Operation Kilo Flight

The Partition of British India led to the assets and personnel of Royal Indian Air Force being divided between India and Pakistan in 1947. Pakistan concentrated most of her military assets in West Pakistan,[1] and the first combat aircraft deployed in East Pakistan was a squadron of Hawker Fury biplanes in 1956. No. 14 squadron flying F-86 Sabres were stationed in East Pakistan in 1964, and during the War of 1965 they earned the name "Tail Choppers" by launching successful raids on the Indian Air Force base at Kalaikunda, near Kharagpur in West Bengal,[2] destroying several English Electric Canberra and de Havilland Vampire bombers on the ground.[3] In March 1971, PAF Eastern Contingent under the command of Air Commodore Mitty Masud, had 1,222 personnel, of which 645 were of Bengali origin, and two fully operational bases at Tejgaon and Chittagong.[4] PAF had 20 Sabres (No. 14 Squadron Tail-choppers OC Wing Commander Muhammad Afzal Chawdhary),[5][6] two T-33 trainers, and two Aerospatiale Aoouette III helicopters stationed in East Pakistan, while Pakistan Army "Log Flight" of Army Aviation Squadron No. 4 under Major Liakat Bukhari contained two Mil Mi-8 and two Alouette III helicopters in East Pakistan.[7]

Bengali servicemen and political concerns

Kilo Flight personnel (1971)

The victory of Awami League in the 1970 elections was followed by a period of political uncertainty as General Yahia Khan delayed the transfer of power to Awami league. This eventually led to Awami League launching a non cooperation movement that eventually confined the authority of the Pakistan Central government to the cantonments and government institutions in East Pakistan.[8] Pakistani government decided to launch a military crackdown and began to move soldiers in civilian clothes to Dhaka using PIA and PAF aircraft from February 1971.

Bengali military officers, alarmed by the buildup of Pakistani forces and concerned about their own safety,[9][10][11] maintained contact with Awami League and M. A. G. Osmani[12] and sought advice on future course of action. The Awami League leadership, attempting to find a peaceful a political solution to the crisis,[13] did not endorse any preemptive action or preparation for conflict by Bengali soldiers. Warnings by Bengali officers that the Pakistan Army was preparing to strike were ignored, and junior Bengali officers were told by their superiors to be prudent and avoid dealing with political issues, while Col. Osmani also advised the Bengali officers against raking any "rash" actions.[11] The Pakistan Army caught the Bengali political leadership and soldiers by surprise when the initiated Operation Searchlight on March 25, 1971.

Initial Bengali resistance to Pakistani Military action was spontaneous and disorganized. Bengali soldiers were largely unaware of the overall military situation in East Pakistan; many units continued to performed routine duties until March 31, rebelling only after coming under Pakistani attack. Group Captain A. K. Khandker, OC Administration Wing of PAF East Pakistan, had witnessed the departure of Yahia Khan from East Pakistan prior to start of Pakistani attack on March 25 and had warned Awami League members, and he had earlier also warned Sheikh Mujibur Rahman regarding Pakistani troop buildup in Dhaka.[14][15][16] However, no countrywide communication initially reached Bengali soldiers to begin the uprising; they rebelled when they came under attacked or eventually heard about Pakistani attacks on Bengalis.

Air Commodore Mitty Masud had opposed Operation Searchlight on moral grounds in a meeting of Pakistani Senior officers on March 15[17] and then had refused requests from the Army to commence airstrikes on March 29, 1971 in East Pakistan.[18][19] He also had assured Bengali PAF staff of their personal safety on March 27 and on March 30 gave them the option of declining missions or going on leave, but also warned them against committing treason, and later Bengali airmen and staff were laid off duty.[18][19] Air Commodore Masud was relieved of his post on March 31, and was replaced by Air Commodore Inamul Haque Khan for the duration of the confict.[20] Several hundred Bengali officers and soldiers, airmen and Naval personnel were deployed to West Pakistan between March and November 1971, while Pakistan Army imprisoned 21 army and 4 air force officers and several hundred soldiers in East Pakistan.[21] Forty Six Bengali Army officers were murdered by the Pakistani authorities between March–November 1971, however, no Air Force Bengali officers were victims of such a fate during that time period.[22]

