Our Heroes need their identity back

[ghazi52]

Our Heroes need their identity back

President Ayub Khan Visiting Sargodha Air Base in October 1965, Personally Congratulating Sqn. Ldr M.M Alam for the record he made. In the end footage of Indian GNAT can be seen which was forced to land on our side - Exclusive

https://www.facebook.com/

Thanks to
Our Heroes need their identity back

 

[ghazi52]

Our Heroes need their identity back


PAF Air Display 1964

https://www.facebook.com/

 

[ghazi52]

September 1965

Indian Army faced defeat in Rann of Kutch. Chambb and Jaurian were also captured by Pakistan Army. It was obvious by the speed of Pakistani troops that they will capture the remaining area of Kashmir as well. It was the time of hostilities, insurgencies and battle from both sides.
PAF was playing a vital role at that time. Indian Army and air force faced lethal blows by PAF from day one. Under the visionary leader ship of Commander In Chief Air Marshall Nur Khan, PAF became a nightmare for Indians. Air Marshall Nur Khan decided to take aggressive stance against the enemy.
September 04, 1965
A Flight Lieutenant of No.9 Squadron was on air patrol in his Star Fighter (F-104), over Kashmir Area. Suddenly his radio woke up. The C-in-C Nur Khan was on the line. Directing him to head toward the most important and the most protected Amritsar Air Field and perform a Super Sonic Boom over the Indian Air Field. Though his intention was not to fire on the air field, but his aim was to deliver a warning to Indians. In the dark of night, the young aviator took the direction of Amritsar and reached the air field. Instead of performing his dare devil trick on high altitude; he lowered his height. He started pressing the throttle to gain enough speed to break the sound barrier. As the jet crossed the required speed, the sonic boom generated by the mighty F-104 shook the atmosphere. Indian air defense was alerted, making the sky red with exploding ack ack shells; they made a net of fire in the sky. But it was futile as they had no match with the skills of the pilot.
As he crossed Amritsar, Nur Khan was again on the radio, asking, "Boy have you done it?"
"Yes Sir", the young aviator replied.
"Make another Pass", Nur Khan commanded.
"Right Sir", saying it, he again turned towards Amritsar.
This time the Indian Air Defence was alert. They started immense firing but it again proved to be useless, as the F-104 again passed through the Indian sky. Making a fearsome boom, giving a clear reply to the Indians that we can hit you whenever, wherever we want.
After a short while, in a nervous and afraid manner, Indian Radio broadcasted the news that 8 Pakistani planes rocketed Amritsar Air Field. Whereas it was only one F-104 which gave a loud and clear message to the Indian Command.
The pilot landed safely on Pakistani air field and later provided air support in numerous missions to Pakistani forces.
Today the world knows the Brave Aviator as Air Vice Marshall Farooq Umar Hilal e Imtiaz Military, Sitara e Jurrat, Sitara e Basalat, Tamgha e Basalat

 

[GriffinsRule]

Ayub Khan basically gave away Kashmir during Tashkent. The more I read about the history surrounding our wars, the more it becomes apparent that we gave up everything for no return because our leaders wanted to retain what little power that had instead of thinking long term for the benefit of the nation. Thats been true for all our leaders since Jinnah in one form or another.

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

September 1965

Indian Army faced defeat in Rann of Kutch. Chambb and Jaurian were also captured by Pakistan Army. It was obvious by the speed of Pakistani troops that they will capture the remaining area of Kashmir as well. It was the time of hostilities, insurgencies and battle from both sides.
PAF was playing a vital role at that time. Indian Army and air force faced lethal blows by PAF from day one. Under the visionary leader ship of Commander In Chief Air Marshall Nur Khan, PAF became a nightmare for Indians. Air Marshall Nur Khan decided to take aggressive stance against the enemy.
September 04, 1965
A Flight Lieutenant of No.9 Squadron was on air patrol in his Star Fighter (F-104), over Kashmir Area. Suddenly his radio woke up. The C-in-C Nur Khan was on the line. Directing him to head toward the most important and the most protected Amritsar Air Field and perform a Super Sonic Boom over the Indian Air Field. Though his intention was not to fire on the air field, but his aim was to deliver a warning to Indians. In the dark of night, the young aviator took the direction of Amritsar and reached the air field. Instead of performing his dare devil trick on high altitude; he lowered his height. He started pressing the throttle to gain enough speed to break the sound barrier. As the jet crossed the required speed, the sonic boom generated by the mighty F-104 shook the atmosphere. Indian air defense was alerted, making the sky red with exploding ack ack shells; they made a net of fire in the sky. But it was futile as they had no match with the skills of the pilot.
As he crossed Amritsar, Nur Khan was again on the radio, asking, "Boy have you done it?"
"Yes Sir", the young aviator replied.
"Make another Pass", Nur Khan commanded.
"Right Sir", saying it, he again turned towards Amritsar.
This time the Indian Air Defence was alert. They started immense firing but it again proved to be useless, as the F-104 again passed through the Indian sky. Making a fearsome boom, giving a clear reply to the Indians that we can hit you whenever, wherever we want.
After a short while, in a nervous and afraid manner, Indian Radio broadcasted the news that 8 Pakistani planes rocketed Amritsar Air Field. Whereas it was only one F-104 which gave a loud and clear message to the Indian Command.
The pilot landed safely on Pakistani air field and later provided air support in numerous missions to Pakistani forces.
Today the world knows the Brave Aviator as Air Vice Marshall Farooq Umar Hilal e Imtiaz Military, Sitara e Jurrat, Sitara e Basalat, Tamgha e Basalat

