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INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL 2015
The Tangail Landings: A signal for victory
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Dr. Nuran Nabi (extreme right)
Dr. Nuran Nabi
I travelled to Tura, the capital of Meghalaya, three times during the war as a representative of Tangail Mukti Bahini to bring arms and ammunitions. Brigadier Sanat Singh was my contact and host. He arranged my meetings with Gen Gill and Brigadier Klair during my first and second visit in June and July, respectively. During my third visit, I had the honour to meet Lt. Gen. Aurora, the GOC of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army, at the office of Gen Gill in Tura on November 7th.
In the meeting, Gen Aurora indicated that Indian paratroopers could be dropped in Tangail by the end of November or early December. He asked me to return to Tangail as soon as possible and make arrangements to secure an area so that Indian paratroopers could land safely. He also disclosed that several officers of the Indian Army would come to the liberated zones in Tangail and stay with us. We would be responsible for their security.
At the end of the meeting, General Aurora warned me that under no circumstance, should I share this information with anyone other than Kader Siddiqui. He further mentioned that I was the first Bangladeshi person privy to the details of this top secret military operation. He reminded me repeatedly of the importance of this message and asked me to comply accordingly.
As we shook hands to say goodbye, General Aurora mentioned, “This is the Liberation War of your motherland. I am certain you will be able to make good on your promise to your country. I hope to see you in Tangail.”
I evaluated my meeting with Gen Aurora as a signal for our impending victory.
Accordingly, an Indian officer crossed the border and arrived in Tangail. He was perhaps the first Indian Army officer to infiltrate more than one hundred miles into the Bangladesh free zone before the war started. I met him on 3 December in Baroiotol, a village on the Dhaleshwari River near Bhuapur. He introduced himself as Peter and we exchanged passwords. I came to know that he was a Captain in the Indian Army and that he was a Bengali from Kolkata. He had arrived in the free zone just a night earlier, escorted by five freedom fighters, three of whom were trained wireless set operators. His mission was to contact Kader (Tiger) Siddiqui and select the strategic locations for the landing of the Indian paratroopers. All relevant information was to be sent back to his controlling headquarter.
The next morning, Kader left to oversee the massive preparation for the impending attacks. On December 7, Peter and I left the boat and camped by the side of Nikrail School. Kader showed up in our camp. He formally put me in charge of communication regarding all subsequent attacks and placed one hundred fifty freedom fighters under my command. My job was to coordinate communication among the different companies, to maintain constant contact with Kader, and to help Peter in his work. Kader's presence and the news of India's recognition of Bangladesh created a feverish excitement amongst the people. After the evening prayers, thousands of people assembled at the school ground. Kader gave a passionate speech.
Captain Peter was deeply impressed by the large turnout, and the support and enthusiasm of the population. We left Nikrail to move towards Ghatail. We reached West of Ghatail by early morning on December 9 and set up a temporary camp at the house of Abdul Halim Chowdhury. With Madhupur captured, the road for the Indian Army to move from Jamalpur to Tangail was clear and Captain Peter relayed this information to his command.
On the morning of December 10, Brigadier Kader Khan's troops, after their defeat at Jamalpur and Mymensingh, were fleeing towards Dhaka.
That afternoon (December 11), Peter received a coded message from his headquarters and burst into joy. He told me that the paratroopers would be landing shortly. I, then, sent a message to Kader which simply said, “They are coming,” alerting the commanders of the area.
At five in the afternoon, two Indian Air Force MiGs flew very low over Ghatail and Kalihati.
We did not know which dropping area they would choose as the MiGs circled a very wide area. Then we saw the cargo planes, flying above the circling MiGs. Suddenly, the two MiGs shot up towards the stratosphere as the cargo planes slowly descended. They were Indian Air Force transport planes, AN-12, C-119, and CD-3. The planes descended in waves. As they approached their lowest point of descent, they came to a slow hover. It was as if they were floating in the air. Suddenly their bellies opened and parachutes began dropping.
