Tale of " Tail choppers " by War veteran Air Commodore (R) Sir Sajjad Haider

[SSGcommandoPAK]

 

[undercover JIX]

Real heroes of Pakistan.

 

[Falcon26]

Is it a Pakistani tradition to have loud and obnoxious music play in the background of every video. Completely ruined a very good view by the pilot. What’s wrong with just letting the video play itself?

 

[Ahmet Pasha]

True air warriors.

 

[Maxpane]

history of paf

 

[Joe Shearer]

A wonderful battle, against losing odds, and they lost. In spite of all the gallantry and brave deeds, they lost. This was not 65, and the IAF was not under the illusion that air power would not be used, that the understanding during the Rann of Kutch encounters would continue. This was 71, and the IAF was prepared for a strike well ahead of any declaration of war; when it came, it did peripheral damage and the rest was history. It was outstanding courage against a remorseless machine.

 

[randomradio]

A wonderful battle, against losing odds, and they lost. In spite of all the gallantry and brave deeds, they lost. This was not 65, and the IAF was not under the illusion that air power would not be used, that the understanding during the Rann of Kutch encounters would continue. This was 71, and the IAF was prepared for a strike well ahead of any declaration of war; when it came, it did peripheral damage and the rest was history. It was outstanding courage against a remorseless machine.

65 was their last option for a military adventure, even they recognize that.

 

[Joe Shearer]

65 was their last option for a military adventure, even they recognize that.

It will only get worse. Now the only options available are irregular warfare. And meanwhile, the sea of red ink is creeping up slowly. The symptoms are visible to the far-sighted ones; the others will continue to be Internet warriors until the final disaster.

 

[Hamza913]

65 was their last option for a military adventure, even they recognize that.

Someone forgot about Kargil.

 

[randomradio]

Someone forgot about Kargil.

And what was the result for Pakistan? Lost the war, lost a huge amount of soldiers, the army lost domestic standing, democracy was undermined, became a pseudo-rogue state, etc, etc.

 

[The Diplomat]

And what was the result for Pakistan? Lost the war, lost a huge amount of soldiers, the army lost domestic standing, democracy was undermined, became a pseudo-rogue state, etc, etc.

Marshal Law was not declared during Kargail. If you remember correctly PAF had 100% air superiority, which resulted in the loss of 2 IAF jets and 1 chopper. Hence IAF took justice by shooting down an unarmed, defenceless P3 of Pakistan Navy after the war had ended. I lost someone on that aircraft.
India spent more on Kargail than Pakistan did and even lost ground, as for the soldiers; that happened on the retreat because our stupid PM didn’t sign a ceasefire...

It will only get worse. Now the only options available are irregular warfare. And meanwhile, the sea of red ink is creeping up slowly. The symptoms are visible to the far-sighted ones; the others will continue to be Internet warriors until the final disaster.

Lets hope to keep peace between India and Pakistan, war is never a good option... Even if your country wins, lots of families are ruined.
Pakistan and India are neighbors, it would be nice to see more cooperation between both countries, more trade... Both countries would have been very developed if we worked together. Asia would have been the place where people from around the world came to look for jobs.

 

[Windjammer]

Three Days of Fury

On 3 December, as night fell in the east in the wake of the PAF’s opening salvos in the west, IAF Canberras attacked Tejgaon airfield as many as five times but fortunately, al their bombs fell wide of the mark and no damage was done to any aircraft or operational facility. Even before first light the next morning, the commander of 14 Squadron was airborne for the first CAP of the day over Dhaka; the next pair rolled down the runway as Chaudhry was returning to land at sunrise. The second CAP also landed without any signs of an impending Indian assault.

