Guardians of the Seas

The most detailed account of the Indian Navy's naval air campaign in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. India had a decisive victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. East Pakistan disappeared from the world map and, in its place, Bangladesh was born as a new, independent country. Of the many factors that contributed to this victory in the war, an important one was the active participation of the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy, starting out as a subsidiary of the Royal British Navy, grew in importance and power under the aegis of Lord Louis Mountbatten after Independence. With the efforts of dynamic officers such as Admiral S.M. Nanda, it gradually grew in terms of equipment and power. It took the years preceding 1971 for it to reach maturity and to contribute in a spectacular manner to the war effort, such that it was instrumental in blockading both West Pakistan and East Pakistan. This book chronicles that story.