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HINDUSTAN FIGHTER HF-24 MARUT - AT WAR
As tensions continued to rise between India and Pakistan through 1971, the IAF planned to meet any contingencies. Consequently, both Marut squadrons were deployed to Jodhpur from Chandigarh in early 1971. In November that year, detachments from both the squadrons were moved to forward bases as part of Operation "Cactus Lily". These bases went to full alert as they received the first Pakistani strikes on the evening of the 3 December 1971.
Uttarlai was hit by a B-57 strike at 20:00 hours on the 3rd and its Maruts became the first to retaliate. In the early hours of December 4th, No.10 Squadron flew its first sorties of the war. A four ship counter-air strike (Mission X-01) was flown against Hyderabad (Sind) airfield some 200 miles (320 km) inside Pakistani territory. As aircraft were seen at the airfields, the Maruts proceeded to attack airfield installations with 1,000 lbs. (454 kg) bombs. Surprisingly no attempts were made to intercept the Maruts, which encountered only light anti-aircraft fire and all the aircraft were recovered to base. Hyderabad was subjected to further counter-air attacks later in the day.
Maruts from No.220 Squadron joined their No.10 counterparts, as the latter began interdiction missions later on the 4th. No.220 flew ground attack sorties against Camp Ghazi', a heavily defended area within which a series of bunkers and other fortifications were destroyed by rockets. This softening up was to prove invaluable to the 11th Inf. Div. when it moved forward during the following night and, after a stiff action, overran the Pakistani positions. Both squadrons continued to strike targets in Sind, and Naya Chor was repeatedly hit on the 4th. Although substantial damage was inflicted on Pakistani positions, No.220 Squadron lost its first aircraft of the conflict over Naya Chor. Flt. Lt. P.V. Apte was killed, when his Marut was hit by AAA and Flt. Lt. Bhargava was taken prisoner after ejecting from his aircraft over Naya Chor.
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The location of important targets (signal units and nav-aid equipment) at Naya Chor, meant that the IAF lavished special attention on it. The loss from the previous day notwithstanding, Naya Chor was attacked again on the 5th. Running the gauntlet of heavy AAA fire several Maruts strikes hit Naya Chor. POL dumps and trains at Chor, Dhoro Naro, Sufi Fakir and Umerkot were also hit on the 5th.
Columns of Pakistani vehicles were strafed and rocketed by Maruts on the 5th and 6th at Longewala, complementing the tremendous effort made by Hunters operating from Jaisalmer. Further south, the Maruts attacked and dispersed a concentration of Pakistani troops and vehicles opposite Sundra, using their 68mm SNEB rockets to devastating effect. Diurnal interdiction missions were flown against the Pakistani transportation system, the Maruts concentrating on the railway line from Rohri to Khanpur. The marshalling yards and rail junction at Mirpur Khas were heavily attacked by the Maruts of No.10 Squadron on 7th and 8th December.
Although essentially a ground attack aircraft, the Marut also demonstrated that it could also hold its own against enemy fighters. At 0930 hours on December 7th, Sqn. Ldr. K.K. Bakshi and Flg. Off. K.P. Sreekanth engaged on a ground attack mission south-east of Chor encountered four PAF Sabres, presumably on a similar mission across the bombline. Upon their pilots sighting the Maruts, the quartet of Sabres split into pairs, one pair immediately turning in to attack the Indian fighters which took up the challenge.
In the brief melee ensured Sqn. Ldr. Bakshi found himself closing head on with one of the Sabres. Both pilots began firing but it was a burst of 30mm fire from the Marut that found its mark. The Sabre broke away streaming flame and smoke. The same evening a pair of No.10 Squadron Maruts, returning from a strike mission, were bounced by a pair of F-86 Sabres, but out flew the attacking fighters, by exploiting their superior performance at low level.