SubhanAllah.....

 

[ghazi52]

8-Pass Charlie was the codename of an unknown Pakistan Air Force B-57 bomber ace who raided the Adampur airbase of the Indian Air Force in Indian Punjab a number of times during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 notably starting the series of raids on the base by a solo raid. He was named "8-Pass Charlie" by his impressed Indian adversaries at the Adampur base as he used to make eight passes, one for each bomb, on selected targets with improving efficiency instead of safely dropping all his bomb load and exiting. He is also known to have expertise in disguising his attack run by confusing anti-aircraft gunners by cutting throttles before entering a dive.

During the war, the bomber wing of the PAF was attacking the concentration of airfields in north India. In order to avoid enemy fighter-bombers, the B-57s operated from several different airbases, taking off and returning to different bases to hop and avoid being attacked. The B-57 bombers would arrive over their targets in a stream at intervals of about 15 minutes, which led to achieving a major disruption of the overall IAF effort.

The name was assigned to this unknown pilot by his impressed Indian adversaries at the Adampur base, and appears to be derived from his daring routine of making eight passes in bombing runs during every air raid over the alerted airbase to bomb selected targets with each 500 lb bomb in the moonlight, "and tried to carry out an effective attack each time", instead of dropping his entire bomb-load of 4,000 lbs during the first pass which would have allowed a safer exit for the aggressor aircraft over initial defences. One of the known kills of 8-Pass Charlie is one of the Indian Air Force MiG 21s on Operational Readiness Platform (ORP) which were about to take off when he the executed the first raid on the Adampur base at 2200 hours with his lone B-57 on 6 September, 1965. In addition to his routine of making eight passes over Adampur, the unknown pilot also seemed to have had a second routine of conducting his raids thirty minutes after moonrise.
Paddy Earle, an IAF fighter pilot, paid tribute to the unknown ace by saying:

"I have the utmost respect for the Pakistani Canberra bloke who loved to ruin the equanimity of our dreary lives! 8-Pass Charlie was an ace, but he had this nasty habit of turning up about 30 min. after moonrise, just as we were downing our first drink! Seriously, he was a cool dude and a professional of the highest order. To disguise the direction of his run, he used to cut throttles before entering a dive and by the time the ack-ack opened up he was beneath the umbrella of fire. After dropping his load he'd apply full throttle and climb out above the umbrella."

Squadron Leader Najeeb A Khan was one of the candidates of this title but even he did not carried out eight attacks alone, infact he used to make four attacks followed by his wingman a little later, which would turn out to be a total of eight attacks in all. Being the Squadron Commander, and one of the most experienced B-57 pilots, he applied the same tactics of coming in low, pulling up near the target, dive bombing after visually acquiring his target and then climbing away with full throttles. This profile was followed by the other three bombers which accompanied him.

