Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, Maha Vir Chakra (Posthumous)
Squadron Leader Jasbeer Singh, Vir Chakra (Posthumous)
Squadron Leader Sureshchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat
Flight Lieutenant Babul Guha
Flying Officer Jagdev Singh Brar
The skies over Pakistan became a battlefield on 07 September 1965 as Indian Air Force pilots undertook some of the most demanding missions of the Indo-Pak War. From heavily defended airfields to enemy fighter formations, Indian air warriors flew into danger knowing that the missions ahead could demand the highest price. Among those who took to the skies that day were five officers whose names remain inseparably connected with the courage and sacrifice of the Indian Air Force.
They flew different aircraft, served with different squadrons and faced different circumstances, but they shared the same commitment to their mission. Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, Squadron Leader Jasbeer Singh, Squadron Leader Sureshchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat, Flight Lieutenant Babul Guha and Flying Officer Jagdev Singh Brar all made the supreme sacrifice during operations on 07 September 1965.
Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, Maha Vir Chakra (Posthumous)
Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya was serving with No. 1 Squadron, the Tigers, flying the Dassault Mystère IVa. On the morning of 07 September 1965, the squadron was tasked with striking the heavily defended Sargodha airfield, one of the most important air bases of the Pakistan Air Force.
After completing his attack, Devayya's Mystère was intercepted by a Pakistani F-104 Starfighter, a significantly faster and more advanced supersonic fighter. The Starfighter attacked his aircraft and damaged it. Instead of attempting to escape from the engagement, Devayya turned towards his pursuer.
Flying a damaged aircraft, he entered combat with the much faster Starfighter. In an extraordinary display of flying skill and determination, he succeeded in shooting down the enemy aircraft. Devayya's own aircraft did not return to base, and he was subsequently declared missing and presumed killed in action.
For many years, the full circumstances of his final battle remained unknown. Later accounts of the war provided crucial information about the destruction of the Pakistani F-104 and helped establish what Devayya had achieved during his final mission.
More than two decades after the war, his extraordinary courage was formally recognised when he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously in 1988. He remains the only Indian Air Force officer to have received the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.
Squadron Leader Jasbeer Singh, Vir Chakra (Posthumous)
Squadron Leader Jasbeer Singh was serving with No. 3 Squadron and was a Flight Commander during the 1965 operations. On 07 September, he led a strike mission against a heavily defended Pakistani radar installation near Gujranwala.
The radar station was considered an important target because it was hampering Indian air operations. As Singh's formation approached the target, four Pakistani Sabre fighters appeared. He immediately warned his formation but did not allow the enemy interception to prevent the mission from being completed.
Despite facing enemy fighters with superior performance and intense ground fire, Singh pressed home the attack against the radar installation. His formation inflicted severe damage on the target.
During the final attack, Singh had to bring his aircraft down to a very low altitude. His aircraft was hit by ground fire and was seen crashing near the target. He made the supreme sacrifice while carrying out the mission.
For his exceptional courage, determination and devotion to duty, Squadron Leader Jasbeer Singh was awarded the Vir Chakra posthumously.
Squadron Leader Sureshchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat
Squadron Leader Sureshchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat was serving with No. 7 Squadron, the Battle Axes, flying the Hawker Hunter. On 07 September 1965, he took part in a mission against the Pakistani air base at Sargodha.
Bhagwat was flying an escort role for a formation of Hunter aircraft assigned to attack the target. As the Indian formation approached Sargodha, enemy fighters were detected in the vicinity. The decision was taken to break away from the target and return.
The Indian formation was then pursued by Pakistani fighters. Bhagwat and his wingman remained behind to engage the enemy and protect the strike aircraft that were withdrawing from the danger area.
The decision placed the two Indian pilots directly in the path of the pursuing enemy fighters. They fought despite being heavily outnumbered, giving their fellow airmen an opportunity to escape.
Bhagwat did not return from the mission. His aircraft was lost during the aerial engagement near Sargodha, and he made the supreme sacrifice while attempting to protect his comrades.
His final action remains a solemn example of the responsibility carried by a fighter pilot in combat, where protecting fellow airmen could mean knowingly placing one's own aircraft in the most dangerous position.
Flight Lieutenant Babul Guha
Flight Lieutenant Babul Guha was serving with No. 1 Squadron, the Tigers, flying the Mystère IVa. He was among the air warriors who took part in the Indian offensive against Sargodha on 07 September 1965.
The Sargodha missions were conducted against a heavily defended enemy airfield protected by fighter aircraft and ground-based air defence. Indian pilots had to approach the target, deliver their attacks and then attempt to withdraw through an extremely dangerous environment.
During an afternoon mission against Sargodha, Guha's Mystère was intercepted by a Pakistani Sabre. His aircraft was struck by a missile and he was killed in action.
Guha had already built a reputation as a professionally competent fighter pilot. He had earlier served as a flying instructor and was among the experienced airmen called upon when the nation entered war.
His final mission became part of the wider story of the Indian Air Force's determined attacks on Sargodha. He did not return from the skies that afternoon, making the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.
Flying Officer Jagdev Singh Brar
Flying Officer Jagdev Singh Brar was one of the youngest officers among the five air warriors remembered here. Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 1963, he was serving with No. 7 Squadron and flying the Hawker Hunter when the 1965 war placed him in active combat.
Brar had barely two years of commissioned service when he was called upon to undertake operational missions. On 07 September, he participated in the continuing Indian air offensive against Sargodha.
The mission developed into a fierce aerial engagement with Pakistani fighters. Brar's Hunter was lost during the combat and he made the supreme sacrifice.
For a young officer still near the beginning of his flying career, the circumstances of his final mission reflected the demands placed upon India's air warriors during the 1965 conflict. He entered the battle knowing the risks and carried out his duty in the air alongside more experienced pilots.
The sacrifice of Flying Officer Jagdev Singh Brar remains part of the proud history of No. 7 Squadron and of the Indian Air Force's air operations during the 1965 war.
The five air warriors remembered on 07 September 1965 belonged to different stages of experience and served in different operational roles, but the final chapter of their lives was written in the skies during one of the most intense air campaigns of the war.
Devayya's final battle against a supersonic Starfighter became an extraordinary story of courage against overwhelming technological odds. Jasbeer Singh pressed home his attack against a vital radar installation despite enemy fighters and ground fire. Bhagwat remained behind to protect his fellow airmen. Babul Guha flew into the heavily defended Sargodha airspace and did not return. Jagdev Singh Brar, one of the younger pilots of his squadron, also gave his life during the aerial battle.
Their stories remind us that the history of a war is not written only through victories, aircraft losses or operational maps. It is also written through the individual decisions of men who climb into aircraft knowing that they may not return.
On 07 September 1965, these five Indian air warriors answered that call.
Their aircraft disappeared from the skies, but their courage did not disappear with them. Their names remain part of the proud legacy of the Indian Air Force, and their sacrifice continues to deserve remembrance.
We remember their courage.
We honour their service.
We preserve their stories.
Lest We Forget.
