e flew 57 sorties in one month, helped the Indian Army in troop induction, evacuation of the injured, air-dropped supplies besides carrying out offensive operations against the Pakistani hideouts.
Wing Commander M.D. Aiyanna (retd.) of Kodagu now settled in Mysuru was then a 23-year-old Flying Officer who saw action early in his career after being inducted into the Indian Air Force on April 18, 1964.
He also had the distinction of flying the then President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan who visited Srinagar and surrounding areas during the peak of war, and later Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Speaking to The Hindu in the run up to the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, Aiyanna recalled that he was stationed at 109 Helicopter Unit at Chandigarh and got orders to assist the Indian Army in the Kutch area.
“This was before the actual hostilities began on ground sometime in August. We moved to the north of Bhuj in Gujarat and assisted the Indian Army in troop deployment before leaving for Chandigarh in June,” said Wing Commander Aiyanna (retd.).
When the hostilities began, Flying Officer Aiyanna was posted to Srinagar for troop deployment and the MI 4 Russian Helicopter he flew was modified to carry 20 bombs of 50 kg each which were dropped on the enemy hideouts.
“Squadron Leader P.J. Singh was the pilot and I was the co-pilot then and every sortie was fraught with risk as a pilot once airborne is at the risk of coming under fire from the enemy side but we managed to evade the fire,” recalled Aiyanna. “It was during this war that I lost my friend A.B. Devayya – also from Kodagu, who was a fighter pilot and was shot down in the enemy territory,” he said.
Referring to his ‘log book’ which has all the details of every sortie he flew – complete with date, time and mission – Wing Commander (retd.) Aiyanna recalled that he had flown the then President S. Radhakrishnan around Srinagar when the latter visited the forward posts to boost the morale of soldiers.
Fifty years later, the memories are still fresh and Aiyanna is modest about his achievements. “We did what was expected of us and am proud of having served the nation,” said Aiyanna who occasionally shows his Air Force log book to his children lest the new generation forget their valour.
We did what was expected
of us and I am proud of
having served the nation.