On the night of 6th September he led a flight of four B-57s against Adampur. Najeeb narrates: "Myself, Flt. Lt. Bashar, Flt. Lt. Osman and Flt. Lt. Mazhar were the pilots of the four bombers with Flt. Lt. Irfan, Flt. Lt. Rashid, Flt. Lt. Harney, and Flt. Lt. Ghauri as the respective navigators. At the time of takeoff from the PAF base Osman was delayed a little. Bashar and I took off first and a couple of minutes later Osman and Mazhar joined us. As we settled down on our course Bashar's aircraft flying about a mile abreast began to fade from sight with the descending darkness. To keep contact I asked him to move closer but even at 600 feet away he could not maintain visual contact with me. For fear of losing him I had to take the task of switching on the navigation lights and thus we plodded on towards the enemy territory. It was the first hot mission of my career. The time had come for which I had been trained day and night for over 13 years in the PAF. As I crossed into India a mixed feeling of anxiety and excitement came over me. Pitch darkness had by then engulfed us making navigation a challenge to our professional skill. In the midst of it hearing Osman's occasional call of 'no contact' was disturbing. There was also a vague anticipation of hazards associated with a hostile mission. However this seemingly overwhelming gloom was dispelled with the prospect of licking a treacherous enemy who did not believe in any ethics of war. So forward we went, racing against time, to try to prove ourselves worthy of nation's trust. Soon we could see the grey ribbon of meandering Beas. We were in the enemy territory; I switched off the navigation lights and settled down firmly on our course. The target was still some distance away. We were flying low; as we approached Adampur we pulled up. Pull-up in a low level mission is crucial and decides the success or failure of an attack. Lo! The whole base was presenting a lovely sight. It was all lit-up, 2 to 3 miles at 10 O' clock from us. We had achieved complete surprise. I rolled in for a dive aiming at the beginning of the runway where I could see aircraft parked invitingly. I pressed the bomb switch but nothing happened. No bomb release! I was upset and pulled out of the dive. Bashar followed me dropping his bombs right at the ORP (Operational Readiness Platform). Suddenly the lights at the base went off and a heavy barrage of ack ack greeted us. Indians got ready to give us a fight. Bashar's bombs had lit up fires and the whole base could be seen as a sunny day (According to the Indians one of the known kills of 8-Pass Charlie is one of the Indian Air Force MiG 21s on Operational Readiness Platform (ORP) which were about to take off when he the executed the first raid on the Adampur base at 2200 hours with his lone B-57 on 6 September, 1965.) I veered for a second try when Osman called out: 'Leader, suggest, you do not make another dive; the ack-ack is very heavy.' 'Never mind!' I could not bear the thought of having to go back without delivering my cargo. I re-positioned the switches to try the alternative method of bomb release and rolled into a dive pointing the sight slightly ahead of the blaze along the runway. Four bombs dropped. I rolled out and banked again for another run. The ack-ack was murderous now. The sky was lit up with shell bursts and tracers. Osman's bomber was hit by a 40 mm shell and he left for home after delivering his cargo. On the third run I made an attempt for the technical area of the base. Two bombs found the fuel dump which caught fire sending flames high up into the sky. I had two more bombs left. I checked up fuel gauge; it was all right. I dived in the fourth time and released my bombs over the dispersal area. Before leaving home I got above the ack ack range and had a good look to survey the carnage below. A few aircraft, looking like Mysteres (indeed Adampur housed two squadrons of Mysteres which attacked Sargodha in waves, the very next day), were burning on the ORP and the fuel dump sending flames hundreds of feet in the air."

Squadron Leader Najeeb was a regular visitor to Adampur and narrates another of his spectacular strikes against this target. This narration also includes the same profile which was carried out by 8-pass Charlie, "As usual four B-57s were briefed to takeoff from Mauripur to strike Adampur, via Peshawar, to which we were to return for refueling. By now, we had been told to diversify our attacks from runways alone to other airfield installations. The airfield area was divided in four sections, and each crew was given a differential aiming point for attack. With eight 1000lb bombs on board, we decided to make four attacks each, dropping a couple of bombs each time so that if we missed the first time round, we would be able to make three more attempts. My primary target was the fuel dump, but the other objectives included the maintenance area, hangars, aircraft pens and technical buildings. We had no trouble finding the target and as I opened the attack with my first two bombs, pulling up at about 3000ft. I got a direct hit on the fuel dump which promptly caught fire. I dropped my second pair of bombs on another section of the airfield containing aircraft pens and the maintenance area, which also caught fire, and went on to cover the remaining two sections with my third and fourth attacks. This was the most successful strike of the war so far as I was concerned and the speed with which the fire started in the maintenance area indicated that several aircraft or fuel bowsers were involved. AA opposition was of its usual intensity, but as I could see it blazing away in all directions and I was the only aircraft over the target, I wasn't too worried. As I was exiting at low level I called up to my No.2, who had taken off about 15 minutes after me and asked him if he could see the target. He replied that it was easily visible because of the fires, although he was 30 miles away." The amount of damage reported by the him, as well as by PR reports, added to it the enemy respect of the unknown frequent visitor to Adampur, Squadron Leader Najeeb along with one of his bomber pilots' is the best contender to be titled as the '8-Pass Charlie'.

 

[ghazi52]

December 07, 1971
Zafarwal-Shakargarh Sector

“Lead you are on fire! your left wing is hit. Eject”

His No.2 Flight Lieutenant Irfan was shouting on the radio. But he ignored and focused on the tanks in his gun sight. Suddenly his aircraft jerked and he saw that his left wing was on fire. Seeing this, he jettisoned his fuel tanks and pulled up.

”Lead you have a sheet of fire under you! Eject.”

His No.3 Rashid Chauhdary shouted this time.

“O.K! You bomb the bastards. Leave me alone”.

He replied and turned the aircraft towards Pakistani area. Suddenly the engine took a violent jerk and all the instruments in the cockpit went haywire. He looked back and saw nothing but fire.

“Eject Lead”, Irfan shouted.

“Relax No.2. Keep calm and carry on the mission”. He calmly replied.

