Meet Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, The Only Indian Air Force Officer To Win The Param Vir Chakra

[Techy]

Meet Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, The Only Indian Air Force Officer To Win The Param Vir Chakra

Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was born in the village of Isewal Dakha in Ludhiana District of Punjab. Sekhon hailed from an army background as his father Tarlochan Singh Sekhon was a flight lieutenant. He was commissioned as a Flying Officer in the Indian Air Force in 1967.

Pakistan Air Force, during the war of 1971, had decided on the strategy to neutralize Amritsar, Pathankot and Srinagar airfields as they were crucial to their plans at the time. No. 26 squadron, based at Peshawar, was assigned with the task to carry strikes on Srinagar Airfield.

© IAF

Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was on readiness duty with “The Flying Bullets” of IAF, flying the Folland Gnat fighter aircraft based at Srinagar. When his airfield was attacked by PAF’s Force F-86 Sabre jets, Sekhon rolled for take-off as the No. 2 behind his leader Flt. Lt. Ghumman in a two-Gnat formation.

The daily attacks by Sabres had caused damage to the runway but the repair gangs always ensured that the runway was never out of permanent service. So, when the Sabres of Pakistani commander Changazi, Dotani, Andrabi and Mir attacked the airfield carrying 500 lbs bombs each, Sekhon lost no time in singling out the first Sabre Pair, which was forming its original position after the bombing run. Nirmaljit’s leader Lt. Ghuman lost contact with the wingman, and therefore, Sekhon was left with six Pakistani Sabres on his tail gunning for his aircraft.

© IAF

But Nirmaljit never lost sight of those two Sabres and quickly settled his aim on one of them. “I am getting behind one but the other is getting an edge on me,” is how Sekhon had described the situation to his controllers. But as soon as he made contact with the Sabre in front of him, he could feel the air getting thicker on his own tail. While he was busy neutralizing the Pakistani aircraft in front of him another Sabre had come up on his tail.

Nirmaljit, in order to evade the Sabre behind him, started going in circles and it seemed for a while that Nirmaljit had succeeded as the Pakistani commander Andrabi’s voice crackled on the radio, “Three is Winchester” meaning he had exhausted his ammo. Sekhon had successfully hit one Sabre and set another one ablaze which was seen heading towards Rajauri sector covered in smoke.

© IAF

During the dogfight, Sekhon’s fighter sustained heavy damages and he failed to eject out of the Gnat as the flight control system had failed. Sekhon went down with the aircraft but his legacy was established on that day in the mountains. Coming out on top of six Pakistani Sabres had odds of 1:6, and Sekhon did it in style making the enemy run for cover.

Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was awarded India’s highest wartime medal for gallantry, the Param Vir Chakra for his exploits in the field, and thereby, he became the only officer from the Indian Air Force to be decorated with the prestigious award.

Meet Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, The Only Indian Air Force Officer To Win The Param Vir Chakra

 

[Sheikh Hussain]

My heartly salute to the brave man. He was truly amazing and didn't hesitate to make supreme sacrifice for nation!!!!

 

[Areesh]

Nirmaljit, in order to evade the Sabre behind him, started going in circles and it seemed for a while that Nirmaljit had succeeded as the Pakistani commander Andrabi’s voice crackled on the radio, “Three is Winchester” meaning he had exhausted his ammo. Sekhon had successfully hit one Sabre and set another one ablaze which was seen heading towards Rajauri sector covered in smoke.

Nothing to take away from the IAF pilot but all six PAF aircraft returned safely without any damage after shooting down the lone defender and bombing the airbase.

On 14 December 1971 Flt Lt Saleem Beg Mirza was the leader of the escort section to a formation of four F-86s striking Srinagar Air Base. Flg Off Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon in his Gnat tried to intercept the raid but was shot down by Flt Lt Saleem Beg. Flg Off Nirmaljit was credited by IAF for shooting two F-86s but in fact all the six F-86s, including both the escorts and the fighting elements, returned safely to Peshawar.