The southeastern sky, as far as we could see, was covered with what looked like big balloons. On a sunny and breezy afternoon, the blue sky of Tangail was brilliantly recomposed with a spectacular view created by the paratroopers. For those who were lucky enough to watch, it was an unforgettable moment.
At eight in the evening, Kader stopped by our camp. He reassured Peter that the landing was successful and that the paratroopers had made contact with the Mukti Bahini. Kader told us that the highways connecting Madhupur, Gopalpur, Kalihati, and Sholakura were now all under the full control of the Mukti Bahini. The fleeing Pakistani soldiers had been attacked from various positions on the Tangail-Madhupur Highway. About twenty vehicles of the Pakistan Army had been destroyed and more than fifty soldiers had been killed. The Mukti Bahini had been able to capture a number of vehicles as well as a huge quantity of arms and explosives.
At five in the morning, Kader headed out with his troops to Tangail along the Mymensingh-Tangail Highway. Peter and I were also with him. We were welcomed at the liberated Kalihati headquarters by Commanders Nabi Newaz, Riaz, and Samad Gama. They reported that their forces were in full control of the Kalihati Police Station and that Tangail Highway was in our control as far south as Sholakura.
We then moved to Sholakura but were halted at the Sholakura Bridge by enemy fire. At this time, several volunteers arrived escorting a contingent of paratroopers. Behind the force of last night's gusty winds, these paratroopers drifted away from their targeted position and thus they could not join in the battle fought the previous night. Captain Peter was delighted to meet his colleagues, amongst whom was a young Captain.
Captain Peter then left us and joined up with the paratroopers and we resumed our advance to Phultala. Kader attacked Phultala with mortars and then sent about 300 fighters to take the village. By afternoon, the enemy fled and Phultala came under our control.
We learnt through radio contact that Brigadier Klair of the Indian Army was on his way to Tangail. I, with a team of freedom fighters, left for Pungli Bridge to meet the Indian paratroopers. As we walked on the road to Pungli Bridge, I came face to face with the bone-chilling scenes of last night's battle. Corpses of hundreds of enemy soldiers littered the road; the bodies sprawled from one side of the bridge to the other. We walked with care so as not to step on the dead. All around was a mass of twisted mangled bodies and body parts. Never in my life had I seen so much death in one place.
It was about three in the afternoon. When Brigadier Klair and Kader Siddiqui stepped down, five hundred freedom fighters and paratroopers received them with thundering applause.
Brigadier Klair came over to me and thanked me for the help and cooperation extended by the Mukti Bahini.
From the Indian officers I learnt that in the battle around Pungli Bridge, three hundred-seventy Pakistan soldiers were killed and more than one hundred injured. Six Indian paratroopers achieved martyrdom and 15 were injured. Over 600 Pakistani troops were taken prisoner.
After the meeting, Kader and Klair decided to move on to Tangail that same evening. Most of the town of Tangail was in the hands of the Mukti Bahini. However, a small contingent of Pakistani forces at the new Tangail town garrison had not yet surrendered though it was cut off from all sides. An attack was launched at four o'clock that evening with about 200 Freedom Fighters, supported by mortar and machine gun fire. Very soon, the enemy guns were silenced and the last remnants of resistance at Tangail ceased.
By that evening, the whole town stood liberated. By now, tens of thousands of people had begun assembling around the Awami League premises to see Kader and to celebrate our victory. Brigadier Klair then came over to join in the celebrations.
This for me was the last major action of the war. The Pakistan army was on the run and its eventual defeat was now simply a matter of time.
Reflecting on the War, I think Captain Peter's infiltration deep inside the enemy territory reveals a well thought out deception plan that has not been fully appreciated by analysts.
