East Pakistan Air Operations covers the activity of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Army Aviation units in former East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The operations involved the interdiction, air defense, ground support, and logistics missions flown by the Bangladesh Air Force, Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy Aviation wing in support of the Mukti Bahini and later Indian Army in Bengal.
The Indian Air force aided the Mukti Bahini in organizing the formation of light aircraft (called Kilo flight). They were manned and serviced mainly by Bengali pilots and technicians who had defected from the Pakistani Air Force.
This unit launched attacks on targets in Bangladesh on December 3, 1971, prior to the start of formal combat between India and Pakistan. The first of the engagements between the opposing air powers occurred before the formal declaration of hostilities. Indian Air units commenced operations on 4 December 1971 in the eastern theater. By 7 December 1971, Tejgaon airport was put out of operation thereby grounding the PAF in East Pakistan. Indian units and Kilo Flight continued flying missions over Bangladesh until the unconditional surrender of Pakistani forces to joint Bangladeshi and Indian forces command on 16 December 1971.
The Eastern Theater: Historical Background
East Pakistan saw no air combat during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, even though both countries possessed functional air forces. Pakistan had concentrated most of its military assets in West Pakistan, and the Indian war effort were concentrated on the Western front as well. India began upgrading its air capabilities on its eastern border only after the war.
In 1958, the Eastern operational group was formed in Kolkata, and it was upgraded into a Command the following year. Following the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Eastern Air Command Headquarters shifted to Upper Shillong, and extensive efforts to increase its operational capabilities in terms of the number of squadrons and modernization of its warplanes and operational infrastructure began, as the added emphasis was given to countering any possible Chinese threat. In contrast, Dhaka airfield at Tezgaon was activated only in 1949, and a squadron of Hawker Fury planes was stationed there in 1956. Pakistan High Command posted a squadron of 12 F-86 Sabres in East Pakistan in 1963, which was replaced by the No 14 Squadron in October 1964, while the Air Force infrastructure development in the province was largely ignored. The Indian Air Force had six combat squadrons posted under its Eastern Air Command by 1965.
1965 Indo-Pakistani War: Eastern Theater
The air forces of both countries launched attacks against each other's bases in the eastern theater as soon as hostilities commenced in September 1965. The IAF bombed airfields and airstrips located in East Pakistan (at Chittagong, Dhaka, Lalmunirhat Airport, and Jessore), while the PAF managed to launch two celebrated raids on the Indian Air Force base at Kalaikunda, near Kharagpur, in West Bengal. The PAF raids, a five-plane strike which had achieved total surprise, was followed up by a four-plane attack, which was opposed by Indian Interceptors, took place on 7 September, destroying several English Electric Canberra bombers and de Havilland Vampire aircraft on the ground, while the IAF claimed 2 aerial kills (Pakistani sources record 1 F-86 lost). The PAF also launched attacks on Bagdogra on 10 September and Barrackpore on 14 September, with varying results. The IAF hit back with more airstrikes on Dacca, Jessore, and Lalmonirhat Airport, these failed to destroy any aircraft. Mid-air interceptions and dogfights rarely happened, and barring some skirmishing between the EPR and BSF along the border, the air forces of both countries were responsible for most of the combat activity in the eastern theater during the 1965 war. The final tally was 12 Indian aircraft destroyed on the ground (PAF claim 21 aircraft destroyed), 2 Pakistani Sabres shot down, (the PAF records one aircraft lost), and 1 PAF Sabre lost due to an accident. Following the war, the IAF continued its steady growth in combat capacity and logistical capabilities, while Pakistan boosted its squadron strength to 20 Canadair F-86 Sabres (although it neglected to expand its operational infrastructure substantially).