The pilot, his No.2 Flight lieutenant Irfan and his No.3 Squadron Leader Rashid Chauhdary, were accompanied by Group Captain Sajjad Haider and Wing Commander Imam Bukhari. Where the formation Leader was hit by an anti aircraft shell.

With a loud shriek, the left wing separated and the plane started to role horribly. it was suicidal to eject from a rolling aircraft. Remembering God, he ejected. Something felt like piercing thorough his right side of face and arm but he ignored. When he opened the parachute he felt a deep pain in his ribs.

It was not clear that where he was falling now. The area where he got shot was the Indian Territory and he tried to turn towards Pakistani Territory. Suddenly his aircraft exploded like a bomb, filling his heart with sorrow as if any good friend has died. He could see his fellows flying over the enemy area, bombing and firing. The vision got clearer as he got close to the ground. After 2 minutes, he landed on the ground.

The smoke rising from the destroyed Indian installations told him that opposite side is Pakistani side. He was the king of skies just moments ago, but losing his plane made him feel helpless. He walked a few steps when a machine gun burst hit the ground in front of him.

”Hands up, throw your revolver”, a loud voice alerted him.
He looked at his left side and saw a troop of 7 soldiers, with the uniforms without any insignia or identification mark on it. It could be any one, whether Indian or Pakistani. It was a fighting patrol.
“Who are you?”, asked the patrol leader.

“I am a Pakistani”, replied the pilot.

“Show me some identification”, Patrol Leader asked.

Not in a million years. Who the hell are you to ask me for that? Call your superior to talk to me, Pilot leader replied bluntly. The Patrol leader came with a gun brandishing towards the pilot and forcefully searched him and discovered an ID card of PAF from Pilot’s pocket, and his hand lowered.

“Sir take off your helmet please”, in a lower voice Patrol Leader said.

As he took off the helmet, Patrol leader introduced himself as a Pakistan Army Sergeant. Pilot told him the complete account of being shot down over the battle area and landing in the trees.

“Sir you are lucky it was us”, Patrol Leader told with a smile.
What you mean?, asked Pilot.

“Sir there is a mine field just a few steps away from you”, Patrol leader told.

A chilled wave travelled through the pilot’s spine.

Suddenly Indians started firing and the bullets were flying around them inches away, as their position was just 200 meters away from the enemy.

“Sir please go back, we will take care of these goons”, patrol leader replied while pointing towards the indian bunkers and ordered one of his men to escort the pilot, he took off his steel helmet and gave it to the Pilot.

“You wear it, you need it”, pilot handed it back.

“No sir you need it. Pilots like you are only few while soldiers like me are countless. Your safety comes first”, Patrol leader replied.

They just walked only a few hundred meters when he felt immense pain in his left ribs and right side of his face and arm. Solider accompanying told him that his face is bleeding and arm too. It actually happened when he was ejecting something scratched him. It was later discovered that his ribs were also broken when he opened his parachute.

He was taken to the nearby army field head quarters, where a Major and a Captain greeted him. Meanwhile enemy started shelling the area, but they were still standing outside the shelters.

“Why don’t you go inside? Pilot asked them in a surprised manner.

“Sir it’s our music and we are really enjoying it and it is to be enjoyed in the open. Not in a 4x4 bunker”, major replied with a smile.

The Pilot was taken to the airbase by a helicopter after 2 hours. His x-ray confirmed that he has 2 ribs broken. Medical Officer Squadron Leader Arif told him that he is not fit for action. But pilot requested him to declare fit as he is not feeling any pain. Seeing this Arif declared him fit for flight.
The Pilot continued his flight missions and struck the enemy brutally till the war ended. He flew 10 sorties after his ejection, destroying numerous enemy vehicles and and a SU-7 of the IAF. Everytime his plane landed on the ground, the crew took him out as he couldn’t move and he always requested his crew not to tell anyone about his severe condition. He got treatment after the end of war.

Today the world knows the valiant aviator as Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry Sitara-e-Jurat.

 

[ghazi52]

PAF pilot Flt. Lt. Aamer Sharif using F6, flying in a weak formation downed an IAF MiG21 which was flying in a bigger formation of Su7s/MiG21s on 14 Dec 1971 on Western Front!

https://www.facebook.com/

 

[ghazi52]