As Indian forces were not concentrated here, the Pakistani leadership presumed that no major attack was envisaged by the Indian Army through this sector and so an elderly Pakistani officer, Brigadier Kader Khan was left in charge. In my view, this was an intentional move by General Aurora to mislead the enemy into thinking that the Indian Army advance into Dhaka would take place through the Comilla border.
Meanwhile, on December 11th, General Jacob, the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, arranged a press conference in Calcutta. He declared to the national and international press that the night before, Indian paratroopers had landed surrounding Dhaka city. He claimed that Dhaka was then a besieged city, waiting to fall any day.
On the insistence of reporters, General Jacob reluctantly disclosed that a division of joint forces had surrounded Dhaka city.
However, in reality, the division he referred to was actually only single battalion of paratroopers who had landed, not in Dhaka, but rather some seventy miles to the north, in Tangail district.
Pakistani command was distressed by this bluff. It created a tremendous amount of psychological pressure on General Niazi to surrender. The joint force strategy worked just as planned.
This Para drop at Tangail caught the Pakistani leadership on the wrong foot and hastened the end of the war. For Brigadier Khan, this was the second surrender of his military carrier. During our interrogation, we came to know that he had also surrendered to the Indian Army on the West Pakistan border during the India-Pakistan War of 1965.
The inclusion of the Tangail Mukti Bahini in the original war strategy to conquer Dhaka was an important historical event. One of the most significant components to this plan was the landing of a battalion of paratroopers in Tangail.
Arguably, I was the first person in Bangladesh to have had the privilege of knowing this vital secret plan.
I was lucky and honoured to be associated with such a clever war strategy. It was also a great testament to Kader as well as to the Tangail Mukti Bahini.
......................................................................
The writer is a Freedom Fighter and scientist.
INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL 2015
Naval Commandos in Operation Jackpot
Submariner talks about the first military response from France
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Commodore Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, Photo: Sk Enamul Haq
Commodore Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, BU BB s/m (G) psc (rtd) of the Bangladesh Navy is one of the highest gallantry awardees living. Commodore Chowdhury was the Chief of Operation Jackpot, a Naval CNaval Commandos in Operation Jackpotommando Operation that attacked and sank ships at Chittagong port by the Karanafuli River on August 15, 1971. Beginning his career as a submariner in PNS Gazi in 1964, he later served in Bangladesh Navy holding many important positions including the Director of Naval Intelligence and a member of the National Committee. He won many national and international awards during the service. In an exclusive interview, Commodore Chowdhury talks to Amitava Kar of The Daily Star about the Liberation War and the success of Operation Jackpot.
The Daily Star (TDS): Please describe to us the circumstances under which the Naval Commando Force was formed.
Commodore AW Chowdhury (AWC): In March 1971, I was in France serving as a submariner in PNS Mangro, a Daphné-class submarine. We had a total crew of 45 -- 13 of them Bangalis and the rest, Pakistanis. The 7th March speech of Bangabandhu deeply moved us. The crackdown of 25th March changed everything. How could they run innocent people over with tanks? I made up my mind. I would join the Liberation War and persuade the other Bangalis on board to join me. We would leave the submarine without telling our Pakistani colleagues because from their point of view it would be nothing but mutiny. We were the first military personnel who responded to the call of liberation from abroad (France) on March 29, 1971.
TDS: How did you manage to communicate with them under tight scrutiny?
AWC: I did not talk to anyone about this on the submarine. It was only when we came to our shore accommodation that I informed them—one person at a time so that there would be no witness. I was in charge of the safe where all confidential documents and passports were kept. I took out all 45 passports and put them in the cupboard in my room on the shore. If I took out only the 13 passports belonging to the Bangali submariners, it would raise a red flag. Finally, out of the 13 Bangalis, only 8 joined us.
Video
Naval Commandos in Operation Jackpot
Submariner talks about the first military response from France. Commodore Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, BU BB s/m (G) psc (rtd) of the Bangladesh Navy is one of the highest gallantry awardees living.
