A Fighter Pilot of 7 Squadron
Squadron Leader D. P. Chatterjee was an experienced fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force who served with No. 7 Squadron during the Indo-Pak War of 1965. The squadron, known as the Battle Axes, was operating Hawker Hunter aircraft from Halwara during the war.
Squadron Leader Chatterjee had been serving with No. 20 Squadron and joined 7 Squadron on deputation during the 1965 conflict. On 20 September 1965, he took part in an operational mission over Lahore as part of a mixed formation of Hunters and Gnats.
The Mission Over Lahore
The formation encountered Pakistani F-86 Sabres over Lahore and an air combat followed. Squadron Leader Chatterjee's Hunter was hit and suffered severe damage. His aircraft ultimately crashed in enemy territory and he did not return from the mission.
Squadron Leader Chatterjee was officially listed as missing in action from 20 September 1965. His individual record places him among the Indian personnel whose fate remained unresolved after the 1965 war.
Among the Missing
Squadron Leader D. P. Chatterjee's name is among the 54 Indian personnel officially listed as missing in action following the 1965 and 1971 wars. His case has remained part of the long record of Indian servicemen whose final fate was never conclusively established.
More than six decades later, his name continues to represent the uncertainty faced by the families of those who failed to return from wartime missions. His service and the mission from which he never came back remain a part of the history of the Indian Air Force in the 1965 war.
On 20 September, The Honour Post pays tribute to Squadron Leader D. P. Chatterjee for his courage, service and devotion to duty in the service of the nation.
