Battle of Hilli
Part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Commanding officer of the 38 Punjab Regiment of the Pakistani army, Major Hussain (left), surrendering to the Indian army on 16 December 1971
Date 22 November to 11 December 1971 Location Hilli-Bogra area in northern East Pakistan Result Tactical and strategic Indian victory
Combatants
Indian Armed Forces	Military of Pakistan
Commanders
Major General Lachhman Singh	Major General Nazar Hussain Shah
Strength
20th Indian Mountain Division	16th Inf Division, Pakistan
Casualties
?	?

The Battle of Hilli or the Battle of Bogra was a major battle fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and Bangladesh Liberation War. It is generally regarded as one of the most pitched battles that took place in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The battle of Hilli took place between 5 December 1971 and 9 December 1971,^[1] though the final surrender took place on 16 December 1971. Combatants India Pakistan Commanders Sam Manekshaw J.S. Aurora A. A. K. Niazi Strength 500,000+ troops[citation needed] 400,000+ troops[citation needed] Casualties 3,843 killed[1] 9,851 wounded[1] c. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x615, 83 KB)Source: [1] This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Bogra is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Dhaka division. ... East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1955 and 1971. ... The Indian Armed Forces is Indias primary defence organisation. ... Military manpower Military age 16 years of age Availability 39,028,014 (2005) Males ages 16-49 Reaching military age males: 1,969,055 (2005) Active troops 620,000 (Ranked 7th) Military expenditures Dollar figure $3. ... Combatants Indian Army and later Indian Air Force Pakistan Army Commanders Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri Brigadier Tariq Mir Strength 120 troops 2 Recoilless rifles 2000+ troops 65 Tanks 5 Field guns 3 Anti-aircraft guns 138 Military vehicles Casualties 2 men, 1 jeep mounted recoiless gun 200 soldiers. ... The Battle of Basantar or the Battle of Barapind was one of the vital battles fought as part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the western sector of India. ... Combatants India Pakistan Commanders Sam Manekshaw J.S. Aurora A. A. K. Niazi Strength 500,000+ troops[citation needed] 400,000+ troops[citation needed] Casualties 3,843 killed[1] 9,851 wounded[1] c. ... Combatants Mukti Bahini India Pakistan Commanders • General M A G Osmani • General Jagjit Singh Aurora General A. A. K. Niazi Strength India: 500,000+ Mukti Bahini: 100,000[1][2] Pakistan Army: 365,000 Paramilitary: 280,000[1] Casualties India: 1,426 KIA 3,611 Wounded (Official) Mukti Bahini: NA... East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1955 and 1971. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

[edit] Battle

The main objective of the Indian Army was to control Bogra, thereby cutting off Pakistan forces in the north from the rest of East Pakistan. The best way of getting to Bogra was through Hilli. The frontal assault on the Pakistan fortifications took a huge toll on both sides - the Indian Army suffering the greater number of casualties - before Indian forces finally broke through. The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. ... Bogra is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Dhaka division. ... The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. ...

The Indian side consisted of the 20 Indian Mountain Division led by Maj-Gen. Lachhman Singh. The constituent units of this division were 66 Brigade, 165 Brigade, 202 Brigade and 340 Brigade (all infantry units), 3 Armoured Brigade, 471 Engineer Brigade and two artillery brigades augmented by 33 Corps Artillery. The ground troops were aided by aerial support provided by the Indian Air Force which had acquired air superiority in the east and were armed with rockets, guns and 100 lb bombs. The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting air-based warfare and securing Indian airspace. ... Air superiority is the dominance in the air power of one side air forces of another side during a military campaign. ...

On the Pakistan side, the Area of Responsibility (AOR) was on 16th Infantry Division led by Major General Nazar Hussain Shah. 205 Brigade of Pakistan Army was led by Brigadier Tajammul Hussain Malik. He had joined the brigade 4 days ago, when he volunteered to leave the safe haven of GHQ, Rawalpindi and command troops in the East Pakistan. He put up a stiff resistance that earned praise from many quarters though it was largely forgotten in Pakistan. He had placed screens along the railway line nearby and at the Railway Station complex in the area. The defensive positions were sited in depth to cover all routes leading into East Pakistan. They fought the entire Indian division and the rebels till the Indians decided to bypass Hilli and establish a block in its rear.By December 7th ,Pakistan 16th Infantry Division broke down and the commanding officers Major General Shah and Brigadier Malik was almost captured on December 7th by an Indian unit.^[2] Brig. Malik withdrew the forces in Hilli for the battle of Bogra. Bogra was surrounded from all sides by the combined might of the Indian army and the rebels and the Pakistani forces surrendered in Dhakka on 16 December, but Brig. Malik refused the order to surrender. He, in his staff car with flags and stars uncovered went around the streets of Bogra motivating his soldiers to keep fighting. The Indian army had by then, surrounded the city of Bogra. The Brigade Major along with some 50 ORs surrendered. Brig. Malik ordered the rest of his brigade to break out in small groups to Naogong, where one of his units was still fighting on. However en-route, him and his orderly were caught by the Mukti Bahini rebels. They broke his arms and head and was taken semi-conscious from the battlefield to the Indian army. Major General Nazar Hussain Shah, the 16th Division commander, surrendered on 18 December 1971. December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... In the Gregorian Calendar, December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years), at which point there will be 13 days remaining to the end of the year. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

