The 1971 India-Pakistan war, the third that Pakistan waged against India, stands out as a unique, very well-planned and executed campaign by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force fighting on two fronts which also resulted in Pakistan’s loss of its Eastern part and the birth of a new nation, Bangladesh. Almost 100,000 Pakistani military personnel deployed in erstwhile East Pakistan, who had committed genocide and rape of millions of Bengalis, were made to surrender by the Indian Army. It was also the first time that the Indian Navy was used in war and it proved to be disastrous for Pakistan’s navy on both the western and eastern seaboard.

Given India’s vital geo-strategic location in the Indian Ocean region with its over 7516 km coastline and the threat from two adversarial neighbours, it is amazing how since Independence the politico-bureaucratic establishment remained “sea-blind” till its fourth war in 1971. It was in May 1971 that  Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sounded the Naval Chief, Admiral S.M. Nanda, popularly known as Charles, to prepare for war.  

At a press conference in Jamnagar, Gujarat in November 1971, Admiral Nanda was reported to have said, “…If war comes again, I assure you that we shall carry it right into the enemy’s biggest ports, like Karachi. I have known this harbour quite well since I started working there. And you have my word that given the opportunity, the Indian Navy will make the world’s biggest bonfire of it.” That was a promise which he proved true.

Decades later, in an exclusive interview which Admiral Nanda agreed to give at the age of 91 to Rediff.com, he recalled: “On the evening of December 4, we towed these boats out half the way, they dropped their tow lines and raced towards Karachi. We hit Karachi, sank two warships and damaged a third. We did this again on December 8 and sank two more ships. One or two missiles hit the oil tanks near the harbour, which set the entire complex ablaze. Karachi burned for seven days.”

Operation Trident

Operation Trident was the first missile attack on Karachi harbour, on the night of 04-05 Dec 1971 by Indian Naval Ships (INS) Kiltan, Katchall, Nipat, Nirghat and Veer. In its maiden missile-boat operation, the Indian Navy destroyed and sank PNS Khyber (a Pakistani destroyer), PNS Muhafiz (a coastal minesweeper) and merchant vessel MV-Venus Challenger. This operation was a watershed in ingenuity and strategic thinking as the Indian Navy used bigger ships to tow these smaller missile boats close to the Pakistani ports – something unthinkable even by those who had built these boats. It was said that after the attack Karachi burnt for seven days.

This was a deathly blow to the aspirations of the Pakistan Navy and crippled it for years to come. Operation Trident is considered to be one of the most successful operations in modern naval history, with no casualties being borne by the Indian forces. 

In another Operation Python, the Indian Navy relentlessly launched another daring attack on the night of 8-9 December, when INS Vinash, along with two frigates, fired four Styx missiles, sinking the Pakistan Naval Fleet Tanker, PNS Dacca and causing substantial damage to the Keamari Oil Storage Facility at Karachi. Again, there were no damages reported to the Indian forces. The squadron was given the title of ‘Killers’ and the Indian Navy instituted 04 December as Navy Day.

Admiral Nanda’s planning included many actions. Some Indian Navy personnel and their valour which led to the Indian Navy’s grand victory and also contributed to Indian Armed Forces defeating Pakistan in merely thirteen days, deserve mention.

Task Group op

On the night of 04/05 December 1971, a Task Group of the Western Fleet commanded by Commander Kasargod, Patnashetti Gopal Rao, carried out an offensive sweep on the port of Karachi. Notwithstanding the threat of enemy air, surface and submarine attacks, his Task Group penetrated deep into enemy waters and located two groups of large enemy warships and despite heavy gunfire from enemy destroyers, carried out a determined attack which resulted in the sinking of two enemy destroyers and one minesweeper. After the surface engagement with enemy warships, Commander Rao led his Task Group to invade deep into enemy waters and successfully bombarded Karachi port setting fire to oil and other installations in the harbour. For his conspicuous gallantry and outstanding leadership in this operation, Commander Gopal Rao was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC).

Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, who, on the night of 04/05 December 1971, was the squadron commander of a division of ships ordered to attack the port of Karachi, did so with exemplary courage and audacity. Deploying his division of ships deep into the enemy waters and encountering two groups of large enemy warships, despite facing heavy gunfire from the enemy destroyers, Commander Yadav led his squadron in a swift and determined attack, resulting in two enemy destroyers and one minesweeper being sunk. For his conspicuous gallantry and leadership of a high order, he was awarded the MVC.

Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, the Captain of INS Khukri, was assigned the task of locating and destroying a Pakistan submarine in the North Arabian Sea. On the night of 09 December 1971, INS Khukri was hit by torpedoes fired by an enemy submarine and consequently sank. Having decided to order all ranks to abandon ship, Captain Mulla without regard to his safety supervised the arrangement for the rescue of his ship’s personnel in a very cool, calm and methodical manner, and then went down with the ship. He set an example in keeping with the highest traditions of the Navy and was awarded the MVC.

