Destruction of Egypts airforce through the frustrated eyes of pilot

[HAIDER]

Egyptian pilot: We felt humiliated

Israel wiped out much of the Egyptian Air Force on the morning of June 5, 1967, the first day of the war. Egyptian pilot Mustafa Hafez was stationed at one of the 11 Egyptian air bases that were targeted.
He told military historian and BBC website reader, David Nicolle, what happened that day.
n the build-up to war, I was sent to a squadron based at Kabrit, flying MiG-17Fs and MiG-17PF night fighters.

We didn't really think that there would be a war, and if there was one, I was confident that Egypt would win.

I was then a Flight Lieutenant and I was 26. Our confidence was not based on anything specific, but our morale was high.

On the first day of the war, 5 June, at about 8.20am I was in the mess, since I was due to fly later that day. No particular aircraft had been allocated to me. This was normal in our air force; we flew what was available.

Suddenly I heard explosions and went outside the mess; I asked people what was going on.

That was when I saw an Israeli aircraft attacking, very low from south to north, coming in towards the runway. It was a Super Mystere.

My first instinct was to run towards a ditch, but when I got there I thought, what am I doing here like an idiot? So I ran to the squadron bus so I could get to the squadron headquarters.

I didn't have any plans, only to try to defend the airfield. I hadn't even cleared my take off with the control tower, I just took off


There I found the Regimental CO who was heading for his car; so I got in too. The CO drove to the nearest available aircraft, and I helped strap him in, though we weren't absolutely sure the aircraft was ready to go.

I think he took off on a sub runway as the main runway had already been hit.

Then I tried to find another aircraft. They were all either damaged, or being serviced, or weren't ready to go. Then I went to a hangar. By this time the mechanics were starting to come back after having run away as the first bombs fell.

That was when I took off in an available MiG-17F. I didn't even check if it was armed, but only asked if had been fuelled.

I didn't have any plans, only to try to defend the airfield. Once I was up in the air I could see the smoke from other airfields which had been attacked. I hadn't even cleared my take off with the control tower, I just took off. Nor did I have any idea what the rest of the squadron were doing.

Then I saw something flying very low. It was a n Israeli Mirage going west to east, so I half rolled in behind it. It was probably doing a reconnaissance as it was on its own and was not attacking targets on the ground. As I followed it I tried to **** my guns three times, but my plane was too slow to keep up and after a while the Mirage just flew off.

Lack of training

Of course I was angry and frustrated because I was unable to shoot down that Mirage. There was a switch in the cockpit that changed the armament from rockets to guns, but I had not been trained for that particular modification.
And I wasn't the only pilot to make the same mistake.
Then I landed safely.
Very soon afterwards I took off again in a different aircraft. There had been no time for me to report or to be debriefed. I merely changed aircraft.

As I started the engine the airfield came under attack again, for perhaps the second or third time. I was still inside the hangar, in the cockpit, when I heard the attack. I cleared the hangar doors at full throttle and afterburner. The aircraft was swerving and rocking from side to side; I was afraid the wingtips would hit the ground.

I took off without a pause... the Israelis were about 100m ahead of me. I counted one, two, three, four, so I pulled up and tried to follow the last one

All five of us started circling, then one came at me head-on and opened fire. This made me so angry that I swore out loud. The Israeli turned to the right. I turned first to the left and then to the right to try and follow him. A head-on attack is very difficult.

That was when I was hit in the right wing. We were all flying at 200-300m. My right aileron was damaged and I continued turning right, unable to straighten out, so I gained height.

The Israeli couldn't keep with me as a MiG-17 is better in a climb. My aircraft juddered several times and almost went into a spin. I thought it odd that it tried to spin under those conditions.

While three of the Israeli aircraft attacked our airfield, the fourth one followed me. After the three had strafed the field, the fourth one did the same, then they all flew home.

Meanwhile I was still turning to the right, unable to straighten up. As I lined up on a runway I used the aileron trim to straighten out. This wasn't standard procedure. I don't know if I invented it or maybe it just came by instinct, but it worked. I had no communication with the ground, but I landed OK.

Humiliated

It was about twelve o'clock when I finally landed. There was no further activity after that... we were mainly concerned to disperse and save whatever aircraft we could.

The air force felt very angry and humiliated by this war. Once, during the war, two of my fellow officers had to stop me banging my head repeatedly against a pair of concrete pillars at our air base.

