The Liberation War of Bangladesh. The Fifth Army in Bangladesh is more like the US Army in Vietnam

MAJOR GENERAL SUJAN SINGH UBAN - COMMANDER OPERATION EAGLE 1971 — **Major General Sujan Singh Uban, Inspector General Special Frontier Force: The Fifth Army in Bangladesh.**

THE FIFTH ARMY IN BANGLADESH – THE CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE INDIAN ARMY AND THE FIFTH ARMY IN BANGLADESH . WE USED THE SAME WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT USED BY THE US ARMY IN VIETNAM

Major General Sujan Singh Uban, Inspector General of Special Frontier Force: The Fifth Army in Bangladesh. General Uban commanded the Fifth Army that initiated the Liberation of Bangladesh with a military action called Operation Eagle that was sanctioned by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Major General Sujan Singh Uban: The Fifth Army in Bangladesh. OPERATION EAGLE 1971 COMMANDED BY MAJOR GENERAL SUJAN SINGH UBAN INSPECTOR GENERAL SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF SECURITY, R K PURAM, NEW DELHI

SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE – OPERATION EAGLE – LIBERATION WAR OF BANGLADESH 1971:

**Major General Sujan Singh Uban, Inspector General Special Frontier Force: The Fifth Army in Bangladesh.**

**Major General Sujan Singh Uban, Inspector General Special Frontier Force: The Fifth Army in Bangladesh. He is seen meeting with Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman.**

The Fifth Army in Bangladesh. Establishment No. 22 – Operation Eagle: This badge represents a military alliance/pact between India, Tibet, and the United States of America. Its first combat mission was in the Chittagong Hill Tracts which unfolded on 03 November 1971. It was named Operation Eagle. It accomplished its mission of securing peace in the region that is now known as Republic of Bangladesh.

Major General ( Retd) Sujan Singh Uban, PVSM, AVSM the former Inspector General of Special Frontier Force published the book titled,’The Phantoms of Chittagong: The Fifth Army in Bangladesh’. He narrated the story about the military exploits of his force in the Chittagong Hill Tracts during Indo-Pak War of 1971.

Okay, here are the SFF Awards for the 1971 Conflict

PVSM
Hon Maj Gen Sujan Singh Uban, AVSM (Retd) IC-1003

Maj Gen SS Uban was deputed to carry out a hazardous Operation in Bangladesh with his force. His force was airlifted and thereafter operated independently and entirely on a limited air supply in most difficult terrain. The mission allocated was successfully completed. This resulted in the liberation of the Chittagong Hill tracts as well as breaking up of Mizo hostile camps organised by Pakistan. The success of the op was largely due to the initiative, drive and sound planning by Maj Gen Uban

Vir Chakra (VrC)

Operation Eagle – Gallantry Award: Service Number IC-22805 Major Survendra Singh Negi, The Grenadiers, served as a Company Commander, South Column, Operation Eagle, Bangladesh Ops, the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Operation Eagle – Gallantry Award: Flight Lieutenant Parvez Rustom Jamasji, Indian Air Force Helicopter Pilot ( with Aviation Research Centre-ARC) provided airlift to the battle casualties in the conduct of Operation Eagle, Bangladesh Ops in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Fifth Army in Bangladesh. Remarks of Lieutenant General T S Oberoi, PVSM, VrC, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief,Headquarters Southern Command Pune 411001.He had remarked about my participation in the Indo-Pak War of 1971.

Fifth Army in Bangladesh. This response dated 02/03 December, 2009 does not suggest that no citation was initiated to present the Vir Chakra Gallantry Award. However, it carefully conceals the fact that the Military Operation specifically pertains to Operation Eagle for which the Rules of Engagement were prescribed by the Prime Minister of India and not by the Indian Army. Operation Eagle was the code name for India’s Undeclared War on Pakistan that unfolded on November 03, 1971.

