| 66th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
.svg) 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 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.
History
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. The 72nd Independent Infantry brigade established on 26 February 1972 in Rangpur Cantonment under Colonel Chitta Ranjan Dutta. It was then annexed in and ameliorated as an infantry division on 1977 with the inclusion of 222nd Infantry Brigade formed at Saidpur and 66th Artillery Brigade in Dinajpur. Major General Amzad Ahmed Chowdhury was appointed as the first general officer commanding. The 16th Infantry Brigade was formed at Kholahati on January 2006. Major General Faizur Rahman, then commander of the division oversaw the maneuver exercise at Swarna Dweep, Chittagong on 2022.
Formation
Under the division there is three infantry brigade, one artillery brigade, and one armoured regiment.
- Cavalry
- 7th Horse Regiment
- Regiment of Artillery
- 66th Artillery Brigade
- Infantry
- 16th Infantry Brigade
- 72nd Infantry Brigade
- 222nd Infantry Brigade
- Signals
- 11th Brigade Signal Company
Service
- 33rd Field Workshop Company
References
- "Cantonment Locations". Bangladesh Army. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- Shafiullah, K. M. (1989). Bangladesh at War. Dhaka: 978-984-08-0109-1. p. 32. ISBN 978-984-08-0109-1.
- 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.