Aerial warfare in 1965 India Pakistan War
Encyclopedia
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
saw the Indian
and Pakistani Air Forces engaged in large-scale aerial combat against each other for the first time since the Partition
in 1947. The war took place during the course of September 1965 and saw both air forces conduct defensive and offensive operations over Indian and Pakistani airspace. Both countries made contradictory claims regarding the number of losses that they suffered and the number of planes that they claimed to have shot down. Indian losses have been placed at between 59 and 110, while Pakistani losses were between 18 and 43.
which had occurred shortly after Partition, that engagement had been limited in scale compared to the 1965 conflict and the air operations that both sides had undertaken were limited and largely confined to interdiction
and other strategic purposes such as re-supply and troop transport operations. Although there had been one incident where Indian fighter aircraft intercepted a Pakistani transport, there had been no significant air-to-air combat. During the 1965 conflict, however, the PAF flew a total 2,364 sorties while the IAF flew 3,937 sorties.
All out War erupted between India and Pakistan, and during the vicious 17 day conflict PAF flew defensive CAPs over its own bases, offensive counter air missions against Indian airfields, and close - support and interdiction sorties, to which the Indians responded in kind. India retained much of its air force in the East, against the possibility of Chinese intervention, and as a result the air forces were quite evenly balanced in the West.
. In the process the IAF scrambled four IAF Vampire FB Mk 52s
. These initial air strikes were temporarily successful in slowing the Pakistani advance, however, the PAF sent two F-86 Sabres armed with air to air missiles to the battlefield and in the ensuing dogfight, all of the four Vampires of Indian Air Force
were outclassed by the Pakistani F-86 Sabres. One Vampire was shot down by ground fire and the other three were shot down by PAF
F-86 Sabres Piloted by Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Rafiqui and Flight Lieutenant Imtiaz Bhatti of the No.15 Squadron of PAF. While both jet fighter aircraft had become obsolete by Western standards by this time, the F-86 had superior performance compared to the Vampire, which allowed two F-86s to overpower four Vampires. The Vampires were followed in quick succession by the more modern 1950s French Mysteres
of Nos 3
and 31 Squadron from Pathankot
.
The appearance of the Sabres necessitated a move by the IAF to send the Folland Gnat
fighters to the forward base of Pathankot. IAF used Mysteres to lure two Sabres to attack them with four Gnats. One sabre had to go back without entering the fight when the pilot couldn't jettison the fuel tanks. The other one flown by Flt Lt
Yusuf Ali, who spotted the Gnats just before attacking the Mysteres, positioned himself behind them. Just as he got his cross-hairs on them, he felt thuds on his own jet from two more Gnats sandwiching him in between as well as informing the front ones to break off. He was surrounded in a cloud of Gnats repeatedly being attacked. The sole lurking Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in the area was pointed to the dog fight by base control along with scrambling another one from base. The first Starfighter crossed through the dog fight at supper sonic speed to strike sheer awe in the adversaries. The trick worked and the Gnats started egressing. IAF's Squadron Leader
Trevor J. Keelor
of No. 23 Squadron claimed to have shot down the F-86 Sabre on that day (September 3), claiming the first air combat victory to the IAF of the war and subsequently received the Vir Chakra
. However the sabre he 'shot down' was flown to base in badly damaged condition and rough landed at base without further damage. PAF later released its pictures to disappoint IAF. The Sabre pilot, Flt Lt
Yusuf Ali, was given Sitara-e-Jurat
for dog fighting with six Gnats (while his wingman was ordered to leave since he couldn't jettison his fuel tanks) and bringing the damaged Sabre back home safely.
In the same incident, an IAF
Gnat, piloted by Squadron Leader
Brij Pal Singh Sikand, landed at an abandoned Pakistani airstrip at Pasrur
and was captured by the PAF. The Two Lockheed F-104 Starfighters, that closed in at supper sonic speed, forced the Gnat down. This Gnat is displayed as a war trophy in the Pakistan Air Force Museum, Karachi
. Sqn Ldr
Saad Hatmi who flew the captured aircraft to Sargodha
, and later tested and evaluated its flight performance, was of view that Gnat was no 'Sabre Slayer' when it came to dog fighting.
During the conflict, the Pakistani F-86 Sabre
Flying Ace
, Muhammad Mahmood Alam
shot down nine Indian aircraft as well as claiming two others as 'probable'. Five of Hawker Hunter
aircraft were shot down in one minute with four being in first 30 seconds.
