The first strike : Vampires over Chamb
This painting is about the very first day IAF was called into action to blunt a massive armoured thrust across the IB by the Pakistani Army on 01 September 1965 code named “Operation Grandslam”. Main objective of the Pakistani thrust was to cut off Kashmir supply line from the rest of the country by taking the bridge at Akhnur. As Pakistan offensive with nearly 70 tanks and two infantry brigades crossed the IB towards Indian Army forward positions at dawn of 01 September 1965, Indian Army was completely outnumbered and asked for air support at 1100 hrs. So far both countries had not declared war and hence use of Air Force had to be cleared only by the Cabinet. Defence Minister gave the approval at close to 1800 hrs and first formation of Vampires of four aircraft lead by Sqn Ldr SK Dahar took off from Pathankot at 1719 hours. Two more formations armed with rockets and guns took to air at interval of 10 minutes each with last formation attacking the enemy positions at fading light.
Vampires pounced on Pakistani armour with rockets and guns doing repeated attacks unmindful of intense ground fire and possible air threat from Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Second Vampire formation was bounced by a pair of PAF F 86 Sabres. Faced with threat from a superior aircraft the right action for the obsolete Vampires should have been to hit the deck and get out of the area at the fastest. However, from account now available from a PAF Sabre pilot including of a gun camera photo taken from his aircraft, it has been confirmed that far from running away, Vampires tried to give a fight to the Sabres. In the completely uneven duel, three gallant Indian pilots lost their lives.
Vampires were followed by Mysteres into the battle area. In this very first action by IAF in 1965 war it claimed 13 tanks, 2 guns and 62 soft-skinned vehicles destroyed and most importantly IAF was able to prevent a major Pakistani breakthrough.
Date: 12/24/2014
Owner: Webmaster
Full size:
1600x1217
« Jump to Album »
Aircraft Galleries
-- Current
-- -- Fighters and Bombers
-- -- -- SEPECAT Jaguar IB
-- -- -- SEPECAT Jaguar IM
-- -- -- SEPECAT Jaguar IS
-- -- -- MiG-21bis...
-- -- -- MiG-21Bison
-- -- -- MiG-21U/UM/US...
-- -- -- MiG-29 [Fulcrum]...
-- -- -- MiG-29 UPG (Upgrade)
-- -- -- Dassault Mirage...
-- -- -- Sukhoi Su-30 MKI ...
-- -- -- HAL ADA Tejas
-- -- -- -- HAL Tejas LSPs & SPs
-- -- -- -- HAL Tejas PV1,...
-- -- -- -- HAL Tejas TD1 & TD2
-- -- -- -- HAL Tejas (Trainer)
-- -- -- Dassault Rafale
-- -- Helicopters
-- -- -- HAL Cheetah...
-- -- -- HAL Chetak...
-- -- -- HAL Dhruv
-- -- -- HAL Light Combat ...
-- -- -- Mil Mi-17 [Hip]...
-- -- -- Mil Mi-25 / Mi-35...
-- -- -- Mil Mi-26 "Halo"
-- -- -- Mil Mi-8 [Hip] Rana
-- -- Trainers and...
-- -- -- BAe Systems Hawk ...
-- -- -- HAL HJT-36
-- -- -- HAL HJT-16 Kiran ...
-- -- -- HAL HJT-16 Kiran ...
-- -- -- Pilatus PC7 MkII
-- -- Transport Aircraft
-- -- -- Beriev A-50
-- -- -- Antonov An-32...
-- -- -- Boeing 737
-- -- -- Lockheed Martin...
-- -- -- Dornier Do-228
-- -- -- Embraer EMB135...
-- -- -- HAL HS 748M Avro
-- -- -- Illyushin Il-76MD...
-- -- -- Illyushin...
-- -- Miscellaneous
-- -- -- Unmanned Aerial...
-- -- -- Ultra Light and...
-- -- -- IAF Vintage Flight
-- Vintage Aircraft
-- -- Fighters and Bombers
-- -- -- Consolidated B-24...
-- -- -- Hawker Tempest II
-- -- -- De Havilland...
-- -- -- De Havilland...
-- -- -- Dassault Ouragan ...
-- -- -- Dassault Mystere IVa
-- -- -- EE Canberra...
-- -- -- -- Canberra B(I)58 -...
-- -- -- -- Canberra PR57...
-- -- -- -- Canberra B66 -...
