December 19:Indian annexation of Goa

Good morning Viewers,
The 1961 Indian annexation of Goa (also referred to as Invasion of Goa theLiberation of Goa and the Portuguese-Indian War, was an action by India's armed forces that ended Portuguese rule in its Indian enclaves in 1961. The armed action, codenamed Operation Vijay by the Indian government, involved air, sea and land strikes for over 36 hours, and was a decisive victory for India, ending 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule in Goa. Twenty two Indians and thirty Portuguese were killed in the fighting. The brief conflict drew a mixture of worldwide praise and condemnation. In India, the action was seen as a liberation of historically Indian territory, while Portugal viewed it as an aggression against national soil.

                                              Vascoda gama pow camp

The attack on Goa: North and North East Sectors

Although the Indian 50 Para Brigade - also called the Pegasus Brigade - led by Brigadier Sagat Singh was charged with merely assisting the main thrust conducted by the 17th Infantry, its units moved rapidly across minefields, roadblocks and four riverine obstacles to be the first to reach Panjim

Hostilities at Goa began at 0945 on December 17, 1961, when a unit of Indian troops attacked and occupied the town of Maulinguém in north east Goa killing two Portuguese soldiers in the process. Portuguese units from the 2nd EREC (Esquadrão de Reconhecimento - a recon unit) stationed near Maulinguem - asked for permission to engage the Indians, but permission was refused at about 1345. During the afternoon of the 17th, the Portuguese commanders issued instructions that all orders to defending troops would be issued directly by headquarters, bypassing the local command outposts. This led to confusion in the chain of command At 0200 on December 18, the 2nd EREC was sent to the town of Doromagogo to support the withdrawal of police forces present in the area, and were attacked by Indian army units on their return journey.

At 0400, the Indian assault commenced with artillery bombardment on Portuguese positions south of the town of Maulinguem, which was launched on the basis of intelligence that the Portuguese had stationed heavy battle tanks in the area. by 0430 Bicholim was under fire. At 0440 Portuguese forces destroyed the bridge at Bicholim and followed this with the destruction of the bridges at Chapora in Colvale and at Assonora at 0500.

On the morning of 18 December, the 50 Para Brigade of the Indian Army moved into Goa in three columns.

1. The eastern column comprised the 2nd Para Maratha advanced towards the town Ponda in central Goa via Usgao.
2. The central column consisting of the 1st Para Punjab advanced towards Panjim via the village of Banastari.
3. The western column - the main thrust of the attack - comprised the 2nd Sikh Light Infantry as well as an armored division which crossed the border at 0630 in the morning and advanced along Tivim

At 0530, Portuguese troops left their barracks at Ponda in central Goa and marched towards the town of Usgao, in the direction of the advancing eastern column of the Indian 2nd Para Maratha. At 0900, these Portuguese troops marching towards Usgao, reported that Indian troops had already reached halfway to the town of Ponda

By 1000, Portuguese units of the 1st EREC, faced with the advancing 2nd Sikh Light Infantry, began a south-bound withdrawal to the town of Mapuca where, by 1200, they came under the risk of being surrounded by Indian forces. At 1230, the Portuguese 1st EREC began a retreat from the town of Mapuca by using machine gun fire to cover the withdrawal of personnel carrier vehicles. This unit relocated by ferry further south to Panjim.

At 1330, the bridge at Banastarim was destryoed by the Portuguese, just after the retreat of the 2nd EREC, thus cutting off all road links to the capital city of Panjim.

By 1745, the forces of the Portuguese 1st and the 9th EREC CC (North Group) had completed its ferry crossing of the Mandovi River to Panjim, just minutes ahead of the arrival of the armoured divisions of the Indian 50 Para Brigade. The Indian tanks had reached Betim, just across the Mandovi River from the capital town of Panjim without encountering any opposition. The 2 Sikh LI joined it by 2100, crossing over mines and demolished bridges en-route. In the absence of orders, the unit stayed at Betim for the night. The same night Major Sidhu of the 7 Cavalry was killed when Portuguese guards fired on an unsuspecting Indian unit at Aguada Fort.

At 2000 hours, a Goan by the name of Gregório Magno Antão crossed the Mandovi River from Panjim and delivered a ceasefire offer letter from Major Acácio Tenreiro of the Portuguese Army to Major Shivdev Singh Sidhu, the commanding officer of the Indian units camped there. The letter stated "The Military Commander of the City of Goa states that he wishes to parley with the commander of the army of the Indian Union with respect to the surrender. Under these conditions, the Portuguese troops must immediately cease fire and the Indian troops do likewise in order to prevent the slaughter of the population and the destruction of the city."