Encounters with enemy aircraft became more frequent as the Indian Army's offensive reached Naya Chor, a town some 43 miles (70 km) from the district headquarters at Mirpur Khas and 93 miles (150 km) from Hyderabad-Sind. Beyond Naya Chor lay Sind's irrigated belt, and an Indian breakthrough into this territory would have had serious consequences for Pakistan. Consequently, the bulk of the PAF fighter-bomber force was committed to this area and both air forces were constantly engaged in support of their armies. On the 9th, No.10 lost its first aircraft when Sqn. Ldr. A.V. Kamat was shot down near Naya Chor.
On the 10th, two Maruts flown by Sqn. Ldr. M. Jatar and Flt. Lt. S.C. Batra were attacking targets of opportunity near Naya Chor, and Jatar had just scored hits with 68mm rockets on a dug-in Pakistani tank, when Batra saw in his rear view mirror, three Sabres behind and slightly above at about 1500 ft. (457 metres). Almost simultaneously a fourth Sabre was spotted at five o'clock. Both Maruts turned to give battle but neither they nor the Sabres had scored any hits when air control warned the Indian pilots of the approach of a combat air patrol of PAF MiG-19s. Believing discretion to be the better part of valour, both pilots disengaged and flew back to base.
The PAF made repeated attempts to neutralize the forward base at Uttarlai. The airfield was attacked by B-57s at night and F-104s during day. These hi-lo missions were launched from the distant Pakistani base at Masroor and the intermediate airfield at Talahyar. As the Pakistani directional beacon nav-aid at Naya Chor was being used for these attacks it had to be destroyed. On the 11th, two Maruts taxiing out for a sortie were shot up on the ground by PAF F-104s.
Although one aircraft was completely written off, both pilots escaped with minor injuries. This did not hold up the strike and within minutes another pair of Maruts were in the air. And so on the 11th and 12th, Naya Chor’s nav-aid facilities remained under constant attacks by Maruts. The Indian fighters ran the gauntlet of moderate to intense anti-aircraft fire, but it was only during the final attack that two of the Maruts, piloted by Sqn. Ldr. Brian De Magry and Flg. Off. Sreekanth, ran into aerial opposition. This took the form of four Sabres returning from a strafing mission against Indian supply trains at Parbat Ali. The Maruts jettisoned their drop tanks and flew to engage the Sabres, but results in the ensuing low-level dogfight were inconclusive.
The very nature of the lo-lo-lo missions performed by the Maruts, made encounters with enemy fighters unlikely, and on occasion a pair of MiG-21s from No.29 Squadron, also based at Uttarlai, flew top cover. The MiG-21s usually flew about 6560 ft. (2000 metres) above the Maruts. On the 16th, a trio of MiG-19s intent on bouncing a Marut strike that had just strafed Pakistani vehicles and troops west of Umarkot, had to brake away to take on the MiG-21 top cover which their pilots had evidently spotted at the last moment.
The Maruts flew until the last day of the war. On the 17th, two Marut strikes were launched against Umarkot. On the first of these a pair of intercepting F-104s were shot down by the Marut's MiG-21 escort. The Marut was a tough aircraft. On at least three occasions, Maruts regained their base after one engine had been lost to ground fire. On one of these, a Marut returned to base without escort on one engine from about 150 miles (240 km) inside hostile territory. On another occasion Wg Cdr Ranjit Dhawan, flying his Marut through debris that erupted into the air as he strafed a convoy, felt a heavy blow in the rear fuselage of the aircraft, the engine damage warning lights immediately glowing and one engine cutting. Fortunately, the Marut was capable of attaining a safe and reasonable recovery speed on one engine, and Dhawan had no difficulty in flying his crippled fighter back to its base.
All in all the Marut squadrons acquitted themselves very well. The Marut, as an aircraft, was shown to be tough and capable. No aircraft were ever lost in air-to-air combat. However, 4 were lost to ground fire and two were lost on the ground. The Maruts were in the thick of it, right through the fighting on the western front, and the Squadrons ended the war with a total of three Vir Chakras.
Bibliography
Chopra, Pushpindar Singh. "No. 10 Squadron, Indian
Air Force". Wings of Fame. Volume 12, No. 5, May 1999.
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