Historical Overview:
To fully understand the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, one mustgoback to 1947, when British decolonization split the Indian subcontinental area into Hindu India and Moslem East and West Pakistan. The border area of Kashmir, inhabited mainly by Moslems, but governed by Hindus, elected to join India. Fighting between the Pro-Indian Hindu factions and Moslem factions soon broke out. After a year of bloodshed, the UN stepped in and imposed a compromise solution in which a referendum would be held in Kashmir to decide which country, India or Pakistan, it would join. As was the case with Korea and Vietnam, this vote was never held.
In September of 1965, the friction escalated into athree weeklong undeclared warbetween India and Pakistan when Pakistani ground forces attacked in support of the Moslems. The Indians were caught off guard and had to utilize their air power to hold off the Pakistanis until sufficient ground forces could be deployed to counter the attack. Both sides had a large quantity fo aircraft on hand and they were used liberally resulting in a fair number of air battles. B y the end of the three weeks, the ground war had stagnated and a cease-fire was agreed to. By that time though, both sides could claim successess and triumphs in the short air war. Pakistani aircraft, though outnumbered, usually dominated in combat due to better pilot training. Indian aircraft were successful in several ground strikes and the HAL Gnat, the world's first light jet fighter had several successes against Pakistani aircraft in dogfights, earning the nickname "Sabre-Slayer!"
Dispute Over Kashmir 1965 Indo-Pakistan Air War
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© Copyright 1991 by J.D. Webster
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