Dated 07th December 1971 , Tuesday

Rupees 0.25 Paise

Jessore and Jhenida liberated
Jubilant crowds welcome Indian Army Troops as key cities fall in East

Navy captures Pakistani ship masquerading as Japanese

Dec 07 Vizag: The Eastern naval command has today released details of an operation undertaken on Dec 5th, when INS Rajput captured a Pakistani Navy Cargo ship disguised as a Japanese ship.

On Dec 5, INS Rajput intercepted a cargo ship with the name Azuchisan Maru, a Japanese ship from Chalna bound for Singapore. However a boarding party established that the ship was actually the PNS Anwar Baksh. The crew were all Pakistani.

Lt Cdr R Baja who was on the boarding party on the ship had reported that the Pakistani crew attempted to rush the boarding party in an attempt to snatch thier arms and retake the ship. However quick reactions by the boarding party in firing at the assaulters quelled the riot. A Total of 57 crew members were taken prisoners by the INS Rajput.

DEC 7 : EASTERN SECTOR: The day turned out to be one of dramatic breakthrus for the Indian Army in the Eastern front. Key cities in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh have fallen to the advancing Indian Army Troops. The soldiers have been hailed as liberators and been greeted with jubilant crowds at all places.

The first major town to fall in East Pakistan was in II Corps sector. The town of Jhenida was taken   by troops of 9 Dogra supported by Tanks. Jhenida fell in the afternoon , and a large quantity of equipment and ammunition fell in our hands.

The quick fall of Jhenida prompted the Divisional Commander to assualt and take the town of Kaliganj which fell after some fanatical fighting from the enemy.

Further south, in 9 Inf Div area under II Corps, the city of Jessore was taken by our advancing forces. 7

Punjab was the first battallion to enter the city. Apparently most of the Pakistani troops holding the city have decided to fall back to Khulna at the last moment and have evacuated from Jessore in haste. Also in our hands is Jessore airfield which is a major airfield in East Pakistan after Dhaka and Chittagong. 

The IAF is scheduled to send a detachment of aircraft to operate from this advance airfield, once it has been prepared ready for operations.

With the capture of both Jessore and Jhenida...[Read Full Story]

IAF maintains air supremacy over Pakistan
US asks permission from India to fly evacuation missons to Dhaka

Dec 07, Western Sector: The IAF Continued its Air Offensive against targets in Pakistan as it had been doing in the past four days. The focus has shifted from taking out airfields to Interdicting Pakistani ground forces.

The policy of attacking PAF airfields have put the PAF on defensive. Very few of the PAF fighters can be seen providing ground support to the army or in interception missions against our aircraft flying close support to the army.

The PAF did score a minor sucess when one Sukhoi-7 of No.26 Squadron was shot down near Samba. Sqn Ldr Jiwa Singh's aircraft

crashed in enemy territory. A Punjab regiment's patrol sent to the crash site had reported that Sqn Ldr Jiwa Singh had not ejected and had died in the crash.

This was the only Combat casuality of the day. A Gnat on a ferry mission to Amristsar crashed in the vicinity killing the pilot. Disorientation is suspected to be a cause here in this non combat related accident.   A Hunter aircraft did crashland at Dum Dum and the aircraft    ..[Read Full Story]

David Vs Goliath

Dec 07, Chicken's Neck (Akhnur): During the operations to take the territory of Chicken's Neck, a veritable David-Goliath fight took place between a Gorkha Soldier of the Indian army and the aircraft of the Pakistani Air Force.

One of the leading battallion    More

Previous Issues

Dec 07, Rajasthan: Elite Commando troops of the Parachute regiment today conducted a raid on the enemy town of Chachro deep  inside  enemy lines  and   destroyed

installations  and captured a huge number of prisoners and equipment before they came back safely to Indian territory. This raid was undertaken by the 10 Para Commando Battallion under the command of Lt Col His Highness Sawai Bhawani Singh of Jaipur. The Unit was based at Sarupkatala, south west of Barmer town and on the outbreak of hostilities infilitrated across to Pakistani lines on the night of December 5th.

The force was divided into two groups each supposed to raid Umarkot and Chachro towns. but the plan was changed at the last moment to attack only Chachro town.   [Read Full Story]

Dec 06, Barmer: India's first indigenously designed and manufactured fighter aircraft, the HF-24 Marut has seen action for the first time in this war. According to sources, two units already equipped with the aircraft are operating from Uttarlai airbase near Barmer in Rajasthan and had taken part in many operations.

Yesterday morning the fighter drew first blood when it encountered Pakistani Air Force's F-86 Sabres in air combat over Nayachor area in Sind.   More

Dec 07, Chicken's Neck (Akhnur): "Chicken's Neck" is a narrow strip of Pakistani territory that lies south of Akhnur in Jammu and Kashmir. About 170 sq km in area, it has a small neck in the south, from which a jagged head, with a beak like point, extends northwards. The beak points to the strategic bridge over the chenab.

Major General Zorawar Chand Bakshi, one of the highly decorated officers in the Indian Army is the local commander who was entrusted with the task.

Maj Gen Bakshi has a MVC from the 1965 War and a Vir Chakra from the 1948 Kashmir War. He also has a VSM for distinguished service.

Indian troops cross a river in the Chicken's Neck area.

Before Maj Gen  Bakshi took over 26 Infantry Division in this area, it was referred to as "The Dagger", on account of its shape and percieved danger to Akhnur. As far back as in October when Maj Gen Bakshi took over, he stated that the name will be henceforth "Chicken's Neck" and that hew was soon going to wring it. ...[Read Full Story]