Another time, still during the war, I and some others were sent to stay in a hotel in Cairo, but the waiter in the hotel was too sympathetic and even placed his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

This was so embarrassing, we asked to be taken back to the base


BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Egyptian pilot: We felt humiliated

 

[kidwaibhai]

Sad Sad story. trully a committed man but a victim of circumstances.

 

[Energon]

One must however commend the training and the tactical prowess of the IsAF during their wars with the Arabs. The latter were simply outgunned and outwitted time and time again.

On my recent trip to Egypt, I noticed that the humiliation and the underlying anger is still very much present, albeit latent in the psyche of the Egyptian people. I wonder if this will ever go away, because it seems to be extremely dangerous.

 

[haviZsultan]

Sad!... the arabs were crushed in the war. The syrian airforce was completely annihilated in the war.

 

[maqsad]

Do many people give credibility to the accusation that the Mossad used LSD to disorient Arab pilots before the airstrikes? I have read that story in a couple of places.

 

[solid snake]

The Egyptians should have expected that attack or at least they should have been ready for it. But now the past can't be changed and this episode has provided air forces around the world with a valuable lesson. Hopefully, the PAF will be ready for air raids when war breaks out in the future.

 

[kidwaibhai]

I think the PAF did participate in this war so we hopefully did learn some lessons from the Israelis

 

[Muradk]

Haider Did the pilot tell you why there ADA was not on alert and the Radars off and why there was no time for them to take off, That would have given them some chance, Some decent chance.
Every morning the pilots used to get a very lavish breakfast from the king every day , The first time me and Arif saw it it was we were actually sitting on a table in heaven. And all base personal used to join it pilots first, and it happend in all the bases. When the Israeli's attacked they were stuffing foods in there stomachs and when they were told they did'nt belive it. the only pilots took off from Syria for dog fights were PAF guys I will not name the 2 pilots they were not supposes to be there they were observers and decided to fight any way. Both made it good and Haider you have already met one of them .

 

[HAIDER]

Sir Murad i been waiting for your expert comments for so many days, since i post this topic. Because i knew you must be closly watching defeat of Arab air force.
Sir I will ask you to shed some more lights in that war, reason of defeat.
And somthing about 18 Pakistani pilots serve in war. What was thier air kill score?
How many weeks or days these Pakistani pilots serve the combat zone.
Psychological Impact on Isreali pilots, after the entry of Pakistani pilots in war zone?

 

[Muradk]

Sir Murad i been waiting for your expert comments for so many days, since i post this topic. Because i knew you must be closly watching defeat of Arab air force.
Sir I will ask you to shed some more lights in that war, reason of defeat

Yar I was a part of that war if they would have coordinated the air attacks against Isreal they could have won. we had pilots in Egypt and in Syria but orders were orders. I hope you can understand I cannot say anything which is not in the books( big reason behind it US).That might give you a little clue.
The day Isreal attacked most of the pilots did'nt take off PAF had given strict orders not to fly we had our own problems being there. Funny thing is that I will got caught because we were speaking Punjabi and that is why Orders came from above to stay as instructors. in the book it says that PAF pilots were not present when the attack took place, but they were. In syria things were different at that time MM alam was there with me as an observer. I dont understand why does'nt the PAF give recognition to pilots who have done more than Sattar Alvi, specially Arif ( Moota) 100 times better than Sattar in every aspect and many more did a fantastic job, Every time Isreali's were outmanuvered and on the first sign they bugged out, reason getting shotdown by a syrian pilot was an insult to there egos, knowing that they might be Pakistani pilots that is why they tried to get Sattar into a trap and got them selves shot down.
Another thing the attack was quick that only a few took off with no Dog fight skills, they were trained to bomb and return not dog fight, That is why we were called to train them but before we did things had already ended.
how can you train a bunch of people who prade in an Air conditioned prade square 2 miles by 2 miles, everything for them was so comfy that we did'nt even know where to start how to make them into fighters remember not everyone can be a fighter pilot you need to have a heart like a Lion ( Do or die but never say why) . One of the most indicipline Air Forces I had ever seen, yes there were good pilots like Maj Auzgaar always ready to take on a fight but not all. Now look at them they are tuff and excellent fighter pilots not because USA helped them in given them good planes because we the PAF made a solid base from which they could start, till today we have turkish, egyptian pilots in 9 Sqd and 11 sqd who come train and go back and same goes for the PAF our pilots go there and train them.
NOW THE OFFICIAL STORY

Post-haste summons for volunteers found an eager band of sixteen PAF fighter pilots on their way to the Middle East, in the midst of the 1973 Ramadan war. After a gruelling Peshawar-Karachi-Baghdad flight on a PAF Fokker, they were whisked off to Damascus in a Syrian jet. Upon arrival, half the batch was told to stay back in Syria while the rest were earmarked for Egypt. By the time the PAF batch reached Cairo, Egypt had agreed to a cease-fire; it was therefore decided that they would continue as instructors. But in Syria it was another story.

