Operation Cactus Lilly
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Operation Cactus Lilly, better known as The Meghna Heli Bridge or the Crossing of the Meghna, was an air assault operation conducted between 9 and 12 December 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It was conducted by 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 ...
and
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 ...
to cross the
Meghna River The Meghna () is one of the major rivers in Bangladesh, one of the three that form the Ganges Delta, the largest delta on earth, which fans out to the Bay of Bengal. A part of the Surma-Meghna River System, the Meghna is formed inside Banglade ...
, bypass a
Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
stronghold at
Ashuganj Ashuganj or Ashugonj () is a town in Brahmanbaria District of Chittagong Division, Bangladesh in Meghna River delta. Its altitude is 10 meters (36 feet). The city is known for the Port of Ashuganj and for its power plant which generates much of th ...
/ Bhairab Bazar and reach
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
. The operation is generally regarded as the brainchild of Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.)
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 ...
. Without it, Indian forces would not have been able to complete the encirclement of Dhaka and it would likely have led to a lengthening of the war.


Background


Advance of 57th Mountain Division

The 57th Mountain Division had been given the task of advancing on Dhaka from the East and North East. On 5 December, the 57th captured its first objective, the Pakistani fortified town of Akhaura. From here, they were supposed to advance to the town of Daudkani and then Feni, however
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 ...
redirected the division to attack and seize Brahmanbaria. This was done to cut off the Pakistani 202nd and 313th Infantry Brigades in
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 ...
which had come under pressure from the advance of other IV Corps units further north of Sylhet. Then, the objective of the 57th became to secure the eastern bank of the Meghna and capture Bhairab Bazar on the western bank before advancing on Dhaka.


Capture of Brahmanbaria

73 Mountain Brigade, under the 57th, was given the task of capturing Brahmanbaria. 73 Mtn Bde, along with assistance from the maneuver elements of 311 Mtn Bde (namely, 14 Guards) enveloped Brahmanbaria by 7 December. Elements of the Pakistan 27th Infantry Brigade, noting that they had been enveloped, chose to withdraw from Brahmanbaria. This was also due in part to the CO of the 27th, Brigadier Saadullah Khan, ordering a general retreat to the fortified positions at
Ashuganj Ashuganj or Ashugonj () is a town in Brahmanbaria District of Chittagong Division, Bangladesh in Meghna River delta. Its altitude is 10 meters (36 feet). The city is known for the Port of Ashuganj and for its power plant which generates much of th ...
. With Brahmanbaria now captured with no resistance, the next target of the 57th became Ashuganj.


Orders of battle


Indian Army

During the advance from Brahmanbaria to Ashuganj, and the air assault operation that followed, the order of battle was thus:


73 Mountain Brigade

* 14th Battalion,
Brigade of the Guards The Brigade of The Guards is a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised as the first "all India", "all class" infantry unit of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together, as opposed to other regiments that ...
* 19th Battalion,
Punjab Regiment Punjab Regiment may refer to the following existing units: *Punjab Regiment (India) *Punjab Regiment (Pakistan) From 1922 to 1947, the British Indian Army included 6 numbered Punjab Regiments: *1st Punjab Regiment * 2nd Punjab Regiment *8th Punj ...
* 19th Battalion,
Rajputana Rifles The Rajputana Rifles is the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army, having been founded in 1775. It traces its origins to the British Indian Army, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated to form six battalions of the 6th ...
(Raj Rif) (until 11 Dec)


311 Mountain Brigade

* 4th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards * 18th Battalion,
Rajput Regiment The Rajput Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its history back to 1778, when the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was formed. The regiment's 1st Battalion was later formed in 1798 ...
* 10th Battalion,
Bihar Regiment The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th  Hyderabad Regiment, and r ...
* 19th Battalion, Rajputana Rifles (detached from 73 Mtn Bde and attached to 311 Mtn Bde on 11 Dec) * 15 Engineer Regiment


Indian Air Force

The
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 ...
had attached multiple helicopter units to the various Indian Army offensive corps before the war. The role of these units was to ferry supplies and assist the Corps Commanders in attaining their objective. The 2 helicopter units, under Group Captain Chandan Singh that performed this air assault were as follows:


105 Helicopter Unit

* 7 x Mi-4s


110 Helicopter Units

* 7 x Mi-4s


Pakistan Army

Defending against Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh's IV Corps was the Pakistan Army's 14th Infantry Division. Defending Ashuganj and Bhairab Bazar would only be the 27th Infantry Brigade. Its order of battle was thus:


27 Infantry Brigade

* 6 x
M24 Chaffee The M24 Chaffee (officially light tank M24) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the Algerian War, War in Algeri ...
Light Tanks * 33rd Battalion, Baluch Regiment * 12th Battalion, Frontier Force


313 Infantry Brigade

* 22nd Battalion, Baluch Regiment * 30th Battalion, Frontier Force


Objectives


First phase

The objective for the 57th Mountain Division in what became the first phase on their advance across the Meghna were as follows, in the order that follows: # Capture Ashuganj # Capture and cross Coronation Bridge # Capture Bhairab Bazar # Advance toward Dhaka


