Major General M. Ashab Uddin, ndc, psc (Retd) :
” Forward, my countrymen, to protect the lives and honour of our men and women, to secure the future of our citizen. Whatever be their religion, caste or creed, and to defend the independence of Bangladesh.”-MAG Osmany.
Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmany was the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of Bangladesh Forces during the Liberation War in 1971. He is popularly referred to as General Osmany, with the honorary title of Bangabir (Hero of Bengal). Bangabir Osmany is the name of an era, the name of a history and the name of a chapter by itself in our national history. It is one of those very few names of the twentieth century, which was pronounced frequently with honour and pride. Osmany is a noble name which will remain enthroned in the hearts of all Bangladeshis and continue to serve as glorious moral beacon for patriotism, courage and dedication. He is the symbol of struggle for our homeland, a symbol of valour, a symbol of success, and above all, the symbol of justice, hope and aspiration.
From 12 April 1971 he was appointed as C-in-C of Bangladesh Forces with the status of a Cabinet Minister. He took command of the Mukti Bahini and immediately decided to bring all the elements of the Mukti Bahini under one command and directed their operations with inspiring leadership, spirit, proficiency and resolve. He was dedicated and totally committed to the independence of Bangladesh. From April to June Osmany toured a number of areas to boost morale and gather information, meeting with his Indian counterparts and setting up the Bangladeshi command structure. As C-in-C, General Osmany had to take great pains to enhance the number of regular and guerrilla forces and also to master the weapons. By dint of his hard work and devotion he could put together an army of about 20 to 25 thousand regular forces equipped with minimum required arms and ammunitions. General Osmany could also gather naval elements to disrupt the Pakistani sea and river lines of communication with overall aim of weakening their infrastructure. He also organized a small air force which came into being on 28 September 1971 using an old airfield at Dimapur, Nagaland with one DC 3 Dakota, one Twin Otter and one Alouette III helicopter.
General Osmany was an outstanding and bold military leader. He tasted the success of winning a war, where he was the Commander-in-Chief of the victorious Mukti Bahini. After the initial onslaught, General Osmany instantly structured the guerrilla forces. The aim was to bleed the enemy by the sporadic offensive of guerrilla forces and side by side to launch offensive onto the enemy occupied territory by regular forces to compel the enemy to disperse and weaken them. He had some differences of opinion with the Indian leadership regarding the role of the Mukti Bahini in the conflict. Indian military leadership initially envisioned Bengali forces to be trained into small elite guerilla force of 8000 members, led by the surviving East Bengal Regiment soldiers operating in small cells around Bangladesh to facilitate the eventual Indian intervention but with the Bangladesh government in exile, General Osmany favoured a different strategy:
oBangali conventional forces would occupy lodgment areas inside Bangladesh and then the Bangladeshi government would request international community for diplomatic recognition and intervention. Initially Mymensingh was picked for this operation but General Osmany later settled on Sylhet.
o Sending the maximum number of guerillas inside Bangladesh as soon as possible with the following objectives:
* Increasing Pakistani casualties through raids and ambush using “hit and run” tactics avoiding less casualties on own side.
* Cripple economic activity by hitting power stations, railway lines, storage depots and communication networks.
* Destroy Pakistan army mobility by blowing up bridges/culverts, fuel depots, trains, river crafts and assassinating prominent collaborators.
* The strategic objective was to make the Pakistanis spread their forces inside the province, so attacks could be made on isolated Pakistani detachments.
According to General Osmany, the skill and tactics required to defeat a strong and well-prepared force must be varied in accordance with the situation, existing realities of local environment, as well as strength and capabilities of opposing forces. Therefore the Mukti Bahini initially followed ‘hit and run’ tactics. They avoided face to face contact with the enemy. By July-August then Mukti Bahini improved in their training and operational method. Their actions included ambushing military convoys, raiding police stations, blowing up vital installations, sinking river crafts and assassinating prominent collaborators. By this time their operation extended right up to Dhaka. In September – November, Mukti Bahini was highly active both on the borders and in the interior. The fighting capabilities of Mukti Bahini enhanced significantly with the formation of three regular brigades namely Z Force, K Force and S Force. It has been established that the conventional form of war mixed with guerrilla warfare techniques adopted during the liberation war paid a rich dividend. The guerrilla operations undertaken by the Mukti Bahini isolated the Pakistanis’, stalled their movements, shattered their morale and reduced their fighting capabilities to a great extent. The Mukti Bahini prepared the ground for eventual launching of the Allied Forces and intimately supported the conventional operations, which accelerated the surrender of Pakistan Army.
Bangabir General MAG Osmany was one of the few national leaders who at the same time nurtured and inculcated a number of high principles, human virtues, moral values and a very high degree of military professionalism. A great decision maker who was truly patriotic and a great personality will continue to inspire and guide generations of heroes and leaders of our nation forever. In true sense, this great General, with relatively short physical stature, towered over everyone around him. He eminently carried the courage of conviction and was a model of selfless service. Throughout his life, regardless of his personal circumstances, he never hesitated to heed his country’s call. He was a man who truly did everything for a reason, for a purpose, not for himself, but for the amity and glory of his beloved motherland, Bangladesh.