Sqn Ldr Munir uddin Ahmed, Known as “Munir” throughout the PAF, was one of its most popular officers. At the Age of 36 in 1965, overweight, grey-haired and completely happy-go-lucky, he was regarded as an “Elderly gent” by the youthful PAF pilots, but he set a pace which even the most energetic found difficult to rival. As wing operations officer at Sargodha, he was not required to fly in combat and in any case his many administrative duties would have grounded a less volatile man. But after his family, his great passion was flying and he managed to inveigle his way into combat missions at least once, and sometimes twice per day.
There are many stories told in the PAF about “ Munir “ whose legendary shutter that officially barred him flying operationally became progressively more pronounced as he got excited. Early on in the war when his section of F-86s had a rare encounter with IAF MiG-21s over the Chamb area. “Munir” got so close to one of these Mach 2 fighters that he could pick out its big wing fences and belly detail as it turned away. He called upon the RT about the MiG, and stammered convulsively, “B-B-B-By G-G-G-God, he nearly had me. Sqn ldr Munir was not terribly good at passing promotion examinations, but he had a heart of lion and the tenacity of a leech. He flew on Air defence, fighter sweeps and close support missions, but conceived a particular fixation against the IAF master radar station just across the border from Lahore at Amritsar. So intense were his feelings about trying to knockout this major installation that it became better known at Sargodha as “Munir’s Radar”.
Target Alfa as the Amritsar Installation was officially known to the PAF, was of course been a primary objective from the very beginning, since it controlled both the IAF fighters and bombers, as well as providing early warning for Indian Air Defence systems. And By Watching movement in the air of PAF fighters, it often enabled IAF Gnats and Hunters to evade combat, because of their superior speed performance over the F-86. The IAF was naturally only too conscious of the vulnerability of Amritsar radar to Pakistani Attack, and the area was very heavily defended with anti aircraft guns deployed over a radius of a couple of miles. Around Amritsar, too, were the main IAF fighter airfields of Pathankot, Adampur and Halwara, but an even more effective defence was provided by mobility of the Indian type 30 radar, which prevented its precise location from being pinpointed by the PAF as an essential preliminary to its attacks.
Unlike the PAF radar installations, the IAF was not then restricted to a fixed site, and its large lattice and dish aerials could be more easily concealed than the massive domes of the FPS-20s. Many of the 48 sorties, in fact, flown between 1-23 September by the two RB-57Bs and RB-57F of No. 24 Squadron from Peshawar were concerned with pinpointing the position of Amritsar radar, although major efforts were also devoted by their specialised crews to monitor enemy RT conversations. ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) missions to locate the enemy radars, which also included installations at Jammu and Ferozpur, were mostly flown 70-80 miles back from the international border. For greater accuracy, however, the RB-57s occasionally had to directly fly over their targets at 6000ft above the ground level, well within reach of Indian light flak.
After the first abortive missions against Amritsar on 06 September, recounted earlier, in which one ELINT RB-57B had its radar antenna drive sheared close to the target, and the second had one engine knocked out by Indian AA fire, the next move came on 7 September when attempts were made to locate “Alfa” radar by photographic reconnaissance. Lockheed RT-33s of No 20 Squadron were initially used for this task, operating unescorted at low level, and their results were sufficiently accurate for the site of “fishoil” – the call sign of Amritsar radar – to be pin pointed.
Attack as a result of this intelligence came on 09 September, when after briefing attended by the C in C, four F-86s from Sargodha hedge hopped 15 minutes across the border to Amritsar, in poor visibility to drop napalm jellied petroleum bombs on the radar site. Despite the adverse weather conditions, the four Sabres came across part of the Amritsar complex after setting course from their Initial Point, and the accuracy of their navigation was confirmed by the heavy AA fire encountered in the target area. Leading the mission was Flt Lt. Bhatti who delivered his napalm close to the site, although slightly to one side.
His No. 2 the ebullient Sqn Ldr. “Munir”, pulled up into a text book attck pattern over the site, but the lost visual contact with the target because of the thick haze. Further attempts to continue the Attack were then abandoned following warnings from Sakes of large numbers of IAF fighters racing towards the scene from the nearby airfields. After exiting at low level, the PAF Sabres dropped their remaining napalm loads harmlessly in Indian fields before returning to base.
At least the whereabouts of site “Alfa” was now known, however, and the air superiority force of Sabres at Sargodha were detailed for yet another strike against Amritsar on 1 September. Having tried and rejected napalm and rockets, the Sabres this time were to use only their 0.5in machine guns against the radar installation, for the optimum accuracy and adequate striking power. The use of bombs at this stage was vetoed by the C in C, since the radar site was very close to the town of Amritsar, with possibility of civilian damage and casualties. Cecil Choudhry was one of several PAF pilots who were convinced that dive bombing by Sabres was the answer to Amritsar radar. He was prepared to guarantee that four Sabres could deliver eight 1000lb bombs into an area 200yd square, but C in C was not prepared to risk even one bomb landing in the civilian cantonment.
For the attack of 11 September, four Sabres plus a top cover of two F-104s, were led by the wing leader at Sargodha. Wg Cdr Anwar Shamim , with Flt Lt. Bhatti As his No.3 , and Flt Lt. Cecil Choudhry as his No.4,
Enquiries as to the whereabouts of the wing leader’s No. 2 were answered by Sqn Ldr “Munir”, who arrived at the briefing in a freshly starched uniform, and announced that Flt Lt Seraj had been kind enough to stand down so that the Op officer could come along in his place. Resignedly, Wg Cdr Shamim completed the briefing, and the four Sabres set off at low level at 08:00 Hrs. on the Half Hour flight to Amritsar.
Despite poor Visibility from the usual dust haze, Flt Lt Bhatti, who was responsible for the navigation of this mission brought the four Sabres out at low level precisely on track to Amritsar. Some help in identifying the target was in fact received from the Indian AA fire, which began even before the Sabres started their pull-up to attack. As planned, Flt Lt. Bhatti and Choudhry began climbing to about 7000ft as top cover and to draw some of the AA fire, while the two F-104s orbited even higher to prevent interference from IAF fighters.
As the first pair of Sabres started their Climb, Flt Lt Bhatti called on the RT, “Target at 3 o’clock”, and Wg Cdr Shamim replied, “Lead and No. 2 pulling up”. By this time, the Target Area was a veritable inferno of light and medium flak and within few seconds there came another RT call, “Two is Hit”. Flt Lt. Bhatti, when later describing the mission, reported:
`No. 2 of course, was “ Munir “ but his voice on RT was calm and unhurried. As I looked down, however, I saw three balls of flame tumbling through the Air where his Sabre had already exploded. He must have taken a direct hit from a heavy AA shell and never had a chance to eject. The flaming wreckage fell on the eastern outskirts of Amritsar town, and “Munir” was reported that evening by the Indians to have been found dead among the debris.
Undeterred by the loss of “Munir” and continuing storm of flak, Wg Cdr. Shamim completed his strafing attack, firing long bursts into the radar aerials with is o.5in machine guns. Bhatti called up and said, “How about me having a go” and the remaining two Sabres then came in to expend most of their ammunition on the radar installation before exiting, still at low level. “Munir’s” loss on his ninth combat mission of the war was deeply felt at Sargodha and throughout the PAF, among whom he is remembered as a “Professional to the end”, but his courage and inspiration were recognised by the posthumous award of Sitara-e-Jurrat .