Second phase

As the Pakistanis, while withdrawing from Ashuganj demolished Coronation Bridge, rendering it unusable, the objectives – for what became the second phase – were as follows, in the order that follows:


4 Guards, 311 Mtn Bde

# Land at Raipura # Advance toward
Narsingdi Narsingdi () is a city and headquarters of Narsingdi District and the Narsingdi Sadar Upazila in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. The Dhaka–Sylhet highway connects Narsingdi with the capital and other major cities. Narsingdi is one of the most impor ...
# Capture railway bridge at Narsingdi


73 Mtn Bde

# Use civilian fishing boats to cross Meghna under cover of darkness # Advance toward Bhairab Bazar and surround it # 19 Rajputana Rifles to link up with 4 Guards at Narsingdi Following this, the 57th was to begin the advance on Dhaka.


First phase


Battle of Ashuganj

What became, effectively, the "First Phase" of the Meghna Crossing, was the advance to Ashuganj. The advance was spearheaded by 73 Mtn Bde, supported by tanks from
63 Cavalry 63rd Cavalry is an armoured regiment of the Indian Army. Raising It was raised on 2 January 1957 at Alwar, Rajasthan. Lt Col Harmandar Singh (later Brigadier) was the first commanding officer. The third armoured regiment to be raised under the g ...
. However, the Pakistani 27 Infantry Brigade had turned Ashuganj into a fortress. The spearhead of 18th Battalion,
Rajput Regiment The Rajput Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its history back to 1778, when the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was formed. The regiment's 1st Battalion was later formed in 1798 ...
and 10th Battalion,
Bihar Regiment The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th  Hyderabad Regiment, and r ...
, supported by a squadron of
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 from 63 Cavalry reached the outskirts of Ashuganj at 1300hrs on 9 December. They arrived to find that the bridge had already been blown up ahead of the arrival of Indian troops and a significant force of the Pakistani 27 Infantry Brigade was camped at Ashuganj to defend it. In the fighting, 44 Indian soldiers were killed, 4
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 destroyed,as against 29 Pakistani soldiers. However, by the morning of the 10th, the Pakistanis had retreated from Ashuganj on the last remaining boats to Bhairab Bazar.


Second phase


9 December – air assault

It had become clear to Gen. Sagat Singh by 7 December, that an air assault operation would be required to cross the Meghna. Inspired by the airlift/air assault operations that had surrounded Sylhet between 6 and 9 December, he ordered plans to be drawn up for a similar operation to cross the Meghna. The engineers of 15 Engineer Regiment and Group Captain Chandan began to plan the operation. They identified possible landing grounds and, with the help of the
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 ...
, began to mark them with modified torches. Mukti Bahini fighters set up these modified torches in paddy fields at Raipura (the DZ) in the hours before the helicopters landed. At 1300hrs on the 9th, as 18 Rajpur and 10 Bihar entered Ashuganj, 4 Guards was recalled from the lines at Ashuganj to the
stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
at Brahmanbaria. Sometime in the evening, they began to board Mi-4 helicopters bound for Raipura. According to Major Chandrakant Singh, an officer in 4 Guards at the time, the 14 Mi-4s were escorted by 2
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 ...
fighters and landed at their DZ without any issue. The Mi-4s had had to land, in the pitch dark, on dimly lit fields. As such, upon landing,
Flying Officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...
D. S. Shaheed got out and began to mark the DZ with wheat flour. At the time, there was a fear that the two brigades of the Pakistani 14th Inf Div at Bhairab Bazar would spot the landings and overwhelm 4 Guards before they'd had a chance to regroup. However, no such counterattack materialised. By 4 am, the helicopters had conducted about 50-60 sorties and had moved all ~700 men of 4 Guards, along with an artillery battery from 82 Light Regiment, to Raipura. After the war, it was revealed by Pakistani POWs that – upon hearing the sound of helicopters – it was assumed that an entire Indian brigade had been landed to their rear and as such, they were not allowed to move out of Bhairab Bazar.


9 December – 19 Punjab crosses the Meghna

At the same time as 4 Guard was moving, 19 Punjab had moved further south on the eastern bank of the Meghna to the village of Charlalpur. From here, using commandeered civilian
fishing boats A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to fishing, catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial ...
, they crossed the Meghna under cover of darkness, with the entire battalion having crossed within a few hours. They immediately moved to surround the Pakistani forces at Bhairab Bazar, as there were fears of an imminent Pakistani attack on 4 Guards.


10–11 December – advance on Narsingdi

4 Guards had reorganised and regrouped by 0400hrs, following the landings at Raipura. After patrols had scouted out Pakistani positions on the road to Narsingdi, 4 Guards began their attack on Narsingdi railway bridge. Their objective was to keep the Pakistani defenders occupied and unable to detonate the explosives on the bridge. By the end of the day, the battalion had secured a river crossing point on the western bank of the Meghna and had captured the railway bridge at Narsingdi. It materialised that the Pakistanis had left behind only 1 platoon of paramilitary to defend Narsingdi, with the Army moving across the Lakhya River to bolster the defence of Dhaka. As such, 4 Guards faced no casualties and wiped out or captured the platoon with ease. As 4 Guards was fighting in Narsingdi, the Mi-4s were carrying out multiple sorties to land 10 Bihar at Raipura. From there, 10 Bihar (along with a battery of medium artillery which was also landed) moved west to assist in the capture of Narsingdi. Simultaneously, on the 11th, 19 Raj Rif had been crossing the Meghna on boats and linked up with 4 Guards by midday, being transferred into 311 Mountain Brigade.


