One often reads statements like “It a man behind the gun or its man behind the machine which matters”. There is no gain saying that gun/machine is man’s creation. Out of curiosity, I decided to check what a soldier feel about the weapon/ weapon system he handles in war. I met a few infantry soldiers who had participated in the ‘71 War. Most of them became nostalgic about their weapons and said, “If I am alive today I owe it to my rifle/ LMG or weapon” he/they were handling. When they prayed they kept their weapon with them. In nut shell the soldier and his personal weapon became one - complimenting each other. They became very emotional about their weapon and it is sad that their weapon can’t reciprocate their feelings.
Since my Regiment 45 Cavalry had taken part in the ‘71 war in Bangladesh with PT-76 tanks, I decided to get some details about this tank. The PT 76 made its debut in Indian Armoured Corps in Aug ‘65 with 7 Cavalry, one of the finest Cavalry Regiments. Before conversion, training and even zeroing the tank was launched into the battlefield in ‘65 war against Pakistan. This Goliath had not been seen by its own troops and the enemy and came as a surprise. With little armour protection (being an amphibious tank) it could not match the Davids in the form of Sherman’s and Pattons and had to be withdrawn. I lost a dear friend my coursemate. PT 76 was basically designed by Russians in 1950 for operations in Europe to cross water channels with impunity. A few countries acquired them for its amphibious capabilitiy. PT 76 won its spurs in Vietnam against Americans. Its main gun has a limited range and no night firing capability. Driving requires skill with its inner reduction gear system which has three positions: land, land and water and water. To change from one to other requires experience and skill. Being light weight with little armour protection, and ground pressure it was ideal for terrain obtaining in Bangladesh. However, it was introduced into Indian Army and three Armoured Regiments were converted to PT 76, with one Independent Squadron of 7 Cav and one of 63 Cav. I thought I will share my personal experience of handling this tank during ‘71 Ops in Bangladesh. I spent 31 days in my tank, No.UX 1144. It had become my second home and part of me. I remember vividly my tank crews would pray and put a bit of “samagri” on the tank gun every morning-- incidentally it was a homogeneous crew of Hindu, Muslim and Christian, they were one in their prayers. We went through many rivers, marshy areas, wooded terrain and the tanks never failed us. We crossed many rivers and other water obstacles. The acid test of man and machine was crossing of Madhumati River on a pitch dark night right under the enemy’s nose. The river was 500 yds wide, water depth of 10 to 15 feet and water current of 4 to 5 knots. It is in such moments where life and death success or failure can be a decisive factor in war. As I drove the leading tank into the choppy river with silent prayer on my lips, my tank did not fail us. Crew faith in their machine and their own ability results in success. Earlier in battles a few tanks went on mines but did not suffer serious casualties. With each passing day subjected to artillery shelling, SA fire the confidence in our tanks kept going up. We covered over 700 kms of operational mileage. My Squadron took part in four actions at Div level, five at Brigade level and six at Bn level and established three road blocks including one 23 kms deep inside enemy territory. I attribute this success to both man and machine. Faith and confidence in machine/weapon and self is very important to achieve success. I vividly remember after each action we touched our tank with both hands as sign of gratitude to thank for protecting us. It reminded me of our NDA days when at the end of our riding class the “Ustaad” used to say “Make march your horses” and we patted our horses as acknowledgement of thanks. I spoke to many crews, all echoed same view of faith in their equipment and their own ability. I feel the credit must go both to man and machine. In the end I will say PT 76 which as a tank knocked off Pak Chaffees -- a superior tank off the battle field in Garibpur, provided effective fire support to infantry, proved its worth in amphibious role and used its fire power, mobility and shock action to the hilt. PT was a beauty and when required a beast. An unsung Hero of ‘71 war in Bangladesh. Thank you Plavushi Tanka we will miss you.
(All images for representational purposes only)