TDS: How did you plan to join the war?
AWC: The plan was to cross the French border and go to Geneva. We wanted to reach India, go close to the border of Bangladesh and join the Liberation War as soon as possible. A friend, a South African submariner, told me that Switzerland was a neutral country and we could apply for political asylum in Geneva. France was likely to support Pakistan because the Pakistani government had purchased the submarine from France.
TDS: Did everything go according to plan?
AWC: I purchased train tickets for all of them. We left Toulon one by one or in a group of two, leaving the rest of the passports in my cupboard. But when we tried to enter Switzerland we were told that we needed a visa to enter. We did not want to seem suspicious. So I talked to the lady at the immigration in French and told her that we would go back to Paris and come back with our visas.
TDS: What did you do next?
AWC: We boarded a train to Paris and got down in Lyon. I found out that we could enter Spain without a visa. Next morning we were on a train to Barcelona. We contacted the Indian Consulate in Barcelona immediately. They sent us to Madrid and the approval for our political asylum in India came through in 10 minutes. We would go to Rome and from there we would catch a flight to India in an Indian Airliner which was coming from New York. But it got delayed in New York due to a labour strike. While disembarking in Rome, we saw a lot of journalists and cameramen waiting for us. Once we were on board, Mr. Sri Bedi, Charges de Affairs of the Indian High Commission, had told the press about our defection.
TDS: Did you get in trouble because of this?
AWC: The Pakistan embassy officials got the news and came rushing to snatch us away. But we said, “Look, we were born afresh on March 26. We are going to fight for our country.” So instead of waiting for 10 hours in Rome, in the duration of which a lot of things could have gone wrong (Italy had a good relationship with Pakistan), we went to Geneva. Within an hour, we were on a flight to Bombay. When we arrived at Bombay we were taken to Delhi and put in different safe locations. It was decided that the 8 of us were going to become Naval Commandos.
ADVERTISEMENT
TDS: Please tell us about Operation Jackpot.
AWC: There were two routes for the Pakistanis to reach Bangladesh. One was by air and it was blocked by India. The other was the sea which the Pakistanis were using to send logistical support to their soldiers in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh forces under General Osmani and the Indian authorities jointly decided to block this route to cut off their supply line. We did not have a navy or any ships. We, the 8 commandos, were going to do it. Under our leadership we trained about 500 brave young men. On 21st May the camp began at Palashi by the Bhagirathi River in Nadiya district. We rigorously trained for 18 hours a day for three months.
TDS: What impact did Operation Jackpot have on the Liberation War?
AWC: The commando operation was unique with a 100 percent success rate. It broke the lifeline of the Pakistanis in totality and they had no option but to surrender soon. We planned to destroy four places—Chittagong, Mongla, Chandpur and Narayanganj. Chittagong was the most important. I was the Chief of Operation Jackpot in Chittagong with 60 commandos under my command. The mission was to sink ships by using Limpet mines and block the channel. We attacked each ship with 3 commandos. It was practically a suicidal mission. Dr. Shah Alam BU was my deputy commander. They were all courageous commandos. The assistance of local associates was also great.
We attacked 11 ships on the 14th August night after midnight, demolishing 9 ships. Chittagong port was declared nonoperational for international shipping. We did it with zero casualties. Subsequently, Operation Jackpot sank 45 ships in Bangladesh -- in Chittagong, Mongla, Chandpur and Narayanganj. We bowled them out.
TDS: What's your message going forward?
AWC: Today, I want to say we have no enemy. How can we be an enemy to each other? Are we not all Bangladeshis? Let us build this country together, look after the little ones with love and affection. Bangladesh is the most beautiful country in the world and her people are the best. Liberation War comes once in a lifetime. I am proud that I could avail the opportunity and to some extent prove my leadership in the crisis of Bangladesh during the Liberation War. Will prove it again if need be.