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 at Pathankot and Halwara
. The attack on Pathankot was successful and the IAF lost nearly 10 aircraft on the ground. The attack on Halwara was unsuccessful; two of the attacking raiders were shot down for the loss of two Indian Hunters
. Both the Pakistani pilots were killed in the action. One of them was Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Rafiqui
who had shot down two Vampires on September 1 while the other was Flight Lieutenant Yunus Ahmed. Before being shot down, Rafiqui shot down one of the Hunters. He was later posthumously awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat
and the Hilal-i-Jurat
. Both the Indian pilots, Pingle and Gandhi, survived as they ejected near their base.
On September 7, 1965 PAF parachute
d 135 Special Services Group
(SSG) para commandos at three Indian airfields (Halwara, Pathankot and Adampur). The daring attempt proved to be an "unmitigated disaster". Only 10 commandos were able to returned to Pakistan, and rest of them were taken as prisoners of war (including one of the Commanders of the operations, Major Khalid Butt), at Halwara and Adampur these troops landed in residential areas where the villagers caught and handed them over to police.
Also on September 7, the IAF mounted over 33 sorties against the heavily guarded PAF airfield complex at Sargodha
. The IAF lost two Mysteres and three Hunters due to the defence mounted by the Pakistan Air Force's local squadrons. One of the crippled Mysteres got involved in a dogfight with an F-104 Starfighter
and shot each other down, both the pilots ejected and the Indian was captured, made a POW and released after the war. The Indian pilot, Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppaya Devayya, was later awarded the Maha Vir Chakra
23 years later after his feat was revealed by an author appointed by PAF to write their story on 1965 war.
September 7 also marked the day when the PAF attacked IAF airfields in the Eastern Sector. During the PAF's raid on Kalaikunda Indian pilot, Flight Lieutenant A T Cooke
, engaged four Pakistani Sabres, shooting down one while flying at tree-top height and making another a write off in the process.
The war lessened in intensity after September 8 and there were occasional clashes between the IAF and the PAF. Both air forces now changed their doctrine from air interdictions to ground attack and concentrated their efforts on knocking out soft skin targets and supply lines like wagons carrying ammunitions and armoured vehicles. During the conflict IAF Canberras
raided a few of the Pakistani bases. On September 10, one Mystere was downed by anti-aircraft fire in Pakistan but the pilot ejected safely.
One PAF F-86 Sabre was downed by anti-aircraft fire on September 13 when it attacked Gurdaspur Railway Yard and its pilot was killed. An Indian Gnat was also shot down by PAF F-86 Sabre, although the pilot managed to eject safely. On September 14, Indian Canberras undertook the deepest penetration of Pakistani airspace of the war, attacking Pakistani bases around Peshawar
and Kohat
. Rather than bombing the Peshawer airstrip, however, IAF bombers mistook the mall road in Peshawer as the runway and dropped there bombs there by accident. The PAF admits that the IAF came very close to annihilating its entire B-57 bombers. On their return mission, the Canberras were intercepted by a Pakistani F-104, although they managed to evade the Starfighter and returned home safely. However, one Pakistani F-86 Sabre crashed, killing the pilot, while conducting an evasive maneuvere in an attempt to escape pursuit from Wing Commander Bharat Singh, as he tried to defend the Canberra bombers. Singh was later credited with an aerial victory for this incident. Later, one Pakistani B-57 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Adampur, although both of its crew managed to eject safely and remained POWs.
On September 15, the PAF employed a number of its C-130s
transport aircraft as bombers which proved unsuccessful and two of them were shot by IAF. The following day, one Hunter and an F-86 Sabre were shot down over Halwara. The IAF pilot was killed in the encounter, although the Pakistani pilot ejected and spent the rest of the war as a POW. A Pakistani Cessna
was also shot down that day, as well as an Auster
observation aircraft. On September 18, one Sabre was shot down by a Gnat over Amritsar, the matter was reported by the Collector, who had witness the entire dogfight. The same day a Pakistani Sabre shot down a civilian Indian aircraft even after the civilian plane indicated its identity assuming it to be a reconnaissance mission. It became even more notable when after 60 years, the PAF pilot wrote a letter to apologize for shooting the aircraft to its Pilot's daughter. The aircraft had been carrying the then Gujarat Chief Minister Balwant Rai
and his family.
