1st East Bengal Regiment

1st East Bengal Regiment or 1st Bengal also known by its nickname The Senior Tigers of Bangladesh Army.^[1]

1st East Bengal Regiment
East Bengal Regimental Flag Unit Monogram
Active	15 February 1948 – present
Country	Pakistan (1948-1971) Bangladesh
Branch	Pakistan Army (1948-1971)  Bangladesh Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Part of	10th Infantry Division
Garrison/HQ	Ramu Cantonment
Nickname(s)	Senior Tigers
Commanders
Notable commanders	M. A. G. Osmani Hafizuddin Ahmed Moinul Hossain Chowdhury Mohammad Ziauddin

Background

1st East Bengal Regiment, most commonly known as ‘Senior Tigers’ (as per the Nom De Plume or Pen Name) is the oldest battalion of the East Bengal Regiment (the first of the two infantry regiments in the Bangladeshi Army, the other being the Bangladesh Infantry Regiment). The unit was raised in 1948 at Kurmitola in Dhaka in what was then East Pakistan from two Bengal Muslim Pioneer Corps (1256 and 1407) of British Indian Army Pioneer Corps of Bihar Regiments, the war raised auxiliary force created to support the war effort in engineering and infantry role. These two companies were mainly composed of Bengali Muslims who had fought bravely in the Burma sector during the Second World War and as such had been retained by the British Government with the mainstream of the British-Indian Army. These two companies immediately after the partition of India in August 1947 moved from Jalna the Indian Pioneer Corps Centre initially to Pelkhana then to Kurmitola (which is now Dhaka Cantonment).  The first idealizer of the Senior Tigers was a Bengali Officer Major M A Goni. He raised and lifted the unit with his relentless effort and sacrifices with limited resources and through adverse situations. Senior Tigers is the only unit in Bangladesh Army that fought three wars - Indo Pak War of 1965, Liberation War of Bangladesh and the Gulf War.

Unit Establishment

The unit was established on 15th February 1948 under the command of Major Abdul Gani at Kurmitola Cantonment, Dhaka. The pioneer Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel V J E Patterson and the Officer Commanding was Major Abdul Waheed Choudhury. The other raising officers were Major FP Jahan (2IC), Captain Abdul Jabbar (Adjutant) and Lieutenant Monk Kawaii (Quartermaster). The first Bengali to command the unit was Lt. Col. M. A. G. Osmani.^[2][3][4]

Indo-Pak War of 1965

The 1st EBR was deployed under 106th Infantry Brigade, near the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal to protect Lahore, one of the major Pakistani cities. The unit was then under the command of Lt. Col. ATK Haque. The 1st EBR was as one of the decorated units, getting 2x Sitara-e-Jurat and 6x Tamgha-e-Jurat, alongwith other gallantry and non operational awards. The unit was considered as the "Defender of Lahore".^[5][6][7]

Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971

Senior Tigers participated in a total of 63 engagements during the Liberation War of 1971 including Operation Navaron, Battle of Kamalpur, Battle of Basapur, Battle of Beramara, Operation Dholoi BOP, Operation Chargram, Battle of Kanaighat, etc.^[8]

Background

The unit was assigned at the Jashore Cantonment under 107 Brigade of Pakistan Army. On 30th March, the unit had been disarmed by 25 Baloch and 22 Frontier Forces. Later the unit had revolted against Pakistan Army under the command of the then Captain Hafizuddin Ahmed and fought against the two units. Later the unit had joined the Z Force, which was then commanded by Major Ziaur Rahman. During the initial fighting, Second Lieutenant Mohammad Anwar Hossain was killed in action, who was later awarded Bir Uttom.^[9][10]

Operation Navaron

The battalion conducted operation Navaran in early 2nd week of May 1971. A company of the Pakistan Army's Punjab Regiment attacked the defenses and inflicted considerable damage. Abdul Karim and another soldier of B Company were martyred in that attack. During this time Pakistani forces were damaged in several irregular attacks across the border and a number of Albadar and Razakar members were captured as prisoners of war.

