Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of India's Greatest Military Victory

IAF maintains Air Supremacy
US asks permission from India to fly evacuation missons to Dhaka

Dec 07, Western Sector: The IAF Continued its Air Offensive against targets in Pakistan as it had been doing in the past four days. The focus has shifted from taking out airfields to Interdicting Pakistani ground forces.

The policy of attacking PAF airfields have put the PAF on defensive. Very few of the PAF fighters can be seen providing ground support to the army or in interception missions against our aircraft flying close support to the army.

The PAF did score a minor sucess when one Sukhoi-7 of No.26 Squadron was shot down near Samba. Sqn Ldr Jiwa Singh's aircraft crashed in enemy territory. A Punjab regiment's patrol sent to the crash site had reported that Sqn Ldr Jiwa Singh had not ejected and had died in the crash.

This was the only Combat casuality of the day. A Gnat on a ferry mission to Amristsar crashed in the vicinity killing the pilot. Disorientation is suspected to be a cause here in this non combat related accident. No loss of aircraft was reported in the Eastern Sector. A Hunter aircraft did crashland at Dum Dum and the aircraft was recovered. 

A Sukhoi fighter bomber being armed up for a strike mission against a target in West Pakistan

Meanwhile Radio Intercepts have confirmed that an Specially equipped B-57 bomber had been destroyed in one of the hangars bombed at Masroor yesterday by aircraft of No.35 Squadron. The B-57 bomber was a ECM Counter measures aircraft and is said to be the only such type in the PAF.

The PAF was also unlucky to lose three aircraft in the Chamb sector. A MiG-19 was shot down by LMG fire at the Phuklian Salient (Read accompanying story : David Vs Goliath). Flt Lt Wajid Ali Khan was captured.

Another F-86 Sabre was shot down in the Chamb area. The pilot ejected but had managed to escape back to enemy lines.

On the Eastern front, the US Government wanted to evacuate their nationals from Dacca and asked Pakistan's permission to land a Boeing 707 at Dacca. Pakistan told them that the Indian Air Force was very active in that region and they could not assure safety of the Boeing. The fact was that they did not want to announce that their runways had been knocked off as it would have demoralised both the military and the nation.

Instead they asked the Americans to request India for safe passage. The Indian Government called the Pakistan bluff and promptly agreed to cease air operations over Dacca for a given period of 4 hours. Those four hours went by and no Boeing arrived - no further requests were made by the Americans either. However, the U.S. thanked India for its gesture, but this was another proof of total destruction of the PAF airfields in the East by December 6th.

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