East Bengal Regiment: Difference between revisions

| caption = [[Cap badge]]Insignia of the East Bengal Regiment

| size = 45 [[battalions ]]

| garrison = [[ChittagongEast Bengal Regimental Centre]], [[Chittagong DistrictCantonment]]

| motto = ''Grace, Strength, Speed''{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

| battles = {{Tree list}}
* [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Second Indo−Pakistani War]]

** [[Lahore FrontIndo-Pakistani_war_of_1965#Icchogil_Canal|Battle of Lahore]]

The '''East Bengal Regiment''' ({{lang-langx|bn|ইস্ট বেঙ্গল রেজিমেন্ট}}) is anone of the two infantry regiments of the [[infantryBangladesh Army]], regimentthe andother being the largest[[Bangladesh militaryInfantry formationRegiment]]. ofEast theBengal Regiment was founded by Major [[BangladeshAbdul ArmyGani (soldier)|Abdul Gani]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/11/02/flag-distribution-parade-57-ebr-held/|title=Flag distribution parade of 57 EBR held |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]] |access-date=2017-07-22}}</ref>

The East Bengal Regiment was formed on 15 February 1948,{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} following the [[Partition of India]] into the [[Dominion of Pakistan]] and the [[Dominion of India]] in 1947. The core of the unit was made up of soldiers of the [[Bihar Regiment]] and the Bengal Pioneer Corps who had opted for Pakistan when partition divided the [[British Indian Army]] and the [[Pakistan Army]] was born. A shortfall of junior[[Junior commissionedCommissioned officersOfficer|JCO]]s was made up from the [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]] until sufficient Bengali officers became available.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rizvi |first1=Hasan-Askari |author-link=Hasan Askari Rizvi |year=2000 |title=Military, state and society in Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwGIDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA61 |publisher=Macmillan Press |page=61 |isbn=978-0-230-59904-8}}</ref> Two companies composed of [[Bengali Muslims]] were regimented in to the first training regiment in [[East Pakistan]] and was named the East Bengal Regiment under [[Lieutenant colonel|Lieutenant Colonel]] V. J. E. Patterson as [[Commanding officer|Commanding Officer]]{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} and [[Major (rank)|Major]] Abdul Waheed Choudhury as [[Officer Commanding]] (O.C.).<ref name="thedailystar.net">{{cite web |last1=Khan |first1=Waqar |title=The myth of martial race: Seared into a schoolboy's memory! |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/the-myth-martial-race-seared-schoolboys-memory-2079653 |website=ThedailystarThe Daily Star |date=19 April 2021 |access-date=27 July 2021}}</ref> Between 1948 and 1965, a total of eight battalions were raised. The East Bengal Regiment was primarily composed of Bengali men from [[East Pakistan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/05war.htm|title=The 1965 War: A view from the east|work=Rediff.com|access-date=2017-12-13}}</ref>

At the end of the [[Indo-Pakistan War of 1965|Indo-Pakistan War in 1965]], a new battalion called the Lucky Tigers of the 7th East Bengal Regiment was created. The creation of the [[battalion]] was not finished until 1966.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sein |first1=Mange Kyaw |date=20 May 2011 |title=Remembering a Tiger's Last Journey |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2011/05/03/tribute.htm |work=Star Weekend Magazine |publisher=The Daily Star |access-date=5 October 2016 |archive-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213092836/http://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2011/05/03/tribute.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> TheSoldiers of the East Bengal regiment soldiersRegiment defended [[Lahore]], [[West Pakistan]] during the war. In which they were awarded 12 gallantry awards, The East Bengal Regiment was also known for also causing heavy [[casualties]] on the Indian Army.<ref>{{Citecite news |last1=Chowdhury |first1=Ishfaq Ilahi |author-link=Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury |date=2015-09-22 |title=Indo-Pak War 1965 |url=httphttps://www.thedailystar.net/1965op-ed/politics/indo-pak-war-busting1965-the146932 |access-mythdate=2024-4063306-14 |titlewebsite=The Daily Star |language=en |quote=In early August 1965, IndoPakistan launched a clandestine operation, code named Operation Gibraltar. The aim was to send infiltrators into Indian Kashmir to carry out insurgent activities there. Pakistan started a radio station called "Sada-Pake-Kashmir", War:purported to Bustingbe the myth|date=2014voice of the mujahedin fighting for Kashmir's liberation. The Pakistani leadership expected that it would trigger a general uprising among the Kashmiris. Nothing of the sort ever happened, however. Most of the infiltrators were arrested or killed in encounters. By the end of August, Operation Gibraltar petered out; remnants of the so-09called mujahedins tracked back to Pakistan. On September 1, 1965, Pakistan launched Operations Grand Slam when regular Pakistani troops crossed the cease fire line (CFL) and moved towards Jammu. The forces made quick advance in the next couple of days, and threatened to cut the Jammu-08|work=Srinagar road. On September 2, the air forces came in to play. PAF fighters shot down 2 IAF Vampire fighters in the first encounter. On the same day, the Indian PM issued a warning that unless Pakistan withdrew its forces across the CFL, India would respond "at a time and place of its own choosing". The DailyIndian Star|accessresponse came on the nights of Sept 5-date=20176 when it launched attacks across Sialkot and Lahore. The Indian forces, besides threatening two key cities, poised to cut the vital road and rail links between Lahore and Islamabad. At this time, the first Battalion of the East Bengal Regiment (EBR) was deployed in defence of Lahore along the Bambawali-12Ravi-13Bedian (BRB) canal. The regiment held their ground despite repeated Indian attacks and in the process, inflicted heavy casualty to the attacking Indian Army. At the end of the war, this regiment had the honour of being awarded the highest number of gallantry awards among all the regiments of the Pakistan Army. The Regiment won three Sitara-e-Jurrat (SJ, equivalent to Bir Bikram), eight Tamgha-e-Jurrat (TJ, equivalent to Bir Protik), and medals and citations. 1 EBR were hailed as the saviours of Lahore. An Indian Army tank that the regiment destroyed in the war is displayed as a war trophy in Chittagong Cantonment.}}</ref>

