AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 5 – War Diary CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 56 of 332 Faridpur. The regiment fought the final battle of Bogra with one squadron, as, with victory in sight by 12 December, two of its sabre squadrons, with the regimental HQ, were pulled out and rushed on rails to join action in Punjab where war was still raging. The sterling performance of the regiment was particularly praiseworthy for the fact that it was actually a light regiment till the war clouds began forming and was reequipped with T-55 tanks and converted to a medium one in a short span of six months in the run- up to the war. It was a game-changing decision that the Army HQ took in the preparatory phase of the operations to achieve a definite armoured edge over the enemy; probably the most crucial one that demanded a superhuman effort from the regiment. In a race against time, the officers and men of the regiment laboured on determinedly with training until they achieved absolute mastery over their new war machines. It was those finely honed skills that ultimately won the day when the capability of the crews to keep the tanks moving in a marshy terrain and engage the enemy effectively dictated the outcome. A common feature of the Bangladesh War, often described as a ‘driver’s war’ by tank men, was the T-55s plodding on relentlessly through hull-deep mud, undeterred by enemy shells that pounded them and mines that blew up under their tracks; their fearless crews frequently out in the open towing out a bogged-down tank or repairing a severed track. It was a saga of resoluteness against heavy odds. The havoc 63 Cavalry caused to the enemy would never be fully known. It undoubtedly wiped off a better part of an armoured regiment of Pakistan, destroyed colossal amount of their armaments and equipment and overran any number of their strongholds, inflicting heavy casualties and taking hordes of prisoners. For all those commendable achievements, the casualty toll of the regiment was minimal. It lost only 3 men killed and double that number wounded. Not a single tank of the regiment was lost. Raised in mid-1950s, 63 Cavalry had its baptism of fire, interestingly, under the UN flag. 5 Independent Armoured Squadron of the regiment earned laurels forming part of the UN peace keeping force in Congo in early 1960s. Deployed in Eastern India to ward off Chinese threat throughout 1960s the young regiment missed the major tank battles of western front in the 1965 War. The Bangladesh War of 1971 therefore turned out to be a defining moment in its history when, with the entire regiment taking the field, it carved out a niche for itself in the annals of Indian military history; earning the battle honour ‘Bogra’ and theatre honour ‘East Pakistan 1971’. It continues to excel in its professionalism, even partaking in counter-terrorist operations in dismounted role. It was presented with its guidon by the President of India in honour of meritorious service in 1982. The personnel of the unit have so far won over 50 awards for gallantry