**Fifth Army in Bangladesh. Special Frontier Force – Operation Eagle – Petition to Government of India.**

Lt Col Prasanta Coomar Purkayastha IC-2486 (Garhwal Rifles), Commander, North Column Unit, Op Eagle
Maj Raj Kumar Malhotra IC-20824 (4 Para), Company Commander, North Column Unit, Op Eagle
Maj Survendra Singh Negi IC-22805 (The Grenadiers), Company Commander, South Column Unit, Op Eagle
Major G G Velankar, Company Commander, South Column Unit, Op Eagle

Flight Lieutenant Parvez Rustom Jamasji, IAF, Mi-4 Helicopter Pilot, Aviation Research Centre (ARC), Op Eagle

MS-8466 Captain R R Narasimham, AMC, Medical Officer, South Column Unit, Op Eagle. Recommended but the Army Hqrs, MS Branch, Ministry of Defence declined to offer the Gallantry Award stating that the Director of Medical Services, DMS (Army), Medical Directorate, MoD has failed to forward the citation to the MS Branch in the stipulated time.

Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM)

Lt Col Krishan Lal Vasudeva IC-7203 (Arty), Commander, Central Column Unit, Op Eagle

Major Harish Chandra Sharma IC-21075 (Jat), Company Commander, Central Column Unit, Op Eagle

Major Tarachand Pande, Company Commander, South Column Unit, Op Eagle

Captain Ashok Kumar Jaiswal, AMC, Medical Officer, North Column Unit, Op Eagle

Major Ramesh Chandra, Senior Medical Officer, Force Hq, Op Eagle

Major PCM Mehta, AMC, Surgical Specialist, Field Hospital, Lunglei, Op Eagle

Sena Medal (SM)

Capt Ugam Singh IC-22297
Company Commander Major SK Suri, Op Eagle
Asst Company Commander Baldev Singh, South Column, Op Eagle
Asst Company Commander Captain Man Singh Gurung, South Column, Op Eagle
Asst Company Commander Surinder Nath Khanna

I am pleased to share some excerpts from the views shared by Lieutenant General Oberoi who served in the Military Operations Directorate, Indian Army Headquarters during the 1971 War. I ask my readers to note that no field guns were deployed in the conduct of the military action in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Special Frontier Force used the basic infantry weapons, ammunition, radio sets, field gear, rations, medical supplies which the US Army was using in the Vietnam War.

**Operation Eagle. The military action to initiate the Liberation of Bangladesh involved the use of this US Marine Corps Service Rifle.**

**The General Purpose Machine Gun M60 was designed for use in the Vietnam War was equally useful for our Infantry Operation Eagle in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.**

M1 Muzzle loading 81mm Mortar is a heavy piece of Infantry weapon which provides indirect fire support. During Operation Eagle, our men had carried them on their backs and used them to fire upon the enemy patrols whenever they had confronted us.

**The most common weapon used by American Infantry Battalions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Operation Eagle was fought on a manpack basis and this short-range, lightweight mortar was very useful.**

**AN/PRC-77 Backpack radio set is similar to the AN/PRC-25 radio set. This has the additional ability to scramble voice communications while being transmitted.**

Short-range, manpack, portable, frequency modulated (FM) transceiver that provides two-way voice communication. Radio Set AN/PRC – 25 is used in the Vietnam War and I had used the same in Operation Eagle.

A Soldier needs his gun, boots, and clothing to protect himself. During Operation Eagle 1971, I had used this US Army Nylon Poncho with Hood (Olive) to sleep on the ground and as a coat to protect myself from intense fog and dew prevalent in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

**During Operation Eagle 1971 we were not allowed the use of cameras or photography. I would have looked like this man wearing Olive Green Coat Poncho. I had used US Army Cap-Jungle.**

Infantry marches on its feet. Boots are the most important equipment apart from Guns. I had used Ankle Canvas Boots used by the US Army in Vietnam, during Operation Eagle and had marched on feet to fight and dislodge the enemy from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

U.S. Army uses a variety of Individual Field Medical Kits. The Kits issued to us during Operation Eagle 1971 were Olive Green Canvas pouches worn on the belts by each individual. The medical supplies included Water Purification Tablets for use in water bottles, anti-Malaria pills, Insect Repellent Solution (DBP), Insect Repellant Cream (DMP), Injectable Tubonic Morphine, Oxytetracycline tablets, Multivitamin tablets, Field dressings, bandages and others. The Kits were not stamped but the contents reveal the place of origin.