-- -- -- -- Canberra Trainer ...
-- -- -- Hawker Hunter...
-- -- -- Folland Gnat Mk.1
-- -- -- MiG-21M/MF...
-- -- -- HAL Ajeet (Gnat...
-- -- -- MiG-23UM [Flogger]
-- -- -- HAL HF-24 Marut...
-- -- -- MiG-21FL [Fishbed...
-- -- -- Sukhoi-7 BMK...
-- -- -- MiG-23BN...
-- -- -- MiG-23MF [Flogger]
-- -- -- MiG-27M [Flogger]...
-- -- -- MiG-25R/U...
-- -- -- HAL Ajeet Trainer...
-- -- -- MiG23UM
-- -- -- Sukhoi...
-- -- Transport Aircraft
-- -- -- Antonov An-12
-- -- -- DeHavilland...
-- -- -- Lockheed L1049...
-- -- -- Douglas C-47 Dakota
-- -- -- De Havilland...
-- -- -- Illyushin Il-14
-- -- -- Miscellaneous...
-- -- -- De Havilland...
-- -- -- Fairchild C-119...
-- -- -- Tupolev Tu-124
-- -- -- Vickers Viscount
-- -- Helicopters
-- -- -- Bell 47 G-2
-- -- -- Mil Mi-4
-- -- -- Sikorsky S55...
-- -- Trainers and...
-- -- -- HAL HPT-32 Deepak
-- -- -- HAL HT-2
-- -- -- North American...
-- -- -- PZL TS-11 Iskra
-- -- -- Miscellaneous...
-- -- -- Percival Prentice
-- -- -- De Havilland DH82...
-- Aircraft Walkarounds
-- -- The Upgraded...
-- -- MiG-21Bison
-- -- MiG-25U Garuda
-- -- Sukhoi Su-30 MKI ...
-- Aircraft Cockpits
-- Aircraft Engines
Weapons and Ordnance
-- Air to Air Missiles
-- -- Matra Magic II
-- -- R-77RVV-AE [AA-12...
-- -- R-23R/T [AA-7...
-- -- R-27RE1/TE1...
-- -- R-60MK [AA-8...
-- -- Matra Super 530D
-- Piston Engined...
-- Air to Surface...
-- Surface to Air...
Equipment, Radars...
-- Radars
Special Features,...
-- Special Features
-- -- 119 Helicopter...
-- -- Air Indias Boeing...
-- -- Baaz : Induction ...
-- -- The Indian Air...
-- -- Camels land at...
-- -- Fire Power...
-- -- First HAL...
-- -- LCA Calendar 2011
-- -- No.20 Squadron - ...
-- -- Operating in an...
-- -- Agra in the 90s: ...
-- -- The Crocodiles of...
-- -- Round the world...
-- -- Canberras retire ...
-- -- The Suryakirans -...
-- -- The IAF in South ...
-- -- Farewell to the...
-- -- Farewell to the...
-- -- Unmanned Aerial...
-- -- Last of the...
-- -- Uttarkhand Airlift
-- -- Visiting the...
-- -- The Floggers of ...
-- -- Red Arrows at...
-- -- Jamnagar - The...
-- -- The Forgotten...
-- -- The MiG...
-- -- Lightnings...
-- -- The Caribous of...
-- -- Simon Watson's...
-- -- Last of the Deepaks.
-- -- The Silent...
-- -- The Caribous of...
-- Current Events
-- -- 2006 Events (And ...
-- -- 2007 Events
-- -- 2008 Events
-- -- 2009 Events
-- -- 2010 events
-- -- 2011 Events
-- -- 2012 Events
-- -- 2013 Events
-- -- -- Raising of 81...
-- -- 2014
-- -- -- Presentation of...
-- -- 2015
-- Air Shows and...
-- -- Aircraft Display ...
-- -- Chennai Air Show ...
-- -- Red Arrows at...
-- -- Air Force Day...
-- -- Hyderabad Airshow...
-- -- Mumbai Air Show 2004
-- -- Patrouille De...
-- -- Thiruvananthapura...
-- -- Cope India 2004 -...
-- -- Cope India 2004 -...
-- -- Cope India 2006 -...
-- -- Cope India 2006 -...
-- -- Cope India 2006 -...
-- -- Exercise Garuda -...
-- -- Exercise Garuda...
-- -- Illyushin-76 at...
