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Air War in 1965
Amjed Jaaved
During the 1965 war with India, the PAF F-104s flew 246 sorties, including
42 at night and claimed four IAF aircraft destroyed for the loss of two
F-104As. Two F-104As were delivered from Taiwan as attrition replacements
following the 1965 war.
Before outbreak of the war, the Indian Air Force enjoyed overwhelming
numerical superiority of 3.8:1 over the Pakistan Air Force. PAF had 100
F-86s of which 92 were in serviceable condition. Of these 22 were modified
to carry the GAR-8 or the AIM-9B sidewinder missile. Twelve F-104s, all
equipped with GAR-8, twenty-two B-57s, two RB-57 and one B-57F ‘Droopie’ for
reconnaissance and Elint missions, 12 T-33s out of which 5 were fitted RECCE
cameras. In addition, the PAF had 5 C-130s, 4 SA-16 Amphibians, 12 T-6G
Harvards and 3 Husky Helicopters.
The IAF on the other hand, had more then 500 combat aircraft. Its fleet
included 10 MIG-21s, 118 Hunters, 80 Gnats, 80 Mysterers, 56 Ouragans, 132
Vampires, 53 Canberras and seven Photo Recce Canberras.
The PAF was at a disadvantage in respect of the air bases also. PAF’s air
bases included Peshawar, Sargodha and Mauripur. The IAF’s airbases or
airfields included Srinagar, Pathankot, Adampur, Halwara and Jamnagar,
besides Dacca and Kalakunda in the Eastern Sector.
The PAF had its radar sites at Sakesar and Badin. in the IAF had its sites
at Amritsar, Friseur and Prouder. Besides disadvantages in terms of
aircraft, air bases and radar sites, the PAF had following weaknesses: (a)
It had only one air base to directly support the theatre of operations. (b)
No forward operating base. (c) No low-level radar coverage. (d)Over-reliance
on Mobile Observer Units. (e) Limited night intercept capability as the
F-104 AI had serious limitations below 5,000 feet.
Despite disadvantages, the PAF performed excellently in the 23-day war in
September 1965. During this war, Sq. Ldr. M. M. Alam set a world record by
shooting down five Indian planes in just one battle. By the time war ended,
he had downed 9 Indian planes and damaged another two.
PAF pilots proved their professional competence by bombing Pathankot and
Kalaikunda Air Bases, two of the most important and heavily guarded bases of
the IAF. They pulverised the Indian armoured columns at Atari. When the war
ended, PAF had shot down about 65 Indian planes while losing itself only 19
planes
After the war ended, several IAF officers appreciated the PAF’s daring
performance. The Indian Air Marshal Raghavendran (in his article The day the
PAF got away) has, very rightly paid very high accolades to has applauded
leadership of Air Marshal Asghar Khan and Nur Khan who converted the PAF
into a formidable force.
Raghaven says, ‘I also knew of Nur Khan, the Pakistani air chief, by
reputation. He was an alumnus of my own school, the RIMC in Dehra Dun. He
had been a ‘killer’ boxer and devout Muslim while at school. He had a
plethora of professional role models from among older alumni of RIMC to base
his conduct on, including Prem Bhagat, the first Indian Victoria Cross
awardee in World War II. His predecessor as the air chief in Pakistan was
Asghar Khan, also from the RIMC, who was another thorough professional.
Between them, and with immense help from the USA, they had built up a
tradition of professionalism and one couldn’t possibly expect them to let
the Indian Air Force get away with it’.
He goes on to say, ‘In war, much often hangs on a knife-edge...this was
especially true of the famous PAF raid on Pathankot. It may have been down
to the cautiousness of one man in a key position, that this single most
successful raid ever mounted by the PAF against India did not run into a CAP
flown by the top guns of the lead Gnat squadron of the time .... The day was
6th September 1965, the day the Indian Air Force was first used across the
Indo-Pak border in the 1965 conflict. By that time the Pakistani Air Force
had already shot down four of our Vampires...’.
