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Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Param Vir Chakra (PVC)
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Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Param Vir Chakra (PVC)
AN UNEQUAL COMBAT: SEKHON’S GNAT AIRCRAFT OF IAF versus SABRE SUPERIOR AIRCRAFTS OF PAF
Highlights By: Balbir Singh Sooch
A statue in tribute of Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was finally erected at the district Courts of Ludhiana
“Tale of a Brave IAF Pilot: A Hard Nut to Crack: “1971 Indo Pak War .... Kashmiri air bases are under repeated Attacks by PAF sabres... Another Attack is being launched and in that an Indian Gnat Pilot puts up a Fight against Sabres before being shot down! That Pilot was Flg off: Nirmaljit Singh Sekon as "Some enemies are also Respectable" for all.
Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, on the other hand, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest award for wartime gallantry and the only one received by an airman. His was a commendable effort indeed, as he had kept the field single-handedly to the very end”. Extract fromTale of a Brave IAF Pilot: A Hard Nut to Crack by Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail.
“The Param Vir Chakra citation reads as follows: CITATION: FG OFFR NIRMAL JIT SINGH SEKHON: 18 SQUADRON 10877 F (P):
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was a pilot of a Gnat detachment based at Srinagar for the air defence of the valley against Pakistani air attacks. From the very outbreak of the hostilities he and his colleagues fought successive waves of intruding Pakistani aircraft with valour and determination, maintaining the high reputation of the Gnat aircraft. On 14 December 1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked by a wave of enemy Sabre aircraft. Flying Officer Sekhon was on readiness duty at the time. Immediately, however, no fewer than six enemy aircraft were overhead, and they began bombing and strafing the airfield. In spite of the mortal danger of attempting to take off during the attack, Flying Officer Sekhon took off and immediately engaged a pair of the attacking Sabres. In the fight that ensued, he secured hits on one aircraft and damaged another. By this time the other Sabre aircraft came to the aid of their hard-pressed companions and Flying Officer Sekhon's Gnat was again outnumbered, this time by four to one.
Even though alone, Flying Officer Sekhon engaged the enemy in an unequal combat. In the fight that followed, at treetop height, he almost held his own, but was eventually overcome by the sheer weight of numbers. His aircraft was shot down by gunfire of one of the Sabres and he was killed.
The sublime heroism, supreme gallantry, flying skill and determination above and beyond the call of duty displayed by Flying Officer Sekhon in the face of certain death have set new heights in Air Force traditions.
Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon: “Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC (17 July 1943 – 14 December 1971) was an officer of the Indian Air Force. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration, in recognition of his lone defence of Srinagar Air Base against a PAF air raid during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is the only member of the Indian Air Force to be so honoured”.
“How Did Pakistan Air Force Lost It's F 86 Sabre Jet In 1971 Indo- Pak War” though being denied by Pakistan saying, “Contrary to IAF’s citation for Sekhon’s award, none of the Sabres was hit during the dogfight” as usually happens so among each other?
The fight had turned into a classic tail chase, with a Sabre followed by a Gnat, which in turn was followed by another Sabre. “I am getting behind one but the other is getting an edge on me, ” is how Sekhon had described the situation to his controllers. With two more free fighters watching over, the lone Gnat was practically up against four Sabres. Andrabi had, by now, closed in behind the Gnat’s rear quarters and was firing steadily. He was sure that he would get the Gnat, he excitedly forecast on the radio. His Sabre was incessantly spewing out a stream of 0.5” bullets but, despite good aim and textbook range, remained off the mark. What should have been a quick kill dragged on clumsily, testing everyone’s patience and nerves?
The Sabre had enough firepower to riddle a whole formation with bullets, so everyone was dumb-founded when Andrabis voice crackled on the radio, “Three is Winchester! It meant that he had exhausted 1,800 rounds and his guns had stopped firing. The Gnat was still turning circles and it seemed that unless help came fast, Andrabi would soon be at the receiving end.
Silver-tongued and gravel-voiced, Andrabi was a class unto himself when he took to the radio. A smattering of expletives ensured that his calls were never disregarded even in the toughest of air combat maneuvers. Thus, when Andrabi shouted for help against the attacker whose lineage he had declared suspect, everyone took notice! The escorts instantly dived down to grapple with Sekhon, who had turned out to be a hard nut to crack. While Yusufzai covered up as wingman, Salim Baig Mirza easily manoeuvred to get behind the Gnat, much to everyone’s relief.
Salim Baig Mirza had the privilege of opening his Squadrons account by shooting down a Hunter near Peshawar, ten days earlier. Since then, he had been in the thick of action in almost every sortie that he went up for. This experience, coupled with his unflappable personality, came in handy as Salim Baig Mirza calmly positioned his pipper on the canopy of the Gnat and opened fire. Less than three seconds later the Gnat started to spew thick black smoke. Salim Baig Mirza knew it was all over so he stopped firing and watched for the next move”. Extract from Tale of a Brave IAF Pilot: A Hard Nut to Crack by Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail.
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon fought, ‘AN UNEQUAL COMBAT: SEKHON’S GNAT AIRCRAFT OF IAF with SABRE SUPERIOR AIRCRAFTS OF PAF’ with an extraordinary and historical bravery of his own without any force or compulsion as I personally heard then talk of day always and seen the wreckage of his GNAT AIRCRAFT at Srinagar Air Force base, when I was posted as an AIRMAN in April 1972 at Srinagar.
That’s why Pakistan Air Force (PAF) remembers ‘Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon’ and honestly referring him as among “Some enemies are also Respectable" for all.
Highlights By: Balbir Singh Sooch; Formerly Sergeant (Sgt.), Indian Air Force
First Posted On: December 13, 2018, 9:49 PM (IST)
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Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC (17 July 1943 – 14 December 1971)
A statue in tribute of Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was finally erected at the district Courts of Ludhiana