The battle was a significant one as it involved great personal valour on both sides. This is highlighted by the fact that soldiers on either side won their nation's highest military honours. This battle was also unique in that it had started before the official start of the India Pakistan war but continued right until the formal surrender of Pakistan. Unlike other battles in the East where the Indian army dominated, Pakistan forces gave a very good account of themselves before the combined might of the Indian military managed to occupy the area.

[edit] Awards

• Lance Naik Albert Ekka, 14 Guards of the Indian Army, who fought in this battle, received the only Param Vir Chakra to be awarded in the Eastern Sector during the 1971 War.
• Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed of Pakistan won the Nishan-E-Haider, the highest military honour of the country.

Lance Naik (L/Nk) was the equivalent rank to Lance Corporal in the British Indian Army, ranking below Naik. ... Albert Ekka,(born 27 December 1942-died 3 December 1971), Zari village, Ranchi district, Jharkhand State, India, was enrolled in the 14 Guards of the Indian army on 27 December 1962. ... The Param Vir Chakra is an Indian military decoration given for valour in combat operations. ... Muhammad Akram (Urdu: محمد اکرم ) was born: 1938 in Dingha Village, District of Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. ... Military manpower Military age 16 years of age Availability 39,028,014 (2005) Males ages 16-49 Reaching military age males: 1,969,055 (2005) Active troops 620,000 (Ranked 9th) Military expenditures Dollar figure $3. ...

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Battle of Hilli
2. ^ Gill

[edit] See also

• L Nk Albert Ekka

Indira Priyadarśinī Gāndhī (Devanāgarī: इन्दिरा प्रियदर्शिनी गान्धी, IPA: ) (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and again from January 14, 1980 until her assassination on October 31, 1984. ... Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (born April 3, 1914) was the Indian Army Chief of Staff who led the Indian forces during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. ... K.P. Candeth (October 23, 1916 – May 19, 2003) was a senior Indian army officer who led operations to liberate Goa from Portugese control and served briefly as the military governor of the place. ... Lt-Gen Jagjit Singh Arora (February 13, 1916 - May 3, 2005) was the Indian commander whose comprehensive defeat of Pakistan in 1971 led to the creation of Bangladesh. ... Lieutenant General JFR Jacob (Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob) is a former governor of the Indian states of Punjab and Goa and Lieutenant General (Retired) of the Indian Army. ... Sagat Singh (1918 - 2001) was a General in the Indian Army who played a stellar role in many of Indias Post Independent military Operations. ... Sartaj Singh (born 26 May 1940) is a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. ... Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Urdu: ذوالفقار علی بھٹو, Sindhi: ذوالفقار علي ڀُٽو) (January 5, 1928 – April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician who served as the President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and as the Prime Minister from 1973 to 1977. ... Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (February 4, 1917 – August 10, 1980) was the President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan. ... Lt. ... Major General Abu Bakr Osman Mitha (1923–December 1999) was the pioneer of the stay behind concept and founder of Pakistans Special Services Group (SSG), an independent Commando Brigade of the Pakistan Army. ... General Gul Hassan Khan was the Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan. ... Major General (R) Rao Farman Ali Maj Gen Rao Farman Ali Khan (1923 - January 21, 2004). ... Sahabzada Yaqub Ali Khan Sahabzada Yaqub Khan (born 1920) was the International Face of Pakistan for many years. ... Tikka Khan (1915–2002) was Pakistans Chief of Army Staff from March 1972–March 1976). ... Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; known as Bangabandhu (Friend of Bangladesh) to his people in Bangladesh. ... Tajuddin Ahmed was the first prime minister of Bangladesh from 11 April 1971 until 13 January 1972. ... Muhammad Mansur Ali (b. ... Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman was a Bangladeshi politician, a senior leader of the Awami League and a close confidante of the countrys founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. ... Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani, better known by General M.A.G. Osmani (1 September 1918-16 February 1984)was the supreme commander of Mukti Bahini and Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War. ... Ziaur Rahman (Bangla: জিয়াউর রহমান) (January 19, 1936 – May 30, 1981) was Bangladeshs President. ... Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, was a Bangladeshi army officer and war hero. ...

[edit] Further reading

1. Indian Sword Strikes in East Pakistan by Major General Lachhman Singh Lehl
2. Victory in Bangladesh by Major General Lachhman Singh Lehl
3. 'Story of my Struggle' by Major General Tajamal Hussain Malik

[edit] References

• General A.A.K.Niazi (1998). Betrayal of East Pakistan. Manohar Publishers. ISBN 81-7304-256-X.
• Indian Air Force
• Defence Journal of Pakistan
• Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report.