Raghaven gives a pictorial view of the destruction at Pathankot in following
words, ‘THAT IS WHEN THE PAF STRUCK! There was pandemonium. Bullets were
flying all around. We all rushed to the nearest trench and dived in, not
sitting and crouching as we should have been but piling ourselves flat on
top of each other!! We could hear and see the Pakistani Sabres going round
and round, as though in range practice, and picking off all the possible
aircraft, including the two MiG-21s, in spite of the anti-aircraft guns
blazing away. The rest is history. We were told that four Sabres had
attacked,Mystere IA-1008, 31 Squadron was destroyed in the Pathankot raid by
the PAF.
28 Squadron had six PF’s and four F-13s (Type-74) on strength. Seen here are
two of the Type-74s in 1964. Two MiG-21 PFs (Type-76s) of 28 Squadron, which
were flown there on September 2nd by Wing Commander MSD Wollen and Squadron
Leader Mukherjee were destroyed on the ground during the raid’.
Raghavan however thought ‘the Pakistani attackers committed the same mistake
that the Japanese did at Pearl Harbour. They attacked and certainly caused
loss of aircraft, but the infrastructure such as refuelling capabilities and
armament stores were left intact. So were the runway and the taxi tracks’.
Sajjad Haider, in his article ‘Nosy Haider sets the record right’ (The Dawn,
August 3, 2005) has corrected Raghavan’s observation. Nosy (called so
because of his dare-devil initiative) says, ‘Our mission rightly was to
destroy aircraft on the ground with guns. Flying from Peshawar, Pathankot
was beyond the tactical operating radius of our aircraft and therefore, our
only munitions could have been .50 calibre guns, about 2.5 inches of bullet,
as the only weapon that we could carry so far. Runways and fuel tanks are
very hard targets and even bombing them on our heels the same evening by
B-57 heavy bombers could not destroy runways...We were very low on fuel,
because I decided that all the eight fighters including me would make 2-3
strafing attacks each, far too dangerous in face of heavy ground fire, but I
wanted my fighter boys to finish every visible aircraft, and we did.
Exiting, we were sitting ducks with zero combat fuel’.
Air Chief Marshal P C Lal, in his lecture ‘A critical look at the 1965
operations’, given at the National Security Lecture (1973, United Service
Institution) admires the PAF in following words: ‘Early in 1965, Pakistan
attacked us in Kutch, in Western India. The attack caught the armed forces
unawares. The Army took the field without any prior planning or preparation.
Its reaction was fast but there was no joint Army-Air Force plan, and all
that the Air Force could do was to provide logistic support with light
aircraft. The possibility of tactical support was considered after the
fighting began. It was then realised that our bases were so far from the
battle zone that our aircraft would have to operate at extreme range with
reduced weapon loads while Pakistani aircraft could dominate the entire
combat area from bases close by’.
Actually the PAF did so well in 1965 air war as it had started its
preparation in April, 1965, with the Runn of Kutch conflict. The PAF foresaw
that, in aftermath of their defeat from the Chinese in 1962, the IAF was
ready to do anything to regain their lost honour. The Indians had laid claim
to the Runn of Kutch area, located in the South East of Sindh. They wanted
to occupy it by army aggression. The PAF swiftly made preparations to react
immediately, when the IAF was committed operationally. This conflict was
ended in the last week of July without any significant air action.
Nevertheless, the PAF got mobilized, and remained so until the start of the
September war. Surely, luck favours the prepared mind.
Tribute to Pak soldiers
Sobia Nisar
On the 6th of September 1965, our country which was 18 yrs old, found itself
face to face with an extremely challenging situation when a sudden,
undeclared war broke out with India. For the people of Pakistan it was a
huge shock as they were not exactly expecting this at that time. Our brave
Pakistani soldiers endangered their lives to defend our borders and Pakistan
managed to emerge out of the crisis with dignity and success. This small
fibre is meant to refresh the memories of those 17 days! The days when
perhaps for the first time the nation was actually ONE! The days when
countless young men in uniform wrote blood warming, pulse racing tales of
valour, mad bravery, obsessive devotion and love for the nation! When
countless young men laid down their lives for their mother land, making the
enemy sure that this young nation may be poor on resources but is fully able
and mature to defend its boundaries. Thanks to the brave breed of Pakistani
warriors! During those days, Pakistan found out what great potential her
armed forces had. Ghazis, shaheeds of 1965 are worshipped in our culture
because these men laid down their lives to defend our future. They
sacrificed their limbs and body parts for this land. The War took place in
Rann of Kutch desert in Sindh area which was apparently wrapped up by early
1965, right after the tensions that erupted in the ever contentious, ever
turbulent Kashmir areas. Both countries were in dialogue over the tense
situation and both armed forces were almost ready for all out war. Although
the whole world including leaders in both countries was against it, but war
nevertheless, broke out! At that time it seemed as if the country and
countrymen were taken by surprise. The Indian army had been expecting a walk
through in Lahore area, but the Indian dream could not materialize due to
the heroic role of our armed forces personnel. Huge credit goes to the
regiments, units, and above all Pakistani soldiers who were deployed in
Lahore areas of Wagah, Burki etc.