The batch in Syria was made up of pilots who were already serving there on deputation (except one), but had been repatriated before the war. Now they were back in familiar surroundings as well as familiar aircraft, the venerable MiG-21. They were posted to No 67 squadron, 'Alpha' Detachment (all PAF). Hasty checkouts were immediately followed by serious business of Air Defence Alert scrambles and Combat Air Patrols from the air base at Dumayr.

Syria had not agreed to a ceasefire, since Israeli operations in Golan were continuing at a threatening pace. Israeli Air Force missions included interdiction under top cover, well supported by intense radio jamming as the PAF pilots discovered. The PAF formation using the call-sign "Shahbaz" was formidable in size -- all of eight aircraft. Shahbaz soon came to stand out as one that couldn't be messed with, in part because its tactics were innovative and bold. Survival, however, in a jammed-radio environment was concern number one. As a precaution, the Pakistanis decided to switch to Urdu for fear of being monitored in English. Suspicions were confirmed during one patrol, when healthy Punjabi invectives hurled on radio got them wondering if Mossad had recruited a few Khalsas for the job!

After several months of sporadic activity, it seemed that hostilities were petering out. While the Shahbaz patrols over Lebanon and Syria had diminished in frequency, routine training sorties started to register a rise. Under these conditions it was a surprise when on the afternoon of 26th April 1974, the siren blasted from the air-shafts of the underground bunker. Backgammon boards were pushed aside and the "qehva" session was interrupted as all eight pilots rushed to their MiGs; they were airborne within minutes. From Dumayr to Beirut, then along the Mediterranean coast till Sidon, and a final leg eastwards, skirting Damascus and back to base -- this was the usual patrol, flown at an altitude of 6 km.

The limited fuel of their early model MiG--21F permitted just a 30 minutes sortie; this was almost over when ground radar blurted out on the radio that two bogeys (unidentified aircraft) were approaching from the southerly direction ie Israel. At this stage fuel was low and an engagement was the least preferred option. Presented with a fait accompli, the leader of the formation called a defensive turn into the bogeys. Just then heavy radio jamming started, sounding somewhat similar to the "takka tak" at our meat joints, only more shrill. While the formation was gathering itself after the turn, two Israeli F-4E Phantoms sped past almost head-on, seemingly unwilling to engage. Was it a bait?

Flt Lt Sattar Alvi, now the rear-most in the formation, was still adjusting after the hard turn when he caught sight of two Mirage-III-CJ zooming into them from far below. With no way of warning the formation of the impending disaster, he instinctively decided to handle them alone. Peeling away from his formation, he turned hard into the Mirages so that one of them overshot. Against the other, he did a steep reversal dropping his speed literally to zero. (it takes some guts to let eight tons of metal hang up in unfriendly air!) The result was that within a few seconds the second Mirage filled his gun-sight, the star of David and all. While Sattar worried about having to concentrate for precious seconds in aiming and shooting, the lead Mirage started to turn around to get Sattar. Thinking that help was at hand, the target Mirage decided to accelerate away. A quick-witted Sattar reckoned that a missile shot would be just right for the range his target had opened up to. A pip of a button later, a K13 heat-seeker sped off towards the tail of the escaping Mirage. Sattar recollects that it wasn't as much an Israeli aircraft as a myth that seemed to explode in front of him. (The letter 'J' in Mirage-IIICJ stood for 'Jewish', it may be noted.) He was tempted to watch the flaming metal rain down, but with the other Mirage lurking around and fuel down to a few hundred litres, he decided to exit.

 

[HAIDER]

Very interesting. So what was PAF boys total kill ?.

 

[Muradk]

Very interesting. So what was PAF boys total kill ?.

I am going to end up in a , you forget I still have a son in the airforce. Check PM

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

End up in a slammer---???

 

[Muradk]

Hi,

End up in a slammer---???

More or less
To be very frank it hardly matters how many we shot down most people know that, The point is that countries like Israel who have proclaimed them selves as the best Air Force in the world know that their are countries like Pakistan ,India, China , Swiss who are better then them.

 

[Ahassan]

sir u call india as better trained u only know about airforce..............i have seen IA bravery in Kargil war.....i know how brave they r.......