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52-594: The Mystère IV was an evolutionary development of the Mystère II aircraft. Although bearing an external resemblance to the earlier aircraft, the Mystère IV was in fact a new design with aerodynamic improvements for supersonic flight. The prototype first flew on 28 September 1952, and the aircraft entered service in April 1953. The first 50 Mystere IVA production aircraft were powered by British Rolls-Royce Tay turbojets , while

104-543: A Jordanian Hunter flown by PAF pilot Saiful Azam). The Mystère was finally retired from Israeli service on 18 March 1971. India procured 104 aircraft in 1957 and used them extensively in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 . On 16 September 1965 a Mystère IVA shot down a Pakistani L-19 . On 7 September an Indian Mystère was damaged in the air by a Pakistani Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in a raid over Sargodha. The much faster Starfighter inadvertently accelerated in front of

156-674: A final aircraft, equipped for reconnaissance duties, delivered in September 1956. On 29 October 1956, when Israel attacked Egypt in the opening move of what became known as the Suez Crisis , invading the Sinai Peninsula , the Mystères of 101 Squadron were deployed on both air-to-air and ground attack missions. On 30 October the Mystère IV got its first kill when eight aircraft fought 16 Egyptian Air Force MiG-15s . The Mystères shot down one MiG while

208-619: A rapid offensive easier. By early to mid December, the Himalayan passes would be closed by snow, limiting China's ability to intervene. The news media's mood in Pakistan had turned increasingly jingoistic and militaristic against East Pakistan and India when the Pakistani news media reported the complexity of the situation in the East, though the reactions from Pakistan's news media pundits were mixed. By

260-505: A result of the conflict, a further eight to ten million people fled the country to seek refuge in India. During the 1971 Bangladesh war for independence , members of the Pakistani military and supporting pro-Pakistani Islamist militias called the Razakars raped between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi women and girls in a systematic campaign of genocidal rape . The Indo-Pakistani conflict

312-630: A second MiG and one of the Mystères were damaged. On the next day, two Mystères engaged claimed four Egyptian De Havilland Vampires shot down, with another MiG-15 and a MiG-17 claimed later that day. Israeli Mystères flew a total of 147 sorties during the war, for the loss of a single aircraft, shot down by ground fire on 2 November. A second squadron, 109 Squadron was equipped with the Mystère IV in December 1956, while 101 Squadron passed its Mystères to 116 Squadron in November 1961. Israel planned to replace

364-496: A single province in 1970, in order to restore it to its original heterogeneous status comprising four provinces , as defined at the time of establishment of Pakistan in 1947. In addition, there were religious and racial tensions between Bengalis and the multi-ethnic West Pakistanis, as Bengalis looked different from the dominant West Pakistanis. The East Pakistan's Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman stressed his political position by presenting his Six Points and endorsing

416-518: Is a 1950s French fighter-bomber . It was a straightforward development of the successful Dassault Ouragan After the success of the Ouragan , Dassault was working on a more advanced machine which would take to the air in early 1951 as the MD.452 Mystère I . The first prototype Mystère I was essentially an Ouragan with a 30-degree swept wing and modified tail surfaces. Two further prototypes followed, powered by

468-546: The Mukti Bahini , consisting of a conventional force and a guerilla force, was formed under the retired colonel Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani . There was also a meeting between Prime Minister Gandhi and President Nixon in November 1971, where she rejected the US advice against intervening in the conflict. After the resignations of Admiral S.M. Ahsan and Lieutenant-General Yaqub Ali Khan, the media correspondents began airing reports of

520-546: The Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 December 1971. The war began with Pakistan's Operation Chengiz Khan , consisting of preemptive aerial strikes on eight Indian air stations . The strikes led to India declaring war on Pakistan, marking their entry into the war for East Pakistan's independence, on the side of Bengali nationalist forces . India's entry expanded the existing conflict with Indian and Pakistani forces engaging on both

572-562: The Rolls-Royce Tay 250 centrifugal-flow turbojet , an improved version of the Rolls-Royce Nene , built under licence by Hispano-Suiza , and rated at 28.0 kN (6,300 lbf) thrust. These three Mystère I prototypes led to two Mystère IIA prototypes, powered by the Tay and armed with four 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano cannon ; and then four Mystère IIB prototypes, which traded

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624-504: The Bengali domination and prevent formation of the central government in Islamabad , the controversial One Unit programme established the two wings of East and West Pakistan . West Pakistanis' opposition to these efforts made it difficult to effectively govern both wings. In 1969, President Yahya Khan announced the first general elections and disestablished the status of West Pakistan as

676-631: The Bengalis to draft the constitution based on the six-points and liberalism. To resolve the crisis, the Admiral Ahsan Mission was formed to provide recommendations. Its findings were met with favourable reviews from the political leaders of West Pakistan, with the exception of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto , the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. However, the military top brass vetoed the mission's proposal. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto endorsed

