List of sectors in the Bangladesh Liberation War
During the
History
Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference
The history of the Bangladesh war of Independence dates back to April 1971 when it began its inception with the title of Bangladesh Forces during the first Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference held in the week of July 11–17, 1971.
This conference was presided over by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh,
Structure
The Bangladesh Forces was organized for the war in 1971 into in 11 divisions (sectors) and later 3 indep brigades were christened, under BDF HQ situated at 8 Theatre Road, Calcutta, West Bengal. Bangladesh interim provincial government of July 11, 1971 appointed Col. M A G Osmani as Commander in Chief.[8][9][10] Lt. Col Rab was appointed as Chief of Bangladesh Army Staff. In this meeting, Bangladesh was divided into Eleven Divisions (Sectors) under BDF Commanders.[4]
BDF Commanders of the sectors directed the guerrilla warfare. For better efficiency in military operations each of the BFF sectors were divided into a number of sub-sectors. On November 21, 1971 Bangladesh Forces under Indian Army formed an allied command in which India took surrender of Pakistani forces on December 16, 1971.[11][12] The table below provides a list of the BDF sectors along with the area under each of them, the names of the BDF commanders of 11 sectors and sub-sectors.[13][1]
The 10th BDF Sector was directly placed under Commander in Chief and included the Naval Commandos and C-in-C's special force. These commandos were later absorbed into the Bangladesh Navy. BDF Commanders directed the guerrilla warfare against West Pakistani forces.[10]
Indian participation
The
The cease fire was switched to a surrender document by the Indian government which the Commanding General of the Pakistan Army Eastern Command signed reluctantly. Victory was declared by the Indian authorities and all prisoners of war including combat material were taken to India. Bangladesh Forces were ordered for complete sector close down and demobilization on January 29 by end of March 1972 under the direction of General M.A.G Osmani in final Sector Commanders Conference held at the old Police HQ at 27 Old Mintu Road, Dhaka. All BDF sector Commanders along with C-in-C BDF Gen. M.A.G. Osmani transferred from their posts to respective services. The first government of Bangladesh was formed on 10 April 1971.They took an oath on 17 April 1971.[16][12]
List of sectors and sub sectors
Sectors of the | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sector | Area | Sector Commander | Sub Sectors (Commanders) | Political Advisor |
1 | Muhuri . The headquarters of the sector was at Harina.
|
• Major Ziaur Rahman (April 10, 1971 – May 05,1971) • Captain Rafiqul Islam (June 10, 1971 – April 6, 1972) |
|
|
2 | Districts of Dhaka, Comilla, and Faridpur, and part of Noakhali District.The headquarters of the sector was at Melaghar | • Major ATM Haider (Sector Commander September 22, 1971 – April 6, 1972)
|
|
• R.K Chowdhury (April, 1971 - December 15, 1971 |
3 | Area between Churaman Kathi (near Sreemangal) and Sylhet in the north and Singerbil of Brahmanbaria in the south. | • Major K. M. Shafiullah (April 10, 1971 – July 21, 1971) (July 23, 1971 – April 6, 1972)
• Captain A. N. M. Nuruzzaman |
|
• R.K Chowdhury (April, 1971 - December 15, 1971 |
4 | Area from Habiganj District on the north to Kanaighat Police Station on the south along the 160-kilometre-long (100 mi) border with India. The headquarters of the sector was initially at Karimganj and later at Masimpur. | • Major Chitta Ranjan Dutta (April 10, 1971 – April 6, 1972) • Captain A Rob |
| |
5 | Area from Durgapur to Dawki (Tamabil) of Sylhet District and the entire area up to the eastern borders of the district. The headquarters of the sector was at Banshtola. | • Major Mir Shawkat Ali (April 10, 1971 – April 6, 1972) |
| |
6 | Dinajpur District . The headquarters of the sector was at Burimari near Patgram.
|
• Wing Commander M Khademul Bashar (April 10, 1971 – April 6, 1972)
|
| |
7 | Dinajpur District . The headquarters of the sector was at Tarangpur near Kaliaganj.
|
• Major Quazi nooruzzaman (September 30 – April 6, 1972)• Subedar Major A Rab |
| |
8 | In April 1971, the operational area of the sector comprised the districts of Kushtia, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, Faridpur and Patuakhali. At the end of May the sector was reconstituted and comprised the districts of Kuhstia, Jessore, Khulna, Satkhira and the northern part of Faridpur district. The headquarters of the sector was at Benapole. | • Major Abul Manzoor (August 14, 1971 – April 6, 1972)
|
| |
9 | Barisal, Patuakhali, and parts of the district of Khulna and Faridpur.The headquarters of the sector was at Hasnabad | • Major MA Manzur • Major Joynal Abedin |
| |
10 | This sector was constituted with the naval commandos. | • Lieutenant AM Ataul Haque (July 17th – April 6, 1971) | None. | |
11 | Mymensingh and Tangail along with parts of Rangpur - Gaibandha, Ulipur, Kamalpur and Chilmari. The headquarters of the sector was at Teldhala until October 10, then transferred to Mahendraganj. |
• Major Ziaur Rahman June 10, 1971 – October 10, 1971 M. Hamidullah Khan (November 2, 1971 – April 6th, 1972)
|
Bagmara (divided between junior commissioned officers of the EPR);
|
List of Brigade Formations
- Z Force,[18] commanded by Lt. Col. Ziaur Rahman, consisted of 1, 3 and 8 East Bengal Regiment.
