Our Heroes need their identity back

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Drigh Road, 1952 - Officers of RPAF's only jet squadron, No 11, in front of Attacker with first squadron commander, Rahim Khan, Centre.

 

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prior to departure to East Pakistan for border photography and aerial mapping.

 

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A man immortalized through his sacrifice, Sqn Ldr Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui has the honor of being amongst those rare breeds of men who keep inspiring thousands even after their death. He was awarded the Hilal-i-Jur’at, as well as a Sitara-i-Jur’at for his services in the 65 war. His claim to glory is his decision to stay and defend his comrades even after his guns were jammed in a dogfight, a day after he had successfully taken down 4 IAF vampires with Flt Lt Imtiaz Bhatti. His willing sacrifice not only spurred the morale of his then comrades; it continues to inspire young pilots and soldiers to this day. Read more in our article "Brave Heart Rafiqui" by Air Cdre (R) Kaiser Tufail.

 

[ghazi52]

08-August-2017
4th Shahadat Anniversary of Wing Commander Zeeshan Ataa, as his aircraft F-7P crashed near Mianwali during a routine sortie.
May Allah award the departed soul the highest place in Jannah. Ameen.

 

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1434604612624044039

 

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=683780205035769

 

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BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY

6th September the martyrdom anniversary of Pakistan's national hero Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui Shaheed (Hilal-i-Jurrat).

On 6th September, 1965, Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui led a formation of three F-86 aircraft on a strike against Halwara airfield. Soon after crossing the Indian border Squadron Leader Rafiqui had been warned about a large number of enemy interceptors being in the air by the leader of a returning F-86 formation. He, however, continued his mission single-mindedly.

On the way back, the formation was intercepted by about ten Hunter aircraft out of which Squadron Leader Rafiqui accounted for one in the first few seconds. After Squadron Leader Rafiqui shot down one Hunter aircraft, his guns jammed due to a defect and stopped firing upon which he refused to leave the battle area as he would have been perfectly justified to do; he, instead ordered his No. 2 Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry to take over as leader and continue the engagement with the enemy. He himself now took up a defensive position in the formation in an attempt to give it as much protection as was possible by continuing fighting maneuvers in unarmed aircraft whilst the remainder proceeded to give battle to the enemy. This called for a quality of courage and dedication on the part of Squadron Leader Rafiqui equal to the best in the history of air-fighting. The end for him was never in doubt. He chose to disregard it and in the process, his aircraft was shot down and he was killed but not without his action enabling his formation to shoot down three more Hunter aircraft.

Squadron Leader Rafiqui thus provided exemplary leadership in battle and displayed outstanding courage in the face of exceptionally strong opposition. His inspiring leadership and selfless example significantly affected the subsequent course of the air war in which the P.A.F. never failed to dictate terms to an overwhelmingly larger and better equipped enemy. Squadron Leader Rafiqui's conduct was clearly beyond the call of duty and conformed to the highest tradition of leadership and bravery in battle against overwhelming odds. For this and his earlier exploits, he is posthumously awarded Hilal-i-Juraat.

 

[Reichmarshal]

A man immortalized through his sacrifice, Sqn Ldr Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui has the honor of being amongst those rare breeds of men who keep inspiring thousands even after their death. He was awarded the Hilal-i-Jur’at, as well as a Sitara-i-Jur’at for his services in the 65 war. His claim to glory is his decision to stay and defend his comrades even after his guns were jammed in a dogfight, a day after he had successfully taken down 4 IAF vampires with Flt Lt Imtiaz Bhatti. His willing sacrifice not only spurred the morale of his then comrades; it continues to inspire young pilots and soldiers to this day. Read more in our article "Brave Heart Rafiqui" by Air Cdre (R) Kaiser Tufail.


View attachment 773533

If any one deserved a nishan e Haider than it was sarfraz Rafique

 

[ghazi52]

Top Gun Mervyn L. Middlecoat

Wg. Cdr Mervyn L. Middlecoat SJ (1965-1971) and Bar SBT Shaheed. A great warrior, His services for Pakistan cannot be described in few words. Devoted his life for the country.

Pakistan has been blessed with great men. A martyr., A patriot Wing Commander Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat (July 1940 – 12 December 1971) was a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter pilot who was involved in a number of aerial battles during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars, before being shot down on 12 December 1971. He was credited with several air-to-air kills and was one of a number of distinguished Pakistani strike and fighter pilots of the period. Before his death he was stationed in Karachi, Pakistan where he flew the F-104 Starfighter.

Early Life and Education

Middlecoat was born in Ludhiana, India, in July 1940. His parents were Percy and Daisy Middlecoat. He received his early education at St. Anthony’s High School (Lahore) and Lawrence College Murree. Middlecoat joined the PAF, passed out of the 16th General Duty Pilot (GDP) Course in 1954, and won the Best Performance Trophy in ground subjects.

Soft-spoken and mild mannered, Middlecoat was considered to be the epitome of an officer and a gentleman, besides also being an outstanding pilot. Although he flew a number of different aircraft during his service career, he came to master the F-104 Starfighter.
On 27 September 1957, he married Jane, the daughter of a Christian family from Karachi. On 21 October 1959, a daughter named Leslie Ann was born to the Middlecoats.