” Forward, my countrymen, to protect the lives and honour of our men and women, to secure the future of our citizen. Whatever be their religion, caste or creed, and to defend the independence of Bangladesh.”-MAG Osmany.
Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmany was the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of Bangladesh Forces during the Liberation War in 1971. He is popularly referred to as General Osmany, with the honorary title of Bangabir (Hero of Bengal). Bangabir Osmany is the name of an era, the name of a history and the name of a chapter by itself in our national history. It is one of those very few names of the twentieth century, which was pronounced frequently with honour and pride. Osmany is a noble name which will remain enthroned in the hearts of all Bangladeshis and continue to serve as glorious moral beacon for patriotism, courage and dedication. He is the symbol of struggle for our homeland, a symbol of valour, a symbol of success, and above all, the symbol of justice, hope and aspiration.
From 12 April 1971 he was appointed as C-in-C of Bangladesh Forces with the status of a Cabinet Minister. He took command of the Mukti Bahini and immediately decided to bring all the elements of the Mukti Bahini under one command and directed their operations with inspiring leadership, spirit, proficiency and resolve. He was dedicated and totally committed to the independence of Bangladesh. From April to June Osmany toured a number of areas to boost morale and gather information, meeting with his Indian counterparts and setting up the Bangladeshi command structure. As C-in-C, General Osmany had to take great pains to enhance the number of regular and guerrilla forces and also to master the weapons. By dint of his hard work and devotion he could put together an army of about 20 to 25 thousand regular forces equipped with minimum required arms and ammunitions. General Osmany could also gather naval elements to disrupt the Pakistani sea and river lines of communication with overall aim of weakening their infrastructure. He also organized a small air force which came into being on 28 September 1971 using an old airfield at Dimapur, Nagaland with one DC 3 Dakota, one Twin Otter and one Alouette III helicopter.
General Osmany was an outstanding and bold military leader. He tasted the success of winning a war, where he was the Commander-in-Chief of the victorious Mukti Bahini. After the initial onslaught, General Osmany instantly structured the guerrilla forces. The aim was to bleed the enemy by the sporadic offensive of guerrilla forces and side by side to launch offensive onto the enemy occupied territory by regular forces to compel the enemy to disperse and weaken them. He had some differences of opinion with the Indian leadership regarding the role of the Mukti Bahini in the conflict. Indian military leadership initially envisioned Bengali forces to be trained into small elite guerilla force of 8000 members, led by the surviving East Bengal Regiment soldiers operating in small cells around Bangladesh to facilitate the eventual Indian intervention but with the Bangladesh government in exile, General Osmany favoured a different strategy:
oBangali conventional forces would occupy lodgment areas inside Bangladesh and then the Bangladeshi government would request international community for diplomatic recognition and intervention. Initially Mymensingh was picked for this operation but General Osmany later settled on Sylhet.
o Sending the maximum number of guerillas inside Bangladesh as soon as possible with the following objectives:
* Increasing Pakistani casualties through raids and ambush using “hit and run” tactics avoiding less casualties on own side.
* Cripple economic activity by hitting power stations, railway lines, storage depots and communication networks.
* Destroy Pakistan army mobility by blowing up bridges/culverts, fuel depots, trains, river crafts and assassinating prominent collaborators.
* The strategic objective was to make the Pakistanis spread their forces inside the province, so attacks could be made on isolated Pakistani detachments.
According to General Osmany, the skill and tactics required to defeat a strong and well-prepared force must be varied in accordance with the situation, existing realities of local environment, as well as strength and capabilities of opposing forces. Therefore the Mukti Bahini initially followed ‘hit and run’ tactics. They avoided face to face contact with the enemy. By July-August then Mukti Bahini improved in their training and operational method. Their actions included ambushing military convoys, raiding police stations, blowing up vital installations, sinking river crafts and assassinating prominent collaborators. By this time their operation extended right up to Dhaka. In September – November, Mukti Bahini was highly active both on the borders and in the interior. The fighting capabilities of Mukti Bahini enhanced significantly with the formation of three regular brigades namely Z Force, K Force and S Force. It has been established that the conventional form of war mixed with guerrilla warfare techniques adopted during the liberation war paid a rich dividend. The guerrilla operations undertaken by the Mukti Bahini isolated the Pakistanis’, stalled their movements, shattered their morale and reduced their fighting capabilities to a great extent. The Mukti Bahini prepared the ground for eventual launching of the Allied Forces and intimately supported the conventional operations, which accelerated the surrender of Pakistan Army.
Bangabir General MAG Osmany was one of the few national leaders who at the same time nurtured and inculcated a number of high principles, human virtues, moral values and a very high degree of military professionalism. A great decision maker who was truly patriotic and a great personality will continue to inspire and guide generations of heroes and leaders of our nation forever. In true sense, this great General, with relatively short physical stature, towered over everyone around him. He eminently carried the courage of conviction and was a model of selfless service. Throughout his life, regardless of his personal circumstances, he never hesitated to heed his country’s call. He was a man who truly did everything for a reason, for a purpose, not for himself, but for the amity and glory of his beloved motherland, Bangladesh.
(Major General M.Ashab Uddin, ndc, psc (Retd), former Ambassador of Bangladesh to the State of Kuwait & Yemen. He was GOC of Savar and Chittagong Cantt).