At about 0730 the third pair led by the operations officer Wing Commander S M Ahmed got airborne with Flying Officer Rashidi as wingman. Though not programmed or required to fly, Ahmad had insisted – in keeping with the PAF’s tradition of its seniors leading in combat – and was soon in the thick of battle with 4 Hunters, joined minutes later by some Mig-21s and Su-7s. In the melee the Hunters leader shot up Ahmad’s F-86, forcing him to eject 5 miles from Kurmitola; despite an air and ground search he was never found. Rashidi meanwhile successfully extricated himself from the “ one versus several` situation just as an other CAP comprising Squadron Leader Afzaal and Fight Lieutenant Saeed was engaging 3 Hunters a few miles away. Both Afzaal and Saeed despatched a Hunter each, but Saeed was immediately set upon by another Hunter and was himself shot down. However, only minutes later Afzaal had avenged his loss by chasing a Mig-21 and shooting it down. Although Saeed had ejected successfully, he too was never found; reportedly both he and Ahmed were taken away by Mukti supporters.

The returning F-86s of 14 Squadron were been refuelled and rearmed even before their engines had stopped turning, and the pilots had barely time to scribble their after-mission reports as they hurriedly gulped down their cups of tea.

The next pair to scramble, Flight Lieutenant Schames and Flying Officer Gul intercepted 2 Su-7s about 3 miles north of Dhaka. In their excitement both initially fired at the Sukhois out of range, but then Schames closed in to fire a second time. The Su-7s right wingtip started smoking but in full afterburner it still pulled away easily. The Su-7s, though far from being agile in air combat had the advantage of being able to disengage at will from pursuing Sabres, and this is what they did with the next CAP, flown by Flight Lieutenants Zaidi and Ata.

It was still only 0940 when Schames and Gul scrambled again, this time to intercept two Hunters who had pulled up to attack the runway from which the pair had just taken off. Schames shot down the first Hunter and fired a Sidewinder at the second one but the missile went wild and missed.

The greatest air battle of the day was led again by Schames – with the very young but spirited Flying Officer Shamshad on his wing – when they were scrambled towards midday. Just as their wheels were locking up, 2 of a flight of 4 approaching Su-7s fired their rockets at the F-86s, which were barely 200 ft above the trees. Schames broke into them and shot down one of the nearer pair of Sukhois with a Sidewinder, cheered by the squadron airmen watching from below.

Schames and Shamshad were next directed towards Kurmitola where each one of them downed a Hunter with their guns. Shamshad then returned to land but Schames spotted another Hunter over Tejgaon and fired his second Sidewinder at such close range that before its guidance system could take over, the missile streaked straight into the Hunter’s tail pipe and blew up the engine. The Indian pilot’s descent parachute was in full view of many ground observers around the airfield. But now Schames was in trouble: he was suddenly surrounded by 4 Mig21s which began to attack him in turn, driving him into a tight corner. The quick-thinking Schames immediately whipped into a max-rate steep turn at treetop height, with the Dhaka TV tower in the centre of it, jinking wildly as he turned. The Migs´ attack pattern was effectively disrupted and, short of fuel, they soon exited the scene.

The IAF attacks continued unabated and several aircraft fell also to the ack ack guns of 6 LAA Battery located at Tejgaon. In just three days, 4, 5 and 6 December, this unit had shot down 10 Indian fighters and 1 Canberra bomber – a valiant performance of which both Pak Army and the PAK were equally proud.

In the endless stream of IAF bombing, rocketry and straffing raids on Tejgaon, its pilots shot up numbers of civil aircraft as well: 4 Su-7s se to PIA Twin Otter ablaze and two Hunter formations hit 3 Pilatus light aircraft parked on the civil tarmac. Few of the attacking IAF fighters could resist the dummy F-86s parked invitingly on the southern taxiway; though extensivley damaged, they kept drawing attack after attack.

The IAF’s afternoon raiders on 4 December shifted their attention to the nearby Narayanganj area where the bulk fuel was stored. Squadron Leader Dilawar and Flying Officer Sajjad were scrambled at 1600 hrs to intercept one such formation of 4 Hunters south of the airfield. Dilawar shot down one of them (piloted by Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Lemontree) and then flew headlong into the other pair which quickly broke away. Dilawar then tried to aid his wingman who was being fired at by another Hunter but it was too late. Sajjad also had to eject and both he and Lemontree were picked up by the PAF’s rescue helicopter. Thus ended the first day, with 14 Squadron pilots having shot down 9 enemy fighters for the loss of 3 F-86s.

