AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 5 – War Diary CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 85 of 332 16 Oct 71 With-out prior intimation to the Base Cdr, 27 Madras Coy was asked to pull out and was replaced by 123 Inf Bn (TA) Coy Commanded by Capt KOCHAR. These sudden changes posed unnecessary and extra work for the Base Cdr. 19 Oct 71 105 GL Section Type arrived from ATW and established itself next to the operations Room. 20 Oct 71 12 OP Flight was added to the family of 14 Care and Maintenance Unit. GOC 12 Inf Div Maj Gen Khambatta, in whose support the Wing was to function, landed at the Base on his way to his forward location. 21 Oct 71 A troop Of 152 AD Regt (L/ 60 guns) headed by Lt ANSARI took complete control of Air Defence at this airfield. 22 Oct 71 The surveillance and Recovery Radar of 15 Wing (P 30 sets) was received which was required to become the eyes and ears of this Base. Its cargo was too large to be handled easily. The operational site for its deployment was already selected and without losing much time the Radar was deployed. The change from BARELLY to JAISALMER was too much for anyone's liking, however FATE ACCOMPLI had to be accepted by every-one. The poor state of equipment forced the unit to remain non- operational for nine complete days. Besides the local market the resources of JODHPUR had to be tapped to put this equipment on the air. 23 Oct 71 The Chief Minister of Rajasthan paid his second visit to the area to apprise himself of the rapid buildup of this forward base. 26 Oct 71 The Chief of the Army Staff, General SFFJ MANEKSHAW paid a short and hurried visit to the area to address all Officers of 12 Inf Div. 31 Oct 71 - The surveillance and recovery Radar came on the air for the first time and maintained watch at scheduled hours. 8 Nov 71 - The Defence Minister Mr. JAGJIVAN accompanied by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Mr. BARKATULLA KHAN visited the Station and addressed all ranks apprising them of the latest border situations and our operational commitments in the area. He reemphasised that “This time the battle will be fought on the enemy’s soil. 28 Nov 71 The Prime Minister Shrimati INDIRA GANDHI visited the area and had a brief chat with the Base Cdr. On the heels of the Prime Minister arrived the Chief of the Air Staff. He also took the opportunity of addressing all ranks and apprised them of the latest situation. He emphasised that a high degree of preparedness was to be