Operation Jackpot

Background: naval commandos

At the conclusion of Operation Searchlight and Operation Barisal, the Pakistani Army and Pakistan Navy had driven the Mukti Bahini into India, where they entered a period of reorganization during June and July 1971 to train guerrillas and set up networks and safe houses in the occupied territories to run the insurgency and rebuild the conventional forces. M. A. G. Osmani divided the country into 11 sectors. He planned to send 2,000–5,000 guerrillas inside Bangladesh every month with 3/4 weeks of training to hit all targets of opportunity, while building up the regular force to seize territory in Sylhet, Indian officials suggested fielding a force of 8,000 guerrillas with regular troops in leadership positions with three or four months of training. The solution was to activate the hitherto inactive Sector No. 10 as a special sector for naval commandos with Col. Osmani in charge from 13 May onwards. This naval commando force was to be trained as per the Indian suggestion, acting as an elite force for attacking riverine and seaborne targets.

Col. Osmani's initial strategy of sending 2,000–5,000 guerrillas inside Bangladesh every month since July and hitting the border outposts with regular battalions had not yielded expected results for various reasons. By July–August, Pakistani commanders were confident that they had contained the "Monsoon offensive" of the Mukti Bahini. As the pace of military operations in Bangladesh slacked off, civilian morale was adversely affected, which prompted East Pakistan administrative authorities to claim that the situation had returned to "normal". In response to this declaration, the Mukti Bahini launched 2 operations: (1) Guerrilla attacks in targets in Dhaka by a crack commando group trained by Major ATM Haider (ex-SSG commando), and (2) the simultaneous mining and damaging of ships in Chittagong, Chandpur, Mongla and Narayanganj on 15 August, which became known in Bangladesh and international media as "Operation Jackpot".

Mukti Bahini riverine activity

Bangladesh is crisscrossed by numerous wide rivers and, during the April–October monsoon flooding, about 300 additional navigable channels. The movement and logistics of the Pakistan Army largely depended on their control of the inland waterways and the seaports. Mukti Bahini did not operate a separate naval wing during March–June 1971. River craft were requisitioned as needed. The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force sank one such craft, MV Ostrich, during Operation Barisal on 26 April, while Pakistani gunboats sank 3 boats commanded by Mukti Bahini on 5 May 1971, at Gabura.

Pakistan naval preparations

The importance of waterways was not lost on Pakistan Eastern Command. After the launch of Operation Searchlight and the successful conclusion of Operation Barisal, General A. O. Mittha (Quarter Master General of Pakistan Army) had recommended the creation of a port operating battalion for Chittagong, in addition to a separate River Transport and River Marine Battalion to operate an augmented Cargo and Tanker flotilla. These steps were not implemented; the Army commandeered civilian watercraft for logistics and posted Army and Razakar personnel to guard various ferries, bridges, ports and other naval installations. Pakistan Navy established a Marine Academy in June 1971 to support riverine operations.

Rear admiral Mohammad Shariff had only 4 gunboats (PNS Comilla, Rajshahi, Jessore and Sylhet) and a patrol boat (PNS Balaghat) in East Pakistan, while the navy remodeled 17 civilian ships into gunboats by adding 12.7/20 mm guns, and .30/.50 caliber Browning machine guns. These boats joined the fleet by August 1971, while several other boats had been fitted with 40X60 mm Bofors guns and .50 calibre machine guns in Khulna and Chittagong dockyards to serve as patrol boats. A few hundred officers and 2,000 crewmen were posted in East Pakistan in 1971. 300 Bengali seamen were transferred to West Pakistan as a precaution after 25 March 1971, while Special Service Group Navy (SSGN) teams were posted in East Pakistan under Commander David Felix.

Naval commando training and preparations

The river transport system was vital for economic activity, given the primitive state of the road and railway system of East Pakistan. Major Jalil, Colonel M. A. G. Osmani and Indian Commander Bhattachariya in collaboration with top regional commanders, established the secret camp, codenamed C2P, in Plassey, West Bengal, on 23 May to train volunteers selected from various Mukti Bahini sectors (Bangladesh was divided into 11 operational sectors for Mukti Bahini operations) for this purpose. Initially, 300 volunteers were chosen, ultimately, 499 commandos were trained in the camp. The training course included swimming, survival training, using limpet mines, hand-to-hand combat and navigation. By August 1971, the first batch of commandos were ready for operation. The Camp Commander at C2P was Commander M. N. Samanth, Training Coordinator was Lt. Commander G. Martis, both from the Indian Navy, while 20 Indian instructors along with the 8 Bengali submariners became trainers. Pakistani Intelligence agents scouted the camp in June and July, but Indian security measures prevented any harm to the camp and apprehended all infiltrators.