The order to cross the Mandovi River was received on the morning of 19 December, upon which two rifle companies of the 2nd Sikh Light Infantry advanced on Panjim at 0730 and secured the town without facing any resistance. On orders from Brigadier Sagat Singh, the troops entering Panjim removed their steel helmets and donned the Parachute Regiment’s maroon berets. Fort Aguada was also captured on that day when the Indian 7th Cavalry attacked the fort with assistance from the armoured division stationed at Betim, and freed its political prisoners

The advance from the east

Meanwhile, in the east, the 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade advanced in two columns. The right column comprising the 2nd Bihar and the left column consisting of the 3rd Sikh linked up at the border town of Mollem and then advanced upon the town of Ponda taking separate routes. By night fall, the 2nd Bihar had reached the town of Candeapur, while the 3rd Sikh had reached Darbondara. Although neither column had encountered any resistance, their further progress was hampered because all bridges spanning the river had been destroyed.

The rear battalion comprised the 4th Sikh Infantry, which reached Candeapur in the early hours of 19 December, and not to be bogged down by the absence of the bridge, waded across the river in chest high water, to reach Margao - the administrative centre of Southern Goa - by 1200. From here, the column advanced on the harbour of Mormugao. En route to this target, the column encountered fierce resistance from a 500-strong Portuguese unit at the village of Verna, where the Indian column was joined by the 2nd Bihar. The Portuguese unit surrendered at 1530 after fierce fighting, and the 4th Sikh then proceeded to Mormugao and Dabolim Airport, where the main body of the Portuguese army awaited the Indians.

A decoy attack was staged south of Margao by the 4th Rajput company to mislead the Portuguese. This column overcame minefields, roadblocks and demolished bridges, and eventually went on to help secure the town of Margao.

By the evening 19 December, most of Goa had been overrun by advancing Indian forces, and a large party of more than two thousand Portuguese soldiers had taken position at the military base at Alparqueiros at the entrance to the port town of Vasco Da Gama. Per the Portuguese strategy code named ‘Plano Sentinela’ the defending forces were to make their last stand at the harbour, holding out against the Indians until Portuguese naval reinforcements could arrive. Orders delivered from the Portuguese President called for a scorched earth policy - that Goa was to be destroyed before it was given up to the Indians.

The attack on Daman

Daman, approximately 72 square km in area, is located at the southern end of Gujarat bordering Maharashtra and just about 193 km north of Bombay. The countryside is broken and interspersed with marsh, salt pans, streams, paddy fields, coconut and palm groves. The river Daman Ganga splits the capital city of Daman into two halves — Nani Daman (Damao Pequeno) and Moti Daman(Damao Grande). The Portuguese garrison in Daman was headed by a Governor, Major Antonio Bose da Costa Pinto, with 360 armed Portuguese troops, 200 policemen and about 30 customs officials under him. The strategically important features were Daman Fort and the Air Control Tower (ACT) of the airfield.

The Portuguese had stationed two companies of Caçadores troops and a battery of artillery, but these were armed with insufficient and old ammunition. The Portuguese also placed a 20mm anti-aircraft gun ten days before the invasion to protect the artillery. Daman had been secured with small minefields and defensive shelters had been built

The advance on the enclave of Daman was conducted by the 1st Maratha Light Infantry under the command of Lt-Col SJS Bhonsle in a pre dawn operation on 18 December. The plan was to capture Daman piecemeal in four phases, to start with the area of the airfield, then progressively to area garden, Nani Daman and finally Moti Daman to include the fort.

The advance commenced at 0400 when one battalion and three companies of Indian soldiers progressed through the central area of the northern territory, aiming to seize the airfield However, the surprise was lost when the Indian ‘A’ Company tried to capture the Air Control Tower (ACT) and the Indian battalion suffered three casualties. The Portuguese lost one soldier dead and six taken captive. The Indian "D" Company captured a position named "Point 365" just before the next morning. At the crack of dawn, two sorties by Indian Air Force Mystere fighters struck Portuguese mortar positions and guns inside Moti Daman Fort.

At 0430, the Indian artillery commenced bombardment of Damão Grande. The artillery attack coupled with difficulties in transportation isolated the Portuguese command station in Damão Grande from the forces in Damão-Pequeno. At 0730 a Portuguese unit stationed at the fortress of San Jeronimo opened mortar fire on Indian forces attempting to capture the airstrip.

At 1130, Portuguese forces resisting an Indian advance on the eastern border at Varacunda ran out of ammunition and withdrew westwards to Catra. At 1200, to delay the Indian advance following the withdrawal from Varacunda, the Portuguese artillery battery on the banks of the Sandalcalo river is ordered to open fire. The commander of the battery, Cap.Felgueiras de Sousa instead dismantled the guns and surrendered to the Indians. By 1200 the airfield was assaulted by the Indian A and C Companies simultaneously. In the ensuing exchange of fire the A Company lost one more soldier killed while seven were wounded.

By 1300, remaining Portuguese forces on the eastern border at Calicachigão-A exhausted their ammunition and retreated towards the coast. By 1700, in the absence of any resistance, the Indians had managed to occupy most of the territory, with the exception of the airfield and Damão-Pequeno where the Portuguese were making their last stand. By this time the Indian Air Force had conducted as many as six air attacks, severely demoralizing the Portuguese forces. At 2000, after a meeting of the Portuguese commanders a delegation was dispatched to the Indian lines in order to open negotiations, but was fired upon, and was forced to withdraw. A similar attempt by the artillery to surrender at 0800 the next day was also fired on.

