Moonlight Marauders: Iaf Fighter Squadron Strikes by Night Indo-Pak War, Dec 1971

By Teshter Master

This book is a personal story based on my experiences in 1971, the founding year of Tactics Combat Development & Training Squadron (TCDTS). The Squadron was upgraded to an Establishment, Tactics & Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Dec 1972. The primary source of information is my log book which for every pilot is a document of prime importance. It is filled every month from the Flight Authorisation book of the sqn and signed by the Flt Cdr and the Sqn Cdr. Ask any pilot and referring to his log book he will be able to tell you where he was and what he did on any date of his flying career.

Essentially this is a first-hand account of the story of TCDTS air operations in the Indo-Pak war 1971, supported by as many sources as I could find.

By no means have I attempted to tell the history of the Indo-Pak War 1971 as there is any amount of literature on the subject. Ours was a small but important part of the overall effort of the Indian Air Force which I hope makes an intriguing and exciting narrative.

Teshter Master
Bangalore

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: May 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543702767

Teshter Master

Air Marshal Teshter J. Master (Retd) A Fighter Combat Leader, Teshter has 30 years of fighter flying experience on various types of Western and Soviet aircraft. He is the founding member of the premier fighter flying establishment of the IAF for development of tactics and training Fighter Combat Leaders. This book is a personal story based on his experiences during the first year of TCDTS (Tactics & Combat Development & Training Squadron) culminating in the Squadrons role in the Indo-Pak war, December 1971. It was a defining period that influenced him for the rest of his career. Teshter has participated in counter-insurgency campaigns and the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. He has held numerous Command and Staff appointments, including CO of No. 1 (Tigers) Squadron, Operations in-charge of South Western Air Command during the Kargil crisis and Inspector General of the IAF. He was the Defence and Air Attach at the Embassy of India, Washington D.C. with concurrent accreditation to Canada from April 1992 to March 1995. After 40 years of service in the IAF, Teshter retired as the Air Officer Commanding in Chief of Training Command, IAF on 31 December 2002. In recognition of his service, he was awarded the Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 1991 and the Param Vishist Seva Medal in 2001 by the President of India.

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Copyright © 2018 by Teshter Master.

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CONTENTS

Abbreviations

TCDTS Founder Members

TCDTS Additions for Night Ops

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1:   Western Sector, Indo-Pak Border, 13th October 1971

Chapter 2:   Only the IAF

Chapter 3:   Founding of TCDTS

Chapter 4:   Air Warriors of TCDTS

Chapter 5:   TCDTS Aircraft Mig-21 and the Su-7

Chapter 6:   Early Days at AF Stn Adampur

Chapter 7:   Move to AF Stn Ambala

Chapter 8:   Genocide in East Pakistan

Chapter 9:   Night Strike Role for TCDTS – September 1971

Chapter 10: Preparing for War – October 1971

Chapter 11: Imminence of Hostilities – November 1971

Chapter 12: The Balloon Goes Up – Night Operations

Chapter 13: Day Operations

Chapter 14: Liberation of Bangladesh

Chapter 15: Back to Squadron Life

Chapter 16: TCDTS Contribution in the Indo-Pak War 1971

Chapter 17: The IAF in the Indo-Pak War 1971

Afterword

Appendix A: Spanners Invaluable Contribution

Appendix B: Squadron Diary – Oct-Dec, 1971

Appendix C: TCDTS Honours & Awards – Dec 1971

Appendix D: 121 Sqn (Vampires) in 1971 War: Wg Cdr (Retd) WH Marshall

Appendix E: TCDTS/TACDE Milestones: 1971 - 2015

References

Acknowledgements

Artwork

Dedicated to the Founder members of TCDTS (Tactics & Combat Development & Training Squadron) who created history in the Indo-Pak War 1971 and established one of the most revered institutions in the IAF; later renamed TACDE (Tactics & Air Combat Development Establishment)

In memory of Flt Lt R. G. Kadam (RIP) who was killed in action while returning from a daylight raid on an enemy airfield on

8th December 1971 and all the other martyrs of this war.

Profound thanks to my wife, Daphne. Without her support, my effort as one of the TCDTS team would not have been the same.

Abbreviations

AD – Air Defence

Ack-Ack Guns – Air Defence Artillery Guns used for shooting down enemy aircraft

AF Stn – Air Force Station

AOC – Air Officer Commanding. Position of an officer in command of an operational base with its warfighting assets.

ATC – Air Traffic Control

DR – Dead Reckoning. The process of calculating one’s position, by estimating the direction and distance travelled.