 

[ghazi52]

He was "The Pioneer" for his fellow men, "The Griffin for the PAF", "The Best Pilot" for King Abdullah o Jordan and the "The Bogeyman Pilot" for IAF . His name was Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat . He Joined PAF as a Flying Officer in 1954. He along with his fellow Alaud Din Butch was sent to US for the training of F-86 Fighter Jet. Later when the F-104 was inducted, they both were sent again for the training. This clearly showed that he is best among the best.

It was 1965, the clouds of war thickened. Although the war started on 6 September. But for PAF, the war started from August as the recce and supply missions were carried by PAF. It didn’t took long for the war to come home. When the Indian Air Force attacked Karachi, PAF sent F-86 Sabre aircrafts to defend the skies. Mervyn was flying one of those aircrafts.

In a dogfight that followed, Mervyn shot down two enemy aircrafts, a feat for which he came to be known as the ‘Defender of Karachi’. He was deployed at Mushaf Air Base, where he was given the command of Squadron No. 9. During the three-week war, he kept his squadron’s spirits high with the firm conviction of a commander to lead from the front. He performed an impressive series of seventeen ‘Air Sorties’ and three ‘Photo Reconnaissance’ missions. At the end of war, he was awarded “Sitara-e-Jurat” for his bravery and professional leadership. Indian air force was proud of its Amritsar Radar, however it was later crushed by a successful raid of F-86s. It was only possible due to the clear recce mission flown by Middlecoat.

1965 war brought a clear victory for Pakistan, proving PAF to be the most lethal war weapon. There was never a dull moment in the life of this war hero. Prior to 1971 war, Mervyn was the Commanding Officer of the 26 Squadron, deployed at Peshawar Base before going on a deputation to Jordan. When war broke out once again, he left this attractive post and returned to Pakistan to fight alongside his comrades.

Early in the war, the PAF high command devised a plan to take out the Indian Air Force’s radar capability by attacking the heavily defended Jamnagar airbase. Of the six pilots selected for this near-impossible mission, one was Mervyn, who now held the rank of Wing Commander. On 12 December 1971, a day after he returned to Pakistan, Operation: Amritsar Radar was launched.

When Mervyn, together with his colleagues, was busy strafing aircrafts of the Indian Air Force at the base, they were set upon by IAF MiGs. Forced to abort the mission, Mervyn narrowly avoided two incoming missiles by lowering his altitude and increasing his speed. But when his aircraft was near the Gulf of Kutch, a third missile hit him. According to Flight Lieutenant Bharat Bhoshan Soni, the pilot who shot him down, Mervyn managed to eject from the aircraft and fell into the sea below. Soni radioed for a rescue team, but by the time they got there, Commander Lesley was nowhere to be found and was declared ‘Missing in Action’.
Upon his martyrdom, he was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat for the second time. His widow also received a personal letter from King Hussain of Jordan, praising Mervyn for his heroic services. He wrote, “Sister, the passing away of the Shaheed is not only the loss of you and Pakistan, but also mine. It is my wish that when he is buried, his body will be wrapped up in Pakistan’s flag, but the flag of my country Jordan must be placed below his head.” His daughter Leslie, still has this letter in her possession, guarding it like a precious treasure.

