During the Bangladesh War of Independence, the

Bangladesh Forces The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

(not to be confused with Mukti Bahini) were divided in the geographical area of Bangladesh into eleven divisions designated as sectors. Each sector had a sector commander I.e. Division Commanders who directed the military operation further coordinated through several sub-sectors under sub-sector commanders who fought along with their troops and civilian resistance fighters. Most of the Sector Commanders and quite a number of sub-sector commanders remained in security under Indian BSF border camps such as Wing Commander Bashar, Major Shafiullah, Major Mir Shawkat Ali.

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. It was at this conference during which time BD Forces was organized and formed for the independence struggle. It was significant in the light of its official creation and formation as

, its command structuring, sector reorganization, reinforcement and appointing war commanders were its principal focus. This conference was presided over by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmed, and Colonel M.A.G. Osmani, during which General Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani was reinstated from retirement to active duty into the Bangladesh Forces as its senior most official. Colonel M.A.G. Osmani had thereby been appointed Commander in Chief of all

with Lt. Col M. A. Rab as Chief of Army Staff. Principal participants of this conference was Squadron Leader

M. Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, Sitara-e-Harb, BP ( bn, এম হামিদুল্লাহ খান; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and th ...

, Major

Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup ...

, Wing Commander M Khademul Bashar, Major M. A. Jalil, Captain Haider, Lt. Col. M A Rab.

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. Lt. Col Rab was appointed as Chief of Bangladesh Army Staff. In this meeting, Bangladesh was divided into Eleven Divisions (Sectors) under BDF Commanders. 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. 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. 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.

Indian participation

The

(BDF) received assistance from the Indian authorities soon after hostilities started. On November 21, 1971, The Indian Army entered Bangladesh through air and land. The Pakistani forces morally broken and militarily devastated by the BD Forces, agreed to a cease fire without defiance in about one and a half weeks, on December 16, 1971. 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.

List of sectors and subsectors

List of Brigade Formations

* '' Z Force'', commanded by Lt. Col.

, consisted of 1, 3 and 8 East Bengal Regiment. * Brigade Major - Captain

Oli Ahmad Colonel (Retd) Oli Ahmad, Bir Bikrom, is a Bangladeshi former minister & member of Parliament. He is a valiant freedom fighter and former Army officer. He is president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Bangladesh. Biography Ahmad was the firs ...

* D-Q Officer – Captain Sadeque * Brigade Medical Officer - Dr. H K M Abdul Hye ** 1st East Bengal Regiment – CO – Major 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 Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

BOP at Kamalpur took place on 31 July 1971 under BDF Sector 11. *** - Battalion Adjutant/

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior Officer (armed forces)#Commissioned officers, commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) RAF officer ranks, system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. I ...

''Liaqat Ali Khan'' *** 'Alpha' Company Commander:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

''Mahbubur Rahman'' *** 'Bravo' Company Commander: Captain '' Hafiz Uddin Ahmad'' *** 'Charlie' Company Commander: Captain '' Salauddin Mumtaz'' *** Acting Company Commander –

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

''Anisur Rahman'' *** Acting Platoon Commander – Second Lieutenant '' Wakar Hassan'' ** 3rd East Bengal Regiment – CO : Major

Shafaat Jamil Shafaat Jamil ( bn, শাফায়াত জামিল), Bir Bikrom (1 March 1940 – 11 August 2012) was a Bangladesh Army colonel. He was the commanding officer of the 3rd East Bengal Regiment of Z Force Brigade in Sector 11 of Bang ...

. *** - 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 Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

Battery (Rawshanara Battery) – CO: Major Khandkar Abdur Rashid. During mid-September six 105 mm

Howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s 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

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

army strongholds. *** - Battery Adjutant: Captain '' A. M. Rashed Chowdhury'' *** - Battery Officer: Second Lieutenant '' Kazi Sazzad Ali Zahir'' ** 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 Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate ...

zone 4th and 5th Sector's Borolekha, Fultola, Adamtila, Biyani Bazar operations. * ''

K Force Australia entered the Korean War on 28 September 1950, following the invasion of South Korea by North Korea. The war's origins began in the context of Japan's defeat in World War II which heralded the end to 35 years of Japanese occupation of ...

'', commanded by Lt. Col.

Khaled Mosharraf Khaled Mosharraf, Bir Uttom ( bn, খালেদ মোশাররফ; 9 November 1937 – 7 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi military officer known for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Khaled was the Sector Commander of Bangladesh ...

, was created in September with 4, 9 and 10 East Bengal Regiment. ** 4th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Captain 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 Abdul Aziz Pasha (died 2 June 2001) was a Bangladesh army officer who was convicted for involvement in the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Career Bangladesh Liberation war Pasha had fought for the Independence of Bangladesh during Ba ...

* '' S Force'', with 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 Moinul Hossain Chowdhury (died 10 October 2010) was a Bangladesh Army officer who served as the adjutant general of Bangladesh army and former advisor of the caretaker government. Military career Moinul Hossain Chowdhury fought in the Banglades ...

** 11th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim

References

{{Liberation of Bangladesh Bangladesh Liberation War Military history of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini