14–11. November 30 – Iranian forces occupy the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa (joint occupation by agreement with Sharjah) and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs (taken by force from Ras Al Khaimah). December December 1 – Cambodian Civil War: Khmer Rouge rebels intensify assaults on Cambodian government positions, forcing their retreat from Kompong Thmar and nearby Ba Ray, 10 kilometers northeast of Phnom Penh. December 2 Six of the seven Trucial States combine in an act of union to found the United Arab Emirates. The Soviet Mars 3 lander reaches the surface of Mars, transmits for a few seconds and then goes silent. It is the first spacecraft to reach the planet. December 3 – The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 begins with Operation Chengiz Khan as Pakistan launches preemptive attacks on nine Indian airbases. The next day India launches a massive invasion of East Pakistan. December 3–4 – The Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi (former ) sinks mysteriously near the Indian coast while laying mines. December 4 The Montreux Casino burns down during a Frank Zappa concert (the event is memorialized in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water"). The casino is rebuilt in 1975. The McGurk's Bar bombing by the Ulster Volunteer Force in Belfast kills 15. December 7 – Battle of Sylhet rages between the Pakistani military and the Mukti Bahini. December 8 – U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the 7th Fleet to move towards the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. December 10 – The John Sinclair Freedom Rally in support of the imprisoned activist features a performance by John Lennon at Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan. December 11 – Nihat Erim forms the new government of Turkey (34th government; Nihat Erim has served two times as prime minister). December 16 – Victory Day of Bangladesh: The Pakistan Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) surrenders to the joint forces of India and the Bengali nationalist separatists, ending the Bangladesh Liberation War. December 18 The U.S. dollar is devalued for the second time in history. The world's largest hydroelectric plant in Krasnoyarsk, Soviet Union, begins operations. December 19 Clube Atlético Mineiro wins the Brazil Football Championship. Intelsat IV (F3) is launched; it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean February 18, 1972. The controversial dystopian crime film A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick is released in New York City. December 20 – Two groups of