with defending the northern and eastern borders and fighting the insurgencies in

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

Mizoram Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...

and

Naxalites Naxalism is the communist ideology of the Naxalites or Naxals, a grouping of political and insurgent groups from India. It is influenced by Maoist political sentiment and ideology. Inspired by Maoism, Charu Majumdar wrote the Historic ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

at that time.

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

, aided by the Indian army through

Operation Jackpot Operation Jackpot () was a codename for three operations undertaken by the Mukti Bahini in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) against Pakistan forces at the climax of the Bangladesh War of Independence. After the Pakistani Army drove the Bengal ...

, led the struggle against the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

while the Indian Army readied for intervention. General

M. A. G. Osmani Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani (1 September 1918 – 16 February 1984) was a Bangladeshi Officer (armed forces), military officer, revolutionary and politician. His military career spanned three decades, beginning with his service in the Briti ...

, Commander-in-Chief

Bangladesh Forces The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Bang ...

, had divided Mukti Bahini forces into 11 geographical sectors for command and control purpose. Mukti Bahini forces numbered 30,000 regular soldiers (including 3 brigades containing 8 infantry battalions and 3 artillery batteries) and at least 100,000 guerrillas by December 1971. The Indian Army Eastern Command assembled two existing infantry corps, the

IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to: France * 4th Army Corps (France) * IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...

and the XXXIII Corps, for operations in Bangladesh, and created a new corps ( II Corps) besides reorganising the 101 Communication Zone as a combat formation. On 21 November 1971, the Indian and Bangladesh forces were put under a joint command structure India Bangladesh force in the eastern theatre, led by

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Jagjit Singh Aurora, and this force came to be known as ''Mitro Bahini''. In addition to 29 battalions of the

Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pak War of 196 ...

(BSF), Mukti Bahini guerrillas operating near the border or awaiting deployment in camps inside India were organised into infantry companies and attached to various Indian formations.

Indian Army Eastern Command

HQ: Fort William,

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

GOC-in-C (Indian Army):

Jagjit Singh Aurora
COS: Major General JFR Jacob
Director Military Operations: Major General Inderjit Singh Gill, MC
Director

: Lieutenant General B.N. 'Jimmy' Sirkar
Bangladesh Forces Liaison: Group Captain A.K. Khandkar,
HQ: 8, Theater Road, Kolkata Units attached to Eastern Command but outside Bangladesh operational area:
From IV Corps: * 2nd Infantry Division in North eastern border * 5th Infantry Division in North eastern border From XXXIII Corps: * 17th Mountain division in

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

*27th Mountain division in Kalimpong, North Bengal Airborne forces attached to Eastern Command: * 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade CO: Brigadier Mathew Thomas *2nd battalion Parachute Regiment (2 Para) (in airborne role) CO: Lieutenant Colonel Kulwant Singh Pannu *7th battalion Parachute Regiment (7 Para) CO: Lieutenant Colonel RP Singh (KIA) *8th battalion Parachute Regiment (8 Para) CO: Lieutenant Colonel

Afsir Karim Major General Afsir Karim, was an Indian Army general and military scholar who has authored several books on strategic affairs & military studies. He was a graduate of the Defense Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence Coll ...

*17 Para Field Regiment CO: Lieutenant Colonel Khanna *60 Para Medical Company CO: Lieutenant Colonel M Kumar Eastern Command Reserve: * 6th Mountain division less brigade HQ: Cooch Bihar GOC: Major General P.C. Reddy **2 Engineer Regiments and bomb disposal group

Bengal Area

GOC: Major General J.P. Chowdhury HQ: Kolkata **1st battalion 3rd Gurkha Rifles (1/3 GR) **11th battalion Bihar Regiment (11 Bihar) **12th battalion

Garhwal Rifles The Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became "The Royal Garhwal Rifles" as part of the British Indian Army, and after the Inde ...

(12 Garh Rif) **Engineers and bomb disposal units

Western Sector

Area of Operation:

Khulna Khulna (, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of the Khulna District and the Khulna Division. It is the divisional centre of 10 districts of the division. Khulna is also the seco ...

Jessore Jessore (, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District in Khulna Division. It lies in southwestern Bangladesh. It is home to the first flight training school of the Bangladeshi Air Force, established in 1971. Jessore city consists of 9 wa ...