On September 19, one Gnat and two Sabres were downed over Chawinda. One of the Sabres that were shot down was credited to Squadron Leader Denzil Keelor
, the brother of Trevor Keelor, who was credited with the first Indian aerial victory of the war. The following day, another two Hunters and an F-86 Sabre were lost over Kasur, Pakistan.
At one stage the IAF was operating 200 air missions simultaneously. IAF Folland Gnat
s of Nos 9 and 23 squadrons played a significant role in major air battles.
On September 21, IAF Canberras carried out a daring daylight strike into Pakistan at the radar complex in Badin. The raid proved to be successful. Under the command of Wing Commander Peter Wilson, six Canberras from No. 16 Squadron took off from Agra, over a 1,000 km from Bladin and proceeded towards the radar complex at low level. About 80 miles short of the target, one Canberra climbed to an altitude of 10,000 feet in order to act as a decoy before returning to base. The other five Canberras continued on towards the target. The flight then separated and four of the aircraft approached the target in two sections, each two minutes apart, at low level before climbing to 7,000 feet from where they carried out bombing runs, dropping approximately 10,000 lbs of explosives. Wilson then approached from the south at an altitude of just 30 feet firing a salvo of 68mm rockets at the radar dome.
On the same day a PAF F-104 intercepted a Canberra bomber on its way back from Sargodha
and shot it down, while one Hunter pilot who was the son of Chief of the Indian Army was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, he ejected and was taken POW. The ceasefire
was declared on the night of September 22, 1965.
Another factor which makes it difficult to determine the outcome of the 1965 air war is the issue of aircraft lost in the air in air-to-air combat or to ground fire as opposed to aircraft lost on the ground due to bombing. A large number of Indian aircraft losses occurred on the ground during the attacks on Kalaikkunda and Pathankot—up to 60 per cent by some accounts—while most of the Pakistani losses were in aerial combat.
Results of Air Combat: Some sources have claimed that India lost 24 aircraft in air-to-air combat and ground-to-air fire, while PAF lost 37 aircraft in air-to-air combat. Pakistan ended the war having depleted 17 percent of its front line strength, while India's losses amounted to less than 10 percent. Moreover, the loss rate had begun to even out, and it has been estimated that another three week's fighting would have seen the Pakistani losses rising to 33 percent and India's losses totalling 15 percent. Air superiority was not achieved, and were unable to prevent IAF fighter bombers and rece Canberras from flying daylight missions over Pakistan. Thus 1965 was indecisive without a clear victory for either side even though PAF lost more aircraft in air-to-air combat operations.
Much of the lessons of the 1965 war lead India to refine tactics which proved decisive in the 1971 where the IAF achieved total air superiority over the PAF. Had the 1965 air war lasted a little longer, the weight of the Indian numbers alone, might have defeated the PAF, even though India had retained more than half of its forces in the East, against the threat of Chinese intervention. Had India committed its entire strength the war might have been very different. Alternatively, had India been prepared to allow the war to continue for longer, then its superior numbers would inevitably have proved telling. Finally Pakistanis failed to take account of the extent to which they had relied on two factors which the IAF could not take for granted - complete ground based defensive radar coverage and an adequate supply of air-to-air missiles. Much effort was expended in India to remedy these deficiencies before 1971.
With Soviet aid, India established a modern early warning radar system, including the recently introduced 'Fansong-E' low-level radar, linked with SA-2 'Guideline' surface-to-air missiles and a large number of AA guns. By December 1971 the IAF comprised a total of 36 squadrons (of which 10 were deployed in the Bengal sector) with some 650 combat aircraft.
Moreover, the 1965 war resulted in the USA imposing a 10 year arms embargo on both sides. This had no effect, on India, which had always looked to Britain, France and even Russia for arms, but was disastrous for Pakistan, which was forced to acquire 90 obsolete second hand Sabre via Iran, a mere 28 Mirage IIIs from France and 74 maintenance intensive Shenyang F-6s. It was unable to replace losses among its (already weak) force of B-57s, or to acquire a modern interceptor in realistic numbers.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
saw the Indian
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
and Pakistani Air Forces engaged in large-scale aerial combat against each other for the first time since the Partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947. The war took place during the course of September 1965 and saw both air forces conduct defensive and offensive operations over Indian and Pakistani airspace. Both countries made contradictory claims regarding the number of losses that they suffered and the number of planes that they claimed to have shot down. Indian losses have been placed at between 59 and 110, while Pakistani losses were between 18 and 43.
