The Indian Navy ordered thousands of condoms in the middle of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Indian Army spilt Pakistan into two when it liberated Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) by defeating the Pakistani Army in the 1971 India-Pakistan war, forcing enemy troops to surrender and splitting a large chunk of its territory.
There are scores of incredible stories about the valor and bravery of Indian armed forces during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, including an interesting incident dating back to December 1971, when the Indian Navy ordered thousands of condoms in the middle of the war. Let us find out what Indian Navy did with those condoms.
Why Indian Navy ordered condoms during 1971 war?
According to details, the Indian Navy engaged Pakistani forces on multiple fronts during the 1971 war, even as the Pakistan army targeted Indian airbases. One of the fronts targeted by the Indian Navy was the Chittagong port in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The navy’s plan was to blow up Pakistani ships by placing Limpet mines under them.
But there was a critical issue with the plan as the mines would explode within 30 minutes, and in order to solve this hurdle, the Indian Navy placed condoms over the limpet mine. This prevented the mine from becoming wet when placed in water, and explode in time to blow up Pakistani ships.
What was the Chittagong port operation?
According to experts, the Chittagong port operation was a key part of Indian Navy’s efforts to cripple the shipping and supply lines of Pakistan, which ultimately cut off its defense supplies to East Pakistan, and was an important factor in India’s victory over Pakistan and the liberation of Bangladesh.
It is believed that the Indian Air Force also played an important role in the operation.
How India liberated Bangladesh in 1971 India-Pakistan war?
The 1971 India-Pakistan war was the third major war fought between the two bitter enemies since 1947. However, a key difference between this 1971 war and the previous ones was that this one was fought to liberate East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), which is located 1000 miles away from Pakistan’s mainland.
The two previous wars were fought over the Kashmir issue.