Battle of Kamalpur

The historic Battle of Kamalpur is one of the battles/operations in which the Senior Tigers participated during the War of Independence. Two platoons of Pakistan Army were on defense in the border village of Kamalpur in Sherpur district. On 29/30 July 1971 a Patrol led by Captain Salah Uddin Momtaz, comprising Lieutenant Abdul Mannan, Subedar Abdul Hai, Subedar Abul Hashem, TJ etc., went on patrolling at Kamalpur defense position of Pakistani forces at night to gain information. At one point, the patrol party ended up right on top of the perimeter's sentry post. The sentry stopped the patrol, but the brave Captain Salahuddin Mumtaz pounced on him and immediately Lieutenant Abdul Mannan with the help of other members shot the sentry dead and snatched a G-3 rifle and fell back to safety. Later in 31 July at 4 am all battalions under the command of Major Moinul Hossain attacked the positions at Kamalpur in Mymensingh, relying on the information received from the previous day's Patrol. This attack caused irreparable damage to the Pakistani forces but we also lost many precious lives. Notable among them are Captain Salah Uddin Mumtaz, Sepoy Mashiur Rahman, Sepoy Mohammad Ali, Lance Naik Golam Mostafa, Sepoy Abdul Wahab and many others. The total number of martyrs in this war is 33 and the number of injured is 40.

Battle of Basapur

The battalion was reinforced after the Kamalpur attack. After nearly a month of training and formation, D Company was now in defense at Basapur in Sherpur. This defense was chosen in such a place that it could be considered as a trap for the attackers. The attacker actually attacked this trap the next day and could barely stand in front of this defense. In fact, the attacking forces were almost completely cut off. Naik Subedar Mozammel Haque and Sepoy Abu Yusuf were martyred in this battle.

Battle of Beramara

C Company was sent to the defense to stop the Pakistani's advance in which is now in Chilmari, Beramara area of Kurigram. The Pakistan Army attacked the position several times but could not dislodge the company from the position. All the attacks inflicted huge losses on their side. It had been revealed there that from the beginning of independence till the end, the area was free and the flag of the independent Bangladesh was adorned.

Operation Dholoi BOP

The Dholoi border outpost of Srimangal police station in Sylhet, a military point, was to be liberated by C Company of 1 East Bengal. In September 1971, an attack on Dhalai BOP was planned. At that time Captain Mahbub was the company commander of A Company, Captain Hafeez of B Company, Lieutenant Qayyum of C Company and Captain Bajlul Gani Patwari was the company commander of D Company. On 28 October, a defensive position was set up in a tea-garden area called Patrakhola, 2 miles behind Dholoi under the command of Captain Mahbub and Captain Hafiz. A blocking position was set up on the paved road 1 mile north of Patrakhola under the command of Captain Bajlul Gani Patwari. At the appointed time C Company formed an attack on a section of Dhalai BOP. The attack was resolutely resisted by the Pakistani forces from their fortified bunkers. An LMG in the southwest corner of the BOP was hampering the attack. Sepoy Hamidur Rahman, a soldier of C Company, was given the responsibility of destroying the LMG. He crawled forward. He jumped on the LMG post. The LMG fire had stopped. Dhalai BOP was captured. The soldiers ran to the LMG post and found two injured Pakistani soldiers. Next to them was the body of Sepoy Hamidur Rahman.

Sepoy Hamidur Rahman was awarded the “Bir Shrestha” title (the highest gallantry award) by the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh for his outstanding bravery. The name of Dhalai BOP is now Birshrestha Hamidur Rahman BOP. A memorial has been built next to the BOP which has turned into an attractive tourist spot.

Operation Chargram

A platoon of Pakistan Army had established a defensive structure in Chargram area near Atgram on the Sylhet border. At dawn on November 22, B Company attacked the position without artillery support to surprise the Pakistani Soldiers. At a distance of about 100 yards, the Pakistani Soldiers opened fire with LMGs and rifles, but eventually fled after suffering heavy losses. Although not occupied, the Pakistan Army later abandoned the place due to irreparable losses.

Battle of Kanaighat

A series of small-scale battles were organized from mid-November with the aim of breaking through the strong Pakistani defenses at the then Kanaighat. On November 27, 1971, Captain Mahbub and BHM Hakeem were martyred in a sudden attack on 27 November 1971. On 05 December the battalion entered Bangladesh with the allied forces. After reaching Kanaighat, Birampur of Sylhet district at 2 am midnight, on December 7, the defense formation was formed. On the other side, several attacks were made on the battalion from the Pakistani's fortified strong positions. During the late night of December 13, the battalion arrived at a Cattle Farm near MC College on the outskirts of Sylhet city. Here a fierce battle ensued with the Pakistani Army's fortified and strong positions. But the Pakistan Army was forced to leave the city of Sylhet under the combined pressure of Mukti Bahini and allied forces. In this clash, the Pakistani forces suffered considerable damage. On the other hand, Naib Subedar Faiz Ahmed, Sepoy Bachchu Mia, Sepoy Ahsan Ali and Sepoy Abdus Salam of Senior Tigers were martyred. Apart from that, some soldiers were injured. On December 16, 1971, the battalion was stationed at Sylhet railway station and from there came to Shaistaganj.

