AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 4 – War Diary CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 54 of 237 4 Paid Back in Their Own Coin Sqn Ldr PPS Gill VrC Genre: Gallantry / War n the evening of December 3, 1971, I, along with my wife and two kids, drove to an open-air theatre at the Air Force Station Poona, for a movie. An IAF vehicle stopped in front of the gate to block my way. Before I could show my displeasure, the driver passed me a message to accompany him to the operations room. Just then my neighbour came out to informme that All India Radio has announced an attack by the Pakistan Air Force on our forward bases in Punjab. I said a quick goodbye to the family and went along with the driver. Other Canberra bomber crews were also trooping in. At the outbreak on any war, youngsters are usually eager to take up arms. It was same that evening too, as the excitement was palpable in the room. I was to be in the first wave of our retaliation against the Pakistan Air Base in Karachi. Detailed briefing sessions started, and we planned our route to the target. It was known to be heavily defended with anti- aircraft guns, radar and night fighters. We planned to land at Jamnagar, one of our airbases near the border to top up fuel tanks, to enable us to return directly to our base after hitting the target. After refueling, I started the engines and saw a red warning light indicating that the generator was not charging. With parking brakes on and the engines running, I O