DSS – Daily Servicing Section. A section where daily servicing of aircraft and minor repairs are carried out.

EO – Engineering Officer

F-700 – Form 700. Each aircraft has an F-700, signed by maintenance crew before a flight to certify that it is serviceable for flight.

GD(P) – General Duty (Pilot). A designation used in the IAF for Pilots. The designation was later changed to F(P), Flying (Pilot).

Nav – Navigation

PAF – Pakistan Air Force

POW – Prisoner of War

RSO – Range Safety Officer. An officer in charge of safe operations at a weapons firing range.

R/T – Radio Transmission

SNCO – Senior Non-Commissioned Officer

TOT – Time over target

TCDTS Founder Members

Wg Cdr AK Boss Mukho Mukherjee (4416) GD(P) - CO

Sqn Ldr OP OP Sharma (5104) GD(P) - Flt Cdr Mig-21

Sqn Ldr DK Dice Dhiman (5180) GD(P) - Flt Cdr SU-7

Sqn Ldr PS Ben Brar (6007) GD(P) - Mig-21

Sqn Ldr V Pat Patney (6125) GD(P) - Su-7

Flt Lt DS Mack Basra (6519) GD(P) - Su-7

Flt Lt VK Frisky Verma (6528) GD(P) - Mig-21

Flt Lt P Raj Rajkumar (6748) GD(P) - Mig-21

Flt Lt TJ TJ Master (7224) GD(P) - Mig-21

Flt Lt MS Gary Grewal (7728) GD(P) - Su-7

Flt Lt RL Bom Bamzai (7736) GD(P) - Su-7

Flt Lt AL Deos Deoskar (9058) GD(P) - Adjutant

Flt Lt V Sags Sagar (7878) Tech (Eng) - C Eng O Su-7

Flt Lt JS Jags Basra (7999) Tech Eng - C Eng O Mig-21

Flt Lt RC Bill Mahadik (8570) - Fighter Controller

TCDTS Additions for Night Ops

Sqn Ldr DS Natty Nadkarni (5587) GD(P) - Mig-21

Sqn Ldr CS Doru Doraiswamy (5601) GD(P) - Su-7

Sqn Ldr S Deshu Deshpande (5694) GD(P) - Mig-21

Flt Lt RG Kadam (8404) GD(P) KIA 08 Dec 71 - Su-7

Foreword

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Since the inception of the IAF, tactics were taught through operational training in squadrons before a pilot was declared Fully Ops on a particular aircraft. These tactics were standardised in all units of the IAF through Air Staff Instructions (ASI) the level of training being dependent on the leadership within each squadron. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, fighter tactics in the IAF were found wanting, and a need was felt for an establishment which developed tactics and disseminated them through training of Fighter Combat Leaders.

It was fortuitous that the Air Force took steps to form such an establishment in 1970 and decided to equip the unit with the latest Air Defence and Ground Attack aircraft it held in its inventory, i.e., the Mig-21 and the Su-7. The establishment was manned by specially selected pilots, technical officers, a Fighter Controller and a Medical Officer. Other personnel comprising technicians, logisticians and administrative staff were also of the highest calibre.

Thus, it was on 1st Feb 1971 that 211 personnel reported to 7 Wing AF at Adampur, Punjab to form Tactics & Combat Development & Training Squadron (TCDTS) of the IAF. Each had been selected for exemplary capability, and the pilots were considered to be the crème de la crème of fighter pilots in the IAF.

This story is of the founder members of this unique institution, who found themselves at short notice being asked to form a battle-worthy unit and undertake a task in the Indo-Pak War 1971 in such secrecy that very few in the IAF had been privy to it. The achievements of this small band of air warriors in the Indo-Pak War 1971 on the Western front was far above that expected from a newly formed fighting unit, in a role not thought of for the type of aircraft they were operating and with barely a dozen aircraft in its inventory. That the tactics employed caught the adversary by surprise would be an understatement.

TCDTS flew bombing missions at extremely low level by night over West Pakistan from night 3rd – 6th December 1971. These missions, flown in aircraft not equipped for the role, required an audacity of vision from those who conceived and ordered them. Air Mshl MM Engineer, AOC-in-C Western Air Command came to Ambala and personally ordered the unit to prepare for the night role. As the buck stopped with him, he would be the one to get credit for ordering these operations. The job of personnel in TCDTS was not to question why but to follow orders, and it took some degree of skill, courage and devotion to be ready in time and execute these missions. Based at Ambala while launching missions from Amritsar and Adampur required considerable logistical and maintenance capability. This task was admirably carried out by the maintenance and administrative personnel of the squadron.