The Bir Uttam Shaheed Mahbub cantonment located at Kholahati, Pavartipur Khana, Dinajpur district is named after Captain Mahbub of Senior Tigers.

Gallantry Awards from Senior Tigers in the War of Liberation in 1971

Gallantry Awards	Number of Persons
Bir Sreshtho	1
Bir Uttom	6
Bir Protik	9
Bir Bikrom	23
Total	39

A total of 185 persons from Senior Tigers were martyred in the war of Liberation. Out of them, 126 persons were identified and documented. Rest 59 were the general people like farmers, students, citizens etc., who fought with Senior Tigers but their names could not be documented.

Gulf War of 1990 (Operation Desert Shield)

Senior Tigers actively participated in the Gulf War against the Iraqi invasion from 04 September 1990 to 20 May 1991. In 1990, when Iraq invaded and occupied its neighboring state of Kuwait, the whole world became vocal against this aggressive role of Iraq. Along with the whole world, Bangladesh also expressed strong anger against the role of Iraq. An economic embargo was imposed against Iraq in accordance with the decision taken by the United Nations Security Council. At the personal request of Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, the government of Bangladesh decided to send troops to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to suppress the aggressive activities of Iraq. A group from Bangladesh was selected from Bangladesh Army to implement this decision. "Senior Tigers" were selected as a part of this plan and started preparing to move to Saudi Arabia. Accordingly, Warning Order was issued on August 17, 1990.

Names of Officers Participated in the Gulf War 1991

(1)      Lieutenant Colonel Shah Md Sultan Uddin Iqbal, BP, psc – Commanding Officer.

(2)      Major Hafiz Uddin Ahmed - Battalion Second in Command.

(3)      Major Khademul Insan Mohammad Iqbal, AMC – Regimental Medical Officer.

(4)      Major A K M Robiul Alam – Company Commander, Headquarter Company.

(5)      Major Md Rafikul Alam – Company Commander, A Company.

(6)      Major Abu Faysal Md Nurul Amin – Company Commander, B Company.

(7)      Major Md Nur E Azad – Company Commander, C Company.

(8)      Major Md Salahuddin Miazi – Company Commander, D Company.

(9)      Captain Jamal Mahmud Chowdhury - Quarter Master.

(10)    Captain Md Abdur Razzak – Company Second in Command.

(11)    Captain Shoaib Bashir Azad – Company Second in Command.

(12)    Captain Md Mahbubul Haque - Company Second in Command.

(13)    Captain A K M Golam Rasul Bhuiyan – Signal Platoon Commander.

(14)    Captain Abdus Salam Md Arif - Company Second in Command.

(15)    Captain Nasir Uddin Ahmed – Adjutant.

(16)    Captain S M Aminul Hasan – Support Platoon Commander.

(17)    Captain Md Masudul Islam - Support Platoon Commander.

(18)    Captain Manjurul Kabir Chowdhury (Deceased) - Support Platoon Commander.

(19)    Lieutenant Main Ullah Chowdhury, Intelligence Officer.

(20)    Lieutenant Jil Bahrain Jaygirdar – Mortar Platoon Commander.

(21)    2nd Lieutenant Sumon Reza – Support Platoon Commander.

Deployment of Senior Tigers in Operation Desert Shield

(1)      On 15 October 1990, Battalion Headquarters, B and C Companies took up positions at Jabal Al Nayeria to provide security for the Divisional Administrative Area (DAA) of the Eastern Province. The location was only 60 km from the Kuwaiti border.

(2)      On 20 October 1990, the company took up a position at Jabal Al Riyal, 30 km from the Kuwaiti border to provide security for the tactical headquarters on the Eastern Province front.

(3)      On 26 December 1990, D Company and Mortar Platoon were deployed around the cantonment to secure King Fahd Military City. The security plan for this cantonment is prepared by Senior Tigers and was approved by the Saudi Joint Force Headquarters.