IAF Gnat Vs PAF Sabrejet

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. 

Tangail Airdrop: Indo-Pak War 1971

On 11 Dec 71, Indian Air Force conducted an airdrop of troops which is considered the largest airborne assault operation in the post World War II period. 700 troops were dropped by 50 transport aircraft consisting of Dakotas, AN-12s, Packets and Caribous over an area known as Tangail in erstwhile East Pakistan aimed at cutting down the advance of enemy troops into Dacca before final of surrender of Pakistani forces on 16 December 1971.  The first soldier parachuted down at 4:30 PM and by 7:00 PM all 700 troops landed and regrouped to achieve their objective without a single casualty or a mishap.

This painting shows Dakotas then based at Jorhat that took part as pathfinders in the operations.      

My painting on dog fight between Indian and Pakistani Air Force fighters over Kalaikunda (Kharagpur, West Bengal) in 1965 Indo-Pak war.

                On 7^th September 1965, Pakistani fighters based at East Pakistan launched a successful pre-emptive attack on our Kalaikunda airbase located at West Bengal (near Kharagpur). The Pakistani attack carried out in early morning hours had achieved full element of surprise to  set ablaze two Canberra bombers and few Vampire jets that were parked on ground. Tasting success, second wave of four Pakistani jets came to attack Kalaikunda at around 1030 hours. However, this time it was the Pakistani pilot’s turn to be surprised. Two of our Hunter fighters piloted by Flight Lieutenant Alfred Cooke and Flying Officer Mamgain were patrolling the sky between Dumdum (Calcutta) and Kalaikunda. They were immediately   directed to intercept the incoming raid. In a prolonged air combat at tree top levels between four Pakistani raiders, Cooke and Mamgain brought down one aircraft each in full view of people on ground. Cooke then latched on to the third Pakistani aircraft but by then he had finished all his ammunition. Pakistan while acknowledging their loss of two aircraft had stated that their formation was attacked by superior force of nine Indian fighters.  This itself was a tribute to courage and bravery of our pilots who challenged a numerically superior force and came out as clear winners.

                Alfred Cooke settled down at Australia in 1967 and has been keeping in touch with his squadron (14 Squadron) till date.  

                This painting of mine is an attempt to recreate the dog fight between Cooke and Pakistani pilot Flight Lieutenant Afzal Khan, who unfortunately did not survive the crash.  

                Click on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQVRnQnpZwM&feature=player_embedded to watch a video made by two civilian enthusiasts. One of them was a student  of IIT, Kharagpur in September 1965 who had watched the dog fight live from ground. 

Pakistani attackers shot down over Punjab : Indo-Pak War 1965

This painting depicts a classic encounter between fighters of Indian Air Force (IAF) and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over Indian sky on 06 September 1965. Three Sabre jets of PAF had come to attack IAF airfield of Halwara (near Ludhiana). Defending the airbase were four Hunter fighters of IAF.  Initially Pakistani raiders were able to successfully attack our ground installations but as they proceeded with their attack on the airfield, two of our Hunters pounced on them. In the air combat that followed at extreme low levels between the opposing forces, Flight Lieutenant DN Rathore of IAF shot down the lead Sabre jet and Flying Officer VK Neb shot down the second Sabre. Paki pilot who was shot down by Rathore was Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui. Pakistan decorated Rafiqui with their highest gallantry award and named one of its main airbase after him.  Rathore  was  decorated with a Vir Chakras after the war and later rose to become an Air Marshal. Neb fought again in 1971 and shot down another Pakistani Sabre and was awarded with a bar to his Vir Chakra earned in 1965 war. 

Mystere Vs Starfighter : A story of incredible heroism of an IAF pilot over Sargodha in Indo- Pak war 1965

In this painting I tried to recreate unmatched gallantry of a  young Indian pilot who unfortunately did not return from a raid over Sargodha, Pakistan,  on 7^th  September 1965.

Squadron Leader A.B.Devayya  was  part of a large formation of Mysteres of No. 1 Squadron,  attacking Sargodha at the crack of dawn. Owing to the extreme range of the target, only a single pass attack was possible.  It was suicidal to even undertake such a mission as minor navigational error could result in entire formation running out of fuel in the enemy territory. Also, for most pilots it was their first mission deep inside enemy territory. 

Defending the PAF airbase were few US made F-86 Sabres and F-104 Starfighters, both aircraft far superior to subsonic Mysteres that IAF had acquired from France in mid fifties.

Mysteres reached their target on time and as they pulled up for attack all hell turned loose with heavy anti aircraft fire opening up. Each pilot now concentrated to deliver his weapon accurately on the intended target.   Lady luck seemed to favour them and they came out of the attack almost unscathed. As every member ducked to ultra low levels at full speed in the homebound course, Devayya joined in after his attack as the last aircraft in the trail.    

 Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain, the lone PAF pilot flying a Starfighter was vectored by the radar to intercept the Mysteres  as they were getting away.  He positioned behind the last Mystere for a missile attack which happened to be Devayya .  What happened subsequently can only be pieced together by some contradictory accounts available from Pakistani source. None of the members of Devayya’s formation was aware of this attack developing on their tails.   

From the accounts published in  books and articles in Pakistan, IAF  could reconstruct  what now can be termed as an incredible act of heroism by an airman who decided to stand up and fight when this  should have been the last option to exercise for a pilot who had barely enough fuel to land back home and was hundreds of miles inside the enemy territory.

