Atlas of Battles

battle, Cold War

Battle of Hilli

Battle of Hilli was a battle fought on 22 November 1971 in what is now Bangladesh; it lasted 26 days. It was part of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The recorded result: Bangladeshi-Indian victory.

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Fought22 November 1971lasted 26 days
WhereBangladesh24.850N, 89.367E
OutcomeBangladeshi-Indian victory
BelligerentsBangladesh; Mukti Bahini; India (22 November –18 December 1971); IndiaagainstPakistan; Pakistan
Part ofBangladesh Liberation War1971

Where it sits in the Bangladesh Liberation War

Battle of Sylhet, 1971Operation Barisal, 1971Operation Searchlight, 1971Battle of Kamalpur, 1971Operation Jackpot, 1971Battle of Dhalai, 1971Battle of Chandrapur, 1971Battle of Hilli, 197119711971Battle of Hilli, 1971
9 placed engagements of the Bangladesh Liberation War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date22 November 1971
to 18 December 1971
PlaceBangladesh
24.850N, 89.367E
KindBattle, Cold War
Territorial changeMorapara was liberated in November; Hilli was liberated along with Bogra in December
StrengthTotal; ~18,000 including support and non-combat elements; First Battle; ~2,700–3,600; Second Battle; ~1,800–2,400Total; ~8,000 including support and non-combat elements; First and Second Battle; ~2,700–3,600
Casualties and lossesFirst Battle; 196 killed/wounded; Second Battle; 20 killed/woundedFirst Battle; ~80 killed/wounded; Second Battle; 20 killed; 3 POW; 2 M24 Chaffees destroyed; 3 105mm howitzers destroyed
Commanders
  • Lachhman Singh Lehl
  • Kazi Nuruzzaman
  • Tajammul Hussain Malik
  • Mumtaz Malik
Battle of HilliBattle of HilliBattle of KamalpurBattle of GiriaBritish expedition to TibetOperation Hotel IntercontinentalBattle of PlasseyBattle of KamalpurBattle of GiriaBritish expedition to TibetOperation Hotel IntercontinentalBattle of PlasseyRajshahiRangpurSaidpurPabnaTangail100 km24.850N, 89.367E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1971

Battle of Hilli is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 16 in present-day Bangladesh.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4871232, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Hilli, revision 1370443008, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.