The fledgling Indian Air Force committed almost its entire fighter resources to the 1947-48 Kashmir Operations. Tempests of Nos 7, 8 and 10 Squadron took part in the fighting as well as the sole Transport Squadron, No.12 flying the venerable Dakota.
Inevitabily , there were losses during the operations – both combat causes as well as accidents. Sadly there is no single source for us to table all the losses in one place.
DETAILS OF AIRCRAFT LOSSES :
| Date | Aircraft | Unit | Name of the Pilot | S.No | Remarks | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-Oct-47 | Dakota | 12 | Flt Lt Clifford Joseph Mendoza | MA965 | Crashed at Pir Panjal 24 Killed. | Killed |
| 05-Nov-47 | Spitfire | AFSI | Fg Offr PVS Ram | . | BO near Muree, Pakistan on flight to Srinagar. | POW |
| 25-Nov-47 | Spitfire VIII | AFSI | Fg Offr H C Sahgal | JF694 | BL near Chamb after GF damage | Safe |
| 01-Dec-47 | Harvard | 7 | Fg Offr Ulrich Anthony D’Cruz | . | SD Ground Fire. Pilot and Pax (PN Sharma) POW | POW |
| 10-Dec-47 | Tempest | 7 | Sqn Ldr S B Noronha | . | Dam Ground fire. BO over Jammu | BO |
| 29-Jan-48 | Tempest | 10 | Fg Offr Amit Singh Bakshi | . | Cr Landing at Jammu, ac caught fire and destroyed | injured |
| 15-Mar-48 | Tempest | 8 | Fg Offr Donald Michael | PR749 | Dam Ground Fire . Cr on Landing at Jammu ALG | Safe |
| 16-Mar-48 | Tempest | 7 | Fg Offr Balwant Singh | PR597 | SD Ground Fire attacking a Bridge. | Killed |
| 21-Mar-48 | Dakota | 12 | Wg Cdr KL Bhatia | VP914 | hit by artillery fire after landing at Poonch Air Field | Safe |
| 22-Mar-48 | Tempest | 10 | Flt Lt Sardindu Dasgupta | PR660 | Killed during an operational sortie in Kashmir | Killed |
| 22-Mar-48 | Tempest | 10 | Plt Offr G B Cabral | Overshot Poonch Runway crashed into river | Safe | |
| 12-May-48 | Tempest | 8 | Fg Offr Derek Austin O’ Brien | PR601 | Stuck throttle on Ldg at Jammu. Crashed | Killed |
| 08-Aug-48 | Tempest | 8 | Flt Lt Aloysius William Barrette | HA431 | Crashed after TO from Jammu airfield | Killed |
| 12-Sep-48 | Tempest | 7 | Plt Offr Donald George Baptiste | HA411 | SD AAA Kishenganga 1210 Hours 2 m from Tithwal | Killed |
| 03-Oct-48 | Tempest | 7 | Fg Offr UG Wright | HA363 | SD AAA BO Pandu, made it back to our lines DNE | BO |
| 05-Nov-48 | Tempest | 10 | Plt Offr Ivor Patrick Carrapiett | HA416 | Failed to return from Sortie near Chamb. | Killed |
| ??-???-48 | Tempest | 10 | Plt Offr G B Cabral | SD AA BO over Tithwal in No Mans land | BO | |
| Grand losses | 17 Known Losses | |||||
| AAA : Anti Aircraft Artillery BO: Baled Out TO: Take Off Ldg : Landing |
AFSI: Advanced Flying School (India) POW: Prisoner of War SD : Shot Down Dam: Damaged |
Sources:
An Incredible War : The RIAF in the Kashmir Operations – Air Marshal Bharat Kumar
Memorial Book – Sqn Ldr R T S Chhina.
Inside Occupied Kashmir – P N Sharma
Aircrew Logbooks – Gp Capt K L Bhatia, Wg Cdr D G Michael, Wg Cdr H C Sahgal