Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation By Lt Gen Jfr Jacob: The campaign for the liberation of Bangladesh was short and swift, spread over some thirteen campaign days, conducted in riverine terrain highly suitable for defence. The author describes events leading to the creation of Bangladesh, beginning with the Pakistan Army’s crackdown in East Pakistan on 26 March 1971. To the outbreak of full-scale war following the Pakistani bombing of Indian airfields in the west on the evening of 3 December 1971 and the subseuent military operations leading to the surrender of Pakistan Eastern Command. Outlining the evolution of the strategy for the campaign, he details the selection of thrust lines using subsidiary dirt tracks that bypassed centres of resistance and opened up axes of maintenance later. The objectives selected were communication centres in relation to the geopolitical heart-Dacca. A concise account of the execution of the campaign is given. He highlights the role of the Mukti Bahini and the great contribution they made towards the liberation of their country. He describes the pressures exerted at the Security Council and the peo-Pakistani stance of China and the United States as well as giving a first-hand account of the negotiations and the signing of the Instrument of surrender. The author draws lessons from the political and military aspects of the campaign and highlights the lack of clear directives both political and military and the adhoc higher command set-up for the war. The lessons of 1971 have yet to be learnt. This book will be of interest to general public, armed forces, staff and war colleges and all those concerned with the business of war.
An Odyssey in War and Peace: An Autobiography Lt Gen. J.F.R. Jacob: Jews who have made India their home have flourished without adverse discrimination. Of this, the Baghdadi Sephardic community is very small in number but has produced one of India s greatest contemporary soldiers, Lt Gen. Jack Jacob. This is his fascinating story. As a small boy, Jacob, who was from a business family, was sent to a residential public school in Darjeeling along with his two brothers. When the Second World War broke out, Jacob without informing his family joined the army in 1941 to fight against the Nazis! After Independence, Gen. Jacob became a gunnery instructor for some time and subsequently was trained in an advanced Artillery and Missile course at Fort Sill in the US. A quick learner, he commanded infantry and artillery brigades, headed the artillery school, and finally the Eastern Army. Rubbing shoulders with some of the stalwarts who strode the Indian political and military arena in those times, Gen. Jacob sometimes fell foul of his bosses and twice came close to resigning. But he stuck on and the pinnacle of his career came in 1971, when he planned and oversaw operations leading to the fall of Dacca and obtained an unconditional public surrender, the only one in history, of Gen. Niazi and his army of 93,000. Written lucidly, this autobiography comes to life as a historical document recapitulating some of the most important events of the 1960s to the 90s from the defeat of the Naxalites in West Bengal, to the problems of Nagaland and Sikkim and the politics of Goa and Punjab. This is not only the story of the life of one great soldier, but provides glimpses of some of the most influential and colourful personalities who wrote the history of those tumultuous times.