The Tangail Landings: A signal for victory
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Dr. Nuran Nabi (extreme right)
Dr. Nuran Nabi
I travelled to Tura, the capital of Meghalaya, three times during the war as a representative of Tangail Mukti Bahini to bring arms and ammunitions. Brigadier Sanat Singh was my contact and host. He arranged my meetings with Gen Gill and Brigadier Klair during my first and second visit in June and July, respectively. During my third visit, I had the honour to meet Lt. Gen. Aurora, the GOC of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army, at the office of Gen Gill in Tura on November 7th.
In the meeting, Gen Aurora indicated that Indian paratroopers could be dropped in Tangail by the end of November or early December. He asked me to return to Tangail as soon as possible and make arrangements to secure an area so that Indian paratroopers could land safely. He also disclosed that several officers of the Indian Army would come to the liberated zones in Tangail and stay with us. We would be responsible for their security.
At the end of the meeting, General Aurora warned me that under no circumstance, should I share this information with anyone other than Kader Siddiqui. He further mentioned that I was the first Bangladeshi person privy to the details of this top secret military operation. He reminded me repeatedly of the importance of this message and asked me to comply accordingly.
As we shook hands to say goodbye, General Aurora mentioned, “This is the Liberation War of your motherland. I am certain you will be able to make good on your promise to your country. I hope to see you in Tangail.”
I evaluated my meeting with Gen Aurora as a signal for our impending victory.
Accordingly, an Indian officer crossed the border and arrived in Tangail. He was perhaps the first Indian Army officer to infiltrate more than one hundred miles into the Bangladesh free zone before the war started. I met him on 3 December in Baroiotol, a village on the Dhaleshwari River near Bhuapur. He introduced himself as Peter and we exchanged passwords. I came to know that he was a Captain in the Indian Army and that he was a Bengali from Kolkata. He had arrived in the free zone just a night earlier, escorted by five freedom fighters, three of whom were trained wireless set operators. His mission was to contact Kader (Tiger) Siddiqui and select the strategic locations for the landing of the Indian paratroopers. All relevant information was to be sent back to his controlling headquarter.
The next morning, Kader left to oversee the massive preparation for the impending attacks. On December 7, Peter and I left the boat and camped by the side of Nikrail School. Kader showed up in our camp. He formally put me in charge of communication regarding all subsequent attacks and placed one hundred fifty freedom fighters under my command. My job was to coordinate communication among the different companies, to maintain constant contact with Kader, and to help Peter in his work. Kader's presence and the news of India's recognition of Bangladesh created a feverish excitement amongst the people. After the evening prayers, thousands of people assembled at the school ground. Kader gave a passionate speech.
Captain Peter was deeply impressed by the large turnout, and the support and enthusiasm of the population. We left Nikrail to move towards Ghatail. We reached West of Ghatail by early morning on December 9 and set up a temporary camp at the house of Abdul Halim Chowdhury. With Madhupur captured, the road for the Indian Army to move from Jamalpur to Tangail was clear and Captain Peter relayed this information to his command.
On the morning of December 10, Brigadier Kader Khan's troops, after their defeat at Jamalpur and Mymensingh, were fleeing towards Dhaka.
That afternoon (December 11), Peter received a coded message from his headquarters and burst into joy. He told me that the paratroopers would be landing shortly. I, then, sent a message to Kader which simply said, “They are coming,” alerting the commanders of the area.
At five in the afternoon, two Indian Air Force MiGs flew very low over Ghatail and Kalihati.
We did not know which dropping area they would choose as the MiGs circled a very wide area. Then we saw the cargo planes, flying above the circling MiGs. Suddenly, the two MiGs shot up towards the stratosphere as the cargo planes slowly descended. They were Indian Air Force transport planes, AN-12, C-119, and CD-3. The planes descended in waves. As they approached their lowest point of descent, they came to a slow hover. It was as if they were floating in the air. Suddenly their bellies opened and parachutes began dropping.
