Military history of Bangladesh

Pundra kingdom and Vanga Kingdom were recorded to be the most well known ancient empires located in North Bengal and South-West Bengal (Parts of Bangladesh). During the Kurukshetra War, Both the Pundras and Vangas fought on side of Kauravas. However, the Kauravas could loose the war and the Kuru Kingdom under Pandu's leadership could also go defeat both the Pundras and Vangas (present-day Bangladesh). However, instead of quickly annexed, Pundravardhana and Vanga Kingdom remained self-governed until Arjuna started a post-war military campaigns which could included Pundras as well as Vangas. They were conquered alongside with others regions in Indian subcontinent during the campaign^[7][8].

Kuru Kingdom, who had partially controlled most of Bengal could be defeated by Mahapadma Nanda, king of Nanda Empire. After the eventual defeat and he annexed the Kurus in 345-340 BCE, ending its self-determination dynasty.^[9]According to most historians, the early military history of the Indian subcontinent included Alexander's invasion of India, which was deterred by the might of Gangaridai Kingdom, as it was located in present-day Bangladesh. The Gangaridai's strategic position on the Ganges made it a significant power in eastern area^[10][11].

Before 550s AD, Gauda operated as a independent state in the 4th century AD. Though the Guptas invasion could end there sovereignty^[12]. However, after the breakaway of Gupta Empire, Eastern Bengal could be splintered into the kingdoms of Vanga, Samatata and Harikela. Meanwhile, the Gauda kings again rose in the west with their capital at Karnasuvarna. King Shashanka created the first independent unified polity in the Bengal region, which was located in present-day Bangladesh^[13][14]. Shanshanka led various military operations, extenting his territorial might. He also annexed Vanga kingdom during his campaigns.^[15] His major military campaigns and confrontations were against Kamarupas, Maukharis, Pushyabhutis. By the end of his reign, his domain stretched from Vanga to Bhuvanesha while in the east, his kingdom bordered Kamarupa.^[16][17]Following his death, Shashanka was succeeded by his son, Manava, who ruled the kingdom for eight months. However Gauda was soon divided amongst Harshavardhana and Bhaskarvarmana of Kamarupa, after one of them deposed Manava.^[18][19]

Prince Vijaya of the Vanga Kingdom led a naval expedition to conquer Sri Lanka.^[20][21]The Kalinga War was a notable event of the Mauryan Empire's military campaign in the eastern Indian subcontinent which included present-day Bangladesh. The ancient Indian armies used chariots and gigantic war elephants during the period.^[22]

The Bengal region crystallized as an imperial power during the 8th-11th century Pala Empire. Many of the empire's cities are located in Bangladesh. The Pala military had a large war elephant cavalry, according to Arab historians. The Palas recruited mercenaries from different parts of the Indian subcontinent. Pala conquests extended across North India. The Palas were engaged in a struggle over the Kannauj Triangle with the Gurjara-Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas.

The Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent heralded new military doctrines and hardware, including well-developed artillery. The Delhi Sultanate conquered Bengal in 1204 under the leadership of Bakhtiar Khilji, who later proceeded with an Islamic invasion of Tibet. In Bengal, the Delhi Sultanate displaced the Sena dynasty. Sultan Iwas Khilji (1212–1227) was responsible for founding the Bengal navy during the sultanate period.^[1] The chief of the admiralty had various responsibilities, including shipbuilding, transporting personnel, elephants and equipment; recruitment and collecting tolls at ghats.^[1] The sultanate period saw the settlement of many military officers and soldiers from North India, Central and West Asia and the Horn of Africa. The settlers included Rajputs and Pashtuns.

In the 14th century, Sultan Shamsuddin Firoz Shah and Hazrat Shah Jalal conquered Sylhet from Raja Gour Govinda;^[23] Sultan Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah conquered Chittagong from the Kingdom of Tripura.^[24] Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah became known as the Alexander of the eastern subcontinent after sacking Kathmandu, Varanasi and Cuttack.

The Bengal Sultanate was a medieval great power and conducted a number of notable campaigns, including the Bengal Sultanate-Delhi Sultanate War, the Bengal Sultanate-Jaunpur Sultanate War, the Reconquest of Arakan, the Bengal Sultanate-Kamata Kingdom War and the Bengal Sultanate-Kingdom of Mrauk U War of 1512–1516. The naval strength of Bengal was notable during the Ilyas Shahi dynasty and the Hussain Shahi dynasty.^[1]

Sher Shah Suri conquered Bengal in the 16th century and made it part of the Suri Empire. Sher Shah Suri also renovated the Grand Trunk Road around Sonargaon. His successors later revived the Bengal Sultanate.