After March 26, Pakistani Army was initially confined to a handful of bases across the province, cut off and surrounded by the Mukti Bahini, but by mid-April the Army had occupied all the large towns and by mid-June Mukti Bahaini had been driven across the border into India. Serving and retired PAF personnel along with Bengali soldiers and officers had begun to join Mukti Bahini after March 26. Eight Bengali officers of the PAF, including Group Captain Khandkar, had crossed the border in mid-May,[23][24] and eventually, 44 officers and 729 airmen would join up between March–October 1971.[25] Of the forty four ex PAF officers who joined Mukti Bahini, ten came out of retirement, eight were officer cadets of PAF before their defection to Mukti Bahini, Nine officers joined up while they were on leave in East Pakistan, and three officers came from postings abroad. Most of the Air Force personal joined the Mukti Bahini and fought shoulder to shoulder with the other freedom fighters in various Mukti Bahini sectors throughout 1971, and some later joined Kilo Flight when it was formed in September 1971. Bangladesh Airforce personnel will go on to earn one Bir Shreshtho, 5 Bir Uttam, one Bir Bikram and eleven Bir Protik medals for their contribution in the liberation war, while Seventeen Bengali Officers would continue to serve in the PAF in East Pakistan until December 16, 1971.[26] Between March and November, 46 Bengali airmen died in combat.[27]

Bengali airmen in Mukti Bahini

A Kilo Flight member on the helicopter (1971).

The Indian Army had been helping the Mukti Bahini, through Operation Jackpot, since May 1971, while the Indian Navy helped set up the Bengali Naval commando unit and then provided command staff for the Bengali gunboats, which were used to mine riverine craft and harass merchant marine operations in East Pakistan. The IAF had flown reconnaissance flights over East Pakistan since June 1971, but could not come to grips with the PAF until formal hostilities commenced. Former PAF officers and personnel were employed in various Mukti Bahani formations engaged in guerrilla warfare as they joined up, since Mukti Bahini lacked any aircraft or air defense equipment. Group Captain Abdul Karim Khandker became the deputy Chief of Staff of Mukti Bahini, Wing Commander Khademul Bashar, a veteran B-57 pilot, became Commander of Mukti Bahini Sector 6 with Squadron Leader Sadruddin as his deputy, Flt. Lt Sultan Mahmud led a guerrilla squad in Sector 1 before joining Kilo flight, Flying Officer Badrul Alam, an ex F-6 Fighter Pilot of PAF, who had defected with the first batch of Air Force Officers in May 1971, initially joined as a Staff Officer at Mukti Bahini HQ and later joined Kilo Flight after its formation. During June –July, Mukti Bahini had regrouped across the border with Indian support given through Operation Jackpot and began sending 2000 – 5000 guerrillas across the border,[28] the so-called Monsoon Offensive, which for various reasons (lack of proper training, supply shortage, lack of a proper support network inside Bangladesh etc.) failed to achieve its objectives.[29][30] By July–August, Pakistani authorities had concluded that they had contained the Mukti Bahini's Monsoon Offensive.[31]

A former USAAF C-47A Skytrain which flew from a base in Devon, England, during the D-Day Normandy invasion and shows "invasion stripes" on her wings and fuselage.

Seven Bengali pilots and Fifty Eight technicians - formerly of the PAF and then serving with the Mukti Bahini in various capacities - were gathered to form the Air Wing by September 28, 1971, at Dimapur in Nagaland.[32] Indian civilian authorities and the IAF donated one DC-3 Dakota (given by the Maharaja of Jodhpor), one DHC-3 Otter plane which had been in service with the IAF since 1959, and one Alouette III helicopter for the newborn Bangladesh Air Force. Bengali pilots were assembled at Dimapur on September 28, 1971, Most of them were flown in from Agartala. Training commenced from September 29, Captains Muqeet, Khaleque, and Satter were selected to fly the Dakota, Captains Akram, Sharafuddin and Flight Lt. Shamsul Alam were to convert in the Otter. Sqn.Ldr. Sultan Mahmud, an experienced PAF Helicopter pilot, Flt.Lt.Badrul Alam an ex-PAF F-6 Fighter Pilot, and Capt Shahabuddin, an ex-PIA Pilot were to pilot the Alouette.[33]

These propeller-driven aircraft were to take advantage of the lack of night-fighting capability of the PAF to launch hit-and-run attacks on sensitive targets inside Bangladesh from the air. Gp.Capt. Khandker, along with Flight Lieutenant Shamsul Alam (F-86 Sabre pilot who escaped from Pakistani captivity on August 5, 1971) flew to Dimapur via Gauhati on September 27, and in the presence of Air Chief Marshall P.C. Lal, took delivery and inaugurated the newly formed Bangladesh Air Force. The unit officially became active on September 28, 1971 – birth day of Bangladesh Air force. The unit was dubbed" Kilo Flight", the first fighting formation of the nascent Bangladesh Air force.

