Battle of Boyra: Difference between revisions

{{EngvarB|date=December 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

| place            = Boyra [[Salient (geography)|Salient]], which protrudes into [[India]] from north west region of [[East Pakistan]].

| result            = *Decisive Victory for [[Indian Airforce]].

*[[Pakistani Air Force]] [[Close Air Support]] mission neutralised.

| combatant1        = {{flagu|India}}

 

{{flagicon|IND|air force}} [[Flight Lieutenant|Flt. Lt.]] Roy Andrew Massey

 

 

 

| casualties1      = None.

The '''Battle of Boyra''', on 22 November 1971, was an aerial interception battle that was fought between the [[Indian Air Force]] and intruding [[Pakistani Air Force]] jets that had crossed into Indian Airspace. The Pakistani Army was engaged in combat against the [[Mukti Bahini]] (Bengali Guerrilla fighters) and a Battalion size detachment of the Indian Army in the [[Battle of Garibpur]] as part of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. Pakistani ground forces requested air cover and close air support from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The PAF aircraft, while providing support to the Pakistani ground units, ended up crossing the Indian border. A detachment of four Folland Gnats was moved to Dum Dum (Kolkata Airport) from its parent base at Kalaikunda, near Kharagpur, over 100 km to the Southwest, to intercept the Pakistan Air Force aircraft. The Detachment was commanded by Flt Lt Roy Andrew Massey.

After months of internal tensions in [[East Pakistan]] (current day [[Bangladesh]]) leading up to the [[1971 Bangladesh genocide]], and a clampdown on Bengali nationalists, many independence fighters had organised themselves into a guerilla army. Called the [[Mukti Bahini]], these rebels were aided by India in their struggle. After initial success over Pakistani troops there had been some relative calm in the region and further Indian assistance was sought to turn the tide. Economically burdened by close to 10 Million Bangladeshi refugees,<ref name="time.oct25-1971">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877316,00.html|title=East Pakistan: Even the Skies Weep|work=Time|access-date=20 October 2009|date=25 October 1971}}</ref><ref name="usconsulate_cable_march31">{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB79/BEBB6.pdf |title=U.S. Consulate (Dacca) Cable, Sitrep: Army Terror Campaign Continues in Dacca; Evidence Military Faces Some Difficulties Elsewhere, Confidential, 3 pp. |date= 31 March 1971 |work=[[United States Foreign Service]]}}</ref><ref name="tie">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905593,00.html|title=India: Easy Victory, Uneasy Peace|work=Time|access-date=20 October 2009 |date=27 December 1971}}</ref> India thus started to involve itself deeper into the conflict brewing in the east and stationed its troops near the border.<ref name="report">{{cite web |url=http://www.pppusa.org/Acrobat/Hamoodur%20Rahman%20Commission%20Report.pdf |title=Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304011310/http://www.pppusa.org/Acrobat/Hamoodur%20Rahman%20Commission%20Report.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2012  }}</ref>

As Pakistani troops were unable to dislodge entrenched enemy, the [[Mitro Bahini]] and the [[Indian Army]], the [[Pakistani Army]] called in [[close air support]].<ref name = "garibpur"/><ref name="history">{{cite web |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/boyra-boys-under-3-minute-air-battle-with-pakistan-drew-first-blood-for-india-in-1971/324696/ |title=Boyra Boys & under-3 minute air battle with Pakistan drew first blood for India in 1971 |first1=Anshuman |last1=Mainkar |work=The Print (India) | date= 22 November 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123145642/https://theprint.in/opinion/boyra-boys-under-3-minute-air-battle-with-pakistan-drew-first-blood-for-india-in-1971/324696/ |archive-date=23 November 2019 }}</ref> The [[East Pakistan Air Operations, 1971#PAF during Operation Searchlight in 1971|Pakistani Air Force Contingent]] in [[Dhakka]] responded by launching several sorties of [[Canadair Sabre]] Mk6s beginning on the morning of 22 November 1971. This set the stage for the Battle of Boyra.<ref name ="history"/>