Background
The war began in early August 1965 and initially the fighting was confined mainly to the ground. Later, however, as the war progressed, the war took on another dimension as the two sides began air operations against each other. Although the two forces had previously taken part in the First Kashmir WarIndo-Pakistani War of 1947
The India-Pakistan War of 1947-48, sometimes known as the First Kashmir War, was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four wars fought between the two newly independent nations...
which had occurred shortly after Partition, that engagement had been limited in scale compared to the 1965 conflict and the air operations that both sides had undertaken were limited and largely confined to interdiction
Interdiction
Interdiction is a military term that refers to the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction...
and other strategic purposes such as re-supply and troop transport operations. Although there had been one incident where Indian fighter aircraft intercepted a Pakistani transport, there had been no significant air-to-air combat. During the 1965 conflict, however, the PAF flew a total 2,364 sorties while the IAF flew 3,937 sorties.
All out War erupted between India and Pakistan, and during the vicious 17 day conflict PAF flew defensive CAPs over its own bases, offensive counter air missions against Indian airfields, and close - support and interdiction sorties, to which the Indians responded in kind. India retained much of its air force in the East, against the possibility of Chinese intervention, and as a result the air forces were quite evenly balanced in the West.
Main battle
The aerial phase of the war began on September 1, 1965, when the Indian Air Force's No. 45 Squadron responded to an urgent call for air strikes against the Pakistani Army, which had launched a counter attack known as Operation Grand SlamOperation Grand Slam
Operation Grand Slam is virtually synonymous with the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. It refers to an audacious plan drawn up by the Pakistan Army, in May 1965, to attack the vital Akhnoor Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, which was not only the lifeline of an entire infantry division in Jammu and Kashmir but...
. In the process the IAF scrambled four IAF Vampire FB Mk 52s
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
. These initial air strikes were temporarily successful in slowing the Pakistani advance, however, the PAF sent two F-86 Sabres armed with air to air missiles to the battlefield and in the ensuing dogfight, all of the four Vampires of Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
were outclassed by the Pakistani F-86 Sabres. One Vampire was shot down by ground fire and the other three were shot down by PAF
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
F-86 Sabres Piloted by Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Rafiqui and Flight Lieutenant Imtiaz Bhatti of the No.15 Squadron of PAF. While both jet fighter aircraft had become obsolete by Western standards by this time, the F-86 had superior performance compared to the Vampire, which allowed two F-86s to overpower four Vampires. The Vampires were followed in quick succession by the more modern 1950s French Mysteres
Dassault Mystère IV
|-See also:-External links:*...
of Nos 3
No. 3 Squadron, Indian Air Force
The No.3 Squadron of the Indian Air Force operates as a Close Air Support and reconnaissance unit. Currently based at Pathankot AFB, No. 3 Sqn falls under the Western Air Command, and alongside the No.26 Sqn , No. 104HU and No.125HU , forms the 18 wing of the IAF.-Crest:No...
and 31 Squadron from Pathankot
Pathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...
.
The appearance of the Sabres necessitated a move by the IAF to send the Folland Gnat
Folland Gnat
The Folland Gnat was a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft developed by Folland Aircraft for the Royal Air Force, and flown extensively by the Indian Air Force....
fighters to the forward base of Pathankot. IAF used Mysteres to lure two Sabres to attack them with four Gnats. One sabre had to go back without entering the fight when the pilot couldn't jettison the fuel tanks. The other one flown by Flt Lt
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Yusuf Ali, who spotted the Gnats just before attacking the Mysteres, positioned himself behind them. Just as he got his cross-hairs on them, he felt thuds on his own jet from two more Gnats sandwiching him in between as well as informing the front ones to break off. He was surrounded in a cloud of Gnats repeatedly being attacked. The sole lurking Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in the area was pointed to the dog fight by base control along with scrambling another one from base. The first Starfighter crossed through the dog fight at supper sonic speed to strike sheer awe in the adversaries. The trick worked and the Gnats started egressing. IAF's Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Trevor J. Keelor
Trevor Keelor
Trevor Keelor, VrC, was a hero of the Indo-Pakistani war. He was honoured with a number of medals including the Vir Chakra and the Vayu Sena Medal. He had an elder brother, Denzil, who was also honoured for his service in the Indian Air Force. Both brothers have a Vir Chakra for the same feat of...
of No. 23 Squadron claimed to have shot down the F-86 Sabre on that day (September 3), claiming the first air combat victory to the IAF of the war and subsequently received the Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration carried with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration...
