8 months ago
India's 1971 Tangail Airdrop: Secret Mission Behind Victory
During the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, India planned a secret mission to drop paratroopers near Tangail, close to Dhaka.
A young captain named Prashanta Kumar Ghosh, codenamed 'Peter', went undercover in East Pakistan weeks before the war.
He found safe landing spots, worked with local fighters called Mukti Bahini, and sabotaged Pakistani communications.
On December 11, 1971, Indian paratroopers landed and, with Ghosh's help, captured a key bridge.
This stopped Pakistani soldiers from retreating to Dhaka and helped Indian forces quickly take the city.
The mission was very important in ending the war, but Ghosh was disappointed when he didn't get a trophy he wanted from the surrender ceremony.
Indian paratroopers landed near Tangail on December 11, 1971, to cut off Pakistani forces' retreat to Dhaka.
Captain Prashanta Kumar Ghosh, codenamed 'Peter', went undercover to prepare the mission, finding safe landing zones and working with Mukti Bahini fighters.
The mission's main goal was to secure Poongli Bridge, blocking the retreat of Pakistan's 93 Infantry Brigade.
Ghosh and around 200 Mukti Bahini fighters secured the landing area and guided the paratroopers to the bridge.
The successful mission accelerated the fall of Dhaka and hastened the end of the war.
- Who
- Indian paratroopers and Captain Prashanta Kumar Ghosh (codename 'Peter')
- What
- A secret airdrop mission to cut off Pakistani forces' retreat to Dhaka
- Where
- Tangail, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
- When
- December 11, 1971
- Why
- To prevent Pakistani forces from regrouping and hasten the fall of Dhaka
Key facts
- Date of Airdrop
- December 11, 1971
- Location of Airdrop
- Tangail, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
- Key Objective
- Cut off Pakistani forces' retreat to Dhaka
- Distance from Dhaka
- 56 km
- Indian Unit Involved
- 2nd Para Regiment
- Key Figure
- Captain Prashanta Kumar Ghosh (codename 'Peter')
- Outcome
- Accelerated the fall of Dhaka
Quotes
Lt Gen JFR Jacob
Eastern Command’s operations mastermind
“You’re a paratrooper, a signaller, a commando, a Bengali, and you topped your course at joint air warfare school.”
thestatesman.com
Captain Prashanta Kumar Ghosh
Paratrooper and signals officer who prepared the ground for the Tangail airdrop
“Who says life is fair?”
thestatesman.com
Sources
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