These two legendary fighters came face to face for the
first time over Indian skies in September 1965. Sabrejet was a combat proven
platform with hundreds of kills to its credit in the Korean War of early 1950s.
In this war US Air Force claimed 792
MiGs for loss of 78 Sabrejets, a phenomenal 10:1 ratio in favour of Sabrejets. On
the contrary, Folland Gnat developed in UK was not even flown as a fighter in
its parent country. Gnat armed with two 30 mm cannons should have been no match
to a larger and heavier Sabrejet armed with six .50 Browning machine guns and 2
x AIM 9B Sidewinder missile. This aircraft was specially designed for dog fight
with slats and slots that gave it an unmatched turning performance especially
at low speeds and high angles of attack. Yet in both 1965 and 1971 wars with
Pakistan Gnat proved to be quite the nemesis.
Gnat earned its nickname “Sabre Slayers” after an epic air
battle between three PAF Sabrejets and four Gnats over Boyra (in erstwhile East
Pakistan) on 22 November 1971. Four IAF Gnats were ordered to scramble from Dumdum airport, Calcutta to
take on four Sabres intruding the Indian territory. In an air to air battle
that is still considered as one of the top five aerial combats of military
aviation in the world, Gnats shot down three Sabres. The IAF formation leader,
Flight Lieutenant Roy Andrews Massey; Flight Lieutenant M. A. Ganapathy and
Flying Officer D.Lazarus each got one Sabre. Flight Lieutenant Massey’s Sabre
crashed into a pond in Chaugacha on the East Pakistani side of the border,
while the other two went down over Indian territory. Flt. Lt. Parvez Mehdi
Qureshi and Fg Offr Khalil Ahmed, the two PAF pilots who ejected over India
were captured and produced before a crowded press conference the next day. This
encounter set the tone of the air battles that were to follow. News of the
incident and the famous gun camera shots were splashed across newspaper
headlines the world over and the tiny Gnat acquired a reputation of being the “Sabre
killer”.
This painting is a tribute to my instructor late Wing Commander Massey.
His friends fondly called him “Mouse”
as he stood tall at just 5’2”. As cadets we tried our level best to get him to
narrate his account of these vivid moments of war. So modest a man he was that
he almost felt shy to be called a national hero. Just prior to passing out from
Fighter Training Wing, Hakimpet all flight cadets were treated to a drink in
the bar by our instructors. Over a drink we cornered “Mouse” and this time he
did relent. In next few gripping minutes he recounted his part of the story
where he was all praise for his adversary who as per him fought gallantly after
finding the Gnat on his rear quarter. It was a classic case of “one versus one”
where each tries to get behind the other for a gunshot. Pakistani pilot tried
every tactic in the book to throw off the Gnat from his tail. But Massey was no greenhorn and fight
continued at low level with Gnat gradually getting better of its adversary. It
was battle of wits where loser would have to pay with his life. The Pakistani either
panicked or his fuel state may have gone too low. He started making mistakes
and for a brief moment Massey got a chance to bear his sight steady on the Sabrejet.
He pressed the trigger and Gnat’s two 30 mm Aden guns thundered firing 1200
rounds per minute into the air. Sabrejet was seen going down bellowing smoke.
By then Ganapathy and Don Lazarus had
already got their kills. Massey decided not to pursue any more as battle has been won squarely and convincingly.
He also confided that he wanted the aircraft, not the pilot. The formation landed safely with three
confirmed kills for no loss of their own.
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