-- -- Indradhanush -...
-- -- Indradhanush -...
-- -- Indradhanush -...
-- -- Iron Fist 2013
-- -- Exercise Eastern ...
-- -- Red Flag 08:...
-- -- Red Arrows at...
Memorials and...
-- Flight Crew...
-- 9 Wing Memorial...
-- Frozen Tear...
-- Vijay Smarak and ...
-- Wall of Silence...
-- Tsunami Memorial ...
-- 8 Wing War...
History
-- The First Decade ...
-- -- Training at Cranwell
-- -- Subroto...
-- The RIAF in World...
-- -- RIAF Water...
-- -- Recruitment...
-- -- IAFVR pilots in UK
-- -- Sqn Ldr M S Pujji...
-- -- No.1 Squadron -...
-- -- Sqn Ldr MS Pujji...
-- -- No.8 Squadron -...
-- -- No.8 Squadron -...
-- -- Frank Shelton's...
-- -- No.4 Squadron in ...
-- -- No.4 Squadron in ...
-- -- War Graves and...
-- -- -- The Runnymede...
-- -- -- Singapore...
-- -- Miscellaneous
-- -- Pilots and other ...
-- -- Flying Officer...
-- -- Coastal Defence...
-- -- Training in the IAF
-- -- Flying Officer P ...
-- -- 4 Squadron Album
-- -- No.3 Squadron
-- -- Wing Commander K ...
-- -- Wing Commmander...
-- -- No.1 Squadron at ...
-- -- Fg Offr O D...
-- -- -- Early Years -...
-- -- -- Kohat '44 with...
-- -- -- No.2 Squadron -...
-- -- -- No.2 Sqn - Camp...
-- -- -- Back to Kohat in ...
-- -- -- WW2 Memorabilia
-- -- -- Air Services India
-- -- -- No.51 Squadron...
-- -- Group Captain...
-- The Jammu &...
-- -- Dakota Operations...
-- -- Civil Aviation...
-- The Era of the...
-- -- Group Captain B S...
-- -- 54th Pilots Course
-- -- Tenure with No.3 ...
-- -- The Battle Axes' ...
-- -- 65th Pilots Course
-- -- Instructional Duties
-- -- No.2 Squadron -...
-- -- No.2 Squadron -...
-- -- No.2 Squadron -...
-- -- 70th Pilots Course
-- -- No.20 Squadron...
-- -- 101 PR Sqn, 2 Sqn...
-- -- No.23 Squadron - ...
-- -- 71st Pilots Course
-- -- Miscellaneous
-- -- 69th Pilot's Course
-- -- -- Passing Out...
-- -- Pilot Officer...
-- -- Hindustan...
-- -- Flt Lt George...
-- -- No.5 (HB)...
-- The 1962...
-- -- POW Repatriation ...
-- The Glorious...
-- -- No.45 Squadron...
-- -- Plane Spotting at...
-- -- Miscellaneous...
-- -- No.1 Squadron...
-- -- Bounty Flying in ...
-- -- No.8 Squadron...
-- -- No.4 Squadron...
-- -- No.14 Squadron - ...
-- -- The North East Album
-- The...
-- -- 114 Helicopter Unit
-- -- The Eastern Sector
-- -- 114 Logistic...
-- -- The Sabre Slayers...
-- -- The Canberras
-- -- No.32 Squadron - ...
-- 1971 War
-- -- Gp Capt Harish...
-- -- The Western Front
-- -- News Paper Gallery
-- -- Eagles Over...
-- -- Lawrence Frederic...
-- -- Flt Lt Gurdeep...
-- -- 14 Care and...
-- That Seventies...
-- -- Miscellaneous...
-- -- Wg Cdr K S...
-- -- No.2 Squadron...
-- The Last Quarter ...
-- -- Group Captain B S...
-- -- Wg Cdr P M Ahuja ...
-- -- Air Vice Marshal ...
-- -- Miscellaneous...
-- -- No.1 Short...
-- Operation Safed...
-- -- The Air Warriors ...
-- -- A View from the...
-- -- From the Front Lines
-- Tributes
-- Veteran...
-- -- Canberra...
Museums
-- Air Force Station...
-- Air Force Station...
-- Jumbo Majumdar...
Medal Gallery
-- 1933-1950
-- 1947-48 Jammu &...
-- The Bangladesh...
Philately
-- Stamps
-- Special and First...