The southeastern sky, as far as we could see, was covered with what looked like big balloons. On a sunny and breezy afternoon, the blue sky of Tangail was brilliantly recomposed with a spectacular view created by the paratroopers. For those who were lucky enough to watch, it was an unforgettable moment.
At eight in the evening, Kader stopped by our camp. He reassured Peter that the landing was successful and that the paratroopers had made contact with the Mukti Bahini. Kader told us that the highways connecting Madhupur, Gopalpur, Kalihati, and Sholakura were now all under the full control of the Mukti Bahini. The fleeing Pakistani soldiers had been attacked from various positions on the Tangail-Madhupur Highway. About twenty vehicles of the Pakistan Army had been destroyed and more than fifty soldiers had been killed. The Mukti Bahini had been able to capture a number of vehicles as well as a huge quantity of arms and explosives.
At five in the morning, Kader headed out with his troops to Tangail along the Mymensingh-Tangail Highway. Peter and I were also with him. We were welcomed at the liberated Kalihati headquarters by Commanders Nabi Newaz, Riaz, and Samad Gama. They reported that their forces were in full control of the Kalihati Police Station and that Tangail Highway was in our control as far south as Sholakura.
We then moved to Sholakura but were halted at the Sholakura Bridge by enemy fire. At this time, several volunteers arrived escorting a contingent of paratroopers. Behind the force of last night's gusty winds, these paratroopers drifted away from their targeted position and thus they could not join in the battle fought the previous night. Captain Peter was delighted to meet his colleagues, amongst whom was a young Captain.
Captain Peter then left us and joined up with the paratroopers and we resumed our advance to Phultala. Kader attacked Phultala with mortars and then sent about 300 fighters to take the village. By afternoon, the enemy fled and Phultala came under our control.
We learnt through radio contact that Brigadier Klair of the Indian Army was on his way to Tangail. I, with a team of freedom fighters, left for Pungli Bridge to meet the Indian paratroopers. As we walked on the road to Pungli Bridge, I came face to face with the bone-chilling scenes of last night's battle. Corpses of hundreds of enemy soldiers littered the road; the bodies sprawled from one side of the bridge to the other. We walked with care so as not to step on the dead. All around was a mass of twisted mangled bodies and body parts. Never in my life had I seen so much death in one place.
It was about three in the afternoon. When Brigadier Klair and Kader Siddiqui stepped down, five hundred freedom fighters and paratroopers received them with thundering applause.
Brigadier Klair came over to me and thanked me for the help and cooperation extended by the Mukti Bahini.
From the Indian officers I learnt that in the battle around Pungli Bridge, three hundred-seventy Pakistan soldiers were killed and more than one hundred injured. Six Indian paratroopers achieved martyrdom and 15 were injured. Over 600 Pakistani troops were taken prisoner.
After the meeting, Kader and Klair decided to move on to Tangail that same evening. Most of the town of Tangail was in the hands of the Mukti Bahini. However, a small contingent of Pakistani forces at the new Tangail town garrison had not yet surrendered though it was cut off from all sides. An attack was launched at four o'clock that evening with about 200 Freedom Fighters, supported by mortar and machine gun fire. Very soon, the enemy guns were silenced and the last remnants of resistance at Tangail ceased.
By that evening, the whole town stood liberated. By now, tens of thousands of people had begun assembling around the Awami League premises to see Kader and to celebrate our victory. Brigadier Klair then came over to join in the celebrations.
This for me was the last major action of the war. The Pakistan army was on the run and its eventual defeat was now simply a matter of time.
Reflecting on the War, I think Captain Peter's infiltration deep inside the enemy territory reveals a well thought out deception plan that has not been fully appreciated by analysts.