- Brigade Major - Captain Oli Ahmad
- D-Q Officer – Captain Sadeque[19]
- Brigade Medical Officer - Dr. H K M Abdul Hye
- 1st Mohammad Ziauddin. 1st East Bengal Regiment's Senior Officer Major Ziauddin was appointed as CO on 12 August 1971 after the operational attack on Pakistan ArmyBOP at Kamalpur took place on 31 July 1971 under BDF Sector 11.
- - Battalion Adjutant/Flight LieutenantLiaqat Ali Khan
- 'Alpha' Company Commander: CaptainMahbubur Rahman
- 'Bravo' Company Commander: Captain Hafiz Uddin Ahmad
- 'Charlie' Company Commander: Captain Salauddin Mumtaz
- Acting Company Commander – Second Lieutenant Anisur Rahman[19]
- Acting Platoon Commander – Second Lieutenant Wakar Hassan[19]
- - Battalion Adjutant/
- 3rd East Bengal Regiment – CO : Major Shafaat Jamil.
- - 2IC: Captain Mohsin Uddin Ahmad
- - Battalion Adjutant: Flight Lieutenant Ashraful Alam
- - RMO: Dr Wasi Uddin
- - Acting Company Commander: Second Lieutenant Fazle Hossain
- - Company Officer: Flight Lieutenant Ashraful Alam
- - Platoon Commander: Second Lieutenant Manzur Ahmad
- 'Alpha' Company: Captain Anwar Hossain
- 'Bravo' Company: Captain Akbar Hossain
- 'Charlie' Company: Captain Mohsin Uddin Ahmad
- 8th East Bengal Regiment – CO: Major Abu Zafar Muhammad Aminul Haque
- - 2IC: Captain Khaleq Uz Zaman Chowdhury
- - RMO: Dr Belayet Hossain
- - Acting Company Commander: Second Lieutenant Emdadul Haq
- - Company Officer: Second Lieutenant Munibur Rahman
- - Platoon Commander: Second Lieutenant Abu Zafar
- 'Alpha' Company: Captain Khaleq Uz Zaman Chowdhury
- 'Bravo' Company: Captain Sadeq Hossain
- 'Charlie' Company: Lieutenant Modasser Hossain
- 'Delta' Company: Lieutenant Mahbubur Rahman
- 2nd Field Artillery Battery (Rawshanara Battery) – CO: Major Khandkar Abdur Rashid. During mid-September six 105 mm Howitzers were delivered at Assam's Masimpur district from India's Echo sector. Primarily with these six artillery pieces the 2nd FA battery was formed at Koishal, India, opposite Sylhet border area. From 10, 2 October FA battery assisted Z Force in the Sylhet sector in direct fire support and ground operations during multiple missions against Pakistanarmy strongholds.
- - Battery Adjutant: Captain A. M. Rashed Chowdhury
- - Battery Officer: Second Lieutenant Kazi Sazzad Ali Zahir
- - Battery Adjutant: Captain
- No. 1 Signal Company – Unit formed on 5 September 1971, CO: Captain Abdul Halim. Since October the First Signal Company of Bangladesh Forces was assigned to Z Force's 8th East Bengal Regiment and participated in every single mission. Notably in the Sylhet zone 4th and 5th Sector's Borolekha, Fultola, Adamtila, Biyani Bazar operations.
- 1st
- K Force, commanded by Lt. Col. Khaled Mosharraf, was created in September with 4, 9 and 10 East Bengal Regiment.
- 4th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major M.A. Gaffar Haldar
- 9th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Captain Muhammad Ainuddin
- 10th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major Abdus Saleq Chowdhury (14 October-23 October) and Captain Zafar Imam(24 October-16 December)
- 1st Field Artillery Battery - Commanding Officer – Captain Abdul Aziz Pasha
- 4th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major
- K.M. Safiullah, was created in October 1971 and consisted of 2 and 11 East Bengal Regiment.
- 2nd East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major Moinul Hossain Chowdhury
- 11th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim
References
- ^ a b c "Sector Details - Bangladesh Army". www.army.mil.bd. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b c "Sectors in liberation War - Bangladesh Army". www.army.mil.bd. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ "Muktijuddho (Bangladesh Liberation War 1971) - Eleven (11) Sectors - History of Bangladesh". Londoni. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b c Muhammad Hamidullah Khan. "List of Sectors in Bangladesh War of Independence". Bengalrenaissance.com. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "War of Liberation, The - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b "Remembering two key 1971 commanders we just lost". The Daily Star. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ "Sector Commanders' Forum shocked at the government's silence on trial of war criminals | E-Bangladesh". www.ebangladesh.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ "Osmany, General Mohammad Ataul Ghani - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ "Muhammad Ataul Ghani Osmani (Bangabir) - summary - biography of Muslim and Bengali". Londoni. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b "O General, My General". The Daily Star. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b "India's Role in the Emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b "Indian Involvement - Liberation War". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b "Sector Commanders - Liberation War Museum". Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- S2CID 143786875.
- ^ Zakaria, Anam. "Remembering the war of 1971 in East Pakistan". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- JSTOR 41719989.
- ^ "Sector Commanders in the Bangladesh Liberation War". Prime University. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ "Z Force organogram". Pdfcast.org. 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
- ^ a b c "The Liberation War of Bangladesh: Role of the Army". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2020-12-31.