66th Infantry Division (Bangladesh)
| 66th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of 66th Infantry Division | |
| Active | 1977–present |
| Country |  Bangladesh |
| Branch |  Bangladesh Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Rangpur Cantonment |
| Nickname(s) | Defenders of the Strategic North |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major General Mohammad Kamrul Hasan |
| Notable commanders |
|
| Insignia | |
| Division flag |  |
The 66th Infantry Division (Bengali: ৬৬ পদাতিক ডিভিশন) is a formation of the Bangladesh Army based in Rangpur Cantonment.[1]
History
[edit]In 1966, Lieutenant General Yaqub Khan of Pakistan Army proposed a new infantry division to be ameliorate at then northern East Pakistan. Then commander in chief General Yahya Khan rejected the proposal, instead transferred the newly formed 23rd Infantry Brigade of then 14th Infantry Division (headquartered at Dacca) to Rangpur, with some components of engineers, signals battalion and East Pakistan Rifles stationed at Dinajpur and Nilphamari. Pakistan army surrendered the installation on 18 December 1971.[2] The 72nd Independent Infantry brigade established on 26 February 1972 in Rangpur Cantonment under Colonel Chitta Ranjan Dutta.[3] It was ameliorated as an infantry division on 1977 with the inclusion of 222nd Infantry Brigade formed at Saidpur and 66th Artillery Brigade in Dinajpur and Major General Amjad Ahmed Chowdhury as first commander. The 16th Infantry Brigade was formed at Kholahati on January 2006. Major General Faizur Rahman, then contemporary commander of the division oversaw the maneuver exercise at Swarna Dweep, Chittagong on 2022.[4]
Formation
[edit]Under the division there is three infantry brigade, one artillery brigade, and one armoured regiment.[citation needed]
- 66th Infantry Division[citation needed]
- 7th Horse Regiment
- 66th Artillery Brigade
- 16th Infantry Brigade
- 72nd Infantry Brigade
- 222nd Infantry Brigade
References
[edit]- ^ "Cantonment Locations". Bangladesh Army. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ Shafiullah 1989, p. 32
- ^ Rina Akter Tuli (11 December 2012). মেজর জেনারেল চিত্তরঞ্জন দত্ত (সি আর দত্ত) [Major General Chitta Ranjan Dutta (CR Dutta)]. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- ^ "Army chief attended armed forces' joint manoeuvre exercise". The Business Standard. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-08-25.