Kushtia Kushtia () is a city located on the banks of the Gorai River in Bangladesh. It serves as the headquarters of Kushtia District and is considered the cultural capital of Bangladesh. The city is known for its Tiler Khaja (sesame sweets), kulf ...

and Faridpur districts

II Corps

GOC: Lieutenant General T.N. 'Tappy' Raina
HQ: Krishnanagar,

* 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade – Brig M. Thomas, less 2 Para battalion group in airborne role *8th Mountain Artillery Brigade *58th, 68th and 263rd Engineering Regiments

9th Infantry Division

GOC: Major General Dalbir Singh *32 Infantry Brigade – Brigadier M Tewari *42 Infantry Brigade – Brigadier J. M. Jhoria *350 Infantry Brigade – Brigadier H. S. Sandhu *9th Artillery Brigade ** 45th Cavalry (

PT-76 The PT-76 is a Soviet Union, Soviet amphibious vehicle, amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exporte ...

s) **102nd Engineer Regiment *Mukti Bahini Sector #9 – Major Jalil

4th Mountain Division

GOC: Major General M.S. Barar
HQ: Krishnanagar *7th Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Zail Singh *41st Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Tony Michigan *62nd Mountain Brigade - Brigadier Rajinder Nath *4th Mountain Artillery Brigade *Mukti Bahini Sector #8 – Lieutenant Colonel M.A. Manzoor

North Western Sector

Area of Operation:

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

Bogra Bogra (), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, officially Bogura, is a city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in North Bengal, Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in te ...

Dinajpur Dinajpur ( ) is a city and the district headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka. It is bounded on the north by Suihari, Katapara, Bangi ...

and Rangpur districts

Corps: XXXIII

GOC: Lieutenant General M. L. Thapan
HQ:

Siliguri Siliguri (, ; ), also known as Shiliguri, is a major Tier ii cities in india, tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms the twin cities, Twin Cities with the neighbouring city of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeel ...

, West Bengal *Corps Artillery Brigade *471st Engineering Brigade – Colonel Suri **235th Engineering Regiment *2 Para battalion Group in airborne role to parachute over Tangail to capture Poongli Bridge on 11 Dec, Bn gp consisting of: **A field battery of 17 Para Field Regiment **A section of 411 Para Field Company **A surgical team of 60 Para Medical Company *MF Brigade – Brigadier Prem Singh *Mukti Bahini Sector #7 – Lieutenant Colonel Q.N. Zaman *71st Mountain Brigade – Brigadier P. N. Kathpalia *Mukti Bahini Sector #6 – Wing Commander Mohammad K. Bashar

20th Mountain Division

GOC: Maj. Gen. Lachman Singh
HQ:

Balurghat Balurghat is a city and municipality located in the Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal, India, serving as the district headquarters. Strategically positioned on National Highway 512, it is well-connected by road and rail, facilitating trad ...

, West Bengal *66th Mountain Brigade – Brigadier G. S. Sharma *165th Mountain Brigade – Brigadier R. S. Pannu *202nd Mountain Brigade – Brigadier F. P. Bhatty *3rd Armoured Brigade ( 63rd Cavalry (

T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet medium tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2 ...

s) and 69th Armoured Regiment (

s) – Brigadier G. Singh Sidhu *20th Mountain Artillery Brigade **13th Engineering Regiment *340th Mountain Brigade Group – Brigadier Joginder Singh **97th Mountain Regiment

6th Mountain Division

(Eastern Command HQ Reserve) GOC: Major General P. C. Reddy
HQ: Cooch Bihar, West Bengal *9th Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Tirit Varma *99th Mountain Brigade - *6th Mountain Artillery Brigade **51st Engineer Regiment

North Eastern Sector

Area of Operation:

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

and

Tangail Tangail (, ) is a city of Tangail District in central Bangladesh. A significant city in Bangladesh, Tangail lies on the bank of the Louhajang River, northwest of Dhaka, the nation's capital. Etymology ''Tangail'' originates from the Beng ...

districts

101st Communication Zone

GOC: Major General Gurbax Singh Gil
HQ: Guwahati,

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

*312 Air Defence Brigade *342 Independent Air Defence Brigade **56th Mountain Regiment plus Engineers *95th Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Hardev Singh Kler *FJ Sector Brigade – Brigadier Sant Singh *Mukti Bahini Sector #11 – Lieutenant Colonel Abu Taher *167th Infantry Brigade – Brigadier Irani (allotted after 8 December 1971) *5th Mountain Brigade (allotted after 8 December 1971)

Eastern Sector

Area of Operation:

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...

Noakhali Noakhali District (), historically known as Bhulua (), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in Chattogram Division. It was established as a district in 1821, and officially named Noakhali in 1868. The distr ...

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

districts

IV Corps

GOC Lieutenant General

Sagat Singh Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, PVSM (14 July 1919 – 26 September 2001) was a General Officer in the Indian Army, notable for his participation in the liberation of Goa and later for his operational maneuver in crossing Meghna river and capt ...