-- Brochures and...
-- Other Philately...
Aviation Art
-- Denis Anthony La ...
-- Ian Steele Loughran
-- Polly Singh
-- Joseph Arul Raj
-- K S Raman
-- Miscellaneous...
-- Derek Bunce
-- Deb Gohain
-- NCE Chinnaswamy...
-- Aditya Singh Chauhan
Collectibles
-- LP Album Record -...
-- Golden Jubilee - ...
-- Golden Jubilee - ...
-- Mementos and...
-- Golden Jubilee...
-- 75 Years -...
-- No.4 Squadron...
Modelling the...
-- Polly Singh's...
-- -- 1/72 Lindberg SE 5a
-- -- Frog / Novell...
-- -- Airfix 1/72...
-- -- Match Box 1/72...
-- -- Monogram 1/48...
-- -- 1/24 Trumpeter...
-- -- Airfix 1/72...
-- -- Monogram 1/48...
-- -- Revell Frog 1/72 ...
-- -- Spitfire Parade...
-- -- Academy and...
-- -- Academy 1/48 ...
-- -- Match Box 1/72 ...
-- -- Occidental 1/48...
-- -- Italeri 1/72...
-- -- Italeri 1/72 Bell...
-- -- Heller 1/72...
-- -- Matchbox 1/72...
-- -- Hobbycraft 1/72...
-- -- Canberra Farewell...
-- -- Aeroclub 1/72...
-- -- Black Panthers...
-- -- Academy 1/48...
-- -- Alliance 1/72...
-- -- Fujimi 1/72...
-- -- KP 1/72 ...
-- -- Airfix, Heller...
-- -- 1/72 The Indian...
-- -- Fujimi MiG-21PF, ...
-- -- Hasegawa 1/72...
-- -- Heller 1/72...
-- -- 1/72 Italeri Hawk...
-- -- 1/72 Azur FRROM...
-- -- 1/72 Revell MiG...
-- -- 1/48 Academy MiG ...
-- -- 1/72 Eastern...
-- Rupesh Santoshi's...
-- -- Matchbox 1/72...
-- -- Matchbox 1/72...
-- -- Hasegawa 1/72...
-- -- Hasegawa 1/72...
-- -- Eastern Express...
-- Murli Rajan 's...
-- -- 1:48 Mirage 2000
-- -- 1:48 Sepecat Jaguar
-- -- Mig-21 Bis TACDE
-- -- Hawker Hunter F56A
-- -- MiG-29 UPG
-- -- BAe Hawk Mk.132...
-- -- C-130J-30s Hercules
-- -- Sukhoi Su-7
-- -- De Havilland Vampire
-- -- Hawker Tempest Mk.II
-- Misc Modeller...
-- -- Hasegawa 1/48...
-- -- Hasegawa 1/72...
-- -- Matchbox 1/72...
-- -- Aeroclub 1/48 HAL...
-- -- Academy 1/48...
-- -- OEZ N02 1/48...
-- -- Tamiya 1/100...
-- -- Academy 1/48...
-- -- Academy 1/48...
-- -- Eastern Express...
-- -- KP Models 1/72 ...
-- -- ESCI 1/48 MiG-23UM
-- -- Trumpeter 1/144...
-- -- Revell 1/48 Mil...
-- -- Revell 1/32 Mig-29
-- -- Italeri 1/72 MiG-29
-- -- Italeri 1/72 MiG-29
-- -- InAir 1/100 MiG-29
-- -- Trumpeter 1/48...
-- -- Academy 1/48...
-- Aamod Potdar's...
-- -- Academy 1/48...
-- -- Italeri 1/72...
-- -- Italeri 1/72...
-- -- Italeri 1/72 Sea ...
-- -- Balsa Wood 1/72...
-- -- MiG-29 [Fulcrum]...
-- -- Tamiya 1/72 Mi-25...
Patches
-- Squadron Patches
-- Crest Patches
-- Type Patches
-- Missile Units
-- Qualification...
-- Special Teams
-- Miscellaneous...
-- Exercises
-- Second World War ...
-- Stickers
Books and Brochures
-- No 220 Squadron -...
-- 32 Squadron -...
-- "I join the RIAF"...
-- IAF Over Burma
Documents and...
-- Accident Report...
-- -- Investigation Photos
-- -- Photos of the...
-- The Indian Air...
-- PAF Miranshah...