Indian Navy Day 2022: How Operation Trishul changed the Indo-Pak war of 1971
December 4 is a historic day in the history of the Indian Navy, due to which celebrates Navy Day (Indian Navy Day 2022) on this day. On this day in 1971, the Indian Navy destroyed the Karachi naval base along with four warships of Pakistan through Operation Trident.
Highlights
⏩ The Indian Navy is celebrating its 50th Navy Day on 4 December.
⏩ On this day in 1971, the Indian Navy carried out Operation Trident.
⏩ This operation proved to be decisive for that war.
All three parts of the army have their own importance for the security of India. Army, Navy (Indian Navy), and Air Force. But will the Indian Navy’s role in the event of a war with neighbors like Pakistan and China not be less than that of the Air Force and the Army? Looking at the geographical conditions, it seems to be the same, but if you feel the same, then you must have read the Indo-Pak War 1971 and India’s Operation Trishul or Operation Trident in it. Should know about which the Indian Navy forced Pakistan to kneel down. On the same day i.e. 4th of December, we celebrate every year as Navy Day (Indian Navy Day 2022).
4 December and Operation Trident
In 1971, on December 4 itself, India had attacked Pakistan in the form of Operation Trident in such a way that it attacked Pakistan’s Karachi naval base and destroyed it. After which Pakistan could not recover in the war and eventually had to kneel down and after this Bangladesh emerged. That’s why the Indian Navy is celebrating its day on 4 December itself. Whereas before that this method had changed many times.
Response to pakistan attack
Pakistan had attacked India’s air and border area on 3 December 1971, which started this war. But India also reacted immediately to this and launched Operation Trishul or Operation Trident, in which a team of Indian Navy made a sudden sharp attack on Pakistani ships on the coast of Karachi.
What happened in that attack of Bharate
In this team, there was a missile carrying boat and two warships from the Indian side. This was the first time India attacked a ship with an antiship missile. Due to this, the Indian Navy had destroyed the entire Karachi port by destroying four Pakistani ships and oil tankers. The fire of tankers was so terrible that the flames were visible from a distance of 60 kilometers and this fire could not be extinguished for seven days.
Operation Trident was the decisive operation of India in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Pakistan was not ready for this
This attack was done from the Indian side on the night of 4th and 5th December. The entire operation was carried out by the Indian Navy under the leadership of Commodore Kasaragod Pattanshetty Gopal Rao. Pakistan had no preparation to respond to this as its focus was only on the India-Pakistan land border.
Pakistan came on backfoot
Hundreds of Pakistani soldiers were killed in a single night attack due to Operation Trident. The Pakistani army was not only demoralized by this attack, but it also came on the backfoot as West Pakistan was no longer able to provide any help to East Pakistan and this proved to be decisive in this war.
In the last few years, the capabilities of the Indian Navy are also being increased. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Turning point of the war
But against Pakistan’s expectation, India did not get a chance to recover after India surprised it through the Navy and pushed it on the backfoot. Not only this, the result of the Indian Navy’s strategy was that West Pakistan could not provide any help to East Pakistan through its navy.
Navy Day date changed
It was because of Operation Trident that the Indian Navy changed its tradition. Earlier, the Navy of our country used to celebrate Navy Day on 15 December. And before that on December 1 since World War II. But after this war, it was decided that the country would celebrate Navy Day on 4th December and Navy Week from 1st to 7th December.
Operation Trident shows that the importance of Navy in any war cannot be denied under any circumstances. There is no doubt that in the last few years, the importance of Navy has increased a lot in terms of India. It seems surprising that Ladakh, Doklam and other land border issues seem to be the main reason for tension between India and China. But from the point of view of the global scenario, China is increasing its supremacy in the Indian Ocean. In such a situation, the importance of the Indian Navy is increasing further.
