Short Summary

After out-flanking and out-manoeuvring the Pakistani troops in the North of the Eastern section of the divided country, Indian troops tock possession of the villages of Hilli and Dangla Para.


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Background: After out-flanking and out-manoeuvring the Pakistani troops in the North of the Eastern section of the divided country, Indian troops tock possession of the villages of Hilli and Dangla Para. with the destruction of he second of Pakistani's four divisions in the area, the Indians had virtual control of the whole North-Western reaches--and an almost clear way towards the capital, Dacca. Today (Wednesday), reports indicate that these and other Indian troops are closing in on Dacca--and a ceasefire offered to the beleaguered city.

The Pakistanis had counted on what the Indian Colonel in charge of the attack described as a "textbook" war, depending wholly on a Maginot Line type of defence with fixed barriers and bunkers--not allowing for a fast and multi-directional advance by the Indiana from the sides and even the back of their defences.

So fast were the retreats, that the cameramen accompanying the Indian advance did not catch sight of Pakistani troops as they entered the villages. Reports say them the Pakistanis lost some 800 men in the battles around Hilli and Dangla Para--and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was left abandoned in the latter village.

SYNOPSIS: Indian soldiers entering the East Pakistan village of Hilli to the north of Dacca, the capital. During battles in which the defending forces lost some eight hundred men, the Indians outflanked and out-manoeuvred the Pakistanis who had over-confidently depended on a Maginot Line type of defence with fixed bunkers--not allowing for a fast Indian attack from the sides and even the back. (PAUSE) In the nearby village of Dangla Para, the retreating troops abandoned a massive cache of arms and ammunition--which the Indian Colonel in charge of the attack claimed would have given the Pakistanis sufficient strength not only to hold a longer defence but to inflict considerable damage on the advancing troops.

The Indians now had a virtually clear route towards Dacca--upon which other Indian forces from the South were also converging. The capital and its 560,000 inhabitants were already the butt of strong air attacks and bombings--and by Wednesday the commander of the Pakistani forces in the East, General Niazi, had asked for a ceasefire. This was accepted by India's Chief of Staff General Manokshaw on the condition that all Pakistani troops in the East surrendered immediately.