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1965 Sargodha airstrike

Indian aerial operation during the 1965 Indo-Pak War

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Background

1965 Indo-Pakistani conflict

Following Operation Desert Hawk, the Pakistani military planners sought to use their qualitative modern weapon platforms to overrun Indian posts in the disputed region of Kashmir. It was also hoped to use this opportunity as India was busy re-building its armed forces following its losses during the Sino-Indian war of 1962. This effort culminated in Operation Gibraltar. However, the forces failed to provoke the Indian Kashmiri people to revolt, and the Indian Army promptly started to quash the infiltrating forces once it recognised that it was battling not insurgents, but regular Pakistani Army troops.

On 15 August 1965, Indian forces captured three hill positions that had been earlier occupied by Pakistan and were being used to disrupt traffic on the Srinagar – Leh Highway. During Operation Bakshi and Operation Faulad, Indian forces captured the strategic Haji Pir pass by 28 August. This forced the Pakistani forces to launch Operation Grand Slam on 1 September to reach Akhnoor and attempt to hold Indian forces at bay. Facing larger enemy forces, The Indian Army withdrew from their lightly defended positions in Kashmir and opened the Lahore front and mounted attacks inside Pakistani territory. Indian forces also began an advance to Sialkot. The IAF was given the role of supporting the Army's objective.

Indian CAS flights

On 6 September alone, IAF flew thirty-one Mystère sorties from Pathankot and Adampur, sixteen Hunter sorties from Halwara and six Canberra sorties from Agra for both reconnaissance and close air support of the Indian Army operations in the Chhamb sector.In addition, fourteen Gnat and four MiG-21 air defence missions were also undertaken in areas where ground attack aircraft were operative. The IAF has claimed nine tanks, twelve heavy guns, four ack-ack guns, twenty-six vehicles and one military train as destroyed as a result of these strikes.

PAF airstrikes

The largest major Pakistani air offensive was undertaken after the Indian Army launched a counteroffensive into Pakistani Punjab province in the early morning of 6 September 1965, to relive Indian troops in Kashmir and to open up a larger font to combat. A large PAF air group managed to successfully destroy the Pathankot airbase, used by the IAF to support army advances, though the attacks over Halwara were intercepted and shot down and those over Adampur were forced to turn back. The airbase was severely damaged and most aircraft at the base remained inoperable for the remainder of the conflict. The PAF claimed up to 13 IAF aircraft destroyed during this attack. The IAF reported that they lost a C-119, 6 Mystres, 2 MiG-21's and a Gnat damaged as a result of the strikes.

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