HQ: Agartala,

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

*IV Corps Artillery Brigade *Three Independent Tank Squadrons **4th, 62nd, 234th Engineer Regiments and support elements

8th Mountain Division

GOC: Major General K. V. Krishna Rao *Echo Force Brigade – Brigadier Wadeker *Mukti Bahini Sector #5 – Major Mir Shawkat Ali *59th Mountain Brigade – Brigadier C. A. Quinn *81st Mountain Brigade – Brigadier R. C. V. Apte *2nd Mountain Artillery Brigade *Mukti Bahini Sector #4 – Lieutenant Colonel C.R. Dutta

57th Mountain Division

GOC: Major General B.F. Gonsalves *Mukti Bahini S Force Brigade – Lieutenant Colonel K.M. Shafiullah *311th Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Mishra *73rd Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Tuli *61st Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Tom Pande *57th Mountain Artillery Brigade *Mukti Bahini Sector #3 – Maj. A. N. Nuruzzaman *Mukti Bahini Sector #2 – Maj. A.T.M Haider **15th Engineering Regiment

23rd Mountain Division

GOC: Major General R.D. Hira *301st Mountain Brigade – Brigadier H. S. Sodhi *181st Mountain Brigade – Brigadier Y. C. Bakshi *83rd Mountain Brigade – Brigadier B. S. Sandhu *23rd Mountain Artillery Brigade *Kilo Force Brigade – Brigadier Ananda Swaroop containing: **Mukti Bahini Sector #1 – Major Rafiqul Islam **Mukti Bahini K Force Brigade – Major Salek Chowdhury **Mizo Range Hills BrigadeJacob, Lt. Gen. JFR, ''Surrender at Dacca: Birth of A Nation'', p196

Indian Navy Eastern Fleet

FOC-in-C:

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Nilakanta Krishnan
HQ:

Vishakhapatnam Visakhapatnam (; formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is between the Eastern Ghats and the coast of t ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

FOCEF:

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

S. H. Sarma
A liaison officer from the Navy was posted at Fort William to coordinate matters with the Army Eastern Command. The fleet was at its peacetime standing when radio intercepts warned of PNS ''Ghazi'' entering the Bay of Bengal. and part of the

Eastern Fleet Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

was moved to the Andamans as a result. * –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Swaraj Parkash Vice Admiral Swaraj Parkash, PVSM, MVC, AVSM (3 September 1923 – 20 January 2004) was a Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He was the Captain of the aircraft carrier during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for which he was decorated with India' ...

( Majestic-class light aircraft carrier) *INS ''Brahmaputra'' – Captain J.C. Puri ( ''Leopard''-class frigate) *INS ''Beas'' – Captain L. Ramdas ( ''Leopard''-class frigatee) *INS ''Kamorta'' – Captain M.P. Awati ( Petya-class frigate) *INS ''Kavaratti'' - Captain S. Paul ( Petya-class frigate) *INS ''Rajput'' – Lieutenant Commander Inder Singh (destroyer) *INS ''Kalvari'' – (submarine) *INS ''Khandari'' –

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

R. J. Milan (submarine) *INS ''Panvel'' – Lieutenant Commander G.R. Naroha (gunboat) *INS ''Pulikat'' – Lieutenant Commander S. Krishnnan (gunboat) *INS ''Panaji'' – Lieutenant Commander R. Gupta (gunboat) *INS ''Akshay'' – Lieutenant Commander S.D. Moore (gunboat) *INS ''Guldar'' – Lieutenant Commander U. Dabir (landing ship) *INS ''Gharial'' – Lieutenant Commander A.K. Sharma (landing ship) *INS ''Maggar'' – Lieutenant Commander A.T.N. Singhal (landing ship)

Bangladesh Navy The Bangladesh Navy () is the naval warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, responsible for the defence of Bangladesh's of maritime territorial area from any external threat, the security of sea ports and exclusive economic zones of Ban ...

Two

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

s under Indian officers and crewed by Bengali seamen were engaged in ''Operation Hotpants'' prior to 3 December 1971, harassing merchant traffic to East Pakistan and laying mines on the waterways. After 6 December, when the Indian government recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign nation, the crew wore uniforms of their respective organisations.
Squadron CO: Commander M.N.R. Samant (On deputation from Indian Navy) **BNS ''Palash'' – Lieutenant Commander J.K. Rai Chowdhury (Indian Navy) (gunboat) **BNS ''Padma'' –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

S.K. Mitter (On deputation from Indian Navy) (gunboat)

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...
Eastern Air Command

AOC-in-C: Air Marshal H. C. Dewan, Temporary advanced HQ at Fort William
Prior to 1971, Indian Air Force had two command centers dealing with the East, Eastern Air Command (HQ

Shillong Shillong (, ) is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in India, 330th most populous city ...

