Chronological Listing of Pakistani Air Force

PHOTO TO ADD
   PAF photo

Martin B-57
Losses and Ejections

RB-57 History

 

Haris M Zuberi, aviation/history enthusiast and writer from Pakistan, has provided more information that updates the previous entry on this web site. I am delighted to be allowed to incorporate these.

http://www.pakdef.info/pakmilitary/airforce/war/beyond_the_call_of_duty.html

I uncovered lots of relevant details in collaboration with some ex IAF guys and the PAF and would like to share the following which can be rectified/added on the PAF Losses page:

Date and Time of loss: 0415Hrs, 7 Sep 1965.
Location: Few Miles East of Jamnagar Airfield, Gujrat, India.
Aircraft & Tail No: PAF Martin B-57B No. 33-941
Squadron/Wing/Base: No. 8 Sqn/No. 31 Bomber Wing/PAF Station Mauripur (Now Base Masroor), Karachi, Pakistan
Pilot: Sqn Ldr Shabbir Alam Siddiqui, Pak (Service) No. 3579 (A qualified navigator himself and former F-86 Sabre pilot with No. 14 Sqn)
Navigator: Sqn Ldr Aslam Qureshi, Pak (Service) No. 1460 (The Wing Navigation instructor)
Call Sing: 'Zulu-6'
Detail:
Aircraft was shot down by Indian AAA during a bombing attack on IAF Jamnagar airfield. Crew was apparently killed on impact and buried near the crash site. The pilot was on his 3rd bombing mission in Indian airspace within a span of 9 hours, volunteering to fill in for a senior pilot who backed out from his sortie, and the navigator was on his 2nd mission of the night. Confusion perpetuated regarding their fate due to certain assumptions regarding weather, spatial disorientation and crew fatigue which resulted in a belief that the aircraft had never reached its target and crashed on its way. A tardy claim by Indian Ack Ack didn't help the situation much and under war clouds was viewed by PAF with paranoia. The exceptional valour of these two officers serving beyond the call of duty and making an ultimate sacrifice for national cause and the PAF effort remained a fact overlooked rather unwittingly, and quite ironically despite recovery of the navigator's diary and the pilot's wallet from the wreckage with the latter even being sent back home during a POW exchange ceremony in 1966. The false assumptions were finally cleared 40 years later through efforts of the pilot's wife and one of the crew's squadron mates (Air Cdre retd Najeeb Khan) himself a decorated veteran of the same war, when IAF finally declared that the B-57 bomber had in fact reached the target and was shot down by AAA while carrying out its attack and had effectively succeeded in stalling the scheduled Indian Navy Air Squadron raid on the crucial PAF Badin radar at dawn. PAF records, which note the aircraft as lost en route due to bad weather/spatial disorientation, is yet to be rectified. Aviation and military history enthusiasts and the officers' families keenly seek belated recognition of the crew's gallantry and sacrifice and are hoping the Govt and PAF would consider belated gallantry awards at par with their decorated bomber wing colleagues of the '65 war.

I'm also attaching the official profile pictures of the lost crew, since the picture of the navigator featured on the page is not of Sqn Ldr Aslam Qureshi but that of
one Flg Off Muhammad Afzal Khan, Pak (Service) No. 4248, also KIA during the 1965 war. Also attached is a painting of the fateful and historic mission done by PAF Aviation Artist Gp Capt retd SMA Hussaini in 2009 as a tribute to the unsung duo after it was confirmed by IAF in 2006 that they were shot down while carrying out their attack.

I also have the details of the other 2 B-57 losses listed. It was the RB-57 which was shot down by friendly Ack Ack. I'll send you the details shortly.

I hope this would all be of interest to you.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Thanks and best regards,

Haris M Zuberi.
Pakistan."

Updated by Haris M Zuberi

Haris also sent the following

Pilot: Sqn Ldr Mohammed Iqbal, Pak (Service) No. 1431
Navigator: Flt Lt Saifullah Khan Lodhi, Pak (Service) No. 3839
Detail: The pilot as OC of the Elint RB-57 Sqn decided to carry out simulated attacks on a PAF radar station at Rahwali, near Gujranwala for practise. Due to faulty liaison with the Pakistan Army AAA unit deployed in the area, the bomber diving over the radar station was mistaken for an IAF Canberra invader and shot down, killing both officers.

Hit by flak during attack near Adampur Airfield, India.

[Their 13th mission]

Updated by Haris M Zuberi

Pilot: Flt Lt Altaf Shaikh, Pak (Service) No. 3781
Navigator: Flt Lt Bashir Chaudhry, Pak (Service) No. ?
Call Sign: SG-261
Detail: Hit by Indian AAA during bombing raid over Adampur Airfied, India. Crew ejected and landed in watery terrain and avoided immediate capture. They were inevitable captured the next morning and held POW till January 1966. Pilot was nominated for SJ as gallantry award, but it was delayed during captivity and later forgotten by authorities. Incidentally the pilot's only son Wg Cdr Numan Altaf died in a bizarre blue on blue caused by a trainee pilot's error during a training sortie in Jordan while he was on deputation as an instructor with the Royal Jordanian Air Force in 2005.

Updated by Haris M Zuberi

Pilot: Flt Lt M A Butt, Pak (Service) No. 4117
Navigator: Flt Lt A S Khaliduzzaman, Pak (Service) No. 4005
Detail: Crew Killed in crash before landing at PAF station Risalapur during war time diversion from home base. Aircraft crashed due to misjudged landing approach under poor visibility.

all photos PAF