It is now believed beyond doubt that Devayya after being shot at and his aircraft damaged by the lethal cannon fired from the Starfighter, turned around to challenge his adversary in a ‘fight to finish’ like a true gladiator. In the classic air battle that followed between the vintage Mystere and the state of the art, supersonic Starfighter, Devayya managed to turn the tables in his favour and hunter became the hunted.  Devayya’s bullets tore into the Starfighter causing a control failure, forcing Amjad Hussein to eject from his aircraft. Amjad barely survived the ejection at low level. He was awarded the “Sitara-i-Jur’at”, Star of Courage, the third highest military award in Pakistan soon after the war. Devayya was put on the list of “Missing believed Killed” after the war. What lead to his actual death still remains a mystery. It was revealed much later by Pakistan that Devayya’s body was found almost intact by villagers not very far from Sargodha and buried.  It is quite possible that Devayya’s Mystere finally went out of control forcing him to abandon it at low level. Unfortunately, ejection seat fitted in a Mystere was not designed for safe operation at low levels.

Devayya’s act of gallantry would have gone unknown and unrecognised by his countrymen had it not been for the Pakistani account that acknowledged the extreme courage of this young Indian pilot.  Some 23 years later Devayya was decorated by Indian Government with a Maha Vir Chakra posthumously, country’s second highest gallantry award.

Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail , a retired officer of PAF in his book, “Great Air Battles of Pakistan Air Force”, had summarised the encounter between Devayya and Amjad Hussain as below :-

  

For many decades the famous dogfight has confounded historians and air enthusiasts alike. The respective Air Forces cited both pilots for courage as well as their shooting skills. Flt Lt Amjad Hussain was awarded the Sitara-i-Jur’at soon after the war. Sqn Ldr Ajjamada Bopayya Devayya was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra in April 1988, after a passage of 23 years. ......... it can be said that the medals are testimony to the dogged determination of two air knights, who gave their best in this truly classic duel.

John Fricker, an American defence analyst, in his book on air operations in Indo – Pak war of 1965,    also mentions that, “.....  shooting down in air combat of a Lockheed Starfighter of the PAF by and obsolescent Dassault Mystere IVA...is among the most creditable and least published achievements by IAF during the 1965 war..”

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Pakistani Raider Shot Down Over Saurashtra Coast : Indo –Pak War 1971

On 12 December 1971 two US made supersonic Starfighters of Pakistan Air Force came to attack a vital Indian Air Force base located at Jamnagar, Gujarat at low levels. As they crossed the Indian coast line our early warning system picked them up. Two MiG-21 fighters on operational readiness platform were launched to intercept the raiders. As the Pakistani bandits approached over Jamnagar town they were spotted by the MiGs and immediately positioned behind for a classic intercept. Realising the threat from the MiGs, Pakistani fighters turned homeward, descended to 100 feet and accelerated to near supersonic speed. MiGs gave chase and closed in for a kill over the sea off Saurashtra coast. One Pakistani jet was shot down that went up in flames and crashed into the sea below. Its pilot was seen ejecting falling slowly under a bright orange canopy into the Gulf of Kutch. Second Pakistani jet managed to escape.

This painting is the artist’s impression of the shooting down of the Starfighter by IAF pilot, Flight Lieutenant BB Soni. He was awarded with a Vir Chakra by Government of India for his galantry and valour in face of enemy. 

Attack on Government House, Dacca - 1971 Indo-Pakistan conflict

  On 16 December 2012 “Victory Day” was celebrated by two countries...India and Bangladesh. On this very day in 1971, General Niazi, the Supreme Commander of the Pakistan Military in East Pakistan surrendered to the Indian Defence Forces along with 93,000 troops. Unfortunately the decisive role IAF played in this unprecedented victory is not known to many.

Two days before this surrender, four MiG-21s airborne from Guwahati attacked  the Government House at Dacca, then official residence of AM Malik, Head of the East Pakistan Government. Inside the building East Pakistan’s Cabinet had begun an emergency meeting to discuss the political measures to avoid the looming surrender of their army at Dacca.  Exactly 55 minutes after the meeting began, 128 rockets fired by the MiG Formation hit the Government House with deadly precision. It turned out to be the last-ever meeting of the Cabinet. AM Malik,  survived the attack along with his Cabinet – but resigned on the spot. According to an UN official who happened to be with Governor at that time, Mr. Malik said a small prayer, and then produced a small paper on which he wrote down his resignation with trembling hands. . It seems the rocket attack had proved to be the proverbial last straw on the camel's back.   Among the burning ruins; the nervous system, as it were, of decision-making had been instantly destroyed. 

Air Chief Marshal PC Lal in his brief to the press had later stated that after the surrender,  Niazi was asked as to why he packed off so quickly with 93000 troops after having made a very definite statement on the 13th evening about defending Dacca for months. He was unable to speak at that time, possibly for emotion or the lack of ability to speak. But he turned around and pointed to the Wings of our Air Force Officers.

.........This painting on the Governors’ House in Dhaka is a tribute to all those brave airmen who brought glory to the nation with their valour and grit and to remind us each day of the IAF motto...  Touch the Sky with Glory!!

(Today this a sprawling colonial era building in the middle of Dhaka is the official residence of President of Bangladesh and known as Bongabhabon !!)