Page 291 - Leadership in the Indian Army

suffering heavy casualties and losing four tanks. The Pakistanis also blew
up the bridge over the Meghna, leaving the Pakistani brigade commander
and some troops on the east bank of the river.

At this stage, it was clear to Sagat that the enemy was in dire straits.
Having blown up the Ashuganj bridge, the Pakistanis intended to fall back
across the river and hold Bhairab Bazar with whatever little they had left.
Chandpur and Daudkandi had also fallen, and Pakistani resistance in the
eastern sector had almost ceased to exist. Sagat flew over Daudkandi,
Chandpur and Ashuganj in a helicopter on 9 December, and discussed the
situation with the local commanders. He then decided to heli-lift his troops

across the Meghna and make for Dacca. He appreciated that the capture of
Dacca would end the war, and the only way to achieve this would be to
contain Bhairab Bazar and cross the Meghna further to the south, where no
opposition was expected. He had only 12 MI-4 helicopters, but he reckoned
that the element of surprise would more than make up for the deficiency in
numbers. Having used helicopters in Mizo Hills for the last three years, he

knew their worth and had already planned for just such a contingency,
making his troops and helicopter pilots practise night landings using
torches. Fortunately, Gonsalves, who was commanding 57 Mountain
Division, was also a pilot and well-versed with their use in Mizo Hills,
where his division had been deployed. Sagat had also commandeered
several steamers from the river port at Chandpur and the Titas river, which
had been fuelled and positioned for the crossing.

The airlift began on the afternoon of 9 December, and continued for the
next 36 hours. A total of 110 sorties were flown from the Brahmanbaria
stadium, and crossed the Meghna, which was 4,000 yards wide, to land at
helipads that had been marked by torches, with their reflectors removed.
During the day, the troops landed in paddy fields, with helicopters hovering
low above the ground. The first battalion of 311 Mountain Brigade, 4

Guards, landed in Raipura, while 9 Punjab crossed the river using country
boats. On the following day, the troops landed directly at Narsingdi.
Meanwhile, 73 Brigade had started to cross the Meghna, using the boats
that had been rounded up. The ferrying of artillery and tanks posed a
serious problem, and required considerable ingenuity on the part of the
Engineers. By 11 December, both 311 and 73 Mountain Brigades had
crossed the Meghna, and were ordered to advance to Dacca on different

axes. Using all modes of transport, including bullock carts and cycle