On the following day, 4 December, it was noticed that Hunters had stopped coming to Dhaka and the airfield attack role was now assigned only to Su-7s and Mig-21s. Until midday 14 Squadron remained busy in providing escort to Pak Army helicopters carrying reinforcements to the Comilla sector. Two F-86s flown by Squadron Leader Dilawar and Flying Officer Gul were scrambled to intercept 2Su-7s, but the latter managed, as usual, to pull away from the pursuing Sabres.

On 5 December Kurmitola runway was cratered by the IAF for the first time and repair work was started immediately. Tejgaon runway and 14 Squadron remained operational throughout the day and the Sabres’ interceptions forced many IAF raiders to jettison their bombs short of the two airfields. The F-86 dummies continued to draw fire but no real aircraft or pen was ever targeted. The IAF also made a few napalm attacks against the ack ack gun positions and one of the airmen’s dining halls, causing 5 casualties.

On 6 December, the IAF provided extensive support to the Indian Army in the field, and the attacks against Tejgaon-Kurmitola noticeably diminished. 14 Squadron also kept itself available for air support to Pak Army units; at 0900 a formation of 4 F-86s, led by Squadron Leader Dilawar, was despatched to provide overhead cover to Pak troops at Lakshman, 20 miles northeast of Dhaka. The formation engaged 4 Hunters over the battle area and Flying Officer Shamshad got a chance to bag a Hunter for himself when his leader’s drop tanks refused to jettison. The remaining Hunters left the scene.

Soon after this formation landed at Tejgaon, a flight of 4 Mig-21s appeared high from the north, each dropping 2 bombs. The bombing was accurately executed and 4 out of 8 made craters on the runway. From then o the airfield was kept under frequent bombing attacks severely inhibiting the runway repair work.

During the night of 6/7 December, the runway repair teams laboured tirelessly and succeeded in filling enough craters to make a 5,000 ft length available. By 0500 on 7 December this stretch was cleared and Squadron Leader Dilawar taxied out for an early CAP. Just then another bomber arrived overhead and, in a well aimed attack, split the usable 5,000 ft almost exactly in half. Dilawar had to taxy back and shut down.

Thus ended the stirring last days of 14 Squadron in East Pakistan. Before the inter-wing communication links were shut down on 16 December, the C-in-C spoke to the Air Officer Commanding to congratulate him, and asked him to convey his appreciation to all members of the heroic 14 Squadron. Rahim Khan also ordered Inam to destroy the 11 remaining F-86s to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, but he came to know several days later than Inam had been persuaded by the GOC Eastern Command to disable rather than destroy the aircraft, on the grounds that the burning of the aircraft would have been an unnecessary additional blow to the already low morale of the troops around Dhaka. Accordingly, the engines of all the aircraft were perforated by gunfire and their electrical wiring cut in several places to render them unfit for flying. All the remaining pilots of 14 Squadron were withdrawn via Burma, to continue their battle from West Pakistan. On their arrival at Sargodha their squadron was reequipped with F-6s.

Today the ‘Tail Choppers’ fly the F-7s and proudly display the battle honours of ‘Kalaikunda 1965’ and ‘Dacca 1971’ inscribed on their Squadron Colour. Far greater honours may lie in the future of No 14 Squadron, but the unforgettable epic of its handful of audacious warriors rising repeatedly from the Tejgaon runway, to challenge an enemy who outnumbered them 10 to 1, shall remain enshrined in its history for all time to come.

