Group Captain(Retd)

Shamsul Alam
Native name
শামসুল আলম
Born18 August 1947
Baufal, Patuakhali, East Bengal (Now, Barisal, Bangladesh)
Died8 December 2022(2022-12-08) (aged 75)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
AllegianceBangladeshBangladesh
 Pakistan (Before 1971)
Service/branch Bangladesh Air Force
 Pakistan Air Force
Years of service1966-1981
Rank Group Captain
UnitNo. 5 Squadron
Commands held
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War
Awards Bir Uttom

Shamsul Alam (1947 – 8 December 2022) was a veteran of Bangladesh Liberation war. For his bravery during Operation Kilo Flight the Government of Bangladesh awarded him the title of Bir Uttom. He was awarded the Independence Day Award in 2017.[1]

Early life

Alam was born in 1947 in Patilapara, Baufal Upazila, Patuakhali District.

Career

Alam joined Pakistan Air Force and was stationed in Rawalpindi, West Pakistan (now Pakistan) in 1971. When the Bangladesh Liberation war started, he kept looking for opportunities to join it. He came to Dhaka to join the war. He was immediately detained in Dhaka.[2][3]

In August–September 1971, the Pakistani government announced a general amnesty for the detainees. Alam was released in the first week of September. A few days later he fled from Dhaka to India and joined the war. At that time the process of formation of the air wing of the Mukti Bahini had just started in India. He was included in the wing. Their training started a few days later. After a few weeks of training in Dimapur, Nagaland, he mastered the art of throwing bombs, rockets, etc. at the right targets with the help of civilian aircraft. Shamsul Alam operated at the Eastern Refinery in Chittagong. From Kamalpur, India, he and Akram Ahmed set off for Chittagong on an Otter plane in Operation Kilo Flight. The aircraft had no modern directional equipment other than a fork-compass.[2][4]

Alam and Akram Ahmed flew along the coastline of Chittagong and reached the oil refineries of the Eastern Refinery in time. The scheduled time of the attack was midnight. The bombs were dropped one minute past midnight. The attack left oil depots around the Eastern Refinery on fire.[2][5]

After the Independence of Bangladesh, he served in the Bangladesh Air Force. He established a number of institutions of the Air Force including Flying Training Academy.[6]

Death

Group Captain(Retd.) Shamsul Alam died on 8 December in a private medical.

References

  1. ↑ "Air Force, 15 people get Independence Award 2017". The Daily Star. 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Ekāttarera bīrayoddhādera abismaranīẏa jībanagān̐thā : khetābaprāpta muktiyoddhā sammānanā smārakagrantha. Janata Bank. Dhaka. p. 100. ISBN 978-984-33-5144-9. OCLC 905969768.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ↑ "Contribution of BAF to the Liberation War". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  4. ↑ ""We are leaving you a country where you can flourish"". Dhaka Tribune. 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  5. ↑ "Of a mission impossible". The Daily Star. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  6. ↑ ""We learned nation-building the hard way"". The Daily Star. 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
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