The pilot shown in Pakistan Air Force (PAF) North American F-86F Sabre cockpit in this sketch is Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed and he's one of PAF heroes of 1965 Pak-India war who gave their life for the country.
Apparently, following photo of Sqn Ldr Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed helped the artist in making this sketch.
Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed – Photo source book ‘Battle for Pakistan – The Air War of 1965’ by John Fricker.
Some years ago, following rare photo of Sqn Ldr Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed appeared in a local newspaper with an article related to 1965 Pak-India war and I'm including further info as a tribute to this brave son of Pakistan.
Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed
Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed in fighter pilot flight suit (centre holding something in his hands) with his fellow pilots. During 1965 war ground attack mission, although Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed ejected safely from his burning Sabre after it had been blown up following his attack on an Indian ammunition train, Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed was believed to have been shot while descending by parachute in the battle area.
The last mission led by Sqn Ldr Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed on September 13, 1965 is described as follows in book ‘Battle for Pakistan – The Air War of 1965’ by John Fricker.
"Trains presented tempting targets for the ground attack aircraft of both combatant countries, and the PAF had a notable encounter of this type on 13 September. Four 32 Wing Sabres led by Sqn Ldr 'Butch' Ahmed, accompanied by Flt Lts Saleem, Amanullah and Manzoor, were making their second offensive patrol of the morning, having blasted a number of enemy tanks and guns in the Chawinda-Narowal sector soon after the first light. Flying low along the Batala-Gurdaspur railway at about 10.30hrs, the four Sabres came across a train on which they dived, only to pull away without attacking when it was identified by Sqn Ldr Ahmed as carrying civilian passengers.
Reaching the end of their patrol line within distant sight, in the early morning haze, of the runways at Pathankot, the Sabres set course towards the town of Gurdaspur, still searching for signs of Indian Army activity. In the goods yard of Gurdaspur station the PAF section had better luck, and a long line of freight wagons soon yielded some spectacular explosions as the probing fire from the F-86s set ammunition and military stores ablaze. Pressing home his attacks to point-blank range, Sqn Ldr Ahmed flew so low that his aircraft was struck by fragments from the exploding trucks, but with no apparent damage he continued flying into the thick pall of smoke which quickly shrouded the scene.
Because of the restricted visibility, his last attack was lower than ever, and his salvo of rockets found a store of high explosive which engulfed his Sabre in a massive blast of pressure waves and debris. So violent was the explosion that the other Sabres were buffetted almost out of control, and 'Butch' Ahmed had no hope of avoiding action. With Pakistani territory barely 12 miles away – just about one of a half minutes’ flying time – he called, ‘My cockpit is full of smoke,’ and tried to head his crippled aircraft towards the west. A moment later he added, ‘It seems to be all right now,’ but those were the last words ever heard from him.
It is known that 'Butch' Ahmed ejected from his burning Sabre, and two other F-86s flying in the vicinity from Peshawar were diverted by Sqn Ldr 'Nosey' Haider to cover him on his way down. PAF aircraft, assisted by Pak Army Cessna L-19s, spent five hours searching the area in an attempt to rescue him. But Sqn Ldr Ahmed was dead by the time he reached the ground, and is generally thought to have been shot while hanging helplessly from his parachute. ‘If he’d reached the ground alive, nothing on earth could have stopped him from escaping’, was Sqn Ldr Haider’s comments. A fitting epitaph, perhaps, for one of the finest and most popular officers in the PAF. Sqn Ldr Ahmed was awarded a posthumous Sitara-e-Jurat for his exemplary leadership, courage and valour."
Some more info is in chapter titled 'Blasting of Ammo Train' of book titled 'Story of PAF Heroes'.
Blasting of Ammo Train
“DON’T hit it. It is a passenger train”, called out the chivalrous leader of flight of four fighter-bombers as they zoomed past a train steaming along Batala-Gurdaspur railway line.
It was 10.30 in the morning and Squadron Leader Alauddin Ahmed, known as ‘Butch’ by his friends, was on his second mission of the day.
That morning, with the break of dawn, he had led the army-support mission of four Sabres in Chawinda-Narowal sector where the historic tank battle was still raging with all its blasting fury. Undaunted by heavy artillery fire they flew at tree-top level and blasted the enemy armour and guns with rockets and Armour Piercing and Incendiary (API) bullets sending huge spirals of smoke and fire all around. They made a number of strafing runs on the enemy until their whole ammunition was expended and they headed back home. After breakfast and little rest the pilots started getting ready for the next mission: this time an armed reconnaissance patrol over the Gurdaspur area.
