AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 4 – War Diary CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 48 of 167 5 Hammer & Anvil in 1971 Lt Gen V R Raghavan PVSM UYSM AVSM Genre: Reflections he blacksmith’s basic tools Hammer & Anvil are well known to all. One strikes the blows to shape or shatter the iron object, while the other provides the strong base on which the object is held stationary. The phrase is known through history in military operations as a strategy or tactic to hold and break up the enemy force. History is full of examples where a strong force is immobilised against the anvil of a holding force and destroyed by strikes by mobile forces against the pinned enemy force. In the Second World War the Battle of Caen was a fine example of this on a large scale. The Allied invasion of Europe in Normandy was the scene where a German Corps boldly counter attacked the salient gained by the British divisions. Three or more German Panzer division were drawn into this operation and nearly succeeded in throwing the British back into the sea. Field Marshal Montgomery who was the overall Army Group Commander saw this as an opportunity since he had US Tank Corps further and free on a flank. He convinced Gen Eisenhower to free the US Tank Corps from advancing further into France and used it – about three or four divisions - to wheel against the German Panzers who had been pinned down by the British divisions. This major Hammer & Anvil operation was a disaster for the Germans and opened the way for a rapid advance into France . ( This can be easily looked up in the Wikipedia) In 1971, two small but significant battles, one each in the Eastern and Western theatre showed the efficacy of this tactic. The Boyra Garibpur battles in the then East Bengal offer a good example of this. After the Indian Army entered East Bengal with a Battalion of the Punjab Regiment, (14 Punjab) there was a furious counter attack by Pakistan infantry and tanks. The Indian battalion was under great pressure but held its ground. The Pakistanis brought in the Air Force to support their attack. In anticipation of such a possibility, Kalaikunda Air Base had been readied with Indian fighter aircraft. The Pak air craft were spotted early on radar and Indian sorties were quickly on the scene. A furious air combat too place, which also took the pressure off the Indian Punjab Battalion. The Boyra- Garibpur was a major setback to the Pakistanis. Some names became a legend in military annals and Massey, Lazarus, and Ganapathy are remembered in the IAF. The hammer of T