Night strikes at a low level by the Mig-21s and Su-7s of TCDTS proved effective, and the squadron suffered no losses in this role. Once Command HQ felt that the aim was achieved, the night strike role was called off. The unit was then employed in daylight operations comprising Counter Air Operations, Interdiction, Search and Strike in the Tactical Battle Area, Close Air Support to the Army and Combat Air Patrol till the end of the war.

This baptism by fire was immediately followed by setting up of the Fighter Combat Leader School in Jamnagar leaving an indelible mark on the IAF combat forces and changing its operational thinking from then on.

To have been one of TCDTS founder members was a privilege that very few had and how they lived up to it is what this book is all about. As an ex-Commandant of TACDE, it gives me great satisfaction to know that one of the founding members has finally put on paper the tumultuous events of the first year of the squadron’s existence.

I had known Teshter from before he was selected for TCDTS. He was not only a founding member in TCDTS but was the last to be posted out after seeing the squadron become the legendary establishment TACDE. During his stay, the Fighter Combat Leader Course was evolved, and he was an instructor for the first four FCL courses. In later years, he was instrumental in introducing new concepts in Air Defence and Electronic Warfare. He was also responsible for TACDE to move to its present location at Gwalior where the EW range of the IAF exists which he set up as the Director Electronic Warfare in 1999-2000.

There is no better purpose in life than to serve one’s country as a warrior and fighter operations, like many others in the air, on land or at sea stands at the cutting edge of this noble profession. I commend the author’s effort and strongly recommend his book as essential reading for the youth of the country and all young personnel seeking to serve the nation in its armed forces.

Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, AVSM, VrC, KC (Retd)

Gurgaon, India

Preface

This book is a personal story based on my experiences during my posting in TCDTS (upgraded to Tactics & Combat Development Establishment in Dec 1972) from Feb 1971 to Dec 1974. The primary source of information is my log book which for every pilot is a document of prime importance. It is filled every month from the Flight Authorisation book of the sqn and signed by the Flt Cdr and the Sqn Cdr. Ask any pilot and referring to his log book he will be able to tell you where he was and what he did on any date of his flying career.

Details in the personal log book are somewhat cryptic but to the individual many of the sorties entered bring back memories of not only that mission but the colleagues who were with him at that time. The log book is a record of the life that the aircrew led and jogged his/her memory of the different places and events of that time.

I am lucky to have some records of the sqn during visits in later years for events such as graduation ceremonies and reunions. I have been fortunate to get some material from TACDE and the IAF even though over four decades have passed since I left the sqn. One of the nostalgic documents that TACDE sent me was seven pages of a handwritten diary compiled by me for the months of Oct, Nov and Dec 1971. We were busy at that time, and I did a perfunctory job, but it gives some idea of the events that took place.

In the process of writing this book, I have been fortunate to get inputs from my colleagues who were with me in TCDTS. Interacting with them as well as the families of those who have passed on has been the most rewarding part of this effort. From the TCDTS pilots, I have received extracts of their log books which give authentic information of the missions carried out. Air HQ and TACDE have also provided information from their archives.

To put the story in the right perspective, I have also referred to books written about the IAF, the Indo-Pak War 1971 and the liberation of Bangladesh to link with episodes described in the book. As one would expect the www especially Bharat Rakshak, Wikipedia and Google have provided a wealth of information.

Essentially this is a first-hand account of the story of TCDTS air operations in the Indo-Pak war 1971, supported by as many sources as I could find. There are individual episodes that my other colleagues could elaborate on; for each one has experiences to narrate. In that sense, it was not possible for me to cover every single activity or achievement of the sqn.

Passage of time has taken some of my colleagues from whom I could not get first-hand information which has been my personal loss. Nevertheless, I have tried to ensure that this has not detracted from the overall picture of our contribution to the war effort.

By no means have I attempted to tell the history of the Indo-Pak War 1971. There is any amount of literature on the subject. Ours was a small but important part of the overall effort of the Indian Air Force which I hope makes an intriguing and exciting narrative.

Teshter Master

Bangalore

1

Western Sector, Indo-Pak Border, 13th October 1971

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Mig-21 in camouflage paint prior to Dec 71 war.

It was dusk when I took off from AF Stn Ambala and made my way at a comfortable height of a few hundred metres to AF Stn Hindan, east of Delhi. As night fell it was dark barring starlight as the moon had not yet risen. On approaching the destination, I got down to 150 m AGL, the height