It was just three years after the bloody but brief war with China, and India was getting ready for another battle, this time with Pakistan.
The war brought out the best example of sibling rivalry: Two brothers flying for the Indian Air Force (IAF) claimed one American-made F-86 Sabre fighter jet each, earning them both a gallantry award and the moniker of ‘Sabre Slayers.’
In 1962, the IAF assets were not deployed. In September 1965, when Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) boasted of having as many as 120 F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft and 14 F-104 Starfighters. While the Starfighter was technologically a better fighter, the operational track record of the US-supplied Sabres during World War II inspired much confidence in the PAF.
The Sabres were equipped with a modern M18 gyro gunsight armed with six 0.5-inch Browning high-power guns with a wide dispersion pattern. It also had two GAR-8 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles that could take down enemy fighter jets from three miles away.
The Sidewinder was the most advanced heat-seeking air-to-air missile at that time. Only 22 Sabres were equipped with Sidewinder missiles then, but the fog of war meant that the IAF had to assume that every F-86 it encountered was carrying the missiles.
Late Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh told the author in an exclusive interview in 2008 that after starting at a disadvantage, they soon gained an advantage over the Pakistan Air Force.
“We had an impression that the Pakistan Air Force was better equipped as it had air-to-air missiles, Sabre fighter aircraft, and better radars than us. On the other hand, our Gnat aircraft had short reach and were smaller,” Singh recalled. He was the IAF’s chief during the war.
On September 1, the entire IAF was put on high alert, and air assets were moved to their operational locations. The number 23 Squadron was moved to the Pathankot airbase.
On the same day, Squadron Leader Trevor Keelor and Squadron Leader Johnny Green took off with one section of four Gnats each to counter the Pakistan-launched attack in the western sector. Along with them, the IAF sent 45 Squadron’s de Havilland Vampires to support the Army. But, by the evening, a Pakistani squadron of F-86 Sabres shot down three Vampires, which was a serious blow to the IAF.
On September 3, the IAF will fly the mission to ensnare the Sabres. Acting on the electronic intelligence of a Pakistani air patrol at Chhamb, the Gnats of the 23 Squadron of the IAF were tasked to neutralize the enemy. The small size of Gnats meant that they could sneak up on the Sabres undetected. Before Sabres realized the trap, Squadron Leader Trevor got behind one and brought down a mighty Sabre.
Trevor was the junior of the two Keelor brothers in the IAF and he scored the first kill for the IAF in the 1965 war.
“That news was splashed all over the media, and I still remember the gun camera shots of the kill on the front pages of newspapers. The Gnat soon became the ‘Sabre Slayer,’ and as more kills came its way, Denzil got his own on September 19. The Keelor brothers became the toast of the nation,” Air Vice Marshal MM Bahadur wrote about it while reminiscing about the incident.
The elder Keelor, Denzil, later talked about the kill, saying: “That was first blood.” “What a blow it was to Pakistan’s Air Force, which thought it was invincible. There was panic in their ranks even before our Gnats returned to base,” Keelor added. That night, Denzil called up Trevor and said: “Well done, bro.”
The 1965 war was the glory hour for Gnats. The IAF’s Gnat pilots learned how to engage with PAF’s Sabre fighters. Trevor Keelor’s exploit inspired the Gnat force, and seven Sabres were shot down.
Denzil’s Turn To Score A Kill
Squadron Leader Denzil, 33, was commanding the Folland Gnats of Squadron 9. On September 19, Denzil was called to escort four Dassault Mystere fighter bombers to Chawinda near Sialkot.
The aim was to lend air support to the army strike corps, which was engaged in a fierce ground battle with its Pakistani counterparts when PAF started bombing them.
“It was late afternoon, around 4.30 pm, when we took off in formation,” said Denzil. “Gnats behind Mysteres. We flew low, 100ft above ground, and I could see the battle on the ground through the smoke and the dust. We saw a huge column of tanks heading from the west to the east. It could only be the enemy. At the same time, we sighted four Sabres, targeting our ground forces. I called up (Flight Lieutenant Viney) Kapila and told him and his buddy Mayadev to take on the two Sabres to the left, which were higher. Muna Rai and I tackled the lower-flying ones.”
Two dogfights started in the sky between Pakistani Sabres and Indian Gnats. The airspace was fast becoming contested as anti-aircraft fire joined in. In the ensuing melee, Rai was asked to fly back and Kapila also scored to bring down one Sabre. Soon, Denzil got his chance.
The Sabre below him rolled out, and the PAF fighter jet lost sight of Keelor’s aircraft. The Sabre started turning left and right. “I took the chance, dived down, and fired three bursts. The Sabre was leaking. Kapila joined me and tried shooting the craft, but his guns jammed, and we headed back to base. Later, we learned that the Sabre never made it to base; its pilot bailed out.”
As Denzil reached the base, his left tire was deflated. He maneuvered the Gnat to land safely at Ambala Air Base. “That night, I learned that Kapila and I were awarded the Vir Chakra. This time, Trevor called up and said, ‘Well done, bro,’ said Denzil.
Denzil would go on to become one of the most decorated officers of the IAF. He was awarded the second highest gallantry award during peacetime, the Kirti Chakra, a Param Vishisht Seva Medal, an Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and eight commendations.
It was the first time that two brothers got Vir Chakras for the same feat.
Indo-Pak War Of 1965 Was “Too Short”
In 1965, the IAF Chief, who later became the only five-star officer from the force, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, told the author that the IAF was prepared for a three-month-long war and was not in favor of a ceasefire.
Singh is known to have expressed his dissent in announcing a ceasefire during the 1965 Indo-Pak War. “We had only consumed 8-9 percent of our resources. The war was too short,” the Marshal of the Air Force had said. “I feel in hindsight that had the IAF known that the war was going to be short it could have used the resources in a bigger way,” he added.
He took command of the IAF in 1964, and it was the first time since independence that the IAF was used in a war, an experience that proved valuable during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The Pakistani incursions in Jammu and Kashmir continued for about a month until the ceasefire was affected under the aegis of the UN Security Council on September 23, 1965.
“We had planned for a three-month war. Our strategy was to attack Pakistan’s rail and communications and, at the same time, stop the Pakistan Air Force from attacking our bases and operation areas. We wanted to surround Lahore and not capture it as it would have been difficult to sustain,” Singh said.
Eventually, it was the ‘failure of communication links’ that forced the Pakistan Army to retreat.
Singh was awarded the rank of Marshal of the Air Force, equivalent to the Field Marshal of the Indian Army, in 2002. His caliber was recognized by not only the Indian military but also the British, who conferred the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) upon him in recognition of his services.