The Bangladesh Naval Commando Operation that was called "Operation Jackpot" was precipitated by events in Toulon, a coastal city of Southern France. The operation was planned to take on the Naval Special Service Group of the Pakistan Navy after it had conducted several other operations. In 1971, there were 11 East Pakistan Naval Submarine Crewmen receiving training there aboard a Pakistani submarine. One commissioned officer (Mosharraf Hassain) and 8 crewmen decided to take control of the submarine and to fight against Pakistan. Their plan was disclosed, however, causing them to flee from death threats made by Pakistan's Naval Intelligence. Out of the 9 crewmen, one made his way to London; the others managed to travel to the Indian Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland. From Geneva, embassy officials took them to New Delhi on 9 April, where they began a program of top secret naval training at C2P.

The operation was planned in the last week of July, under tight security. Information on river tides, weather and East Pakistani naval infrastructure and deployment was collected through the Mukti Bahini. Selected commandos were sent from C2P to forward bases in Tripura and West Bengal, where a final briefing was given to them. Mukti Bahini in Sector No. 1 assisted the group going to Chittagong, Sector No. 2 aided the groups going to Chandpur and Narayanganj and Sector No. 9 assisted the group targeting Mongla. Each commando carried a pair of fins, a knife, a limpet mine, and swimming trunks. Some had compasses, 1 in 3 commandos had Sten guns and hand grenades, and the group leaders carried a transistor radio. All the groups carried their own equipment to their targets and, after entering Bangladesh between 3 and 9 August, reached their destinations by 12 August, using the local Mukti Bahini network of safehouses. A pair of songs was played on India Radio (Akashbani) at specific times to convey the intended signal for commencing the operations. The first song (Amar putul ajke prothom jabe shoshur bari) was played on 13 August, the second song (Ami tomay joto shuniyechilem gan tar bodole chaini kono dan) on 14 August. The result of this operation was:

• Chittagong: Sixty commandos were divided into 3 groups of 20 each, but one group failed to arrive due to Pakistani security on time. Out of 40 commandos, 9 refused to take part, while 31 commandos mined 10 ships instead of 22 initially planned on 16 August. Between 1:45 and 2:15 am, explosions sank the MV Al-Abbas, the MV Hormuz and the Orient barge no. 6, sinking 19,000 tons of arms and ammunition, along with damaging/sinking 7 other barges/ships.
• Chandpur: 20 commandos were sent to mine ships at Chandpur. Two commandos ultimately refused to take part; the other 18 were divided into 6 groups and mined 4 ships. 3 steamers/barges were damaged or sunk.
• Narayanganj: 20 commandos conducted the sabotage operation. Four ships were sunk or damaged.
• Mongla: 60 commandos went to Mongla port. This team was divided into 5 groups of 12 members each. Ultimately, 48 commandos mined 6 ships at Mongla. Twelve commandos had been sent on a separate mission.

The simultaneous attacks on Pakistan Naval shipping assets on 16 August destroyed the myth of normalcy in East Pakistan when the news was flashed in the international media. A Pakistan Army investigation concluded that no one had imagined Mukti Bahini capable of conducting such an operation.

Assessment of naval "Operation Jackpot"

Not all naval commando missions were met with success. Tightened security prevented any operations in Chittagong after the first week of October, while four attempts to damage the Hardinge Bridge failed. Some Commando teams were ambushed and prevented from reaching their objectives. Misfortune and miscalculation caused some missions to fail. Security measures prevented any sabotage attempts on the oil depots at Narayanganj, Bogra, Faridpur and Chittagong, and Mukti Bahini managed to damage the oil depots at Chittagong and Naryanganj using an Alouette helicopter and a Twin Otter plane on 2 December 1971.

