The Bharat-Rakshak site salutes the air veterans of the 1965 India-Pakistan War. We will be featuring articles and stories in the war including excerpts from the book "India-Pakistan Air War of 1965" over the coming months to commemorate the 50th year anniversary of the conflict.
Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy was a young fighter pilot with No.23 Squadron flying Gnats during the 1965 War. He writes about his experiences. This write up was published on 2nd August 2006 in the Indian Express and drew a response from Marshal Arjan Singh which is reproduced at the end of the article.
Ramesh Madan joined the Indian Air Force in 1959 as an airman and took part in the 1965 and 71 conflicts. He was on site when the Pakistani Navy shelled Dwarka. He narrates the events in this candid story of that day. Ramesh Madan left the IAF as a Sgt.
Vivian Goodwin 4798 F(P), was commissioned on 6th November,1954, at Begumpet in the 64th Pilots Course. After Jet Training Wing, Hakimpet, he was posted to No 8 Squadron, Ambala, equipped with the Toofani , India’s top fighter of the day. Sqn Ldr RL Suri commanding. In Dec 1957, the entire Squadron moved to Kalaikunda to convert on the Mystere IVA , India’s first transonic fighter. Sqn Ldr “Reggie” Sayce / Sqn Ldr ‘Jim” Goodman, commanding. In Sept 1959, he was posted to JBCU, Agra for conversion on the Canberra. Instructed by Flt Lt “Jaggi” Nath and then the CO, Sqn Ldr MR Agtey. Goodwin was initially disappointed transiting from fighters to bombers, but subsequently, he had no regrets whatsoever, as he found the Canberra so versatile, maneuverable and fully aerobatic.
On 7 Sept 65, as a young Navigator with No.16 Squadron, then Fg Offr G C S Rajwar took part in the only attack undertaken by the IAF on Chittagong airfield. Later that day, he was an eyewitness to the PAF's attack on Kalaikunda. This account narrates the events of that day in his own words.
In war, much often hangs on a knife-edge. As this piece by Air Marshal Raghavendran shows, this was especially true of the famous PAF raid on Pathankot. It may have been down to the cautiousness of one man in a key position, that this single most successful raid ever mounted by the PAF against India did not run into a CAP flown by the top guns of the lead Gnat squadron of the time .
Buy the book
