Aerial warfare in 1965 India Pakistan War
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On September 1, 1965, war erupted between the Republic of India and Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Indian Air Force's Number 45 squadron quickly responded to the urgent call for air strikes against the Pakistani army and IAF Vampire FB Mk 52s were successful in staggering the Pakistani invasion. The Vampires were followed in quick succession by Mysteres of Nos 3 and 31 Squadron from Pathankot. While the Pakistani invasion was blunted, a price was paid. One Vampire was shot down by ground fire and three Vampires were shot down by PAF F-86 Sabres.
The appearance of the Sabres necessiated a move by the IAF to send the Folland Gnat fighters to the forward base of Pathankot. The move succeeded - within two days the IAF drew first blood. Sqn Ldr Trevor J. Keelor of No.23 Squadron shot down a F-86 Sabre on September 3, marking the first air combat victory to the IAF since WW2. The very next day Flt Lt V S Pathania repeated the feat - by shooting down Fg Offr NM Butt's Sabre of the PAF.
On September 6, The Indian Army crossed the border at Lahore to relieve pressure off the Chamb Jaurian sector. On the evening of the same day, the PAF responded with attacks on Indian airfields. The attack on Pathankot was successful and the IAF lost nearly 10 aircraft on the ground. However the attack on Halwara was unsuccessful. Two of the attacking raiders were shot down for the loss of two Indian Hunters. The Indian pilots ejected and survived while both PAF pilots were killed.
The next day, September 7, the IAF mounted over 33 sorties against the PAF airfield complex at Sargodha. about half a dozen aircraft were destroyed on the ground. But losses were heavy too. Two Mysteres and three Hunters were lost to various causes. One of the Mysteres was involved in an air combat with an F-104 Starfighter and shot it down before it crashed. The pilot Sqn Ldr Devayya was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra only after 23 years passed. His feat was not known till it was revealed in a Pakistani Publication.
September 7 also marked the day when the PAF attacked IAF airfields in the Eastern Sector. The raid on Kalaikunda was successful once again and the IAF lost 8 aircraft in two raids. However the IAF had some consoling factor in that two of the attacking Sabres were shot down by IAF Hunters. One Indian pilot Flt Lt A T Cooke engaged four Sabres singlehandedly and shot down one confirmed and claimed another as probable. This second 'probable Sabre flew back to Dacca but was declared a write off by the PAF.
The war tapered off after September 8th and there were occasional clashes between the IAF and the PAF. During the conflict IAF Canberras raided several Pakistani bases including Sargodha and Chakala. On September 14, Canberras undertook the deepest strike yet on the Pakistani bases of Peshawar and Kohat. The PAF admits that the IAF came very close to wiping out the PAF B-57 fleet if not for a near miss by a Canberra on that raid.
At one stage the IAF was operating 200 air missions simultaneously. IAF Gnats of No 23 and 9 squadrons played a significant role in major air battles and helped to turn the tide after an initial Pakistani thrust.
In addition to counter air sorties, The Indian Air Force also launched massive offences on the invading army. The IAF also went in deep within the Pakistani territory and targeted Pakistan's airfields and missile launch centres.
On these missions, sporadic aircombats occurred between IAF and PAF fighters. One Gnat was shot down on Sept 12, followed by a Sabre on Sept 14. One Hunter and One Sabre were shot down in aircombat on Sept 16, and Three Sabres were downed by Gnats on Sept 18 and 19. The last aircombat of the war happened on Sept 20, when Two Hunters were shot down in exchange for one PAF Sabre. On the same day a F-104 intercepted a Canberra bomber on its way back from Sargodha and shot it down.
On Sept 21st, IAF Canberras carried out a deep strike daylight sortie into Pakistan and destroyed the PAF Radar at Badin using rockets. The Ceasefire was declared on the night of Sept 22.
Both countries hold highly contradictory claims on combat losses during the war and hardly any neutral sources have thoroughly verified the claims of both countries' claim. PAF claimed it had shot down 104 IAF planes losing only 19 in the process. India meanwhile officially stated that 35 IAF planes were lost while shooting down 73 PAF aircraft. According to Indian figures, the overall attrition rate was 2.16% for Pakistan Air Force and 1.49% for IAF.[1] India also pointed that despite PAF claims of losing only a squadron of combat craft, Pakistan had been seeking urgent help from Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and China, for additional aircraft within 10 days of the war.[2]
Pakistan's main strike force comprised the U.S. made F-86 Sabre jets, which claimed a fair share of Indian planes, though remaining vulnerable to the dimunitive Folland Gnat, nicknamed "Sabre Slayer". The F-104 Starfighter of the PAF was by far the fastest fighter plane operating in the subcontinent at that time. On the other hand, the Indian Air Force relied largely on the Hawker Hunter for attacks. Unlike the PAF whose planes largely consisted of American craft, IAF flew an assortment of planes from Vampires to Mysteres, many of which were outdated in comparison to PAF planes, with even the Hunters and Gnats being outmatched by the Sabres and Starfighters.[3]Some of the fiercest dogfights occurred over Sargodha which was PAF's main base housing the bulk of its planes; IAF planes attacked the base but PAF was able to repulse the attacks. PAF responded by attacking Indian bases with some success, especially in air to ground attacks but were soon forced to back off, in order to provide cover for its ground troops elsewhere. In one incident, the Gujarat Chief Minister, Balawant Rai Mehta's civilian craft was shot down by PAF Sabres inside Indian territory, killing him and the crew. By the end of the war, neither the numerically larger IAF, nor the PAF which possessed a qualitative advantage,[4][5] achieved air superiority.
[edit] References
- ^ Book Review
- ^ IAF Combat Kills B. Harry
- ^ Operation Gibraltar revisited By Kamal Matinuddin The News International Pakistan
- ^ "India and the United States estranged democracies", 1941-1991, ISBN 1-4289-8189-6, DIANE Publishing, pp 235, 238
- ^ Pakistan's Defence Journal