Date PAF Pilot PAF Plane Kills/Aircraft Remarks
22-Nov-1971 Wng. Cdr. M. Afzal Chaudhry No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Folland Gnat Over Chaugacha, East Pakistan. 3 PAF F-86Es Vs. 8 IAF Gnats.
03-Dec-1971 0730 hrs Sqn. Ldr. Afzaal No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Hawker Hunter 1 x MiG-21FL Over Kurmitola, East Pakistan.
03-Dec-1971 0730 hrs Flt. Lt. Saeed No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Hawker Hunter Over Kurmitola, East Pakistan. SD pilot was Sqn. Ldr. S.B. Samanta from No. 37 Squadron.
04-Dec-1971 1600 hrs Sqn. Ldr. Dilawar Hussain No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Hawker Hunter Over Narayanganj, East Pakistan. IAF pilot Flt. Lt. Lemontree taken POW.
04-Dec-1971 Flt. Lt. M. Shams-ul-Haq No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Su-7 Fitter 3 x Hawker Hunter In a single day but in three separate sorties over Dhaka and Kurmitola, East Pakistan. The IAF Su-7 pilot was Sqn. Ldr. V. Bhutani from No. 221 Squadron, taken POW and one of the Hunter pilots was Sqn. Ldr. K.D. Mehta.
04-Dec-1971 Flg. Off. S. Shamshad Ahmad No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Hawker Hunter Over Kurmitola, East Pakistan.
04-Dec-1971 Flt. Lt. Saeed Afzal Khan No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Hawker Hunter Over East Pakistan. 2 PAF F-86s Vs. 8 IAF Hunters. SD IAF pilot was Flg. Off. S.G. Khonde from No. 37 Squadron.
04-Dec-1971 Sqn.Ldr. Javed Afzal Ahmad No. 14 Squadron F-86E 2 x Hawker Hunter During a single sortie over Dhaka, East Pakistan.
06-Dec-1971 Flg.Off. S. Shamshad Ahmad No. 14 Squadron F-86E 1 x Hawker Hunter Over Lakshman.
Total: 14 Air-to-Air Kills in East Pakistan

 

[randomradio]

It will only get worse. Now the only options available are irregular warfare. And meanwhile, the sea of red ink is creeping up slowly. The symptoms are visible to the far-sighted ones; the others will continue to be Internet warriors until the final disaster.

They have their nukes though.

Marshal Law was not declared during Kargail. If you remember correctly PAF had 100% air superiority, which resulted in the loss of 2 IAF jets and 1 chopper. Hence IAF took justice by shooting down an unarmed, defenceless P3 of Pakistan Navy after the war had ended. I lost someone on that aircraft.
India spent more on Kargail than Pakistan did and even lost ground, as for the soldiers; that happened on the retreat because our stupid PM didn’t sign a ceasefire...

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I feel you have some facts mixed up. Maybe Kaiser Tufail can correct you there.

http://pakteahouse.net/2009/02/12/paf-in-kargil-a-paf-warrior-speaks-out/

 

[Joe Shearer]

Marshal Law was not declared during Kargail. If you remember correctly PAF had 100% air superiority, which resulted in the loss of 2 IAF jets and 1 chopper. Hence IAF took justice by shooting down an unarmed, defenceless P3 of Pakistan Navy after the war had ended. I lost someone on that aircraft.
India spent more on Kargail than Pakistan did and even lost ground, as for the soldiers; that happened on the
retreat because our stupid PM didn’t sign a ceasefire...


Lets hope to keep peace between India and Pakistan, war is never a good option... Even if your country wins, lots of families are ruined.
Pakistan and India are neighbors, it would be nice to see more cooperation between both countries, more trade... Both countries would have been very developed if we worked together. Asia would have been the place where people from around the world came to look for jobs.

An excellent post; there are some facts to be set right, and @randomradio has placed an appropriate narration before us all, but they do not affect your underlying theme, that peace is better than war. Even more, even the country that thinks it has won has to pay an awful price for it.

As for your last paragraph, some of us, both Pakistani and Indian, have been dedicated to that hopeful and optimistic thought, and we continue to be hopeful and optimistic.

Someone forgot about Kargil.

It wasn't much of an option, and it got dismantled rather speedily. I would obscure that story, if I were you. But then, as you must be happy to remember, I am not you.

They have their nukes though.



Sorry to hear about your loss.

I feel you have some facts mixed up. Maybe Kaiser Tufail can correct you there.

http://pakteahouse.net/2009/02/12/paf-in-kargil-a-paf-warrior-speaks-out/

I am so glad that you have been on PTH.

 

[Hamza913]

And what was the result for Pakistan? Lost the war, lost a huge amount of soldiers, the army lost domestic standing, democracy was undermined, became a pseudo-rogue state, etc, etc.

Hindustan lost more soldiers, and we gained point 5353.

We only left Kargil because of pressure being applied upon the army through politics, your military did an abysmal job at retaking the place.