Lieutenant Commander Joseph Pius Alfred Noronha was the Commanding Officer of INS Panvel, which formed part of the force entrusted with the task of attacking enemy targets in Mongla and Khulna areas in erstwhile East Pakistan from 08-11 December 1971. Operating off Khulna and facing incessant air attacks as well as fire from enemy shore defences, Lt Cdr Noronha competently and fearlessly handled INS Panvel in very restricted waters while effectively engaging the enemy positions on the waterfront. For his conspicuous gallantry and leadership, he was awarded the MVC.

Lieutenant Commander (later Rear Admiral) Santosh Kumar Gupta, Commanding Officer of the Navy air squadron, operating from the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, led eleven very successful strike missions with devastating effects on enemy ships and heavily defended shore facilities in various sectors of erstwhile East Pakistan. On 9 December 1971, Lieutenant Commander Gupta pressed home a strike of Seahawk aircraft against enemy targets in Khulna while facing a fierce barrage of anti-aircraft gunfire. Despite his aircraft being hit and damaged by enemy fire, regardless of his safety and in the face of extreme danger, he continued to lead the attack with indomitable determination and skill and then led his divisions on board back to safety. For great courage and professional ability in landing his damaged aircraft safely on board the carrier, he was awarded the MVC.

Cdr MNR Samant was a senior officer of Force A, which carried out daring and highly successful attacks on enemy ports of Mongla, Chalna and Khulna on 09-10 December 1971. Manoeuvring his squadron through a hazardous and unfamiliar route, Cdr Samant achieved complete surprise and routed the enemy in Mongla, inflicting heavy losses. He then proceeded to attack Khulna to destroy the enemy entrenched in strength. Cdr Samant inspired his men to rise to the occasion and fight most gallantly and was awarded the MVC.

Super-secret op

A very destructive super-secret operation by the Indian Navy under Admiral Nanda was revealed in the book Operation X, co-authored by Captain M.N.R. Samant and journalist Sandeep Unnithan, published in 2019. It is the first known documentation of Naval Intelligence's Operation X, which began in August 1971. The book describes how between April and November 1971, this covert naval unit trained 432 Bengali youth, including some who deserted from the Pakistan Navy after the massacre of Bengalis by Pakistani forces and launched them to destroy merchant shipping which sustained the Pakistan Army in the run-up to the 1971 War. Operation Jackpot involved 176 highly trained combat swimmers launching simultaneous attacks on the ports of Chittagong, Chalna-Mongla, Narayanganj and Chandpur on the night of August 15, 1971. They sank 44,500 tons of shipping and damaged 14,000 tons, the single largest attack by naval saboteurs since the Second World War. Another 100,000 tons of Pakistani shipping/supply network was also destroyed by Naval commandos and Mukti Bahini.  

Two of the key personnel, who trained the Bengali youth for what is considered one of the largest covert maritime warfare operations since World War II, are Commander Prakash Kapil, awarded, VrC and Petty Officer Chiman Singh, awarded MVC. They spoke about their experiences in public for the first time in Mumbai on October 12, 2019, when this book was launched, and later were interviewed by this writer on South Asia Monitor’s video programme SAM Conversation.

Admiral Elmo R Zumwalt Jr, the Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy in 1971, who led the US Seventh Fleet to intimidate India during the 1971 Indo-Pak War later praised Admiral Nanda. In a letter to Admiral Nanda, dated 6 December 1989, Zumwalt shared the inscribed copy of his book ‘On Watch’ wherein he mentions: “Here, in India, Admiral Nanda, now retired, told us that his instructions to his ships at that time were – If you encounter US Navy ships, invite their captains onboard for a drink.”

Over the past half a century since that war, two questions have kept cropping up periodically.

The first which came up again in December 2023 was about Admiral Nanda being denied the five-star rank of Admiral of the Fleet, even if it is 52 years later!  

General KM Cariappa, who became independent India’s first Indian Commander in Chief in 1949, redesignated as Chief of Army Staff in 1952, was made a Field Marshal in 1986. General Sam Manekshaw, Chief of Army Staff during the 1971 India-Pakistan War was made a Field Marshal in 1973. Air Marshal Arjan Singh, who was the Air Chief during the 1965 India-Pakistan War, was made Marshal of the Indian Air Force, in 2002.

With the spectacular achievements of the Indian Navy in the 1971 war under the daring and decisive leadership of Admiral Nanda, he could well have been considered for being made Admiral of the Fleet. As this involves rectifying past oversights, there are already precedents.

The second issue is that God forbid if a ship is hit and sinks, does its commanding officer have to sink with it? Is it not an avoidable loss of a highly trained commander who must live to fight more battles?

(The author is a former spokesperson, Defence Ministry and Indian Army. Views are personal. He can be contacted at wordsword02@gmail.com )