operation cactus Lilly begin

Operation Cactus Lilly, better known as The Meghna Heli Bridge or the Crossing of the Meghna, was an air assault operation conducted between 9 and 12 December 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It was conducted by the Indian Army and Indian Air Force to cross the Meghna River, bypass a Pakistani stronghold at Ashuganj/Bhairab Bazar and reach Dhaka. The operation is generally regarded as the brainchild of Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Sagat Singh. Without it, Indian forces would not have been able to complete the encirclement of Dhaka and it would likely have led to a lengthening of the war.

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BACKGROUND

Advance of 57th Mountain 🏔️

The 57th Mountain Division had been given the task of advancing on Dhaka from the East and North East. On 5 December, the 57th captured its first objective, the Pakistani fortified town of Akhaura. From here, they were supposed to advance to the town of Daudkani and then Feni, however IV Corps redirected the division to attack and seize Brahmanbaria. This was done to cut off the Pakistani 202nd and 313th Infantry Brigades in Sylhet which had come under pressure from the advance of other IV Corps units further north of Sylhet. Then, the objective of the 57th became to secure the eastern bank of the Meghna and capture Bhairab Bazar on the western bank before advancing on Dhaka.

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Capture of Brahmanbaria

73 Mountain Brigade, under the 57th, was given the task of capturing Brahmanbaria. 73 Mtn Bde, along with assistance from the maneuver elements of 311 Mtn Bde (namely, 14 Guards) enveloped Brahmanbaria by 7 December. Elements of the Pakistan 27th Infantry Brigade, noting that they had been enveloped, chose to withdraw from Brahmanbaria. This was also due in part to the CO of the 27th, Brigadier Saadullah Khan, ordering a general retreat to the fortified positions at Ashuganj. With Brahmanbaria now captured with no resistance, the next target of the 57th became Ashuganj.

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ORDER OF BATTLES

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Indian Army

During the advance from Brahmanbaria to Ashuganj, and the air assault operation that followed, the order of battle was thus:[1]

73 Mountain Brigade

14th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards

19th Battalion, Punjab Regiment

19th Battalion, Rajputana Rifles (Raj Rif) (until 11 Dec)

311 Mountain Brigade

4th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards

18th Battalion, Rajput Regiment

10th Battalion, Bihar Regiment

19th Battalion, Rajputana Rifles (detached from 73 Mtn Bde and attached to 311 Mtn Bde on 11 Dec)

15 Engineer Regiment

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Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force had attached multiple helicopter units to the various Indian Army offensive corps before the war. The role of these units was to ferry supplies and assist the Corps Commanders in attaining their objective. The 2 helicopter units, under Group Captain Chandan Singh that performed this air assault were as follows:

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105 Helicopter Unit

> 7 x Mi-4s

110 Helicopter Unit

> 7 x Mi-4s

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Pakistan Army

Defending against Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh's IV Corps was the Pakistan Army's 14th Infantry Division. Defending Ashuganj and Bhairab Bazar would only be the 27th Infantry Brigade. Its order of battle was thus:[1]

27 Infantry Brigade

6 x M24 Chaffee Light Tanks

33rd Battalion, Baluch Regiment

12th Battalion, Frontier Force

313 Infantry Brigade

22nd Battalion, Baluch Regiment

30th Battalion, Frontier Force

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