Pakistan Air Force Combat Experience

 

[Mike_Brando]

Nothing to take away from the IAF pilot but all six PAF aircraft returned safely without any damage after shooting down the lone defender and bombing the airbase.



Pakistan Air Force Combat Experience

Nothing to take away from the PAF pilots but Flying Officer Nirmaljeet successfully shot one sabre out of the sky while heavily damaging the other and stopped the PAF pilots from bombing the Srinagar airbase that too fighting sigle handedly against 6 enemy aircraft.
Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Indian Jatt]

Nothing to take away from the IAF pilot but all six PAF aircraft returned safely without any damage after shooting down the lone defender and bombing the airbase.



Pakistan Air Force Combat Experience

wow what a source!!!!!!!

 

[Areesh]

Nothing to take away from the PAF pilots but Flying Officer Nirmaljeet successfully shot one sabre out of the sky while heavily damaging the other and stopped the PAF pilots from bombing the Srinagar airbase that too fighting sigle handedly against 6 enemy aircraft.
Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No he didn't. If one Sabre was shot out of the sky then where is its debris? Obviously no where since no sabre was shot down or damaged

Sikhon might be a great brave pilot. And he surely doesn't need lies and exaggerations to further glorify his sacrifice and his efforts.

wow what a source!!!!!!!

Much better than the links that have been posted on this thread by fanboys

Here is a 1971 war veteran, an ex PAF officer and a professional telling the actual account of this incident without any jingoism and exaggeration.

Salim Baig took the shot I don't think Sekhon ejected cant be sure. Andarabi was behind him but could not take a shot because one of his fuel tank it was stuck to his wing. In a Dog fight things can change in a sec, That's what happend sekhon got after Andarabi and Salim came from the top and took him out. None of the Sabers got shot not even a scratch.
You guys should read the above article written by Air Cdre Kaiser Tufail. It is not easy to write such articles with details he has done a fantastic job. Putting these dog Fights in his book if I am not wrong he even went to India and met IAF 1965 and 71 war vets.

Tale of a Brave IAF Pilot. | Page 3

 

[Indian Jatt]

Much better than the links that have been posted on this thread by fanboys

Here is a 1971 war veteran, an ex PAF officer and a professional telling the actual account of this incident without any jingoism and exaggeration.

every patriot wants to see his country rise, we have our own list of officers who claim hits against PAF, and they are also war veterans and are more professional then u think they are......PVC is not awarded until the feat has been proved.......he had downed one Sabre and had scored direct hits on the second........

CITATION
FG OFFR NNIRMAL JIT SINGH SEKHON

18 SQUADRON 10877 F(P)
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was a pilot of a Gnat detachment based at Srinagar for the air defence of the valley against Pakistani air attacks. From the very outbreak of the hostilities he and his colleagues fought successive waves of intruding Pakistani aircraft with valour and determination, maintaining the high reputation of the Gnat aircraft. On 14 December 1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked by a wave of enemy Sabre aircraft. Flying Officer Sekhon was on readiness duty at the time. Immediately, however, no fewer than six enemy aircraft were overhead, and they began bombing and strafing the airfield. In spite of the mortal danger of attempting to take off during the attack, Flying Officer Sekhon took off and immediately engaged a pair of the attacking Sabres. In the fight that ensued, he secured hits on one aircraft and damaged another. By this time the other Sabre aircraft came to the aid of their hard-pressed companions and Flying Officer Sekhon's Gnat was again outnumbered, this time by four to one.

Even though alone, Flying Officer Sekhon engaged the enemy in an unequal combat. In the fight that followed, at treetop height, he almost held his own, but was eventually overcome by the sheer weight of numbers. His aircraft was shot down by a gunfire of one of the Sabres and he was killed.

The sublime heroism, supreme gallantry, flying skill and determination above and beyond the call of duty displayed by Flying Officer Sekhon in the face of certain death have set new heights in Air Force traditions.
this is his original citation......

 

[Areesh]

every patriot wants to see his country rise, we have our own list of officers who claim hits against PAF, and they are also war veterans and are more professional then u think they are......PVC is not awarded until the feat has been proved.......he had downed one Sabre and had scored direct hits on the second........