In March 1971, in response to a crackdown on local populace in [[East Pakistan]], the five battalions of the East Bengal Regiment under the command of Major [[Ziaur Rahman]] revolted against the Pakistan armyArmy. Members of the East Bengal regimentsRegiment across the East Pakistan province organized and initiated the [[Bangladesh War of Independence]]. The East Bengal Regiment formed the core of the independence struggle forces, which became known as the [[Bangladesh Forces]]. The structure and formation of the [[Bangladesh Forces]] during the Independence War of 1971 was determined at the Sector Commander's Conference that was held from 11 to 17 July 1971.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=War_of_Liberation,_The|title=War of Liberation|publisher=[[Banglapedia]]|website=en.banglapedia.orgBanglapedia|access-date=2017-12-13}}</ref>

[[Colonel]] [[M.A.G. Osmani]] (promoted to [[general]] postafter independence of Bangladesh) was the [[Commander-in-Chief]] of all [[Bangladesh Forces]]. [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[M. A. Rab]] was appointed as the [[Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army|Chief of Army Staff]] and [[Squadron Leader]] [[M. Hamidullah Khan]] (Battlefield Promotion), was appointed Bangladesh Military Representative to coordinate guerilla training at the largest training camp of the war effort at [[Chakulia]], [[Bihar]], India. The decision of the formation of three separate brigades were formed with East Bengal Regimentsbattalions.<ref name=":0" />

The East Bengal RegimentsRegiment battalions that participated in the war were as follows:

[[Z Force, by(Bangladesh)|Z thenForce]], commanded by [[Lieutenant Colonel]]Major [[Ziaur Rahman]], consisted of 1st, 3rd and 8th East Bengal Regiment. These regimentsbattalions were formed during May~June 1971 at Teldhala village of Tura, [[Meghalaya]], in 1971 by Major Ziaur Rahman. These three regimentsbattalions principally constituted the backbone of [[Bangladesh Forces]] Sector 11, later commanded for a brief stint (24 days) by Major [[Abu Taher]] and subsequently by Squadron Leader [[M. Hamidullah Khan]] from 3 November until 614 April 1972February. ForThe amain brieftwo stintbattles fought in Bangladesh Forces Sector 11 was the Kamalpur battle (23land daysattack), led by Major Zia and the Chmarch ilmari Battle amphibious attack (landing raid) led by Squadron Leader [[AbuM. TaherHamidullah Khan]] temporarily commandedtook.

[[K Force (Bangladesh)|K Force]], commanded by Major [[Khaled Mosharraf]] was created with 4, 9 and 10 East Bengal.

[[S Force (Bangladesh)|S Force]], under Major [[K M Shafiullah]], was created in October 1971 and consisted of 2 and 11 East Bengal. Further units were raised to replace those that remained stranded in West Pakistan. Following the foundation of Bangladesh, these units formed the core of the new army. However, the 7th Battalion was incorporated as 44th Battalion, [[Frontier Force Regiment]] inof the Pakistan Army, which led to the raising of the 10th Battalion in 1971.

The East Bengal Regiment is the largestoldest formationinfantry regiment of the [[Bangladesh Army]]. Its role is to engage and defeat an enemy in frontal combat, within a traditional infantry combat scenario. The regiment also aids the civilian government when called on and contributes regularly to Bangladesh's [[peacekeeping]] commitments overseas. Bangladesh is among the countries contributing troops to the [[UN|United Nations]].<ref>As of Dec 2008, Bangladesh was ranked second behind Pakistan and ahead of India in terms of numbers of troops deployed on UNPKOS. See official UN figures, available at: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/contributors/2008/dec08_2.pdf</ref>