After the Bengal Sultanate collapsed in the late 16th-century, the aristocrat Isa Khan led a confederation of zamindars (known as Baro-Bhuyan) to challenge the Mughal invasion of Bengal, often with naval battles on the Padma River, Meghna River and Jangalbari Fort in Egarasindhur. Isa Khan defeated Mughal governors Khan Jahan I in 1578, Shahbaz Khan in 1584 and Man Singh I in 1594. His son and successor Musa Khan continued to lead the confederation until succumbing to the Mughals led by Islam Khan I in 1610.^[25]

Bengal remained relatively stable and prosperous during the 17th century. A key challenge during the early Mughal period was piracy from the Kingdom of Mrauk U and the Portuguese settlement in Chittagong. In 1666, the Mughal Empire-Kingdom of Mrauk U War expelled the Arakanese and Portuguese from Chittagong. The Mughals also engaged in the Ahom-Mughal conflicts. During the 18th century, Bengal endured the invasions by the Maratha Army - constantly defeating the military of the Maratha Confederacy. It fell to the conquest of the British East India Company after the Battle of Plassey.

Mud forts were common in Bengal, such as the Ekdala Fort used in the Bengal Sultanate-Delhi Sultanate War. By the 17th century, the Mughals constructed a series of riverside fortifications in the Bengal delta. Some of the surviving forts include the following.^[26]

• Mahasthangarh
• Idrakpur Fort
• Sonakanda Fort
• Hajiganj Fort
• Lalbagh Fort
• Jangalbari Fort

The artillery was a vital part of the Bengal military. The Mughal emperor Babur saw it as a very effective part of the Bengal army. Portuguese historian João de Barros opined that the military supremacy of the Bengal army over that of Arakan and Tripura was due to the efficiency of its artillery. The artillery used cannons and guns of various sizes.^[27] The Bibi Mariam Cannon and the Jahan Kosha Cannon are examples of early modern Bengali artillery.

Bengal was a major exporter of gunpowder and saltpeter to Europe until the 19th century.^[3][2]

Foreign mercenaries were an important part of the Bengal Sultanate army. Bengal recruited mercenaries from Abyssinia.^[28]

In the 14th century, Ibn Battuta reported of large fleets of war boats in the Bengal Sultanate. According to the traveler Frederick Caesar, Chittagong was a leading shipbuilding center in the 15th century. During the 17th century, the shipyards of Chittagong were reported to have built an entire fleet of warships for the Ottoman navy. During the Mughal Empire, Bengal was the leading producer ships in the subcontinent.^[29]

The British Royal Navy had many of its ships built in Chittagong, including vessels used in the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Bengal Army was formed in 1765 by the British East India Company. The first native infantry was formed in 1757.^[1] In the 19th century, the Bengal Army was merged into the British Indian Army under the British Raj. The Royal Indian Navy was formed in 1830. The Royal Indian Air Force was formed in 1932. The Bangladesh Armed Forces were raised from the armed forces of the British Raj, which included the Bengal Regiment and major installations such as the Dhaka Cantonment, Chittagong Cantonment and the Bogra Cantonment. Various units of artillery, engineers, guides and horse infantry could be added^[30][31]The following includes a list of conflicts which occurred within the territory of Bangladesh under British rule.

In 1895, the three separate Presidency Armies began a process of unification which was not to be concluded until the Kitchener reforms of eight years later. In 1903 the separately numbered regiments of the Bombay, Madras and Bengal armies were unified in a single organisational sequence and the presidency affiliations disappeared. The Bengal infantry units in existence at the end of the Presidency era continued as the senior regiments (1st Brahmans to 48th Pioneers) of the newly unified Indian Army.^[32][33]

• Seven Years' War
  • Siege of Calcutta, attempt by the last Nawab of Bengal to recapture Fort William from the East India Company.^[34]
  • Battle of Plassey- defection of Mir Jafar causes defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal.^[35]
  • Battle of Buxer- Mir Qasim rebels against East India Company after clash of interest, gets defeated.^[36]
• Anglo-Nepalese War- leads to Treaty of Sugali with Nepal and Treaty of Titalia (signed in Tetulia) with Sikkim.
• First Anglo-Burmese War- Burmese forces invade Chittagong Division.^[37]
• Indian Rebellion of 1857- includes revolt by the Bengal Army in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet.^[38]
• Bhutan War- Bhutan loses control of Bengal Duars, including parts of Panchagarh District.^[39]
• Burma Campaign- Allied Forces of World War II stationed in Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka and Sylhet; Imperial Japanese Army Air Service bombs Chittagong.^{[40][41][42][43]}