If he has shot down an aircraft then show me the debris or some proof? There is no proof of anything like that. Our sabres returned safely and not even a single proof exists that any of the six sabres were shot down or even damaged. All six returned safely. Indian citation doesn't hold any worth without proof. Sikhon was given PVC after he was left alone to fight six invaders.

@Windjammer Hey windy! I am sure you would like to add further about this exaggeration by IAF in this incident.

 

[Windjammer]

Friday, November 21, 2008
A Hard Nut to Crack

Author : Air Commodore (R) Kaiser Tufail.


The much-awaited II Corps offensive on the Western Front got overtaken by events as the 1971 Indo-Pak War headed for a mortifying finale for Pakistan. PAF had been conserving its assets for the all-important battle, which was not to be. Enough pressure was, however, maintained to tie down IAF effort for air defence, as also to demonstrate an offensive resolve. Continual attacks on the forward airfields of Amritsar, Pathankot and Srinagar, were thus part of a carefully considered strategy. In the event, an Indian Army two-pronged offensive in Shakargarh sector had rendered neutralisation of these airfields most crucial.

No 26 Squadron, based at Peshawar, had been assigned to take care of Srinagar airfield. Daily attacks by Sabres had been causing some damage, but the runway repair gangs were ensuring that the airfield was not out of permanent service[1]. The morning of 14th December saw yet another bombing raid led by the Squadron Commander, Wg Cdr Sharbat Ali Changazi. Accompanying him were Flt Lts H K Dotani, Amjad Andrabi and Maroof Mir, whose Sabres were armed with two 500 lbs bombs each. Escorting the 4-ship package were Flt Lts Salim Baig Mirza and Rahim Yusufzai. Altogether it was a formidable force and, given the familiarity with Srinagar, it seemed like it would be another milk run.

After a 25-minute flight through the picturesque hills and vales of western Kashmir, Changazi’s commanding voice broke the radio silence, “Leader pulling up, contact with the target.” The time was 0730 hrs (PST). Dotani, Andrabi and Mir followed at short intervals, none missing the easily visible airfield complex. Popping up to 5,000 ft above ground, they dived one by one to release their bombs on the runway. Baig and Yusufzai loosened into an orbit overhead the airfield, looking out for any interceptors through the relentless Anti-Aircraft Artillery barrage.

Flg Off Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon of No 18 Squadron was rolling for take-off as No 2 in a two-Gnat formation, just as the first bombs were falling on the runway. Said to have been delayed due to dust kicked up by the preceding Gnat, Sekhon lost no time in singling out the first Sabre pair, which was re-forming after the bombing run. Changazi was, however, quick to detect the attacker behind his wingman. “Gnat behind, all punch tanks,” yelled Changazi. No 3 (Andrabi), who was just pulling out of the attack, was horrified to see the Gnat no more than 1,000 ft and firing at Dotani. “Break left,” called Andrabi, as he himself manoeuvred to get behind the Gnat. Dotani, who had been turning frantically, found his low-powered Sabre tottering at the verge of stall[2]. Unable to hang around any longer with such a precarious energy state, he decided to make a getaway. No 4 (Mir) in the meantime had completed his bombing run and, having no visual contact with the rest, decided to head home as well. The Gnat Leader, Flt Lt Ghuman, had also lost visual with his wingman just after take-off. Said to have failed in re-establishing contact, Ghuman remained out of the fight leaving Sekhon to handle the muddle all by himself.

The fight had turned into a classic tail chase, with a Sabre followed by a Gnat, which in turn was followed by another Sabre. “I am getting behind one but the other is getting an edge on me,” is how Sekhon had described the situation to his controllers. With two more free fighters watching over, the lone Gnat was practically up against four Sabres. Andrabi had, by now, closed in behind the Gnat’s rear quarters and was firing steadily. He was sure that he would get the Gnat, he excitedly forecast on the radio. His Sabre was incessantly spewing out a stream of 0.5” bullets but, despite good aim and textbook range, remained off the mark. What should have been a quick kill dragged on clumsily, testing everyone’s patience and nerves.