The War 1965

The first PAF F-104 that landed in Pakistan was flown by Mervyn Middlecoat. F-104s were inducted in the 9th Squadron (known as Griffins) which is the first elite fighter squadron of the PAF. It is worthwhile to mention that the best PAF pilots were inducted into the PAF squadron.
Along with another prominent Gallian Flt Lt Aftab Alam Khan, Sqn Ldr Middlecoat flew the first ever recce over the Indian territory taking pictures of Indian positions. Flt Lt Aftab Alam Khan flew the F-104 Star Fighter and his commander Middlecoat took the pictures. Both officers were later awarded Sitara e Jurat.

He would later command the squadron as a Squadron Leader and was doing so during the 1965 war. Leading from the front, he kept the spirits of his boys high and guided his pilots in a highly professional manner.

During the three-week war, Middlecoat flew 17 air defence sorties and three photo reconnaissance missions over forward Indian airbases. For his leadership and devotion to duty, he was awarded the Sitara-i-Jurat, the third highest award in the Pakistani military, in 1965.

The War 1971

Promoted to Wing Commander, at the outbreak of war on 3 December 1971 Middlecoat was on a training visit abroad in Egypt. He was one of the six strike command officers who were selected to conduct the aerial operation “Amritsar Radar”, and was assigned to attack the heavily defended Indian airbase at Jamnagar on 12 December, the day after his return.

After strafing aircraft parked on the runway, Middlecoat and his wingman were forced to abort their mission after they were bounced by two IAF MIG-21 aircraft from No. 47 Squadron IAF. Middlecoat quickly reduced altitude, and maintained a high speed. He managed to deflect the first missile, however at a range of just 300 metres (330 yd) he was shot down over the Gulf of Kutch. The Indian pilot that shot him down, Flight Lieutenant Bharat Bhushan Soni, saw Middlecoat eject into the Arabian Sea, and contacted a nearby IAF base to send a rescue team, however he was nowhere to be found when they reached the site. Middlecoat had ejected in shark infested waters and it was considered unlikely that he survived. Declared missing in action, he was posthumously awarded a Bar to the Sitara-i-Jurat. His remains were never found.

The aviator King Hussein of Jordan wrote to Middlecoat’s widow stating that his death was a personal loss for the King, requesting to bury him with the Jordanian national flag under his head if he was to be wrapped in the Pakistani flag. Middlecoat had fought for the King earlier during the Six Day War with Israel.

 

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A day in history.

A courageous pilot, a true professional and a patriotic Pakistani - Air Marshal Azim Daudpota (Rtd) was born on 14 Sep 1933. He was a model and inspiration not only for Airmen of PAF but also for all personnel of Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) of which he was the first and the only non-local commander.

His journey to becoming an Air Force pilot began when he was sent to the Royal Australian Air Force Academy in 1952. Daudpota made his mark on Pakistan’s military history during the 1965 Indo-Pak war by putting up gallantry performances as a Commander and a Fighter Pilot.

He remained instrumental in destroying numerous enemy tanks, guns & vehicles in the face of heavy enemy ground fire. His great moments came on 21 Sep 1965, when his formation destroyed scores of enemy medium guns at the crucial battle front of Wagah-Attari border. For his leadership, devotion to duty and complete disregard for personal safety, he was awarded Sitara-e-Jura’at by Govt of Pakistan.

Besides his courageous contributions in Wars, his services for PAF included commands of No 15 and No 17 Sqns, Base Commander Rafiqui and Sargodha as well as various Staff appointments abroad as well as at Joint HQs & AHQs. Azim Daudpota also served as DG Civil Aviation, MD & Chairman of PIA, Chairman PIDC and Governor of Sindh.

During his tenure at Zimbabwe as Chief of Zimbabwe AF, he not only helped a struggling and enervated AFZ to stand to its feet but also groomed a local commander to take over when he left Zimbabwe in Jan 1986.
AM Daudpota died on 03 April 2017. His services for the PAF will always be remembered.

 

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The late Squadron Leader Alauddin "Butch" Ahmed, Officer Commanding 18 Sqn "Sharpshooters" - missing in action over the Gurdaspur Railway Station, w.e.f 13/09/65. a posthumous Sitara-e-Jurat.

Air Marshal SA Changezi of 'Bo Kaata' fame, in the centre. another SJ awardee.

 

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(Gp/ Capt Dr. S.M. Akbar d.1977 )

Memorable snap at NASA's premises during attending course of Aerospace Medicine in 1970 at Houston, Texas, USA. This Quarantine facility was basically meant for astarnauts of Apollo series space ships and on return from space travel, astarnauts were kept in the quarantine vehicle for few days.
Courtesy : Taqi Akbar

 

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DGPR (AIR FORCE)

@DGPR_PAF

This was a totally unprecedented innovation which could have come only from a force absolutely confident of professional mastery & utmost courage of its air warriors. Devoid of any self protection measures in presence of heavy AAA, meant nothing less than a one-way undertaking.






However, the daring crew led by Air Cdre (Retd) Viqar Abidi – the navigator of C-130, accepted the challenge to penetrate right through the battle zone & reduce enemy armor to rubble of burning steel & debris.

The idea of converting Hercules into a heavy bomber was first conceived by Gp Capt Eric Hall, commanding PAF Stn Chaklala. This challenging yet innovative idea was accepted by PAF higher command. The crew carried out trial-bombing runs at Jamrud range with remarkable success.