) responsible for the North Eastern Border, and the

Central Air Command Central Air Command may refer to: * Central Air Command (India), one of five operational commands of the Indian Air Force * Central Air Command (Pakistan), one of five operational commands of the Pakistan Air Force *Central Air Command (Sweden), on ...

(HQ

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

), looking after areas south of the

Ganges river The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Pratap Chandra Lal formed an advance HQ at Fort William after consultation with Major General Jacob to coordinate operations with the army before the start of the war. Western Sector: * No. 7 Squadron IAF (''Battle Axes''):

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...

F. MK 56 and 2 F. MK 1 -

Bagdogra Bagdogra is a settlement in the Naxalbari (community development block), Naxalbari Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district, in the Indian States and territories of India, state of We ...

(WC Ceolho, then WC Suri). The squadron was moved Chamb after 12 December. * No. 14 Squadron IAF (''Bulls''): Hawker Hunter F. MK 56 - Kalaikudda (WC Sundersan) - Fighter * No. 16 Squadron IAF (''Rattlers''):

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

- Kalaikudda - (WC Gautum) - Bomber * No. 22 Squadron IAF (''Swifts''):

Folland Gnat The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic aircraft, subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical comb ...

MK 1

Dum Dum Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Author ...

, then Kalaikudda, then Calcutta (WC Sikand) * No. 30 Squadron IAF (''Charging Rhinos''): Mig 21 FL - Kalaikudda (WC Chudda) - Interceptor * No. 221 Squadron IAF (''Valiants''): Su-7 BMK -

Panagarh Panagarh is an industrial village and an Indian Air Force base in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Panagarh is located at . It is 24 km southeast of Durg ...

(WC Sridharan) – Fighter/Bomber * No. 104 Helicopter Squadron, IAF (Alluitte 3) and (Mi-4) Helicopter North East and North Western Sector: AOC-in-C:

Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

Devasher HQ: Shillong * No. 4 Squadron IAF (''Oorials''): Mig 21 FL -

Gauhati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

(Wing Commander JV Gole) * No. 15 Squadron IAF (''Flying Lancers''): Folland Gnat - Gauhati then Agortala (WC Singh) * No. 17 Squadron IAF (''Golden Arrows''): Hawker Hunter F MK 56 - Hashimara (WC Chatrath) * No. 37 Squadron IAF (''Black Panthers''): Hawker Hunter F MK 10 - Hashimara (WC Kaul) * No. 24 Squadron IAF (''Hunting Hawks''): Folland Gnat

(WC Bhadwar) *

No. 28 Squadron IAF No. 28 Squadron, Indian Air Force, nicknamed ''The First Supersonics'' is a squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF). It is currently based in Adampur, Punjab with the Western Air Command and flies Mikoyan MiG-29s. History The squadron's role ...

(''First Supersonics''): Mig 21FL Gauhati (WC Bishnu) * No. 105 Helicopter Unit, IAF (Mi-4) and No. 121 Helicopter Flight, IAF (Alouette III) - Agartala

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army a ...
: ''Kilo Flight''

CO: Flight Lieutenant Sultan Mahmud HQ:

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city and municipality in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2024 , the municipality had a population of 172,000. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along ...

, then

Agartala Agartala (, , ) is the capital and the List of cities and towns in Tripura, largest city of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tripura, situated on the banks of Haora River, Haora/Saidra River, about east of the border ...

This unit was formed by Bengali pilots and technicians defecting from the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

. Flying light aircraft donated by India, they launched attacks on depots and communication lines on 2 December 1971, before the start of the war. The unit relocated to Agartala and then Shamshernagar after 3 December 1971.

References

Sources

* * * *{{cite book , title = A Tale of Millions , year = 2006 , author = Islam, Major Rafiqul , publisher = Ananna , isbn = 984-412-033-0 Bangladesh Liberation War orders of battle

Indian Army Eastern Command

Bengal Area

Western Sector

II Corps

9th Infantry Division

4th Mountain Division

North Western Sector

Corps: XXXIII

20th Mountain Division

6th Mountain Division

North Eastern Sector

101st Communication Zone

Eastern Sector

IV Corps

8th Mountain Division

57th Mountain Division

23rd Mountain Division

Indian Navy Eastern Fleet

Bangladesh Navy The Bangladesh Navy () is the naval warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, responsible for the defence of Bangladesh's of maritime territorial area from any external threat, the security of sea ports and exclusive economic zones of Ban ...

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ... Eastern Air Command

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army a ...: ''Kilo Flight''

See also

References

Sources

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...
Eastern Air Command

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army a ...
: ''Kilo Flight''