12 December – advance towards Dhaka

With 27 and 313 Infantry Brigades successfully isolated at Bhairab Bazar, the entirety of 311 Mountain Brigade would be airlifted into Raipura by the 14 Mi-4s which flew over 200 sorties between 9 and 13 December. By 0800hrs, 4 Guards – the forwardmost unit of 311 Mountain Brigade – was only 12 kilometers short of Dhaka. They encountered Pakistani positions on the east of the Lakhya River, but these were quickly overwhelmed. By the end of the 12th, 311 Mountain Brigade was within artillery range of Dhaka.


Aftermath

Operation Cactus Lilly, combined with the success of the
Tangail Airdrop The Tangail Airdrop (11 December 1971) was an airborne operation conducted by the Indian Army in order to seize Poongli Bridge and ferry in the Tangail area. The operation, involving the 2nd Battalion of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment ...
and its consequences, meant that the Indian Army had reached the gates of Dhaka by 12 December. As Lt. Gen. A. A.K. Niazi realised that Dhaka was surrounded, he and the then
Governor of East Pakistan The Governor of East Pakistan, formerly known as the Governor of East Bengal, served as the appointed Head of state, head of province of the Government of East Pakistan, provincial government and the representative of President of Pakistan in Ea ...
, began the diplomatic process of organising a ceasefire and then a surrender. Due to this, the Indian Army's forward units received the order to advance on Dhaka slowly, to give the Pakistanis time to surrender. Regardless, the Indian Army's first heavy artillery reached artillery range by 14 December. On the same day, the
Indian artillery The Regiment of Artillery is a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itsel ...
began a bombardment of Dhaka Cantonment and the Pakistani positions at Dhaka. By the 16th, the war was over and the Pakistani forces would sign an unconditional surrender.


Popular culture

Hindustan Ki Kasam a
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
war movie War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...
directed by Chetan Anand and released in 1973 was based on the incidents of ''Operation Cactus Lilly''.


See also

*
Battle of Basantar The Battle of Basantar, also known as the Battle of Shakargarh or Battle of Barapind (December 4–16, 1971), was one of the vital battles fought as part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the western sector of India. The Indian troops won ...
*
Battle of Longewala The Battle of Longewala (4–7 December 1971) was one of the first major engagements in the western sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Long ...
*
Battle of Turtuk The Battle of Turtuk was a military engagement between India and Pakistan that took place during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Fighting between the two sides took place in Turtuk and its surrounding areas, then part of the Pakistani-adminis ...
*
Battle of Sylhet The Battle of Sylhet was a major battle fought between the advancing Indian Army, Bangladesh Forces and the defencing Pakistan Army at Sylhet during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The battle took place from 7 December to 15 December.
*
Battle of Hilli The Battle of Hilli were a series of two major battles fought during the Bangladesh Liberation War on 22–24 November and 10–11 December 1971. They are generally regarded as the bloodiest battles of the eastern front of the Indo-Pakistani W ...
* Battle of Tangail *
Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh War of Independence started on 26 March 1971 and ended on 16 December 1971. Some of the major events of the war are listed in the timeline below. Timeline Interactive Timeline of the Bangladesh War Before the war *1 March: Gener ...
*
Military plans of the Bangladesh Liberation War Prior to Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, India had no plans for large scale military action in East Pakistan. Since the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the primary objective of the Indian Army Eastern Command was the defence of the Indian northern an ...
*
Mitro Bahini order of battle The Indian Army had no standby force ready in 1971 with the specific task of attacking East Pakistan, one of the many reasons why India did not immediately intervene after Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight in March 1971. Indian Army's Eas ...
*
Pakistan Army order of battle, December 1971 On 25 March 1971, the Pakistani military, supported by paramilitary units, launched the military operation to pacify the insurgent-held areas of East Pakistan, which led to a prolonged conflict with the Bengali Mukti Bahini. Although conventio ...
*
Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan The Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army (initially designated as III Corps) was a corps-sized military field maneuver formation overseen and commanded by its Commander, typically at the holding rank of the Lieutenant-General. From the parti ...
*
1971 Bangladesh genocide The Bangladesh genocide was the ethnic cleansing of Bengalis residing in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Bangladesh Liberation War, perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the Razakar (Pakistan), Razakars. It began on 25 March 1971, as ...
*
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 ...
*
Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Since the partition of British India in 1947 and subsequent creation of the dominions of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts, and military standoffs. A long-running dispute over Kashmir and ...


References

{{Narsingdi District Military operations of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 Military operations of the Bangladesh Liberation War Aerial operations and battles of the Indo-Pakistani wars Helicopter history Airborne operations Brahmanbaria District Narsingdi District December 1971 in Bangladesh