The Sabre had enough firepower to riddle a whole formation with bullets, so everyone was dumb-founded when Andrabi’s voice crackled on the radio, “Three is Winchester!” It meant that he had exhausted 1,800 rounds and his guns had stopped firing. The Gnat was still turning circles and it seemed that unless help came fast, Andrabi would soon be at the receiving end.

Changazi was carefully monitoring the dogfight while looking out for the elusive Gnat Leader, whose fleeting glimpse he had caught a while ago[3]. On hearing that Andrabi was spent, Changazi called him to join up as his wingman. Dislodging himself from the Gnat’s tail, Andrabi dutifully moved towards his leader. As the two were forming up, Sekhon took advantage of the slack, straightened out and jettisoned the drop tanks. In the flurry of activity, Sekhon had overlooked a vitally important step and, it was just as well that he shed dead weight for the next round. Nimbler than before, the Gnat could be seen to turn ever more tight as it started to catch up onto Changazi and Andrabi’s pair. Perched on top, the escorts watched in astonishment as the Gnat snatched degrees at a dizzying rate. The situation was getting stickier by the minute and in a couple of turns the Gnat was in a menacing position.

Silver-tongued and gravel-voiced, Andrabi was a class unto himself when he took to the radio. A smattering of expletives ensured that his calls were never disregarded even in the toughest of air combat manoeuvres. Thus, when Andrabi shouted for help against the attacker whose lineage he had declared suspect, everyone took notice! The escorts instantly dived down to grapple with Sekhon, who had turned out to be a hard nut to crack. While Yusufzai covered up as wingman, Baig easily manoeuvred to get behind the Gnat, much to everyone’s relief.

Baig had the privilege of opening his Squadron’s account by shooting down a Hunter near Peshawar, ten days earlier[4]. Since then, he had been in the thick of action in almost every sortie that he went up for. This experience, coupled with his unflappable personality, came in handy as Baig calmly positioned his pipper on the canopy of the Gnat and opened fire. Less than three seconds later the Gnat started to spew thick black smoke. Baig knew it was all over so he stopped firing and watched for the next move.

Meanwhile, the Base Commander and some senior pilots who were in the Air Traffic Control tower to monitor the dogfight, heard Sekhon’s frantic call to his leader, “I think I have been hit. Ghuman, come and get them.” With the mission leader still nowhere to be seen, the baffled ground supervisors tried to help Sekhon with the emergency but to no avail. Baig, who was following behind, saw the Gnat level its wings and head for the airfield, as if to indicate that for him the fight was over. Suddenly, the Gnat went inverted as it dove down uncontrollably from very low height. In all likelihood, the aircraft’s flight control system had failed. Sekhon attempted a last minute ejection as his canopy was seen to fly off, but the height was too low for the ejection system to function fully. The wreckage of the Gnat was found in a gorge, a few miles from the Base.

As the Sabres were reforming for recovery, Andrabi was surprised to notice that his left drop tank was still there, while the right one was gone. The aircraft was skidding to one side, something that he had not felt during the heat of the battle. He now reckoned a bit late why the bullets had not found their mark. Much to everyone’s relief though, Baig had saved the day and the formation made it back to Peshawar, unscathed[5]. Baig’s kill, however, did not get duly noticed, as the mission was seen to be a close call by the Air Staff at the PAF Headquarters. His citation for gallant action thus only made it to the ‘Mentioned in Despatches’ category. An award not withstanding, Baig is highly regarded in the PAF for belonging to the elite club of fighter pilots with multiple kills.

Sekhon, on the other hand, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest award for wartime gallantry and the only one received by an airman. His was a commendable effort indeed, as he had kept the field single-handedly to the very end.

