Battle of Garibpur The Battle of Garibpur was fought between Pakistan and Mukti Bahini on 20 – 21 November 1971 . The Indian Armed Forces joined the Mukti Bahini on 3 December 1971 , creating the alliance named Mitro Bahini . The battle was a part of Bangladesh liberation war . An intimately entangled part of this battle is the air battle over the Boyra Salient , the actual Battle of Boyra where the Mitro Bahini successfully engaged and destroyed strike elements of the Pakistan Air Force . The battle took place prior to the start of hostilities in the western front of India ( known as Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 ) . The Mitro Bahini defeated Pakistan Army in the battle thus capturing key areas and severely denting Pakistani morale . Background . After months of internal tensions in East Pakistan ( current day Bangladesh ) and a clampdown on Bengali nationalists , many independence fighters had organised themselves into a guerilla army . Called the Mukti Bahini , these rebels were aided by India in their struggle . After initial success over Pakistani troops there had been some relative calm in the region and further Indian assistance was sought to turn the tide . India thus started to involve itself deeper into the conflict brewing in the east and stationed its troops near the border . The Boyra salient located inside the North West part of East Pakistan consisting of Garibpur village was at an important crossroads for both nations . Its control was thus vital as it included a highway to Jessore from India . The battle . On 21 November , the 14 Punjab Battalion - supported by a squadron of 14 PT - 76 tanks from 45 Cavalry moved in to capture the areas around Garibpur inside Pakistani territory . The move was supposed to be a surprise , but following a skirmish with patrol troops of both armies the previous day , Pakistan was alerted to this impending attack . Pakistan immediately responded in numbers when its 107 Infantry Brigade - supported by 3rd Independent Armoured Squadron , equipped with M24 Chaffee light tanks was launched . Possessing numerical superiority , Pakistan troops were in position to decimate the Indian intrusion . But the Punjab Battalion , known for its long history of valor , dug in and poised themselves for a counterattack . Retaining the Infantry and the Recoilless rifle s in a defensive position , the tanks were sent forward to ambush the oncoming Pakistani charge . In the next couple of hours Indian troops pounded the Pakistani attack who couldn ' t pinpoint the source of attacks due to poor visibility on account of fog . Undeterred , Pakistan tanks and infantry were thrown into an offensive against Indian defensive positions . But once again these were repulsed by the Indians and resulted in heavy casualties for Pakistan . By noon more than 11 tanks lay smouldering with a further 3 captured in working condition whilst losing six of the PT - 76 tanks . The 107 Brigade too had been severely battered with most of its original strength depleted while Indians reported casualties of 40 . But the final chapter of the battle was yet to be written . Pakistan Army had called for help from the Pakistan Air Force which soon responded with attacks on Indian positions . At around 3 : 00 p . m . three F - 86 Sabre s of the PAF flew in to provide close air support and hit the Indian positions using machine gun s and rocket fire . The Indian Air Force however was prepared for such an attack and was thrust to neutralise the threat from the skies . Flying in their Gnat s the four pilots were soon engaged in a dog fight against their Pakistani counterparts . In the first engagement of the two air powers in six years , all the three Sabres were downed in minutes . Two of the pilots ejected safely but were captured by the Mukti Bahini and taken to India as POW s . Aftermath . The battle coming just weeks before the official start of the war had an unexpected turn of events . Even the allied forces comprising Mukti Bahini and the Indian Army had only dreamt of such a victory given the overwhelming odds they were up against in this battle . A single battalion had been able to destroy an entire brigade supported by an air force and artillery . This and victories in other battles nearby like Battle of Hilli ensured that the Northern sector of East Pakistan was virtually in the hands of Mitro Bahini ( Allied forces ) before the war was declared . The morale of the Pakistanis dipped and following the mass defections of Bengalis , it was only a matter of time before they would face ultimate defeat Interestingly one of the captured PAF pilots , Parvez Mehdi Qureshi later on became the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force .