Operation Eagle. We used the same Water Purification Tablets and Water Canteens used by the US Army in Vietnam.

**Operation Eagle: Fifth Army in Bangladesh. We used the Collapsible, Tri-fold, Entrenching Tool used by the US Army in Vietnam.**

1971 War in the Eastern Front – A View from Army Headquarters

Lt General VIJAY OBEROI | 3 DECEMBER, 2021

https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/newsdetail/index/4/21188/1971-war-in-the-eastern-front—a-view-from-army-headquarters

https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/newsdetail/index/4/21191/1971-war-in-the-eastern-front—part-2

Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is an infantry officer (The Maratha Light Infantry) and a former Vice Chief of Army Staff. Despite losing his right leg in the 1965 India–Pakistan War, he soldiered on till his retirement in September 2001. A prolific writer and analyst, he was founder director of the Indian Army’s think tank, the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) for five years where he is now director emeritus. He is currently founder president of the War Wounded Foundation, set up for meaningful rehabilitation of war disabled personnel.

The brilliant victory of the Indian Armed Forces during the 1971 India-Pakistan War is rightly being celebrated this year, as Swarnim Vijay as we approach the Golden Jubilee of Vijay Diwas on 16 December. While the media has focused on battles and bravery of individual personnel, very little has come out about the perspective from Delhi, especially about the planning and conduct of operations.

Since I have first-hand knowledge of this, I am writing this piece, so that readers get a glimpse of this important aspect too. My narration will be confined to plans and actions of the Eastern Front only, as I was dealing with operations in the East in the Military Operations Directorate (MO Dte).

By September/October 1971, mobilisation and orbatting of forces was still going on and in mid-November our postings were announced. Mostly everyone was going to units and formations already in their assembly areas/launch pads. I was one of the two officers posted to Army Headquarters. I was posted to MO Dte as GSO2 MO2.

I reported for duty in MO Dte on 4 December 1971; the war had commenced the previous evening. MO Dte was the smallest directorate in Army Headquarters (AHQ) at the time, consisting of just six Sections. During several subsequent postings to MO Dte, including as DGMO in 1994-95, it remained the smallest and most prestigious directorate in AHQ.

The Special Frontier Force (SFF) launched from Mizoram for clearing the jungles of the Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) was commanded by their Inspector General (IG) Maj Gen Sujan Singh Uban (Artillery). All signals sent by him, including Situation Reports (SITREPS) were always addressed directly to the Chief and commenced with “Greetings to Gen Sam Manekshaw from your Fifth Army Commander”, and were invariably long without saying much!

The Chakma tribals inhabiting CHT had a fair degree of autonomy under Pakistan. After the war ended, Gen Uban had taken the ceremonial sword of the Chakma Raja, Tridev Roy as a souvenir and this had created quite a diplomatic stir. It was resolved after the sword was returned to the Raja of the Chakmas.

In early 1972, it was decided to launch operations against the Chakma insurgents in Rangamati District of the CHT. I was asked to prepare an Operational Instruction for the operation, which I produced within a few hours and named it Operation Jungle Jim. My GSO 1 was surprised with the speed it was prepared! It was approved the same day and sent to HQ Eastern Command. After the Indian Forces were pulled out of Bangladesh, the operation was handed over to the Bangladeshi forces.

**The Liberation of Bangladesh and the operation in Chittagong Hill Tracts.We had operated in an area under the operational control of IV CORPS.**

In addition, a hush hush operation (Operation Eagle) under HQ Special Frontier Force (SFF), under the command of Maj Gen Uban was launched from Mizoram to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), primarily to capture any Pakistani personnel who may attempt to escape to Burma (now Myanmar). They were also tasked to threaten Chittagong.

Dr. R. R.Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Service Number – MS-8466 CAPTAIN AMC/SSC

Medical Officer South Column Operation Eagle

Headquarters Establishment No. 22 C/O 56 APO