It was past 10 O’clock and the heat of summer sun had started swelling when the Sabres again roared out of their base into the blue haze of September sky. With Squadron Leader Alauddin in the lead the four fighter-bombers – Flt. Lt. Saleem, Flt. Lt. Amanullah and Flt. Lt. Arif Manzoor in other cockpits – flew in battle formation and soon they were knifing gracefully through the enemy territory. With eight eyes scanning the skies all around and below for any speck or dot which could be enemy interceptors, they pressed on eastward. Nothing was in sight. The steady roar of the engines and the general air of tension combined to bring the nerves to a razor’s edge. They checked their guns and gunsights.
Suddenly the voice of Flt. Lt. Amanullah rang on R/T: “A train below at 5 O’clcok. Let us go for it.”
The four fanned out, and went into a steep dive towards the train. As they drew near and the form presented itself as a vivid picture they could see the terrified looks on the faces of passengers craning their necks out of the windows of the red coloured train in an effort to identify the on-rushing aircraft.
“On, no; it’s a passenger train. Don’t hit it”, came the word of command from the leader.
The Sabres pulled up from the sharp dive and leveled off. Rubbernecking, they again searched the sky, no enemy aircraft. The Indian skies seemed to be conspicuously free from their guardians.
With eyes peeled they roared on when suddenly the R/T again became alive. It was Saleem who had seen the runway of the IAF base at Pathankot gleaming in the distant haze. They had come to the end of the area assigned to them for reconnaissance. ‘Butch’ ordered return and with flick of hands on the boards the four were turning sharply to the left. Now they set course for the city of Gurdaspur. They were flying low, searching the ground below for any enemy build-up.
They had reached the outskirts of Gurdaspur when they beheld the silhouette of another train in the marshalling yard of the railway station.
“It may be the same train”, but on second thought ‘Butch’ decided to ‘check’ it.
Suddenly his aircraft peeled off to the right and went screaming down towards the railway station. It was a goods train. It could be some military hardware, he thought.
“I am going in for attack”, called out ‘Butch’.
The wagons grew bigger and bigger grimly enclosed by the circle of diamonds of his gun-sight; and his finger slowly but deliberately pressed the trigger. A stream of bullets slammed into the target. A terrific explosion followed and a huge column of black smoke and debris went up. He pulled up.
“It’s an ammunition train; let’s make a short work of it”. With these words ‘Butch’ dived for the second attack.
A few more rockets and bursts of API bullets, and number of other wagons went up in smoke and fire. Nothing was visible now as the whole place was engulfed in a black pall of smoke. Large pieces of twisted steel and burning wood were flying in all directions. ‘Butch’ had a narrow escape. Some splinters of broken metal hit his aircraft when he was pulling up from the dive. The Sabre lurched. He checked the instruments; all seemed to be well.
Now he circled overhead and saw the fireworks from above. A few buildings near the marshalling yard had also caught fire.
“I can’t see anything down below due to smoke. There might by some more wagons left”, said the leader on the R/T and again streaked down into the thick pall of smoke.
He was engulfed in the dark billowing clouds of black smoke rising more than a hundred feet above. ‘Butch’ strained his eyes to see if any part of the train was left. But, he could not make out anything. He must dive further. Again he went down until he was flying dangerously low, a few feet above the burning train.
All of a sudden he picked up the wagons he was looking for and pulled up steeply for yet another attack. His salvo of rockets scored direct hit and there was gigantic explosion of the munitions in the wagons which sent up pressure waves that shook the other Sabres flying high up like leaves in an autumn breeze. The debris leapt hundreds of feet into the air engulfing the whole area into darkness.
‘Butch’ had pulled up but to no avail. His Sabre was hit by flying debris and soon his cockpit was filled with pungent cordite smoke. He headed his aircraft towards Pakistan, a bare 12 miles away – a minute and half of flying time!
“My cockpit is full of smoke”, he called out to inform his formation. But a few moments later he said: “It seems to be all right now.” These were the last words his comrades heard.
The formation, at this time, was not in visual contact with one another, and when the deputy leader called again to confirm his safety, there was no response. Realising that ‘Butch’ must have bailed out, they carried out a vigorous search that was soon taken over by other aircraft. Army Aviation’s L-19s enthusiastically joined in and in spite of their greater vulnerability to ground fire and interception by enemy aircraft, they combed the entire area for five hours: all to no effect.