Replica of the Otter upgraded by Mukti Bahini in 1971

The Otter boasted 7 rockets under each of its wings and could deliver ten 25 pound bombs, which were rolled out of the aircraft by hand through a makeshift door.[40] Flight Lt. Shamsul Alam, along with Captains Akram Ahmed and Sharfuddin Ahmad, flew the Otter - all three were later awarded Bir Uttam for their service in 1971. Flight Lieutenant Ghosal of IAF converted these Pilots into the Otter.[41]

The Dakota was modified to carry ten 500 pound bombs, for low-level bombings. A section of the floor was cut off and a jury-rigged devise was installed to drop the bombs on target.[42] Near the back door of the Dakota, a bomb rack was installed to hold 5 1000 pound bombs. An officer was to manually push them off the rack and one second interval, after the pilot signaled him with a bell. Captain Abdul Khaleque, Captain Alamgir Satter, and Captain Abdul Muqeet, all destined to earn the Bir Pratik award, piloted the Dakota. Flight Lieutenant Sinha of IAF was the instructor and flight safety officer.[39][43]

The helicopter was rigged to fire 14 rockets from pylons attached to its side and had a twin-barreled .303 Browning machine gun installed underneath the main helicopter pod, in addition to having 1-inch (25 mm) steel plate welded to its floor for extra protection.[37] Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmood, Flight Lieutenant Badrul Alam, and Captain Shahabuddin, all of whom later won the Bir Uttam award, operated the helicopter.

Flying and firing training

Indian Navy Chetak During IFR 2016, Pakistan Army Aviation and Air Force, Indian Air Force and Navy and Bangladesh Air Force used Alouette III Helicopters in 1971. BAF installed Machine guns and rocket pods in their craft.

The propeller-driven aircraft were slow and was no match for the F-86 Sabre aircraft of Pakistan Air Force, and flying them in broad daylight for low-level strafing and bombing also risked getting hit by anti-aircraft fire.[44] While the Bengali pilots went through their conversion training on the aircraft with their IAF trainers, BAF and IAF command decided that the initial missions of Kilo Flight would be carried out at night. The aircraft would fly low to avoid Radar detection, then pop up to hit their targets, and fly back to base. Under the command of Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud, guided by the Indian instructors, intense training took place in night flying and instrumental navigation.[45] Dimapur was a remote place surrounded by dense jungle, so the training went unnoticed. A white parachute was dropped on a tree to serve as target, pilots would take off after 12 at night, navigate to their destinations, locate their target in the dark visually and practice, diving, low angle approach, hitting the target with rockets and machine gun fire and then flying back.[46] Bengali pilots became proficient in the risky task of night flying and firing, while the Bengali crew serviced the aircraft during the day to keep them operational. All technical glitches were also ironed out, in one case, when it was found that the fuse of the 57 mm rockets were hitting the tail rotor of the helicopter when the rockets were fired, the fuses were changed.[47]

Pakistan Air Force initiated Operation Chengiz Khan on December 3, 1971, against several IAF bases in the Western Front around 6:00 PM. In response, Kilo flight Otter and helicopter took off to hit their respective targets. The night was a foggy faintly moonlit one.

The Otter, piloted by Flt.Lt Shamsul Alam, with Captain Akram as copilot, took off from Kailashahar Airport around 9:00 PM. They were accompanied by LAC Rustam Ali, air gunner, and Corporal Mujammel Haque,[52] the designated bomb aimer in the rear cabin.[53][54][55] With the aid of a compass, Captain Akram navigated the airplane as it flew 25 miles to Teliamura, blinked their lights a few times, where Kilo flight personnel fired a flare to signal the aircraft that they were on course.[56][57] The otter flew lower and lower to the ground to avoid Rader detection and to navigate through the mist, and after an hour made it to Chittagong, which was 140 miles to the south. The city was observing a blackout, only lights visible were some ships anchored at the port. The Aircraft then turned southeast, located Chittagong Airport, then made a shallow dive to hit two fuel tanks with two rockets. It then made a second rocket attack on the depots and was met by anti-aircraft fire. The Otter pulled up, and on its way out hit a ship with rockets, then flew back north to Kumbhirgram Airport.[58][59] The otter pilots returned to Kilashahar the following day.

After the Otter had passed Teliamura, Sqn. Ldr Sultan Mahmud, accompanied by Flt.Lt. Badrul Alam and Sergeant Shahidullah,[60][61] took off in the Alouette III heading for Akhaura. The helicopter flew low and as they passed Akhaura, machine gun and small arms fire from both Pakistani and Indian forces targeted the craft.[61] Mukti Bahini and Indian army had attacked Pakistani positions on November 30 and the troops on the ground were on edge.[62][63] Having crossed the war zone, the helicopter reached Elliotganj on the Dhaka Comilla Highway, then turned to follow the road flying at treetop levels towards Demra. On the way the helicopter narrowly avoided colliding with electric poles several times. The Helicopter turned south towards Narayanganj along the Shitalakshya River, and at one time the crew realized they were flying very close to the water and had flown below some electric lines in the dark. After reaching the Godnail depot, the helicopter hit the fuel tanks with rockets, (It was later confirmed by the locals that 5 tanks were damaged) and then returned to Teliamura, completing the three hour round trip with 12–15 minutes of fuel left.[64]