The Indians assaulted the airfield the next morning upon which the Portuguese surrendered at 1100 without a fight.The Portuguese garrison commander Major Antonio Jose da Costa - although wounded - was stretchered to the airfield as the Indians were only willing to accept a surrender from him. Approximately 600 Portuguese soldiers (including 24 officers) were taken prisoner. The Indians suffered 4 dead and 14 wounded, while the Portuguese suffered 10 dead and 2 wounded. The 1st Light Maratha Infantry was decorated for the battle with one VSM for the CO, two Sena Medals and five Mentioned in Dispatches.

The attack on Diu

Diu is a 13.8 km by 4.6 km Island (area about 40 km²) located at the southern tip of Gujarat. The island is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel running though a swamp. The channel could only be used by fishing boats and small craft. No bridges existed to cross the channels at the time of hostilities.

Diu was attacked on 18 December from the north west along Kob Forte by two companies of the 20th Rajput - with the capture of the Diu Airfield being the primary objective - and from the northeast along Gogal and Amdepur by the Rajput B Company and the 4 Madras.

These Indian army units ignored requests from Wg Cdr MPO (Micky) Blake, planning-in-charge of the Indian Air Force operations in Diu, to attack only on first light when close air support would be available The Portuguese defences repulsed the attack backed by 87.6mm artillery and mortars, inflicting heavy losses on the Indians The first attack was made by the 4 Madras on a police post at 0130 on December 18 at Gogol and was repulsed by 13 Portuguese soldiers. Another attempt by the 4 Madreas at 0200 was again repulsed, this time backed with Portuguese 87.5mm artillery and mortar which suffered due to poor quality of munitions. By 0400, ten of the original 13 defending Portuguese soldiers at Gogol had been wounded and were evacuated to a hospital. At 0530, the Portuguese artillery launched a fresh attack on the 4 Madras assaulting Gogol and forced their retreat

Meanwhile at 0300, 2 companies of the 20th Rajput attempted to cross a muddy swamp separating them from the Portuguese forces at Passo Covo under cover of dark on rafts made of bamboo cots tied to oil barrels. The attempt was to establish a bridgehead and capture the airfield.

This attack was repulsed with fairly heavy losses by a well entrenched unit of between 125 to 130 Portuguese soldiers armed with small automatic weapons and sten guns as well as light and medium machine gunsAccording to Portuguese sources, this post was defended by only 8 soldiers.

As the Rajputs reached the middle of the creek the Portuguese on Diu opened fire with two MMGs and two LMGs, capsizing some of the rafts. Major Mal Singh of the Indian army along with five men pressed on his advance and crossed the creek. On reaching the far bank he and his men assaulted the LMG trenches at Fort-De-Cova and silenced them. The Portuguese MMG fire from another position wounded the officer and two of his men. However, with the efforts of company Havildar Major Mohan Singh and two other men, the three wounded were evacuated back across the creek to safety. As dawn approached the Portuguese increased the intensity of fire and the battalion’s water crossing equipment suffered extensive damage. As a result the Indian battalion was ordered to fall back to Kob village by first light

Another assault at 0500 was similarly repulsed by the Portuguese defenders. At 0630, Portuguese forces retrieved rafts abandoned by the 20th Rajput, recovered ammunition left behind and rescued a wounded Indian soldier who was given treatment

At 0700, with the onset of dawn, Indian air strikes commenced, forcing the Portuguese to retreat from Passo Covo to the town of Malala. By 0900 the Portuguese unit at Gogol also retreated allowing the Rajput B Company (who replaced the 4 Madras) to advance under heavy artillery fire and occupy the town. By 1015, the Indian cruisier the INS Delhi anchored off Diu commenced the bombardment of targets on the shore. At 1245, Indian jets fire a rocket at a mortar at Diu Fortress causing a fire in close proximity to a munitions dump, forcing the Portuguese to order the evacuation of the fortress - a task completed by 1415 under heavy bombardment from the Indians.

At 1800, the Portuguese commanders agreed in a meeting that, in view of repeated air strikes and the inability to establish contact with headquarters in Goa or Lisbon, there was no way to pursue and effective defence and decided to surrender to the Indians. On December 19 by 1200 the Portuguese formally surrendered officially. The Indians took 403 prisoners, which included the Lt. Governor of the island along with 18 officers and 43 sergeants

In surrendering to the Indians, the Diu Governor stated that he could have kept the Army out for a few weeks but he had no answer to the Air Force. The Indian air force was also present at the ceremony and was represented by Gp Capt Godkhindi, Wing Cmdr Micky Blake and Sqn Ldr Nobby Clarke. 7 Portuguese soldiers were killed in the battle

Major Mal Singh and Sepoy Hakam Singh of the Indian army were awarded Ashok Chakra (Class III)

On 19 December, the 4th Madras C Company landed on the island of Panikot off Diu, where a group of 13 Portuguese soldiers surrendered to them there there.