For five long years, this martyr’s wife and daughter waited for in hope and anticipation of his miraculous return. They would make sure that his clothes were ironed and his slipper was placed in front of the bathroom — as if he would walk through the door any minute.

But he did not return, and after years of fruitless waiting, his loyal wife passed away on June 27, 2011. Their daughter Leslie recalls that whenever her relatives would call and insist that she move abroad with her daughter, her reply would always be the same: “This is my country.”

As for Leslie, she has never forgotten the words her father spoke to her when she was eight. “I cannot leave my country,” she says to this day.

“I must uphold the pole which hoists the white part of Pakistan’s flag, so that the green part can continue to remain high in free air till the end of time.”

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

A few aircraft, looking like Mysteres (indeed Adampur housed two squadrons of Mysteres which attacked Sargodha in waves, the very next day

Any info regarding it?

 

[ghazi52]

September 07, 1965
East Pakistan.

“Team! Check your firing equipment. One minute to target”, Leader said on the radio.

“Checked. All ok”, all the four team members replied one by one.

They were closing in to their target “Kalai Kanda” air base of Indian Air Force.

On the speed of 500 KMPH, they were flying on the tree top height. As the leader got the sight of target, he called on the radio,
“Alright boys, let’s rock and roll”.

Hearing this, his comrades Flt Lt Baseer, Haleem, Tariq Habib Khan and Afzal pulled up their Saber F-86s at the approximate height of 2000 feet. The leader himself pulled up his F-86 at the height of 2000 feet to launch the attack.

Indians had bombarded Dhaka and Chatham moments ago, but it proved useless as they were unable to do any damage. However it enraged PAF as it was a challenge for them. Leader still remembers the time when he caught the first site of his target. He recalls,
“It was broad daylight when I saw the beautiful scene of the air base. Indian B-58 Canberras were parked on the runaway and a couple of Hunters were also parked in the hangers. These were the same aircrafts that attacked my motherland. Now they are beneath my wings. Though I saw the target for the first time. But I felt as if I have seen it numerous times. I called on the radio to my boys, “Get Ready Boys”.
“Contact Lead”, four familiar sounds replied.
“Let's take good care of them”, Leader said.

Yanking his Sabre, Leader headed towards the Canberras parked on the runaway.
“I knew these devils can’t do anything to me now. No one will even try to save these aircrafts. No one will dare to raise his head now, the roar of thundering Sabres told them that it’s beginning of their end.
Leader brought his aircraft lower and pointed his gun sight on the first Canberra parked in the row. These were 14 air crafts. Leader squeezed the trigger of his machine guns gently and kept it pressed until the rain of bullets from the 6 Browning Machine guns (50 Calibre) pierced the Canberras from end to end. Brand new beautiful B-58s of IAF were nothing but a pile of junk now. In the mean time, his four comrades were busy in taking care of the other enemy air crafts as well.

“Lead! 3 enemy hunters approaching 3’O clock”, Flt Lieutenant Asghar called on the radio.
“OK! Let’s welcome them warmly”, Leader replied calmly.
But these IAF hunters stayed away from the sight and kept watching the situation as armed spectators. It was surprising that Indian Air Defence was silent; now opened heavy fire of anti air craft on the Sabres. The anti air craft shells lit up the sky and whole atmosphere started shaking with explosions. The attack was complete by then and a horrible sight of fourteen burning Indian Air Crafts filled the furious aviators with joy.
“Is every one OK?”, Leader asked.
“Yes sir”, four familiar voices replied.
“OK let’s move”, Leader said.
Everyone returned home safely. After that day, IAF was never able to attack Pakistani territory bravely. Leader and his comrades were awarded Sitara e Jurrat for this act of valour. Today the world knows the brave leader as Squadron Leader ( Air Marshal Rtd) Shabbir Ahmed HI(M), S.J

 

[Bullzz]

December 07, 1971
Zafarwal-Shakargarh Sector

“Lead you are on fire! your left wing is hit. Eject”

His No.2 Flight Lieutenant Irfan was shouting on the radio. But he ignored and focused on the tanks in his gun sight. Suddenly his aircraft jerked and he saw that his left wing was on fire. Seeing this, he jettisoned his fuel tanks and pulled up.

”Lead you have a sheet of fire under you! Eject.”

His No.3 Rashid Chauhdary shouted this time.

“O.K! You bomb the bastards. Leave me alone”.