The Unit moved from Kailashahar to Agartala to cut down fuel usage and turn around time after December 4, 1971, and used Shamshernagar as a forward base.[65] The Otter flew twelve and the Alouette seventy-seven sorties between December 4 and 16, 1971,[66] about 40 of them were combat missions to attack ground targets in Sylhet, Comilla, Daudkandi and Narshigndi.[67]

The Otter, piloted by Captan Akram, flew several sorties and hit Pakistani positions in Sylhet on December 5 and again on December 6 while on December 6 SqnLdr. Sultan Mahmud and Captain Shahabuddin flew four sorties in the helicopter and rocketed Pakistani troops in Moulvibazar, Sylhet. and on the Kushiyara River.[55] On December 7, Indian Army used helicopters to land troops in Sylhet the Alouette, piloted by Flt. Lt. Singla of IAF and Sultan Mahmud provided ground support by firing rocks and strafed targets near the Sylhet Circuit house and on Pakistani positions along the river Surma to contain the Pakistani attacks.[66][68] The Alouette was repeatedly hit by small arms fire during these missions but sustained no significant damage.

The Alouette, piloted by Flt.Lt. Badrul Alam and Captain Shahabuddin, attacked Pakistani troops retreating from Sylhet to Bhairab on December 8 while Captain Sharafuddin in the Otter attacked Pakistani troops crossing the Kushiyara river on December 6, 7 and December 8 several times, and after one sortie skillfully landed the craft after its tail rotor was hit by small arms fire near Moulvibazar.[69] Pakistan army had destroyed the Bhairab bridge and on December 9 Meghna Heli Bridge dropped Mukti Bahini and Indian Soldiers at Riapura near Narshingdi, Kilo flight aircraft were part of the air cover. Captain Shahabuddinn in the Alouette flew an unsuccessful sortie[55][67] to rescue Squadron Leader R.C Sachdeva, who had bailed out near Naryanganj on December 10.[70] The Alouette attacked Pakistani positions near Narshingdi on December 11[69] while the Otter flew several missions near Narshindi between December 11–15, 1971.[71] The Otter, flown by Flt. Lt Shamsul Alam, was the first fixed-wing aircraft to land at Tejgaon on December 17, after the unconditional surrender of Pakistani Forces to the Joint Command of Bangladesh and Indian Forces the previous day.

Tezgaon airport was made operational by December 25, 1971, through the joint efforts of Indian and Bamgladesi airmen and engineers and Bengali workers. Kilo flight relocated to Tezgaon during that period. The newly formed Bangladesh Air Force lacked trained personnel and for some time the base was administered by IAF Air Commodore Kingly. Bangladesh government awarded six Bir Uttam medals. (Sqn.Ldr. Sultan Mahmud, Flt.Lt. Shamsul Alam, Flt.Lt.Badrul Alam, Captain Akram Ahmed, Shahabuddin Ahmed and Sharafuddin) and six Bir Protik medals (Captains A.S.M.A Khaleque, Kazi Abdus Satter and Abdul Mukeet, Sergeant Shahidullah, Corporal Muzammel Haque and LAC Rustom Ali) to Kilo Flight Personnel.[72] IAF awarded Vir Chakra to Squadron Leader Sanjay Kumar Chowdhury and FL Chandra Mohan Singla for their service in Kilo Flight.[73]

11 F-86 Sabres were disabled by the Pakistan Air Force in December 1971 before their surrender, 5 were returned to service in March 1972 by the Bangladesh Air Force

.

Under the leadership of Air Commodore A. K. Khandker, the newly formed Bangladesh Air Force began to organize itself. The DC-3 was given to Bangladesh Biman, however, it crashed during a training flight, claiming the life of Kilo flight members Captain Khaleque and Sharafuddin.[74] Former PAF personnel and officers were requested to muster in Dhaka over radio and the personnel were grouped into three squadrons under one operational wing under Wing Commander Manjoor. Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud commanded Squadron No. 501, Squadron Leader Sadruddin Squadron No. 507[60] Pakistan forces had abandoned eleven Canadair F-86 Sabre jets, two T-33 Shooting Stars, one Alouette III and one Hiller UH-12E4 helicopter in Dhaka.[75][76] The aircraft had been disabled by Pakistani personal by cutting instrument wires before the surrender of Pakistani forces. The Hiller was taken over by Bangladesh Army, while Bengali airmen set to work on fixing the aircraft. By March 1972, 8 Sabres,[77] one T-33 and the Alouette were airworthy. Five of the Sabre fighters, the lone T-33 and the Alouette were activated for service. On March 26, 1972, to mark the first anniversary of Independence day, the Bangladesh Air Force staged a fly past with 2 F-86 Sabre, one T-33, 3 Alouette and one DHC-3 Otter.[78][79] These aircraft remained operational until replaced by more modern aircraft after 1973.