The 9th Infantry Division ("The Lightning Division") is a formation of the

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army is the land warfare branch and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities to deliver the Bangladeshi government's security and defe ...

, based in

Savar Savar ( bn, সাভার) is a city in central Bangladesh, located in Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka. It is the closest city from Dhaka. It is also a part of Greater Dhaka conurbation which forms the Dhaka megacity. About 296,851 ...

. It is the first infantry division of the Bangladesh Army that was raised post-

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

. The division is considered the most strategic and important formation of the Bangladesh Army, as it is entrusted with the security of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

, the capital of Bangladesh.

History

9th Infantry Division was raised on 20 November 1976 in

Dhaka Cantonment Dhaka Cantonment ( bn, ঢাকা সেনানিবাস) is a cantonment located in the northern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The headquarters of the Bangladesh Army, and Air Force are situated within the cantonment which combined form th ...

as the first division of the

. The division started under the command of Major General

Mir Shawkat Ali Mir Shawkat Ali, Bir Uttom (11 January 1938 - 20 November 2010) was a general in Bangladesh Army and also a politician of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He was a freedom fighter during Bangladesh liberation war and a Sector Commander of the ...

, headquartered at Sher-e-Bangla Nagor in Dhaka. At first, the division had 77th Infantry Brigade, 81st Infantry Brigade and 29th East Bengal Regiment under its command. During this time the 77th Infantry Brigade was made up of 9th East Bengal Regiment, 13th East Bengal Regiment and 28th East Bengal Regiment; and the 81st Infantry Brigade contained 8th East Bengal Regiment, 11th East Bengal Regiment and 27th East Bengal Regiment. The division completed its organisational structure with the induction of 9th Artillery Brigade on 22 March 1976. On 31 May 1984, the divisional headquarters was permanently moved to

Savar Cantonment Savar Cantonment ( bn, সাভার সেনানিবাস) is a cantonment located in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The 9th infantry division of Bangladesh Army is garrisoned there. Corps of Military Police Centre & School (CMPC&S) and t ...

. On 1 September 1984, 309th infantry brigade was raised under this division and 71st infantry brigade was added on 30 June 1992. At that time, Savar Cantonment, Ghatail Cantonment and Momenshahi Cantonment were under 9th Infantry division but on 1 July 1992, the Ghatail and Momenshahi cantonments, along with 309 Infantry brigade and 77 Infantry brigade, were transferred to the then newly formed 19th Infantry Division. On 20 September 2013, 99th Composite Brigade was added to the division, made up of 58th East Bengal Regiment, 34th Bangladesh Infantry Regiment and 20th Engineering Construction Battalion to provide security and support during the construction of

Padma Bridge The Padma Multipurpose Bridge ( bn, পদ্মা বহুমুখী সেতু, Pôdma Bôhumukhī Setu), commonly known as the Padma Bridge ( bn, পদ্মা সেতু, Pôdma Setu), is a two-level road-rail bridge across the P ...

Formation

Under the division there is one infantry brigade, one mechanized brigade, one artillery brigade, and one composite brigade.

Combat Arms Combat arms (or fighting arms in non-American parlance) are troops within national armed forces who participate in direct tactical ground combat. In general, they are units that carry or employ weapons, such as infantry, cavalry, and artillery ...

* Cavalry: ** 12 Bangal Lancer *

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

: ** 5 Bangladesh Infantry Regiment (Support Battalion) ** 71 Mechanized Brigade *** 11 Bangladesh Infantry Regiment (Mechanized) *** 15 East Bangal Regiment (Mechanized) *** 18 East Bangal Regiment (Mechanized) ** 81 Infantry Brigade *** 8 Bangladesh Infantry Regiment *** 60 East Bengal Regiment *** Infantry Battalion ** 99 Composite Brigade (Padma Cantonment) *** 58 East Bengal Regiment *** 18 Bangladesh Infantry Regiment *** Riverine Engineer Battalion *

Regiment of Artillery The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itsel ...

** 9 Artillery Brigade *** 7 Field Regiment Artillery *** 14 Field Regiment Artillery *** 45 MLRS Regiment Artillery *** 51 MLRS Regiment Artillery *** 39 Division locating battery Artillery

Combat support In the United States Army, the term combat support refers to units that provide fire support and operational assistance to combat elements. Combat support units provide specialized support functions to combat units in the following areas * Chemi ...

* Engineer ** 8 Engineer Battalion * Signals ** 7 Signal Battalion ** Static Signal Company Service * 33 Supply & Transport Battalion * 11 Field Ambulance * 9 Military Police Unit * 9 Field Intelligence Unit * EME Workshop Savar * Combined Military Hospital, Savar * Military Dental Center, Savar

References

{{Reflist Infantry divisions of Bangladesh Military units and formations established in 1976