Indian XXXIII Corps in the East Bengal Campaign, 1971
v.1.0 April 7, 2002

Ravi Rikhye

 

With thanks to Mr. Jagan Pillarisetti for a copy of the Official History of the 1971 War. This has not been published to date.  The Times of India put a leaked copy on its website for some time in 2000.

The official historian, perhaps exhausted by his efforts to provide a battalion-level orbat for II Corps, omitted to do as much for XXXIII Corps. Readers are invited to send in names of battalions not listed here.

Eastern Command [Lt.-Gen. J.S. Aurora]

XXXIII Corps [Lt.-Gen. M.L. Thapan]

HQ Bengal Area [Maj.-Gen. P. Chowdhry] [Note 1]

1/3^rd Gorkha Rifles

11^th Bihar

71^st Mountain Brigade [Brig. P.N. Kathpalia]

-         7^th Marattha Light Infantry

-         12^th Rajputana Rifles

-         21^st Rajput

-         D/69^th Armored Regiment (T-55)

Ad Hoc Armored Brigade [Brig. G.S. Sandhu] left for Western front about December 11

-         63^rd Cavalry (PT-76)

-         69^th Armored Regiment (- 1 squadron to 71^st Brigade)(T-55)

-         20^th Marattha Light Infantry (SKOT APC)

Seven Border Security Force battalions

One engineer brigade

One engineer regiment

6^th Mountain Division [Maj.-Gen. PC Reddy]

This division arrived from Central Command where its normal assignment was to cover the Utter Pradesh-Tibet border. It left one brigade behind and one brigade went to 20^th Mountain Division.  It was to be used only if needed, because it was also covering for 20^th Division on the Bhutan-Tibet border. 9^th Brigade had two battalions assigned. The division was really a spare HQ.

9^th Mountain Brigade [Brig. T.J. Verma]

-         5^th Grenadiers

-         12^th Garhwal

20^th Mountain Division [Maj.-Gen. Lachhman Singh Lehl]

66^th Mountain Brigade [Brig. G.S. Sharma] ex-6^th Division

-         5^th Garhwal

165^th Mountain Brigade [Brig. R.S. Pannu]

-         1^st Guards

-         4^th Rajput (also operated under 9^th Brigade)

202^nd Mountain Brigade [Brig. F. Bhatty]

-         8^th Guards

-         16^th Rajput

340^th Mountain Brigade [Brig. J.S. Bakshi]

-         2/5^th Gorkha Rifles (FF) [Note 2]

-         5/11^th Gorkha Rifles

-         6^th Guards

Notes

[1] This was the static administrative HQ for the area

[2] 5^th Gorkha Rifles traces its history back to the famous Frontier Force, almost all of which went to Pakistan in 1947. It is very particular about placing the letters FF afyter its name.