Though there were a lot of heroes, most recognized, many unnoticed, but we
will remember them always, particularly on the defence day. They died so
that we live and if it had not been for them, we may not have been here. We
pay tribute to each and every shaheed and ghazi of 1965. We memorize a few
famous faces from the 1965 war whom we salute to symbolize our love for
them. We remember their tales to freshen up the blood drops of those brave
men to celebrate the Defence Day.
Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, Nishan-i-Haider. Born in 1928 in Hong Kong.
Commissioned into the Punjab Regiment, 1950. On 6 September 1965, as Company
Commander in the Burki area of the Lahore sector, Major Bhatti chose to move
with his platoon under incessant artillery and tank attacks for five days
and nights in the defence of the strategic BRB canal. Throughout, undaunted
by constant fire from enemy shell arms, tanks and artillery, he organized
the defence of the canal, directing his men to answer the fire until he was
hit by an enemy tank shell which killed him on 10 September 1965. He was 37
years old.
Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui Shaheed, Sitara-e-Jurat,
Hilal-i-Jurat.
On 6 September, 1965, Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmad Rafiqui led a formation
of 3 F-86 aircraft on a strike against Halwara airfield. The formation was
intercepted by about 10 Hunter aircraft out of which Squadron Leader Rafiqui
accounted for one in the first few seconds. But then his guns jammed due to
a defect and stopped firing. However, Rafiqui refused to leave the battle
area which he would have been perfectly justified to do; instead he ordered
his No. 2 to take over as leader and continue the engagement while he tried
to give the formation as much protection as was possible with an unarmed
aircraft. This called on the part of Squadron Leader Rafiqui. The end for
him was never in doubt but he chose to disregard it. In the process, his
aircraft was shot down and he was killed but not before enabling his
formation to shoot down 3 more Hunter aircraft. Rafiqui’s conduct was
clearly beyond the call of duty. It conformed to the highest traditions of
leadership and bravery in battle against overwhelming odds. For this and his
earlier exploits, he was awarded Hilal-i-Jurat and Sitara-i-Jurat.
Flt Lt Yunus Hussain Shaheed, Sitara-e-Jurat. Flight Lieutenant Yunus
Hussain fought in air battles aggressively, fearlessly and with great
professional skill. During one such engagement he fought singly against 6
enemy aircraft and shot down 2 Hunters. Though his own aircraft was damaged
in this encounter, he managed to bring it back to base safely. On 6
September, while attacking Halwara airfield, his small formation was
intercepted by enemy. Although his aircraft was hit but he refused to break
off the engagement, in complete disregard of personal safety. He was
reported missing from this mission. He became a symbol of courage and
professional ability for other pilots. For his gallantry, valour,
professional skill and devotion to duty he was awarded Sitara-i-Jurat.
Squadron Leader (Now Air Cdr. Retd.) M. M. Alam, Sitara-e-Jurat (Bar)
On 6th September 1965, during an aerial combat over enemy territory,
Squadron Leader Mohammad Mahmood Alam flying as pilot of an F-86 Sabre Jet,
shot down two enemy Hunter aircrafts and damaged three others. For the
exceptional flying skill and valour displayed by Squadron Leader Mohammad
Mahmood Alam in operations, he was awarded Sitara-i-Jurat. On 7th September,
1965, in a number of interception missions flown by Squadron Leader Mohammad
Mahmood Alam against the enemy aircraft attacking Pakistan Air Force
Station, Sargodha, Squadron Leader Alam destroyed five more enemy Hunter
aircrafts in less than a minute, which remains a record till today. Overall
he had nine kills and two damagers to his credit. For the exceptional flying
skill and valour shown by him in aerial combats with the enemy, Squadron
Leader Mohammad Mahmood Alam was awarded Sitara-i-Jurat.
