Tangail Airdrop

The Tangail Airdrop (11th December, 1971) was an airborne operation conducted by the Indian Army in order to seize Poongli Bridge and ferry in the Tangail area. The operation, involving 2 Para of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment is often regarded as one of the largest - if not the largest - airborne operation following World War 2. The operation saw the capture of all objectives and the repulsion of the Pakistan Army's 93rd Infantry Brigade which was attempting to withdraw to Dhaka to bolster its defence.

Tangail Airdrop
Part of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

A C-119 Boxcar of the Indian Air Force - the Tangail Airdrop relied heavily on these during the drop.
Date11th - 12th December 1971
Location
Tangail, East Pakistan
Result

Indian victory:

  • Indian forces capture and hold Poongli Bridge
  • Smooth advance of 95th Mountain Brigade towards Dhaka facilitated
  • Pakistani 93rd Brigade eliminated as a fighting formation and unable to reinforce Dhaka
Belligerents
 India  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Lt Col K.S. Pannu Brig. Abdul Qadir Khan  
Units involved

95th Mountain Brigade

2 Para

  • A Company
  • B Company
  • C Company
  • D Company

Indian Air Force

93rd Infantry Brigade

Strength

2 Para
750 men in 4 Companies

1 Maratha Light Infantry
~750-1000 men

93rd Brigade (Severely Understrength)

  • 200-300 regular infantry
  • 100-200 Rangers
  • 600 Razakars + paramilitary
Casualties and losses

2 Para
3 KIA
20 MIA (lost during drop)
1 WIA

1 Maratha Light
None		 93rd Brigade + Razakars
282 KIA
42 POW
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.