Although the 1971 Indo-Pak War officially began on 03 Dec hostilities had erupted all along the India – Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) border much earlier. Skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops were increasing through all of October and November. Indian troops increasingly accompanied the Mukti Bahini in cross-border raids and both sides were preparing for a war that was now inevitable. Yet, the first major confrontation took place on 20-21 November in a major land and air encounter that saw an Indian battalion get the better of a Pakistani brigade and saw three Sabre jets shot out of the skies.
Garibpur lay inside the Boyra Salient, a finger of land that protruded from East Pakistan into India. It had been used by the Pakistanis to launch artillery fire and raids. To prevent the Pakistanis from using the salient, and also to improve our position for the coming offensive inside East Pakistan, 14 PUNJAB (Nabha Akal) along with C Squadron of 45 Cavalry was tasked to capture Garibpur in end November 71.
Indian troops mounted on PT 76 Tanks head for Garibpur
The attack was to be a silent attack, with the battalion moving in stealthily to maintain surprise. On the night of 20 November, a patrol of 14 PUNJAB was sent ahead of the main body to reconnoiter the area. Unfortunately the patrol clashed with an enemy patrol and now the enemy was alerted of the presence of Indian troops and surprise was lost. Their Commanding Officer Lt Col R K Singh (later Brigadier) ordered his battalion to move forwards feverishly toward their objective and by 3 am on 21 November the four companies of 14 PUNJAB, along with the squadron of PT 76 tanks had captured the enemy locations at Garibpur after a fierce fight. The battalion now began readjusting its positions and braced for the enemy counter attack which they knew was coming.
Pak Soldiers in their defences
The Pakistanis reacted violently. An entire brigade (107 Infantry Brigade based at Jessore) along with a 3 Independent Armoured Squadron with Chafee tanks moved down from Jessore, nine kilometers to the North towards Garibpur. Fortunately a patrol under Capt G S Gill, along with an artillery observer, had been sent ahead and in the cold and foggy morning his patrol heard the sounds of tanks roaring down the road. The detailed information of the coming counter attack was passed on to the battalion enabling them to adjust themselves to face the impending attack.
The first attack with tanks and Infantry came in at 6 a m . The Indian PT 76s, the lightly armed amphibious tanks were much inferior to the Chafees, but they were skillfully deployed and took a heavy toll of the enemy. The Squadron Commander’s Major D S Narang’s tank was hit, but the rest of the squadron held firm. 14 PUNJAB held on in spite of three consecutive brigade sized attacks, the last of which came to within 25 yards of their positions before being beaten back. When the dust cleared and the fog lifted at around 9 am 11 destroyed Pakistani tanks and scores of dead infantry lay ahead of the 14 PUNJAB positions for the loss of six tanks and 40 of the defenders.
Tank Crews being briefed before the battle
One battalion had succeeded in beating back a brigade, but there was more to come. Two airstrikes, with four Sabres each, swooped down around 10 am, strafing the defences and destroying a tank and killing some troops. But NABHA AKAL held on. At 2.30 in the afternoon three Sabres roared in for another attack only to be intercepted by four Folland Gnats – the diminutive ‘Sabre Slayers’. The Sabres had launched one attack and were commencing the dive for the second attack when the Gnats –led by Flt Lt Roy Andrew Massey, struck. Two Sabres were caught at their most vulnerable – when they were pulling out of a dive – and engaged with the 20 mm cannon fire from the Gnats flown by Flt Lt Ganapathy and Flying Officer Donald Lazarus. Both Pakistani aircraft were hit, but both their pilots ejected in time and were later taken prisoner. The third Sabre was engaged by Flight Lieutenant Massey at 700 yards with a burst of cannon fire that hit its port wing. Badly damaged, the Sabre still managed to limp back to its airfield, due to some skillful flying by the pilot.
Sabre kill viewed from the Gun Camera of a Gnat
The dogfight viewed from the ground by the cheering troops and captured by the gun cameras of the Gnats marked the first aerial encounter of the war. Garibpur was a victory – a decisive one at the- both on the ground and in the air. A battalion had beaten back a Brigade; a flight of Sabres were shot down with no damage to our own aircraft and Garibpur itself was captured and held in just one night of battle. It would make the offensive into Bangla Desh so much easier and set the trend for the coming battles.
There was a foot note. One of the downed pilots Flight Lieutenant Parvaiz Mehdi Quereshi went on to become the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force in 1996. Donald Lazarus, the man who shot him down sent him a congratulatory letter. To his surprise, he received a reply, thanking him for his wishes and complimenting him for the fight on 21 November 71. Perhaps the Age of Chivalry is not yet dead.