The children, parents and wives of 1965 heroes, deserve our respect which
comes from remembering the act which differentiated them from ordinary
mortals.
These soldiers gave their lives for a better future of our country. A better
future is achieved by a better nation, and a better nation never forgets its
history, especially the martyrs who died for its cause. These warriors were
slain in battle because they did not want their children fighting the same
war, years later. They died so that we could hold our heads high whenever we
speak of our country. They died so that we could live! The whole Pakistani
nation is proud of them. We salute our national heroes of 1965!
Aey Rah-e-Haq kay Shaheedo, Wafa ki Tasweero
Tumhe Watan ki Hawaen Salaam kehti hein!
Achievements of Pakistan Air Force in
defence of motherland
Flying Officer Haider
Mumtaz
“The PAF’s job was to keep the larger Indian Air Force out of Pakistan’s air
space as much as possible, and keep it off the back of the Pakistan Army.
This it did well.”
By Pushpindar Singh and Ravi Sayings of father of nation about PAF On 13
April 1948, the Father of the Nation, while addressing a small band of
enthusiastic airmen at the fledging nation’s Air Force Flying School,
delivered the following historic message:
“A country without a strong Air Force is at the mercy of any aggressor;
Pakistan must build up her Air Force as quickly as possible. It must be an
efficient Air Force, second to none”. Exactly forty nine years later, Air
Marshall (Retd) Asghar Khan who as Officer Commanding, Royal Pakistan Air
Force Flying Training School spoke as the Chief Guest at the Golden Jubilee
Parade of the PAF Academy, Risalpur, said:
“It goes to the credit of the Pakistan Air force that it took the Quaid’s
words with a heroic spirit, and has since lived up to its expectations. The
PAF is known today, as it was then, for its discipline and professional
competence. It has acquired itself with credit in both the wars in which it
was called upon to participate. Remember the present conditions require you
not only to be “second to none” as the Quaid commanded you, but with the
odds so heavily against you today, you must be far more competent than any
possible adversary in the difficult and exacting field in which it is your
privilege to serve, Pakistan must not be as the Quaid had said, `at the
mercy of any aggressor”.The strength of the Pakistan Air Force to be raised
and maintained is decided by the Government keeping in view the external
threat that the country faces or is likely to face in the near future. The
level of PAF to be raised and maintained must always be in accordance with
the threat to the country’s security and the task allotted to the PAF. The
size of PAF and its arms and equipment must be such as to facilitate their
working successfully achieving the mission given to them by the government.
The PAF must always be given a reasonable chance of success while combating
against an external aggressor.
The personnel taken into the PAF have to be of an appropriate mental and
physical standard who can take the stress and strain of PAF life which
trains them for combat. Role played by PAF The Air Force is ready at all
times to defend the security and independence of the country by ensuring the
safety of its borders against overt and covert external aggression. To
accomplish its task successfully the Air Force must have the wholehearted
and unflinching support of the whole population and at all times because the
Army and Air Force have the prime responsibilities in restoring law and
order in the country or a particular area where a grave and alarming
situation develops which cannot adequately be controlled by the civil
agencies being beyond their competence. Along with the Army, the Air Force
must always be more frequently called out to help during natural calamities
and man-made disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, train accidents,
anti-locust operations and any other public emergency. Being a disciplined
force, which is well organized with mobility and communications it can be
mustered immediately and can be depended upon to carry out any mission given
to it, promptly and successfully in the shortest possible time. The PAF
honour
The PAF military honour is both a means and an end. It specifies how an
officer and a soldier ought to behave. To be honourable is an objective
which is to be achieved by the PAF officer and the airman. When the PAF
military honour is effective, its coercive power is considerable, because it
continuously directs to a single over riding directive; the professional PAF
soldier always fights. No doubt, is the fact that the PAF honour serves a
variety of social and diplomatic motives. It is the rationalization for
inertia; it permits others to operate beyond their personal capabilities and
capacities. Honour is undoubtedly the binding force of the entire PAF
profession. It is supposed to ensure the unique characteristics of the PAF
officer which gives a surety to his career commitment. Nevertheless, only a
few PAF leaders are blind to the progressive inability of honour to resolve
the strains within the profession. The increased careerist motives of the
officer candidates further weakens the importance of honour. But there have
been deviations from individuals of high and low positions in the past
periods within the corps of PAF officers. They have done much harm to their
brother officers and the PAF itself. Some have gained wide publicity, as the
events are few and hence noteworthy. A few have been more minor. But as they
have been more in number, there cumulative effect has been large.