The PAF unit involved was No 14. Squadron '''Tail-choppers''',<ref>Islam, Rafiqul, ''A Tale of Millions'', p315</ref> which had on strength 20 [[Canadair Sabre]] Mk6s. These were the Canadair built versions of the [[F-86 Sabre]] which were upgraded with [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]] missiles and powered by the more powerful [[Avro Canada Orenda]] engine. These Sabres were [[smuggle]]d into Pakistan through a [[clandestine operation|clandestine]] deal organized between Germany and [[Iran]]<ref>''Online journal of the Pakistan Institute for Air Defence Studies.'' Accessed on 13 August 2006.</ref><ref>"Lacking numbers to match Indian numerical superiority, the residue F-86s were complemented by 90 Canadair F.Mk.6 Sabres. These were bought in 1967, by Iran – via a Swiss intermediary – from Germany, without a US end-user certificate (but possibly with the knowledge of the U.S. government). The reported price of the total package was $10 million. Upon their arrival in Iran, the Imperial Iranian Air Force – which operated only a handful of US-supplied F-86s at the time – claimed they were unable to maintain and to overhaul them. As a result, all the German Sabres were sent to Pakistan and they never came back. Instead, they were integrated into three PAF units, and by 3 December 1971 at least 88 remained intact, of which 74 were operational. A total of 48 of these were wired for Sidewinders: the PAF thus had a fleet of exactly 72 72 Sidewinder-compatible F-86F/Sabre F.Mk.6s."</ref> This Squadron was commanded by Flight Lieutenant [[Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi]] who later rose to become the [[Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)|CAS]] a role in which he was famous for his forthright and straight-faced dealings where he looked after the interests of the PAF<ref name="Air Forces Monthly (UK)">{{cite news|last=Tufail, PAF|first=Brigadier Kaisar|title=Himalayan Showdown|url=http://kaiser-aeronaut.blogspot.com/2009/01/kargil-conflict-and-pakistan-air-force.html|access-date=18 May 2012|newspaper=Air Forces Monthly (UK)|date=28 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708044739/http://kaiser-aeronaut.blogspot.com/2009/01/kargil-conflict-and-pakistan-air-force.html|archive-date=8 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although the Canadair Sabre Mk 6 was widely regarded as the best dogfighter of its era,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rcaf.com/aircraft/fighters/sabre/index.php |title=Canadair CL-13 Sabre. |work=[[Royal Canadian Air Force]] |access-date= 4 November 2010}}</ref> tactics called for Gnats taking on the Sabres in the vertical arena, where the Sabres were at a disadvantage. Moreover, because the Gnat was lightweight and compact in shape, it was hard to see, especially at the low levels where most of the dogfights took place.<ref>Spick, Mike ''Illustrated Directory of Fighters'', p. 161.</ref>

The PAF aircraft were providing support the Pakistan Army ground units close to the border area in Garibpur. While providing support, the PAF aircraft ended up crossing the Indian border. The first intrusion of four Sabres were picked up in the [[Jessore (city)|Jessore]] area on Indian [[radar]] at 0811 hours. No.22 Squadron scrambled four Gnats from Dum Dum. However the Sabres had flown back to their territory by the time the Gnats could make it to Boyra. A second raid by the Pakistanis followed at 1028 hours. An interception again could not be carried out in time and the Sabres were able to escape to safety.

The four Gnats separated into two sections and dived into the attack to bounce the Sabres. The first section of Gnats was of Massey and Fg Offr SF Soarez as his [[wingman]]. The second section consisted of Flt Lt [[M A Ganapathy]] and Fg Offr D Lazarus. As the Gnats dived in, a section of two Sabres pulled out of the attack and placed themselves in an awkward position, just in front of Ganapathy and Lazarus. Both the pilots opened fire with 20mm Cannon fire, and both the Sabres were badly damaged. Ganapathy called out on the [[R/T]] the [[Brevity code]] "Murder Murder Murder". The Pakistani pilots [[Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi]] and Khaleel Ahmed ejected over Boyra and parachuted down safely but were taken [[POW]]. The wreckage of the abandoned Sabres fell near the village of [[Bongaon]] in India.<ref name="years with iaf"/><ref>Indian Air Force in Wars

Simultaneously Massey pulled up over Ganapathy and Lazarus to latch onto another Sabre. The Sabre pilot, Wg. Cdr Chaudhury – in a skillful [[dogfighting]] move – broke into Massey's attack forcing him to take a high angle-off burst which missed his target. After maneuvering back into firing position and taking aim, Massey let off another burst at {{convert|700|yd}} and hit him in the [[port]] wing. By that time, Massey's [[starboard]] cannon had stopped firing, but the Sabre streaked back into Pakistani territory billowing smoke and fire. Massey realizing that he was well over East Pakistani [[airspace]] in his chase, turned around and regrouped with the rest of his formation which then proceeded back to base. Early on it was thought that the badly damaged Sabre must have crashed soon after but after the war reports confirmed that Massey's victim, Wg. Cdr Chaudhury, showing considerable courage, had managed to fly his badly damaged Sabre back to Tezgaon Airfield outside [[Dhaka]]. Chaudhury himself claimed to have shot down one of the Gnats, however Indian officials claimed that no aircraft were lost in the battle.<ref name = "history"/><ref name="nov22">{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Sabres.html |title=BOYRA ENCOUNTER ,22nd NOVEMBER 1971 |last1=JAGAN PILLARISETTI |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118130237/http://bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Sabres.html |archive-date=18 November 2011  }}</ref>

This action which took place in front of thousands of people became one of the most enduring moments of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] and made all four Indian Pilots instant celebrities in India and Bangladesh overnight. Their pictures, [[Gun camera]] Images (see external images) of the flaming sabres and those of the PAF pow's being widely circulated by the media the world over.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenceaviation.com/2010/10/top-5-dogfights-in-history.html |title=Top 5 dogfights in history |work=DefenceAviation.com}}</ref>