There was strong opposition to British involvement against the Turkish War of Independence, as both Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Ottoman caliphate enjoyed support in Bengal.^[44]

Name of Conflict	Belligerents		Outcome
	Allies	Opponent(s)
First Anglo-Bengal War	East India Company	Bengal Subah	Stalemate Calcutta city recaptured by Bengal Subah Treaty of Alinagar
Second Anglo-Bengal War	East India Company Bengal defectors	Bengal Subah Kingdom of France	Victory Execution of Siraj ul Dulla. Mir Jafar installed as Nawab by East India Company.
Third Anglo-Bengal War	East India Company	Mughal Empire Bengal Subah	Victory Revolt suppressed by Mir Qasim Treaty of Allahabad
Anglo-Nepalese War	East India Company	Kingdom of Nepal	Victory Treaty of Sugali and Treaty of Titalia.
Indian Rebellion of 1857	East India Company	Various factions	Victory Revolt suppressed.
Bhutan War (1864–1865)	India	Bhutan	Victory Bhutanese territorial cessions to India.
First Anglo-Burmese War (1885)	India	Burmese Empire	Victory The province of Burma became part of the British Raj.
Burma campaign (1941-1945)	United States United Kingdom  India  Republic of China  South Africa	Japan Manchukuo Mengjiang Azad Hind Thailand State of Burma	Victory Allied victory in Burma campaign. Allied victory in WWII. Imperial Japan becomes last country to surrender.

With the partition of India on 15 August 1947 the territory constituting modern Bangladesh was partitioned from the province of Bengal as East Bengal later named as East Pakistan joined the newly created state of Pakistan. Ethnic and sectional discrimination hampered the role and function of the Pakistani military. Bengalis were under-represented in the Pakistan military. Officers of Bengali origin in the different wings of the armed forces made up just 5% of overall force by 1965.^[45] West Pakistanis believed that Bengalis were not “martially inclined” unlike Pashtuns and Punjabis. The “Martial Races” notion, however, has been dismissed by virtually all credible historians and experts as ridiculous and unfounded, noting that it was based on perceived loyalty to the British during the colonial period and later weaponised by West Pakistani authorities to sideline Bengalis ^[45]. Moreover, despite huge defence spending, East Pakistan received almost none of the benefits, such as contracts, purchasing and military support jobs were not given to Bengalis. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 over Kashmir also highlighted the sense of military insecurity among Bengalis as only an under-strength infantry division and small amount of combat aircraft without tank support were in East Pakistan to thwart any Indian retaliations during the conflict.^[46][47] Khwaja Wasiuddin was the most senior Bengali officer in the Pakistani military.^[48][49]

The East's military capability were extremely low. Following the structure of security forces in East Pakistan had at its peak were^{[50][51][52][53][54][55]}:-

• Eastern Command (Part of Pakistan Army in East Pakistan) - 150,000 troops
  • East Bengal Regiment (Paramilitary forces) - 6,000 troops
  • East Pakistan Rifles/East Pakistan Civil Armed Force (Paramilitary forces) - 25,000 troops
• PAF combatant squadron - 1
  • 17 aircraft (15 combat aircraft by 1965)

• 1 destroyer warship
• 1 submarine

• Law enforcement - 100,000+ members
  • East Pakistan Police - 45,000 members
  • East Pakistan Ansar - 118,000 members

• Mohammad Ishfaqul Mazid.
• M. A. G. Osmani.
• Colonel Shafaat Jamil.
• Khaled Mosharraf.
• Mahmudur Rahman Majumdar.

During the Pakistan era, East Pakistan was a quiet front compared to the more dynamic western front on Kashmir dispute. Despite no real issue on military perspective, internal conflicts and border conflicts could bring problems due to political environment.^[56][57] Old Communism influence in Bengal and new rise of self nationalism became a major problem for the newly united Pakistan, aimed for a nation built on Muslim majority.^[58][59] Internal movements like Nachole uprising in the Rajshahi divison and 1969 mass uprising knock of but security forces suppressed such attempts. At the same time Pakistan, after its birth, could aid the Rohingya Mujahedeens in Arakan.^[60] Though that support could end after a MoUs signing between Pakistan and Burma in 1950 which includes giving rights to Rohingya peoples.^[61] A serious border clash could also erupt between East Pakistan troops and Indian troops at Lakshmipur in 1958.^[62] During 1965, frequent border clash and aerial combat could happen until the war ends although the area was isolated enough.^[63] East Pakistan would dissolves after years of ethnic discrimination and the start of Operation Searchlight which could lead to 9-months of civil war and the defeat of Pakistani forces in the East.^[64]