On one hand, the PAF officers’ conceptions of honour, purpose and human
nature leads him to assume that he is a standard bearer who embodies the
superior virtues of men, yet at the same time he finds it expedient and
necessary to present himself as a representative man who is no different
from other men and part of the same society. A few PAF officers including
those of the highest rank accept the self-image of standard bearer without
some degree of uneasiness. This uneasiness has a deeper significance. In
that the PAF has learned to accept the political and cultural assumption
that men are more alike than different. Furthermore, the PAF leaders have
learned that in seeking to influence the fortunes of their services, and in
advising on strategic national defence politics a non-partisan stance is
required. The character of the PAF leaders is such that it overcomes the
political and financial pressures and hence is directed towards the
unlimited, dutiful and honourable service of their nation.
Wars and Shaheeds In the Pakistan-India conflict of 1965, the first 48 hours
established the superiority of Pakistan Air Force over its much larger
adversary. The major successes which contributed towards the PAF getting the
better of IAF are its lightning action on the Grand Trunk Road by F-86s of
No 19 Squadron, when on 06 September, Indian Army was prevented from
crossing the last defence before Lahore, the BRB Canal just in time as the
lead brigade of Indian 15 Infantry Division was about to throw a bridgehead
across the BRB Canal when it was attacked by the F-86s that strafed it and
other elements of the Division up and down the Grand Trunk Road, throwing
the Indians into confusion, delaying the advance, and thus allowing
Pakistan’s 10 Division to assume its forward positions, which ended the
Indian hope of a quick victory.
The other missions which deserve special credit along with PAF’s successful
defence of Sargodha on 07 September are the attacks on Kalaikunda, where No
14 Squadron F-86s from Dhaka destroyed numerous Canberras lined up on the
tarmac; No 19 Squadron’s famous raid on Pathankot in which IAF MiG-21 s,
Gnats and Mysteres were caught off guard on the ground; and No 5 Squadron’s
ill-fated strike over Halwara, which ended in tragedy but had far reaching
consequences is described in some detail here. Having set off to a flying
start by destroying two IAF Vampires and enabling the destruction of another
two on 01 September, Squadron Leader Sarfraz Rafiqui, the plucky and
outstanding Officer Commanding of No 5 Squadron had set very high standards.
On 06 September, when Indian Army launched its three pronged offensive, like
the other squadrons at Sargodha, Rafiqui’s pilots too were kept busy in
ground support sorties to stop the Indian onslaught.
The PAF legacy continues The PAF has maintained its professional image
throughout its existence. Officers and men of the PAF are proud inheritors
of a legacy of warriors who have left a permanent imprint on history.
In the Afghan war which was a more covert unconventional war restricted by
very difficult Rules of Engagement (ROEs). Still the PAF lived up to its
reputation by not only bringing down several Soviet and Afghan intruders
but, deterring them from frequent violations of the border. The PAF also
responded with prompt development when threatened by the Indian exercise
“Brasstacks” or when providing cover to the Pakistan’s nuclear
installations. Realistic training and exercise have helped the PAF to
maintain a qualitative edge over its adversary. There have been ups and
downs for the service during the decades of the 90s. Its finest hour was
when it distinguished itself in the Afghan war but its low came when the
Pressler restrictions frustrated the PAFs future plans and also forced it to
cut down on its operational training. Since the human ingenuity is at its
best in situations of pressure, the PAF engineers rose to the occasion and
performed tasks that had seemed impossible. The high command succeeded in
restricting the damage caused by the Pressler’s restrictions and in keeping
the fighting force in good trim. The frustration of the PAF at the denial of
a high-tech combat aircraft notwithstanding, the force was in good form as
far as its professional expertise was concerned and would remain at peak
readiness whenever called into action.
