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Operation Jackpot was the codename assaigned to 2, possibly 3 operations launched by the Indian Army and the Bangladesh forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The original Operation Jackpot was the logistical and training operation set up under the Indian Army Eastern Command to aid the Mukti Bahini led insurgency^[1]. The Naval commando operation that sabotaged Pakistani ships in Chittagong, Chandpur, Mongla and Naryanganj on the 16th of August is known in Bangladesh as Operation Jackpot^[2]. Finally, the operational plan of Lt Gen Sagat Singh, commanding the Indian Army IV corps and Mukti Bahini personnel against Pakistani forces defending the eastern sector (Syhlet, Comilla, Noakhali and Chittagong districts) during December 3-16 may have been named Operation Jackpot^[3]. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... 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... Liberation War commemoration poster Mukti Bahini (Bangla: মুক্তি বাহিনী) (Liberation Army), was a guerrilla force which fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. ... Sagat Singh was an Lt General in Indian army whose participation in liberation of Goa and later in Bangladesh made him a legendary figure. ...

Liberation War commemoration poster

Liberation War commemoration poster, Bangladesh File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Liberation War commemoration poster, Bangladesh File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Operation Jackpot: Indian Army Operation for aiding Mukti Bahini

Introduction

After the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight in a bid to curb all resistance (political and otherwise), the Indian government decided to open the borders to admit Bengali refugees and the Bengali resistance fighters in March, which was ratified in the parliament on July 29^[4]. By mid May, the Pakistan Army had occupied all major towns and had driven the battered remnants of the Mukti Bahini across the border into India, forcing the Mukti Bahihi to switch to guerrilla warefare. The Indian BSF (Border Security Force) had given supplies locally to the Mukti Bahini since April, had even made some incursions across the border^[5], but these efforts had been disorganised, uncordinated and inadequate to meet the needs of the Mukti Bahini. Operation Searchlight was a planned pacification carried out by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971. ...

The Operational Setup

On May 15th^[6], Indian Army took over the task of aiding the Mukti Bahini, setting up a coordinated enterprise under the Eastern Command for meeting the logistical and training needs and to some extent lend operational support and planning advice^[7]. The operation was codenamed Operation Jackpot, initially commanded by Maj. Gen. Onkar Singh Kalkat and after 2 months by Maj. Gen. B.N. 'Jimmy' Sarcar. The border areas around Bangladesh was divided into 6 logistical sectors, each commanded by a Brigadier^[8].

The Indian logistacal sectors for this operation were: Alpha (HQ: Murti Camp, West Bengal, C.O Brig. B.C. Joshi), Bravo (HQ: Rajgaunj, West Bengal, C.O Brig. Prem Singh,), Charlie (HQ: Chakulia, Bihar, C.O. Brig. N.A. Salik), Delta (HQ: Devta Mura, Tripura, C.O Brig. Sabeg Singh), Echo (HQ: Masimpur, Assam, C.O Brig. M.B. Wadh), and Foxtrot, (HQ: Tura, Meghalaya, C.O.) Brig. Sant Singh). Through this network Mukti Bahini sector commanders communicated with the Bangladesh Forces Headquarters in Kolkata and coordinated all supply, training and operational efforts for the war. Lt Gen J.S.Aurora, commander of Eastern Command, was closely involved in the operation.

Effectiveness and Importance

Despite the limitations and challanges rising from the state of the Indian transport system, remoteness of the guerrilla bases, unavailability inadequacy of proper supplies^[9], and the decision of Bangladesh High Command to put the maximum number of guerrillas into battle in the minimum time possible (often after 4/6 weeks training, often resulting in only 50% of the personnel reciving firearms initially)^[10], the operation was effective enough to support the 30,000 regular soldiers (8 infantry battalions, and sector troops) and 100,000 guerrillas that Bangladesh eventually fielded in 1971, and help run a Mukti Bahini campaign that destroyed or damaged at least 231 bridges, 122 railway lines and 90 power stations^[11], while killing 237 officers, 136 JCOs/NCOs and 3,559 soldiers^[12], of the Pakistan army and an unspecified nunber of EPCAF and Police and an estimated 5,000 Razakar personnel^[13] during the period of April-November. The Mukti Bahini efforts also demoralised the Pakistani Army to the extent that by November they left their bases only if need arose^[14]. The contribution of the Mukti Bahini to the enevtual defeat of Pakistan was enormous^[15], which would not have been as effective without the aid of Operation Jackpot.

Operation Jackpot: Bangladesh Naval Commando Operation on August 16th, 1971

Prelude

After the Pakistani Amry had driven the Mukti Bahini into India, Bangladesh forces entered a period of reorganization to train guerrillas, set up networks and safe houses in the occupied territories to run the insurgency and rebuild the conventional forces during June/July of 1971. As the pace of operations slacked off, the civilian morale was adversely affected^[16], which prompted Pakistani authorities claiming that the situation was normal in East Pakistan. 2 specific operations were launched in response, 1)Guerrilla attacks in targets in Dhaka by a crack commando group trained by Major ATM Haider (Ex SSG commando) of Sector 2, and the simultaneous mining and damaging of ships in Chittagong, Chandpur, Mongla and Narayanganj on the 16th of August, which known in Bangladesh and international media as ‘’Operation Jackpot’’.

Setup and Training

The river transport system was vital for economic activity given the primitive state of the road and railways system of the then East Pakistan. Indian planners, in conjunction with Mukti Bahini, planned to disrupt the system through sabotage operations using naval commandoes.