_________________________

[1] An interesting aside to the attack-and-repair game were warnings delivered to the Garrison Engineer (GE) , Srinagar, through leaflet drops by Sabres. The GE was warned not to repair the runway, else his house would be bombed! The leaflets were inserted in the speed brakes and were released through a momentary pip, just after the actual bomb release – a dicey prank indeed.
[2] PAF was flying two versions of the Sabre in the 1971 War - the North American F-86F and the Canadair Sabre Mk-6 (ex-Luftwaffe). The F-86F model that equipped No 26 Squadron had a markedly low-powered engine, which did little to help sustain speed and turn rates in combat.
[3] The Gnat Leader was briefly observed by Changazi at a higher altitude than the rest and, flying reciprocal to the direction of the engaged fighters. He was not seen again by any one.
[4] Flg Off Kotliezath P Muralidharan of No 20 Squadron was shot down on 4th Dec 1971, following a raid on Peshawar airfield.
[5] Contrary to IAF’s citation for Sekhon’s award, none of the Sabres was hit during the dogfight.


This article is an excerpted chapter from Air Cdre Kaiser Tufail's book, Great Air Battles of Pakistan Air Force, published by Ferozsons (Pvt) Ltd, 2005.

 

[volatile]

Appears to be quite delusional ,May be situation took better of him poor fellow .

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

Congrats. He alone saved srinagar from bombing. Excellent skills for 1 V 6.

 

[Lonely Hermit]

Meet Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, The Only Indian Air Force Officer To Win The Param Vir Chakra

Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was born in the village of Isewal Dakha in Ludhiana District of Punjab. Sekhon hailed from an army background as his father Tarlochan Singh Sekhon was a flight lieutenant. He was commissioned as a Flying Officer in the Indian Air Force in 1967.

Pakistan Air Force, during the war of 1971, had decided on the strategy to neutralize Amritsar, Pathankot and Srinagar airfields as they were crucial to their plans at the time. No. 26 squadron, based at Peshawar, was assigned with the task to carry strikes on Srinagar Airfield.

© IAF

Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was on readiness duty with “The Flying Bullets” of IAF, flying the Folland Gnat fighter aircraft based at Srinagar. When his airfield was attacked by PAF’s Force F-86 Sabre jets, Sekhon rolled for take-off as the No. 2 behind his leader Flt. Lt. Ghumman in a two-Gnat formation.

The daily attacks by Sabres had caused damage to the runway but the repair gangs always ensured that the runway was never out of permanent service. So, when the Sabres of Pakistani commander Changazi, Dotani, Andrabi and Mir attacked the airfield carrying 500 lbs bombs each, Sekhon lost no time in singling out the first Sabre Pair, which was forming its original position after the bombing run. Nirmaljit’s leader Lt. Ghuman lost contact with the wingman, and therefore, Sekhon was left with six Pakistani Sabres on his tail gunning for his aircraft.

© IAF

But Nirmaljit never lost sight of those two Sabres and quickly settled his aim on one of them. “I am getting behind one but the other is getting an edge on me,” is how Sekhon had described the situation to his controllers. But as soon as he made contact with the Sabre in front of him, he could feel the air getting thicker on his own tail. While he was busy neutralizing the Pakistani aircraft in front of him another Sabre had come up on his tail.

Nirmaljit, in order to evade the Sabre behind him, started going in circles and it seemed for a while that Nirmaljit had succeeded as the Pakistani commander Andrabi’s voice crackled on the radio, “Three is Winchester” meaning he had exhausted his ammo. Sekhon had successfully hit one Sabre and set another one ablaze which was seen heading towards Rajauri sector covered in smoke.

© IAF

During the dogfight, Sekhon’s fighter sustained heavy damages and he failed to eject out of the Gnat as the flight control system had failed. Sekhon went down with the aircraft but his legacy was established on that day in the mountains. Coming out on top of six Pakistani Sabres had odds of 1:6, and Sekhon did it in style making the enemy run for cover.

Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was awarded India’s highest wartime medal for gallantry, the Param Vir Chakra for his exploits in the field, and thereby, he became the only officer from the Indian Air Force to be decorated with the prestigious award.