Thus, one can say that it was one of the most difficult decades since the
fledging Royal Pakistan Air Force came into being at the time of
independence. But spurred on by its proud heritage as a compact, efficient,
and hard hitting force. The proud PAF legacy still continues on..
To have an enemy is blessing
Faruk Ashrafeen
Friendship is always not helpful in nation building. It is not the love, but
challenge that makes a society flourish. Not love but hatred poses
challenges. If the quest for peace with the enemy is more than a diplomatic
engagement, and not other than achievement of durable peace, the survival
can prolong. Peace does only mean no aggression. It doesn’t mean
disengagement, no-preparedness. A nation has to maintain its might - the
balance of power – come what may. For presence of an enemy is guarantee to
peace and existence.
Nations’ asset of pride helps maintain their strength, not a mere salaried
army. Mercenaries or hirelings can only shoot or kill, not win. Only a
soldier can win the nation its pride. Aim, unity, faith and discipline
transform a society into a nation of soldiers, be in uniform or any robe.
Nations devoid of pride, wretched into despair, turn into a mob to be
trampled or dispersed. A mob does only look for escape from stampede or
inferno, not solitude. War is one of the constants of history, and has not
diminished with civilization or democracy. In the last 3,460 years of
recorded history, only 268 years have seen no war. War, or competition, is
the father of all things, the potent source of ideas, inventions,
institutions, and states. Peace is an unstable equilibrium, which can be
preserved only by acknowledged supremacy or equal power.
In the individual, pride gives added vigor in the competitions of life, in
the state; nationalism gives added force in diplomacy and war. Strategists
go to the extent, “Fomenting in the people hatred of the adversary and
formulating catchwords to bring that hatred to a lethal point win wars.” War
promotes science and technology, whose deadly inventions may later enlarge
the material achievements of peace. In the military interpretation of
history war is the final arbiter, and is accepted as natural and necessary
by all but cowards and simpletons. Frankly it is called war-mongering. Hence
it can be wrongly concluded that Islam was spread by sword? (Islam was
spread through faith, trust and system of justice. Islam wants enemy not
suppressed. Islam wants the Ummah strengthened to a degree that other
nations do not think of attacking it.) It is what the followers of Chankiya
and Machiavelli are doing? Realistically speaking there is no other way to
peace than being capable of tit-for-tat. Weakness refuses the weak the right
to live. Unity, strength and power of the people ensure existence. If our
Army’s British commander refuses to fight, it is the faith in the Quaid that
proves to be the driving force. If the enemy gets you engaged in sudden
attack to capture, say Lahore, it is the strength of unity that helps defend
the frontiers. If the enemy’s nuclear weapon poses threat to existence, it
is the disciplined resolve that wins you deterrence at equal level. It is
the confidence off self-pride that makes you look into enemy’s eyes from
over the heights of Kargil and Daras. If the nations desist from sending
you, say the 7th Fleet, it’s you who know how to emerge from the ruins of
defeat. If they subject you with clamping down sanctions on sale of military
hardware, it’s your will of survival that invents your skills to have
emerged self-reliant, equipped with indigenous defense mechanism. So far you
have thwarted enemies’ moves with the vow to preserve your unity, faith and
discipline. It is the lessons not to forget any point of time. Once again
the ‘friends’ have joined hands with the enemy, once again you are put to
test in the name of ‘strategic partnership’.
Societies or civilizations – either ancient or contemporary – have models to
follow. The models who gave them security, will to survive and sense to
civilize. Today’s Bush doctrine bases on the principle of “protecting the
civilized society from evil”. Under the garb of globalization, his doctrine
of pre-emption is meant to “Nip the Evil in the Bud”. This leads American
armies to launch strikes beyond its territories. Hypothetically speaking
Americans are not that civilized. They are a militaristic society. Gun is
the hallmark of American culture. A deliberate attempt has ever been made to
create imaginary enemies. They create scare, fear and dread among the public
and prepare contingency plans in pre-emption. Since WW-II and dropping of
nuclear bomb on Hiroshima in Japan, America is territorially safe but since
the end of Vietnam War, America is not psychologically safe. Since the end
of Cold War, America is militarily safe but since it is the sole superpower,
America is not strategically as well as ideologically safe. The United
States’ hegemonic rule started with the establishment of dread over the
enemy under the supposed fear of reprisals. |
