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Battle of Hilli
The Battle of Hilli were two major battles fought from 22 to 24 November and again from 10 to 11 December 1971. They are generally regarded as the bloodiest battles of the eastern front of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The first battle saw, according to veterans of the battle, the fiercest fighting of the war, but the second was much tamer.
The Indian objective was to capture a network of Pakistani fortifications centred around the village of Hilli to allow for an advance on the town of Bogra.
The main objective of the Indian Army in the sector was to capture a network of Pakistani forts centred around Hilli, which would allow the XXXIII Corps to advance toward the important town of Bogra, south-east of Hilli. The 202nd Mountain Brigade, part of 20th Mountain Division, was selected for the task, with its constituent battalions attacking different forts in the network. The 8th Battalion of the Brigade of the Guards was to secure the main objective of Hilli.
Sector VII was assign over Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra and part of Dinajpur District. The headquarters of the sector was at Tarangpur near Kaliaganj under Major Kazi Nuruzzaman at the time of the battle. The sector was composed of regular militia and components from 1st East Bengal Regiment.
The 20th Mountain Division had under it four infantry brigades; the 202nd, the 165th, the 66th and the 340th. As the 165th, 66th and 340th were assigned different objectives to Hilli, the only brigade participating in the upcoming battle would be the 202nd.
The defence of Bogra against an entire division was the sole responsibility of the Pakistani 205th Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier Tajammul Husain Malik. The remainder of the 16th Infantry Division, of which the 205th was a part, was defending other parts of the north-western area of East Pakistan.
Although India and Pakistan were legally and technically at peace in November 1971, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora ordered the attack on Hilli to lay the groundwork for the all-out offensive into East Pakistan, which he knew was coming. D-Day for the operation was pushed back or changed multiple times but was finally set for 22 November. 8 Guards was chosen as the battalion to launch the frontal attack on Hilli.
The Pakistani defenses, consisting of well-dug trenches, bunkers, railway cars repurposed into firing positions, mines, booby-traps and barbed wire were set up for all-round defence of Hilli and covered all of the approaches to the village. North of Hilli is a small locality, Morapara. Wet and soggy paddy fields, marshes and mud surrounded Hilli on all sides except Morapara, where they were patchy at best. Consequently, Morapara was the most well-defended angle of the entire complex and simultaneously the only one from which to attack. The Pakistani 4th Frontier Force (4FF), responsible for the defense of Hilli, had turned Morapara into a stronghold.
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Battle of Hilli
The Battle of Hilli were two major battles fought from 22 to 24 November and again from 10 to 11 December 1971. They are generally regarded as the bloodiest battles of the eastern front of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The first battle saw, according to veterans of the battle, the fiercest fighting of the war, but the second was much tamer.
The Indian objective was to capture a network of Pakistani fortifications centred around the village of Hilli to allow for an advance on the town of Bogra.
The main objective of the Indian Army in the sector was to capture a network of Pakistani forts centred around Hilli, which would allow the XXXIII Corps to advance toward the important town of Bogra, south-east of Hilli. The 202nd Mountain Brigade, part of 20th Mountain Division, was selected for the task, with its constituent battalions attacking different forts in the network. The 8th Battalion of the Brigade of the Guards was to secure the main objective of Hilli.
Sector VII was assign over Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra and part of Dinajpur District. The headquarters of the sector was at Tarangpur near Kaliaganj under Major Kazi Nuruzzaman at the time of the battle. The sector was composed of regular militia and components from 1st East Bengal Regiment.
The 20th Mountain Division had under it four infantry brigades; the 202nd, the 165th, the 66th and the 340th. As the 165th, 66th and 340th were assigned different objectives to Hilli, the only brigade participating in the upcoming battle would be the 202nd.
The defence of Bogra against an entire division was the sole responsibility of the Pakistani 205th Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier Tajammul Husain Malik. The remainder of the 16th Infantry Division, of which the 205th was a part, was defending other parts of the north-western area of East Pakistan.
Although India and Pakistan were legally and technically at peace in November 1971, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora ordered the attack on Hilli to lay the groundwork for the all-out offensive into East Pakistan, which he knew was coming. D-Day for the operation was pushed back or changed multiple times but was finally set for 22 November. 8 Guards was chosen as the battalion to launch the frontal attack on Hilli.
The Pakistani defenses, consisting of well-dug trenches, bunkers, railway cars repurposed into firing positions, mines, booby-traps and barbed wire were set up for all-round defence of Hilli and covered all of the approaches to the village. North of Hilli is a small locality, Morapara. Wet and soggy paddy fields, marshes and mud surrounded Hilli on all sides except Morapara, where they were patchy at best. Consequently, Morapara was the most well-defended angle of the entire complex and simultaneously the only one from which to attack. The Pakistani 4th Frontier Force (4FF), responsible for the defense of Hilli, had turned Morapara into a stronghold.