Meet Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, The Only Indian Air Force Officer To Win The Param Vir Chakra

Animation of that Dog fight

 

[Indian Jatt]

If he has shot down an aircraft then show me the debris or some proof? There is no proof of anything like that. Our sabres returned safely and not even a single proof exists that any of the six sabres were shot down or even damaged. All six returned safely. Indian citation doesn't hold any worth without proof. Sikhon was given PVC after he was left alone to fight six invaders.

@Windjammer Hey windy! I am sure you would like to add further about this exaggeration by IAF in this incident.

tell this to your fellow delusional Pakistanis........
"The Gnats were used by India in the indo-pakistan war of 1971 against Pakistan.The most notable action was the Battle of boyra where the first dogfights over east Pakistan took place. The (IAF) Gnats downed two PAF Canadair Sabres in minutes and badly damaged one. The Pakistan Air Force claims that one Gnat was shot down, which was proved incorrect." Another notable dogfight involving a Gnat was over srinagar airfield where a lone Indian pilot held out against six Sabres, scoring hits on two of the Sabres in the process,before being shot down. Gnat pilot Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was posthumously honoured with the (Param Vir Chakra)India's highest gallantry award), becoming the only member of the IAF to be given the award.

"Jo highlight kiya hai naa use 1000 baar padh"
Kitna jooth bolte ho yaar tum log
what ever your pilots say is true and whatever we say is ch**Yapa?????

 

[Areesh]

tell this to your fellow delusional Pakistanis........
"The Gnats were used by India in the indo-pakistan war of 1971 against Pakistan.The most notable action was the Battle of boyra where the first dogfights over east Pakistan took place. The (IAF) Gnats downed two PAF Canadair Sabres in minutes and badly damaged one. The Pakistan Air Force claims that one Gnat was shot down, which was proved incorrect." Another notable dogfight involving a Gnat was over srinagar airfield where a lone Indian pilot held out against six Sabres, scoring hits on two of the Sabres in the process,before being shot down. Gnat pilot Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was posthumously honoured with the (Param Vir Chakra)India's highest gallantry award), becoming the only member of the IAF to be given the award.

"Jo highlight kiya hai naa use 1000 baar padh"
Kitna jooth bolte ho yaar tum log
what ever your pilots say is true and whatever we say is ch**Yapa?????

Grow up kid. I can show several examples of similar incorrect claims from IAF too. There is nothing wrong in it. It can be because of confusion between fog of war. Even PAF never included claims of Boyra fight in its kills.

But when we have no proofs of IAF claim that two aircraft were damaged then it is safe to say it was just an exaggeration on part of IAF. Or else show us the claim that two aircraft were damaged or destroyed.

And son PAF professional force hai. Koi lallo panjo force nahi hai. Agar 2 aircraft damage hoye hotai to AC Kaisar Tufail jaisa professional us ko accept kar laita chahai PAF usai reject bhi karti. If even he has rejected this claim then there is no reason to accept IAF claim. Warna dikha do debris us Sabre ka jo tum nai shot down kia hai.

 

[Indian Jatt]

Grow up kid. I can show several examples of similar incorrect claims from IAF too. There is nothing wrong in it. It can be because of confusion between fog of war. Even PAF never included claims of Boyra fight in its kills.

But when we have no proofs of IAF claim that two aircraft were damaged then it is safe to say it was just an exaggeration on part of IAF. Or else show us the claim that two aircraft were damaged or destroyed.

And son PAF professional force hai. Koi lallo panjo force nahi hai. Agar 2 aircraft damage hoye hotai to AC Kaisar Tufail jaisa professional us ko accept kar laita chahai PAF usai reject bhi karti. If even he has rejected this claim then there is no reason to accept IAF claim. Warna dikha do debris us Sabre ka jo tum nai shot down kia hai.

if ur air force with just 387 fighters is professional, then ours is also not lallu panju airforce with 629 fighters.......as we know you people hide things pretty good......their can be probability that plane which was shot down by sekhon could had crashed in Pakistan after falling out from dog fight.......and the second one which got hits(not sure about it)......and PVC is given for bravery and velour during war.........fighting against 6 advance fighters that had advantage over u, and still continuing without any support and backup is still very honorable act during war......