Indian trainers setup a secret camp codenamed C2P in Plassy, West Bengal on May 23^[17] to train volunteers selected from various Mukti Bahini sectors (Bangladesh was divided in 10 operational sectors for Mukti Bahini operations)for this purpose. Initially 300 volunteers were chosen^[18], ultimately 499 commandoes were trained in the camp. The course included swimming, survival training, using limpet mines, hand to hand combat and navigation. By August 1971, the first batch of commandoes were ready for operation.

The Operation

The operation was planned in the last week of September, under tight security. Information on river tides, weather and Pakistani infrastructure and deployment was collected through the Mukti Bahini. Selected commandos were sent from C2P to forward bases in Tripura and West Bengal, where a final briefing was given to them. Mukti Bahini in Sector 1 assisted the group going to Chittagong, Sector 2 aided the groups going to Chandpur and Naryanganj and Sector 9 assisted the group targeting Mongla. Each commando carried a pair of fins, a knife, a limpet mine, and swimming trunks. Some had compasses, 1 in 3 commandos had sten guns and hand grenades, the group leaders carried a transistor radio. All the groups carried their own equipment to their targets and after entering Bangladesh between August 3/9, reached their destinations by August 12th, using the local Mukti Bahini network of safehouses. A pair of songs was played in India Radio (Akashbani)at specific times to convey the intended signal for commencing the operations^[19]. The first song was played on the 13th of August, the second on the 14th. The result of this operation was:

Chittagong: 60 commandos were sent, out of which 31 finally took part in the sabotage operation on the 16th. Between 1:45 to 2:15AM explosions sank the MV Al-Abbas, the MV Hormuz and the Orient barge no.6, sinking 19,000 tons of arms and munitions.

Chandpur: 18 out of 40 commandos finally took part in the operation. 3 steamers/barges were damaged or sunk.

Narayanganj: 20 commandos conducted the sabotage operation. 4 ships were sunk or damaged.

Mongla: 20 commandos managed to damage 6 foreign owned ships.

The simultaneous attacks on Pakistani shipping assets on August 16th destroyed the myth of normalcy in East Pakistan when the news was flashed in the international media.

Operation Jackpot?

The Plan of operation by the Indian Army IV corps (8 Mountain Div., 23 Mountain Div., 57 Mountain Div. and "Kilo Force") and the Bangladesh forces (8 infantry battalions, and guerrillas and sector troops of Sector 1-5 of Mukti Bahini) may have been codenamed ‘’’Operation Jackpot’’’. The opposition forces included the Pakistani 14th infantry division defending Syhlet, Maulaviabazar and Akhaura, the 39th adhoc division in Comilla, Laksham and Feni and the 97th independent infantry brigade stationed in Chittagong. Indian army had supported [[Mukti Bahini efforts to sieze sailents in the Eastern border from November 21, 1971. After Pakistan launched airattacks on India on December 3rd, Indian army crossed the border into Bangladesh. By the end of the war on 16th December, 1971, the Indian army and the Mukti Bahini had isolated and surrounded the remnants of the 14th division in Syhlet and Bhairabbazar, the 39th division was cornered in Comilla and Chittagong, with all other areas of Syhlet, Comilla, Noakhali and Chittagong clear of enemy forces. Part of the corps and Mukti Bahini forces had crossed the Meghna river using the "Meghna Heli Bridge" and using local boats collected by Mukti Bahini to drive towards Dhaka when the Pakistani army surrendered. Meghna Heli Bridge was an operation mounted on 9 December 1971 by the Indian Air Force to Airlift troops of IV Corps of the Indian Army from Brahmanbaria to Raipura and Narsingdi over the River Meghna during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, bypassing the strong Pakistani defenses at Ashuganj...

References

Sources & Further Reading

Salik, Brigadier Siddiq (1977). Witness to Surrender. ISBN 9-840-51373-7. 

• Jacob, Lt. Gen. JFR (2003). Surrender at Dacca: The Birth of A Nation. The University Press Limited. ISBN 9-840-51395-8. 
• Islam, Major Rafiqul (2006). A Tale of Millions. Ananna Publishers. ISBN 9-844-12033-0. 
• Shafiullah, Maj. Gen. K.M. (2005). Bangladesh at War. ISBN 9-844-01322-4. 
• Rahman, Khalilur (2006). Muktijuddhay Nou-Abhijan. ISBN 9-844-65449-1. 
• Mukul, M.R. Akther (2005). Ami Bijoy Dekhechi. 

See also

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 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. ... JFR Jacob (Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob) was born in 1923. ... 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. ... Maj Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, who along with his company held an entire Pakistani Armoured Regiment at bay at Longewala // Brigadier (retired) Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, was born as a Sikh in the Chandpur Rurki village in the state of Punjab(India). ... Lt Col Kulwant Singh Pannu was an officer of the Indian Army and a recepient of the Maha Vir Chakra. ... 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 (Urdu: ٹکا خان) (b. ... Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangla: শেখ মুজিবর রহমান Shekh Mujibur Rôhman) (March 17, 1920 – August 15, 1975) was a Bengali political leader in East Pakistan and the founding leader of 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 (Bengali: Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19, 1936 — May 30, 1981) was the 6th President of Bangladesh and founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. ... Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, was a Bangladeshi army officer and war hero. ...

External links

• Demons of December — Road from East Pakistan to Bangladesh
• Banglapedia article on Mukti Bahini