As Indian forces were not concentrated here, the Pakistani leadership presumed that no major attack was envisaged by the Indian Army through this sector and so an elderly Pakistani officer, Brigadier Kader Khan was left in charge. In my view, this was an intentional move by General Aurora to mislead the enemy into thinking that the Indian Army advance into Dhaka would take place through the Comilla border.
Meanwhile, on December 11th, General Jacob, the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, arranged a press conference in Calcutta. He declared to the national and international press that the night before, Indian paratroopers had landed surrounding Dhaka city. He claimed that Dhaka was then a besieged city, waiting to fall any day.
On the insistence of reporters, General Jacob reluctantly disclosed that a division of joint forces had surrounded Dhaka city.
However, in reality, the division he referred to was actually only single battalion of paratroopers who had landed, not in Dhaka, but rather some seventy miles to the north, in Tangail district.
Pakistani command was distressed by this bluff. It created a tremendous amount of psychological pressure on General Niazi to surrender. The joint force strategy worked just as planned.
This Para drop at Tangail caught the Pakistani leadership on the wrong foot and hastened the end of the war. For Brigadier Khan, this was the second surrender of his military carrier. During our interrogation, we came to know that he had also surrendered to the Indian Army on the West Pakistan border during the India-Pakistan War of 1965.
The inclusion of the Tangail Mukti Bahini in the original war strategy to conquer Dhaka was an important historical event. One of the most significant components to this plan was the landing of a battalion of paratroopers in Tangail.
Arguably, I was the first person in Bangladesh to have had the privilege of knowing this vital secret plan.
I was lucky and honoured to be associated with such a clever war strategy. It was also a great testament to Kader as well as to the Tangail Mukti Bahini.
......................................................................
The writer is a Freedom Fighter and scientist.
INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL 2015
Naval Commandos in Operation Jackpot
Submariner talks about the first military response from France
Share on facebook1 Share on twitter6 Share on email Share on print More Sharing Services
Commodore Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, Photo: Sk Enamul Haq
Commodore Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, BU BB s/m (G) psc (rtd) of the Bangladesh Navy is one of the highest gallantry awardees living. Commodore Chowdhury was the Chief of Operation Jackpot, a Naval CNaval Commandos in Operation Jackpotommando Operation that attacked and sank ships at Chittagong port by the Karanafuli River on August 15, 1971. Beginning his career as a submariner in PNS Gazi in 1964, he later served in Bangladesh Navy holding many important positions including the Director of Naval Intelligence and a member of the National Committee. He won many national and international awards during the service. In an exclusive interview, Commodore Chowdhury talks to Amitava Kar of The Daily Star about the Liberation War and the success of Operation Jackpot.
The Daily Star (TDS): Please describe to us the circumstances under which the Naval Commando Force was formed.
Commodore AW Chowdhury (AWC): In March 1971, I was in France serving as a submariner in PNS Mangro, a Daphné-class submarine. We had a total crew of 45 -- 13 of them Bangalis and the rest, Pakistanis. The 7th March speech of Bangabandhu deeply moved us. The crackdown of 25th March changed everything. How could they run innocent people over with tanks? I made up my mind. I would join the Liberation War and persuade the other Bangalis on board to join me. We would leave the submarine without telling our Pakistani colleagues because from their point of view it would be nothing but mutiny. We were the first military personnel who responded to the call of liberation from abroad (France) on March 29, 1971.
TDS: How did you manage to communicate with them under tight scrutiny?
AWC: I did not talk to anyone about this on the submarine. It was only when we came to our shore accommodation that I informed them—one person at a time so that there would be no witness. I was in charge of the safe where all confidential documents and passports were kept. I took out all 45 passports and put them in the cupboard in my room on the shore. If I took out only the 13 passports belonging to the Bangali submariners, it would raise a red flag. Finally, out of the 13 Bangalis, only 8 joined us.
Video
Naval Commandos in Operation Jackpot
Submariner talks about the first military response from France. Commodore Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, BU BB s/m (G) psc (rtd) of the Bangladesh Navy is one of the highest gallantry awardees living.
