He is one of the few five star officers in the world and the
senior-most officer in the country. The five stars on his shoulders reflect the
enormous military aviation experience under his belt.
Even at 93 Marshal of the
Air Force Arjan Singh’s eye shines when he speaks about his exploits in the World
War-II 1965 war.
I got my second opportunity to meet this military legend who
held the command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) as the first Chief of Air Staff
this year. And his zest for life had not diminished a bit. When I reached his
home in New Delhi, the Marshal of the Air Force walked in with the same
unchanged gait of a military officer. On seeing the camera, Singh insisted on
changing into better shirt – a military habit to look impeccable at all time.
Once he was satisfied with his attire we settled down for an
interview. What do you ask an officer who was commissioned in the Royal Indian
Air Force at the young age of 20 years in December 1939 and then led the Number
1 Squadron in various campaigns during World War-II and had the unique honour
of leading the fly past of more than 100 IAF aircraft over Delhi’s Red Fort
when India began its “tryst with destiny” on August 15, 1947? Who exhibited his
mantle as Chief of Air Staff during the decisive victory over Pakistan in 1965
war and became the First Marshal of the IAF. His caliber was recognized by not
only Indian military but also the British, who was conferred Distinguished
Flying Cross (DFC) for his services.
“I was fortunate to have seen action in my profession. I was
very lucky that way,” Singh said when asked about his military exploits. Many
armed forces officers retire without ever having to go to war. Singh is known
to have expressed his dissent in announcing 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 the 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 had taken the command of the force only in 1964 and it was
the first time since independence the IAF was used in a war, an experience that
proved valuable during 1971 Indo-Pak war.
The Pakistan Army's incursions in India culminated on Sep 1,
1965, in a massive attack in the Chhamb sector (Jammu and Kashmir) by the
Pakistan forces. The IAF finally joined the conflict on Sep 6 with a full-blown
war breaking out on the western frontier of India. The Pakistani incursions in
Jammu and Kashmir continued for about a month till the ceasefire was affected
under the aegis of the UN Security Council on Sep 23, 1965.
Singh, his memory still razor sharp for his age, says that
the IAF, after starting off at a disadvantage, soon gained 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 said sitting stiffly for a man of his age.
He added that Gnat was not famous before and nobody liked to
fly it, as it was difficult to fly and did not give any scope of error. “But as the war progressed the Gnat shot down
two Sabre aircraft, boosting our morale. Its small size was also a good
advantage because it could not be seen properly on radar,” Singh said proudly. Close air support missions of the IAF in the
Gujranwala sector, in the Sialkot-Lahore-Ferozepur axis and in the Khemkaran
Kasur sector in Pakistan, contributed to the destruction of 300 Patton tanks of
Pakistan.
“We had planned for a three-month war. Our strategy was to attack Pakistan's rail and communications and at the same time stopping 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.
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