. However the sabre he 'shot down' was flown to base in badly damaged condition and rough landed at base without further damage. PAF later released its pictures to disappoint IAF. The Sabre pilot, Flt Lt
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Yusuf Ali, was given Sitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-e-Jurat is the third highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic; however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947...
for dog fighting with six Gnats (while his wingman was ordered to leave since he couldn't jettison his fuel tanks) and bringing the damaged Sabre back home safely.
In the same incident, an IAF
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
Gnat, piloted by Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Brij Pal Singh Sikand, landed at an abandoned Pakistani airstrip at Pasrur
Pasrur
Pasrur is a city of Sialkot District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 32°16'0N 74°40'0E with an altitude of 238 metres . The nearest big cities are Sialkot, Narowal and Gujranwala...
and was captured by the PAF. The Two Lockheed F-104 Starfighters, that closed in at supper sonic speed, forced the Gnat down. This Gnat is displayed as a war trophy in the Pakistan Air Force Museum, Karachi
PAF Museum, Karachi
PAF Museum, Karachi is an Air Force museum and park situated between PAF Base Faisal and Awami Markaz on main Shahra-e-Faisal at Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan....
. Sqn Ldr
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Saad Hatmi who flew the captured aircraft to Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
, and later tested and evaluated its flight performance, was of view that Gnat was no 'Sabre Slayer' when it came to dog fighting.
During the conflict, the Pakistani F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
Flying Ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
, Muhammad Mahmood Alam
Muhammad Mahmood Alam
Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood Alam is a retired Pakistani fighter pilot, North American F-86 Sabre Flying ace and one-star general who served with the Pakistan Air Force...
shot down nine Indian aircraft as well as claiming two others as 'probable'. Five of Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
aircraft were shot down in one minute with four being in first 30 seconds.
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
crossed the border at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
to relieve pressure off the Chamb Jaurian sector. On the evening of the same day, the PAF responded with attacks on Indian airfields at Pathankot and Halwara
Halwara
Halwara is a township in Punjab state in India. Located in the Ludhiana District close to Village Toosa , Halwara lies on the Mullanpur-Raikot road...
. The attack on Pathankot was successful and the IAF lost nearly 10 aircraft on the ground. The attack on Halwara was unsuccessful; two of the attacking raiders were shot down for the loss of two Indian Hunters
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
. Both the Pakistani pilots were killed in the action. One of them was Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Rafiqui
Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui
Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui was a well-known fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. He is recognised for services to his country during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and is a recipient of both the Hilal-e-Jurat and the Sitara-e-Jurat...
who had shot down two Vampires on September 1 while the other was Flight Lieutenant Yunus Ahmed. Before being shot down, Rafiqui shot down one of the Hunters. He was later posthumously awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-e-Jurat is the third highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic; however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947...
and the Hilal-i-Jurat
Hilal-i-Jurat
The Hilal-i-Jur'at Various official sources that are highly reputable spell the name of the medal differently, so the Pakistan Army website spelling is being taken as the official spelling...
. Both the Indian pilots, Pingle and Gandhi, survived as they ejected near their base.
On September 7, 1965 PAF parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
d 135 Special Services Group
Special Services Group
The Special Service Group , also known as Black Storks, because of their distinctive headgear, the unit is also known as Maroon Beret, are a special operations military unit of the Pakistan Army mandated with fourteen primary and special missions: Asymmetric warfare,Anti piracy,Special...
(SSG) para commandos at three Indian airfields (Halwara, Pathankot and Adampur). The daring attempt proved to be an "unmitigated disaster". Only 10 commandos were able to returned to Pakistan, and rest of them were taken as prisoners of war (including one of the Commanders of the operations, Major Khalid Butt), at Halwara and Adampur these troops landed in residential areas where the villagers caught and handed them over to police.
Also on September 7, the IAF mounted over 33 sorties against the heavily guarded PAF airfield complex at Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
. The IAF lost two Mysteres and three Hunters due to the defence mounted by the Pakistan Air Force's local squadrons. One of the crippled Mysteres got involved in a dogfight with an F-104 Starfighter
F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
and shot each other down, both the pilots ejected and the Indian was captured, made a POW and released after the war. The Indian pilot, Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppaya Devayya, was later awarded the Maha Vir Chakra
Maha Vir Chakra
The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...