He replied and turned the aircraft towards Pakistani area. Suddenly the engine took a violent jerk and all the instruments in the cockpit went haywire. He looked back and saw nothing but fire.

“Eject Lead”, Irfan shouted.

“Relax No.2. Keep calm and carry on the mission”. He calmly replied.

The pilot, his No.2 Flight lieutenant Irfan and his No.3 Squadron Leader Rashid Chauhdary, were accompanied by Group Captain Sajjad Haider and Wing Commander Imam Bukhari. Where the formation Leader was hit by an anti aircraft shell.

With a loud shriek, the left wing separated and the plane started to role horribly. it was suicidal to eject from a rolling aircraft. Remembering God, he ejected. Something felt like piercing thorough his right side of face and arm but he ignored. When he opened the parachute he felt a deep pain in his ribs.

It was not clear that where he was falling now. The area where he got shot was the Indian Territory and he tried to turn towards Pakistani Territory. Suddenly his aircraft exploded like a bomb, filling his heart with sorrow as if any good friend has died. He could see his fellows flying over the enemy area, bombing and firing. The vision got clearer as he got close to the ground. After 2 minutes, he landed on the ground.

The smoke rising from the destroyed Indian installations told him that opposite side is Pakistani side. He was the king of skies just moments ago, but losing his plane made him feel helpless. He walked a few steps when a machine gun burst hit the ground in front of him.

”Hands up, throw your revolver”, a loud voice alerted him.
He looked at his left side and saw a troop of 7 soldiers, with the uniforms without any insignia or identification mark on it. It could be any one, whether Indian or Pakistani. It was a fighting patrol.
“Who are you?”, asked the patrol leader.

“I am a Pakistani”, replied the pilot.

“Show me some identification”, Patrol Leader asked.

Not in a million years. Who the hell are you to ask me for that? Call your superior to talk to me, Pilot leader replied bluntly. The Patrol leader came with a gun brandishing towards the pilot and forcefully searched him and discovered an ID card of PAF from Pilot’s pocket, and his hand lowered.

“Sir take off your helmet please”, in a lower voice Patrol Leader said.

As he took off the helmet, Patrol leader introduced himself as a Pakistan Army Sergeant. Pilot told him the complete account of being shot down over the battle area and landing in the trees.

“Sir you are lucky it was us”, Patrol Leader told with a smile.
What you mean?, asked Pilot.

“Sir there is a mine field just a few steps away from you”, Patrol leader told.

A chilled wave travelled through the pilot’s spine.

Suddenly Indians started firing and the bullets were flying around them inches away, as their position was just 200 meters away from the enemy.

“Sir please go back, we will take care of these goons”, patrol leader replied while pointing towards the indian bunkers and ordered one of his men to escort the pilot, he took off his steel helmet and gave it to the Pilot.

“You wear it, you need it”, pilot handed it back.

“No sir you need it. Pilots like you are only few while soldiers like me are countless. Your safety comes first”, Patrol leader replied.

They just walked only a few hundred meters when he felt immense pain in his left ribs and right side of his face and arm. Solider accompanying told him that his face is bleeding and arm too. It actually happened when he was ejecting something scratched him. It was later discovered that his ribs were also broken when he opened his parachute.

He was taken to the nearby army field head quarters, where a Major and a Captain greeted him. Meanwhile enemy started shelling the area, but they were still standing outside the shelters.

“Why don’t you go inside? Pilot asked them in a surprised manner.

“Sir it’s our music and we are really enjoying it and it is to be enjoyed in the open. Not in a 4x4 bunker”, major replied with a smile.

The Pilot was taken to the airbase by a helicopter after 2 hours. His x-ray confirmed that he has 2 ribs broken. Medical Officer Squadron Leader Arif told him that he is not fit for action. But pilot requested him to declare fit as he is not feeling any pain. Seeing this Arif declared him fit for flight.
The Pilot continued his flight missions and struck the enemy brutally till the war ended. He flew 10 sorties after his ejection, destroying numerous enemy vehicles and and a SU-7 of the IAF. Everytime his plane landed on the ground, the crew took him out as he couldn’t move and he always requested his crew not to tell anyone about his severe condition. He got treatment after the end of war.

Today the world knows the valiant aviator as Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry Sitara-e-Jurat.

Salute to you Sir .......!!!

 

[ghazi52]

Sitting- Group Captain (later Air Commodore) M. Zafar Masud. Sep 1965

One of the PAF’s most courageous leaders Air Commodore Mohammad Zafar Masud HJ, SBt, ( 1923 – October 7, 2003 }; widely knew as Mitty Masud,

 

[ghazi52]

Flight Lieutenant M. Yunus who shot down IAF Canberra on April 10, 1959. PAF's No. 15 Squadron "Cobras" draw first blood. This incident of air violation is historically significant as it was PAF's first success against the IAF.
Courtesy : Our Heroes need their identity back