Strike Against a Bomber Base
September 7, 1965
The painting shows 2 of the 5 Dacca-based F-86 Sabres attacking the IAF bomber station at Kalaikunda. The Sabre pilots, quickly overcoming their initial surprise at finding so many bombers neatly lined up, wasted no time in making the best of it. The formation leader was Squadron Leader Shabbir H. Syed with Flight Lieutenants Abdul Baseer, Tariq Habib, Abdul Haleem and Flying Officer Afzal Khan in his formation. In his memoirs written after the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Air Chief Marshal P.C. Lal, Chief of the Air Staff, IAF, conceded the losses suffered by the IAF during this daring attack. He wrote: “A sharp lesson … was taught by the PAF in an attack on an IAF base near Kharagpur (Kalaikunda). In one raid that it mounted, it destroyed several Canberra bombers and Hunter fighter aircraft on the ground.â€ÂÂ
Info Source: PAF Year 2010 Wall Calendar