TDS: How did you plan to join the war?
AWC: The plan was to cross the French border and go to Geneva. We wanted to reach India, go close to the border of Bangladesh and join the Liberation War as soon as possible. A friend, a South African submariner, told me that Switzerland was a neutral country and we could apply for political asylum in Geneva. France was likely to support Pakistan because the Pakistani government had purchased the submarine from France.
TDS: Did everything go according to plan?
AWC: I purchased train tickets for all of them. We left Toulon one by one or in a group of two, leaving the rest of the passports in my cupboard. But when we tried to enter Switzerland we were told that we needed a visa to enter. We did not want to seem suspicious. So I talked to the lady at the immigration in French and told her that we would go back to Paris and come back with our visas.
TDS: What did you do next?
AWC: We boarded a train to Paris and got down in Lyon. I found out that we could enter Spain without a visa. Next morning we were on a train to Barcelona. We contacted the Indian Consulate in Barcelona immediately. They sent us to Madrid and the approval for our political asylum in India came through in 10 minutes. We would go to Rome and from there we would catch a flight to India in an Indian Airliner which was coming from New York. But it got delayed in New York due to a labour strike. While disembarking in Rome, we saw a lot of journalists and cameramen waiting for us. Once we were on board, Mr. Sri Bedi, Charges de Affairs of the Indian High Commission, had told the press about our defection.
TDS: Did you get in trouble because of this?
AWC: The Pakistan embassy officials got the news and came rushing to snatch us away. But we said, “Look, we were born afresh on March 26. We are going to fight for our country.” So instead of waiting for 10 hours in Rome, in the duration of which a lot of things could have gone wrong (Italy had a good relationship with Pakistan), we went to Geneva. Within an hour, we were on a flight to Bombay. When we arrived at Bombay we were taken to Delhi and put in different safe locations. It was decided that the 8 of us were going to become Naval Commandos.
ADVERTISEMENT
TDS: Please tell us about Operation Jackpot.
AWC: There were two routes for the Pakistanis to reach Bangladesh. One was by air and it was blocked by India. The other was the sea which the Pakistanis were using to send logistical support to their soldiers in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh forces under General Osmani and the Indian authorities jointly decided to block this route to cut off their supply line. We did not have a navy or any ships. We, the 8 commandos, were going to do it. Under our leadership we trained about 500 brave young men. On 21st May the camp began at Palashi by the Bhagirathi River in Nadiya district. We rigorously trained for 18 hours a day for three months.
TDS: What impact did Operation Jackpot have on the Liberation War?
AWC: The commando operation was unique with a 100 percent success rate. It broke the lifeline of the Pakistanis in totality and they had no option but to surrender soon. We planned to destroy four places—Chittagong, Mongla, Chandpur and Narayanganj. Chittagong was the most important. I was the Chief of Operation Jackpot in Chittagong with 60 commandos under my command. The mission was to sink ships by using Limpet mines and block the channel. We attacked each ship with 3 commandos. It was practically a suicidal mission. Dr. Shah Alam BU was my deputy commander. They were all courageous commandos. The assistance of local associates was also great.
We attacked 11 ships on the 14th August night after midnight, demolishing 9 ships. Chittagong port was declared nonoperational for international shipping. We did it with zero casualties. Subsequently, Operation Jackpot sank 45 ships in Bangladesh -- in Chittagong, Mongla, Chandpur and Narayanganj. We bowled them out.
TDS: What's your message going forward?
AWC: Today, I want to say we have no enemy. How can we be an enemy to each other? Are we not all Bangladeshis? Let us build this country together, look after the little ones with love and affection. Bangladesh is the most beautiful country in the world and her people are the best. Liberation War comes once in a lifetime. I am proud that I could avail the opportunity and to some extent prove my leadership in the crisis of Bangladesh during the Liberation War. Will prove it again if need be.