23 years later after his feat was revealed by an author appointed by PAF to write their story on 1965 war.
September 7 also marked the day when the PAF attacked IAF airfields in the Eastern Sector. During the PAF's raid on Kalaikunda Indian pilot, Flight Lieutenant A T Cooke
Alfred Tyrone Cooke
Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke VrC was a hero of the Indo-Pakistani wars. He was honoured with the Vir Chakra in September 1965. He received the award for shooting down a Sabre jet whilst flying a Hawker Hunter, whilst they were under anti-aircraft fire....
, engaged four Pakistani Sabres, shooting down one while flying at tree-top height and making another a write off in the process.
The war lessened in intensity after September 8 and there were occasional clashes between the IAF and the PAF. Both air forces now changed their doctrine from air interdictions to ground attack and concentrated their efforts on knocking out soft skin targets and supply lines like wagons carrying ammunitions and armoured vehicles. During the conflict IAF Canberras
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
raided a few of the Pakistani bases. On September 10, one Mystere was downed by anti-aircraft fire in Pakistan but the pilot ejected safely.
One PAF F-86 Sabre was downed by anti-aircraft fire on September 13 when it attacked Gurdaspur Railway Yard and its pilot was killed. An Indian Gnat was also shot down by PAF F-86 Sabre, although the pilot managed to eject safely. On September 14, Indian Canberras undertook the deepest penetration of Pakistani airspace of the war, attacking Pakistani bases around Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
and Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
. Rather than bombing the Peshawer airstrip, however, IAF bombers mistook the mall road in Peshawer as the runway and dropped there bombs there by accident. The PAF admits that the IAF came very close to annihilating its entire B-57 bombers. On their return mission, the Canberras were intercepted by a Pakistani F-104, although they managed to evade the Starfighter and returned home safely. However, one Pakistani F-86 Sabre crashed, killing the pilot, while conducting an evasive maneuvere in an attempt to escape pursuit from Wing Commander Bharat Singh, as he tried to defend the Canberra bombers. Singh was later credited with an aerial victory for this incident. Later, one Pakistani B-57 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Adampur, although both of its crew managed to eject safely and remained POWs.
On September 15, the PAF employed a number of its C-130s
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
transport aircraft as bombers which proved unsuccessful and two of them were shot by IAF. The following day, one Hunter and an F-86 Sabre were shot down over Halwara. The IAF pilot was killed in the encounter, although the Pakistani pilot ejected and spent the rest of the war as a POW. A Pakistani Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
was also shot down that day, as well as an Auster
Auster
Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.-History:The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Limited, making light observation aircraft designed by the Taylorcraft Aircraft Corporation of...
observation aircraft. On September 18, one Sabre was shot down by a Gnat over Amritsar, the matter was reported by the Collector, who had witness the entire dogfight. The same day a Pakistani Sabre shot down a civilian Indian aircraft even after the civilian plane indicated its identity assuming it to be a reconnaissance mission. It became even more notable when after 60 years, the PAF pilot wrote a letter to apologize for shooting the aircraft to its Pilot's daughter. The aircraft had been carrying the then Gujarat Chief Minister Balwant Rai
Balwantrai Mehta
Balwantrai Mehta was the second Chief Minister of Gujarat, India. He was a valiant freedom fighter, social worker and pioneer of concept of Panchayati Raj . He was a soldier in the Bardoli Satyagraha. His greatest contribution were in the sphere of princely states' peoples' fight for self-rule....
and his family.
On September 19, one Gnat and two Sabres were downed over Chawinda. One of the Sabres that were shot down was credited to Squadron Leader Denzil Keelor
Denzil Keelor
Denzil Keelor VrC was a hero of the Indo-Pakistani war. He was honoured with a number of medals including the Veer Chakra, the Param Vishist Sewa Medal, the Keerti Chakra and the Ati Vishist Sewa Medal. He has a younger brother, Trevor, who was also honoured for his service in the Indian Air Force...
, the brother of Trevor Keelor, who was credited with the first Indian aerial victory of the war. The following day, another two Hunters and an F-86 Sabre were lost over Kasur, Pakistan.