A great fighter pilot and a man of unsurpassed courage had gone.
Fifteen years ago a young boy was bitterly disappointed when he was told by the PAF recruiting officer that he could not be selected as a pilot as one of his legs was slightly shorter than the other. He appealed to higher authorities; and, on being rejected, to still higher authorities until they had no alternative but to concede to his enthusiasm. This youth blossomed into one of the most colourful and dashing fighter pilots during his career in the Pakistan Air Force.
Son of a well-known medical specialist of East Pakistan, Dr. T. Ahmed, Squadron Leader Alauddin Ahmed was born at Dacca in 1935. Always the centre of life at the station, he was man with cheerful spirit that was infectious. He had boyish grin, a firm handshake and a direct manner. In spite of his boisterous behaviour with his boys he always retained that streak of strict disciplinarian which demanded respect. All these combined to make him the very image and epitome of a young squadron commander.
Greatly loved and admired by his squadron pilots, ‘Butch’ was punctilious and thorough about his work. To every new pilot in his squadron he would relate a story of a German painter who was hired to paint a small patch on a wall. After painting it over twice he would throw a light on the patch from different angles to see if the colour was uniform. He would go away and return after two hours to check the final effect. The moral of story: work should be extremely thorough and even the minutest detail should be taken into account.
‘Butch’, who joined the PAF in 1951, was the winner of the coveted Sword of Honour on graduation from the PAF College in 1953.
Squadron Leader Alauddin Ahmed was awarded Sitara-e-Jurat posthumously for his “exemplary leadership, courage and valour” during the war. In the citation it was stated that Squadron Leader Alauddin Ahmed, as officer commanding of a PAF fighter-bomber squadron, led the squadron in twenty combat missions against the Indian ground and air force. His leadership throughout the operations was cool, courageous and most determined which inspired the greatest confidence amongst pilots of his formation and resulted in destruction of many Indian tanks and vehicles. His will to destroy the enemy was exemplary. He attacked and blew up an important ammunition train at Gurdaspur rail-head in complete disregard of his personal safety. During this attack on September 13, his aircraft was damaged and Squadron Leader Alauddin was reported missing over enemy territory. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the officer died in this action.”
Source: Book 'Story of PAF Heroes'.
Citation – September 1965 War
Sitara-e-Jurat
Squadron Leader Alauddin Ahmed, G.D. (P)
Sqn Ldr Alauddin Ahmed, in the last Indo-Pakistan war, led his squadron in twenty combat missions against the Indian ground and air forces. His leadership throughout the operations was cool, courageous and most determined which inspired the greatest confidence amongst pilots of his formation and resulted in destruction of many Indian tanks and vehicles. His will to destroy the enemy was exemplary. He attacked and blew up an important ammunition train at Gurdaspur rail-head in complete disregard of his personal safety. During this attack on September 13, his aircraft was damaged and Sqn Ldr Ahmed was reported missing over enemy territory. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the officer died in this action. For his exemplary leadership, courage and valour, Sqn Ldr Alauddin Ahmed is awarded Sitara-e-Jurat posthumously.
Source: History of the Pakistan Air Force – 1947-1982
And, here's painting by Hussaini depicting last mission flown & led by Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed. The artist has shown exploding & flying debris hitting F-86F Sabre flown by Sqn Ldr 'Butch' Ahmed.
Interdiction at Gurdaspur
On 13 September 65, four Sabres led by Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed on their second offensive patrol over Indian lines of communication, attacked a long line of freight wagons at Gurdaspur railway yard. The Sabres’ rockets and guns soon yielded some spectacular explosions as the ammunition wagons received direct hits. Squadron Leader Ahmed’s F-86 was struck by fragments of an exploding train after he had fired a salvo of rockets at point blank range. Despite a radio call from him that he was ejecting from his disabled F-86 this superbly intrepid pilot never returned from this mission. He was awarded a posthumous Sitara-e-Jurat for his exemplary aggressiveness, combat leadership and valour.
Source: Paintings book 'Air Warriors of Pakistan' – by Hussaini
Here I would also like to add that a road in Lahore Cantonment is named 'Alauddin Road' in memory of Squadron Leader Alauddin 'Butch' Ahmed.
JFT BLK 2 under construction.
JFT BLK 2 refuelling probe.