In total, 515 commandos received training at C2P. Eight commandos were killed, 34 wounded and 15 captured during August–December 1971. Naval commandos managed to sink or damage 126 ships/coasters/ferries during that time span, while one source confirms at least 65 vessels of various types (15 Pakistani ships, 11 coasters, 7 gunboats, 11 barges, 2 tankers and 19 river craft by November 1971) had been sunk between August–November 1971. At least 100,000 tons of shipping were sunk or crippled, jetties and wharves were disabled and channels blocked, and the commandos kept East Pakistan in a state of siege without having a single vessel. The operational capability of the Pakistan Navy was reduced as a result of Operation Jackpot.

Naval commandos killed in Operation Jackpot

• Commando Abdur Raquib, who was killed during the Foolchhori Ghat Operation
• Commando Hossain Farid, who was executed during the second Chittagong operation. He was captured by Pakistani army, who tortured him to death by placing him inside a manhole and bending his body until his vertebral column was shattered.
• Commando Khabiruzzaman, who was killed in second operation in Faridpur
• Commando Sirajul Islam, M. Aziz, Aftab Uddin, and Rafiqul Islam, nothing further is known about them.

Naval commandos who received Bangladesh 'National Hero Award' Recognition

• A. W. Chowdhury- Bir Uttom
• Badiul Alam- Bir Uttom
• Shah Alam- Bir Uttom
• Mazhar Ullah- Bir Uttom
• Sheikh Md. Amin Ullah- Bir Uttom
• Abedur Rahman- Bir Uttom
• Mosharraf Hossain- Bir Uttom (His honour was revoked by the ruling Government of Bangladesh)
• Mohammad Khabiruzzan- Bir Bikrom
• Momin Ullah Patwari- Bir Protik
• Shahjahan Kabir- Bir Protik
• Faruk-e-Azam- Bir Protik
• Mohammad Rahmatullah- Bir Protik
• Mohammad Mojjamel Hossain- Bir Protik
• Amir Hossain- Bir Protik

Operation Hot Pants

After the operation of 16 August, all commandos returned to India. After this no pre-planned simultaneous operation was launched by the Naval Commandos. Instead, some groups were sent to destroy specific targets, and other commandos began to hit targets as opportunity presented itself.

Major Jalil, Commander of Mukti Bahini Sector No. 9, had obtained permission from Premier Tajuddin Ahmed to form a naval unit in August and had requested four gunboats to Commander M. N. Samanth. In October 1971, Kolkata Port Trust donated two patrol crafts (Ajay and Akshay) to the Mukti Bahini. The boats underwent a month-long refitting at Khidirpur dockyard at the cost of 3.8 million Indian Rupees to carry two Canadian 40X60 mm Bofors guns and two light engines and eight ground mines, four on each side of the deck in addition to 11 ground mines. Renamed BNS Padma and Palash, the boats were crewed by 44 Bengali sailors and 12 naval commandos. The boats were officered by India Navy personnel and handed over to the Mukti Bahini on 30 October 1971. Bangladesh Government in Exile, State Minister Captain Kamruzzaman was present when the boats were commissioned by Kolkata Port Trust chairman P. K. Sen. Lt. Commander KP Roy and K. Mitra of the Indian Navy commanded the boats. The mission for the Bangladesh Navy flotilla was:

• Mine the Chalna port entry point
• Attack Pakistani shipping

Escorted by an Indian Navy frigate, on 10 November, these boats successfully mined the entrance of Mongla port. They also chased the British ship "The City of St. Albans" away from Mongla on 11 November 1971.

Indian Army IV Corps operation (21 November 1971 – 16 December 1971)

The plan of operation for the Indian Army IV corps (8 Mountain Div., 23 Mountain Div., 57 Mountain Div. and "Kilo Force") may have been codenamed "Operation Jackpot". The opposition forces included the Pakistani 14th Infantry Division defending Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Akhaura, the 39th ad hoc division in Comilla, Laksham and Feni and the 97th independent infantry brigade stationed in Chittagong. The Indian Army had seized salients in the Eastern border from 21 November 1971. After Pakistan launched air attacks on India on 3 December, the Indian Army crossed the border into Bangladesh. By the end of the war on 16 December 1971, the Indian Army had isolated and surrounded the remnants of the 14th Division in Sylhet and Bhairabbazar; the 39th Division was cornered in Comilla and Chittagong, with all other areas of Sylhet, Comilla, Noakhali and Chittagong clear of enemy forces. Part of the corps had crossed the Meghna River using the "Meghna Heli Bridge" and using local boats to drive towards Dhaka when the Pakistani army surrendered.