At one stage the IAF was operating 200 air missions simultaneously. IAF Folland Gnat
Folland Gnat
The Folland Gnat was a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft developed by Folland Aircraft for the Royal Air Force, and flown extensively by the Indian Air Force....
s of Nos 9 and 23 squadrons played a significant role in major air battles.
On September 21, IAF Canberras carried out a daring daylight strike into Pakistan at the radar complex in Badin. The raid proved to be successful. Under the command of Wing Commander Peter Wilson, six Canberras from No. 16 Squadron took off from Agra, over a 1,000 km from Bladin and proceeded towards the radar complex at low level. About 80 miles short of the target, one Canberra climbed to an altitude of 10,000 feet in order to act as a decoy before returning to base. The other five Canberras continued on towards the target. The flight then separated and four of the aircraft approached the target in two sections, each two minutes apart, at low level before climbing to 7,000 feet from where they carried out bombing runs, dropping approximately 10,000 lbs of explosives. Wilson then approached from the south at an altitude of just 30 feet firing a salvo of 68mm rockets at the radar dome.
On the same day a PAF F-104 intercepted a Canberra bomber on its way back from Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
and shot it down, while one Hunter pilot who was the son of Chief of the Indian Army was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, he ejected and was taken POW. The ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
was declared on the night of September 22, 1965.
Outcome
There are conflicting claims by either side on this issue. Pakistani sources suggest that Indian losses were in the range of 59–110 and Pakistani losses were around 18–43. Recent works have, however, attempted to move beyond the raw statistics of the number of losses each side incurred, arguing that in terms of aircraft lost to sorties flown, the Indian Air Force's attrition rate (1.5%) was lower than the Pakistani attrition rate (1.82%). Arguably this indicates that had the war continued, the PAF would have found it increasingly difficult to sustain operations at the same level. Nevertheless, a similar argument can be made about the IAF also, although it did have a significant size advantage that might have proved telling if the war had been prolonged.Another factor which makes it difficult to determine the outcome of the 1965 air war is the issue of aircraft lost in the air in air-to-air combat or to ground fire as opposed to aircraft lost on the ground due to bombing. A large number of Indian aircraft losses occurred on the ground during the attacks on Kalaikkunda and Pathankot—up to 60 per cent by some accounts—while most of the Pakistani losses were in aerial combat.
Results of Air Combat: Some sources have claimed that India lost 24 aircraft in air-to-air combat and ground-to-air fire, while PAF lost 37 aircraft in air-to-air combat. Pakistan ended the war having depleted 17 percent of its front line strength, while India's losses amounted to less than 10 percent. Moreover, the loss rate had begun to even out, and it has been estimated that another three week's fighting would have seen the Pakistani losses rising to 33 percent and India's losses totalling 15 percent. Air superiority was not achieved, and were unable to prevent IAF fighter bombers and rece Canberras from flying daylight missions over Pakistan. Thus 1965 was indecisive without a clear victory for either side even though PAF lost more aircraft in air-to-air combat operations.
Learning the lessons
----Much of the lessons of the 1965 war lead India to refine tactics which proved decisive in the 1971 where the IAF achieved total air superiority over the PAF. Had the 1965 air war lasted a little longer, the weight of the Indian numbers alone, might have defeated the PAF, even though India had retained more than half of its forces in the East, against the threat of Chinese intervention. Had India committed its entire strength the war might have been very different. Alternatively, had India been prepared to allow the war to continue for longer, then its superior numbers would inevitably have proved telling. Finally Pakistanis failed to take account of the extent to which they had relied on two factors which the IAF could not take for granted - complete ground based defensive radar coverage and an adequate supply of air-to-air missiles. Much effort was expended in India to remedy these deficiencies before 1971.
With Soviet aid, India established a modern early warning radar system, including the recently introduced 'Fansong-E' low-level radar, linked with SA-2 'Guideline' surface-to-air missiles and a large number of AA guns. By December 1971 the IAF comprised a total of 36 squadrons (of which 10 were deployed in the Bengal sector) with some 650 combat aircraft.
Moreover, the 1965 war resulted in the USA imposing a 10 year arms embargo on both sides. This had no effect, on India, which had always looked to Britain, France and even Russia for arms, but was disastrous for Pakistan, which was forced to acquire 90 obsolete second hand Sabre via Iran, a mere 28 Mirage IIIs from France and 74 maintenance intensive Shenyang F-6s. It was unable to replace losses among its (already weak) force of B-57s, or to acquire a modern interceptor in realistic numbers.