728-608: The Bengalis' right to govern. The 1970 Pakistani general election , resulted in Awami League gaining 167 out of 169 seats for the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly , and a near- absolute majority in the 313-seat National Assembly , while the vote in West Pakistan was mostly won by the socialist Pakistan Peoples Party . The League's election success caused many West Pakistanis to fear that it would allow

780-510: The Indian Chief of Army Staff Gen Sam Manekshaw if he was ready to go to war with Pakistan. According to Manekshaw's own personal account, he refused, citing the onset of monsoon season in East Pakistan and also the fact that the army tanks were being refitted. He offered his resignation, which Gandhi declined. He then said he could guarantee victory if she would allow him to prepare for

832-475: The Indian army conducted multiple incursions into East Pakistani territory, generally withdrawing to India after completing their mission. From 21 November, however, Indian forces with Mukti Bahini support entered East Pakistan and remained there in preparation for a formal war that India expected to launch on 6 December. An Indian-Pakistani war seemed inevitable. The Soviet Union reportedly warned Pakistan against

884-592: The Indian refugee camps for recruitment and training of Mukti Bahini guerrillas that were to be trained against Pakistan. By November 1971, the Indian military was providing direct fire against Pakistani troops and even made several incursions into Pakistani territory. Indian authorities also attempted to carry on psychological warfare and keep up the morale of comrades in East Pakistan. The Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (Free Bangladesh Radio Centre), which had broadcast Major Rahman's independence declaration,

936-594: The Mystère IV with the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk , but 109 and 116 Squadron still operated the French fighter on the outbreak of the Six-Day War . The Mystère was used as a ground attack aircraft during the war, flying 610 sorties, claiming three Arab aircraft (two MiG-17s and a Jordanian Hawker Hunter ) shot down for the loss of seven Mystères, five to ground fire and two by enemy fighters (one by an Egyptian MiG-21 and one by

988-584: The Mystère and was shot down. Both the Mystère and the Starfighter crashed. The Pakistani pilot was able to eject and parachute down safely but the Indian air force pilot Devayya died in the crash and was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously, 23 years after the battle. During the beginning of this offensive a PAF F-104 shot down an Indian Air Force Mystère IV with one of its AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles making

1040-529: The Pakistan Armed Forces, including some Bengali soldiers who had remained loyal to Pakistan. The remaining 10,324 to 12,500 prisoners were civilians, either family members of the military personnel or collaborators ( Razakars ). It is estimated that members of the Pakistani military and supporting pro-Pakistani Islamist militias killed between 300,000 and 3,000,000 civilians in Bangladesh. As

1092-526: The Pakistani forces under the command of Brig Mohammad Mumtaz Khan advanced towards the village of Hussainiwala with 2000 troops and artillery support. The Indian side had deployed one battalion, 15 Punjab, under the command of Lt Col Shastry comprising 900 soldiers with support from the IAF. The 15 Punjab could not hold the village and had to retreat on 4 December towards the fortress called Kaiser-i-Hind outside Hussainiwala. The Indian forces were eventually pushed from

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1144-593: The Pakistani military's widespread genocide against their Bengali citizens, particularly aimed at the minority Bengali Hindu population, which led to approximately 10 million people seeking refuge in the neighbouring states of Eastern India. The Indian government opened the East Pakistan–India border to allow the Bengali refugees to find safe shelter; the governments of West Bengal , Bihar , Assam , Meghalaya and Tripura established refugee camps along

1196-639: The United States government and the United States Air Force placed an order for 223 aircraft to be operated by the French. The new Mystère IVs were used in the 1956 Suez Crisis and continued in use into the 1980s. The Mystère IV became Israel's first swept-wing fighter when an order for Mystère IIs was changed to 24 Mystère IVs in 1955, which were delivered from April to June 1956, equipping 101 Squadron . A further 36 were delivered in August 1956, with

1248-582: The afterburning Atar 101F , with an afterburning thrust of 37.3 kN (8,400 lbf). The French Air Force ordered 150 Mystère IICs, with the first production machine flying in June 1954, being delivered in October of that year. The production aircraft featured the twin 30 mm (1.181 in) DEFA cannon , an Atar 101D turbojet with 29.4 kN (6,600 lbf) thrust, increased tail sweep, and revised intake trunking and internal fuel tank arrangement. Top speed

1300-516: The air strikes were a declaration of war against India and the Indian Air Force (IAF) responded with initial air strikes the same night. These expanded to massive retaliatory air strikes the next morning. This air action marked the start of all-out war; Gandhi ordered the mobilisation of troops and launched a full-scale invasion of East Pakistan. This involved Indian forces in coordinated air , sea and land assaults. The main Indian objective on

1352-1053: The better Dassault Mystère IV A was flying. The Mystère IIC was very much an interim type, though it did persist in the training role until 1963. There were no foreign buyers for the Mystère II. As noted, the Israelis wanted to buy 24 but changed their minds and bought Mystère IVAs instead. It appears that the Mystère II was never used in combat. Data from The Complete Book of Fighters Green, William; Gordon Swanborough (1997). The Complete Book of Fighters . London: Salamander Books Limited. p. 148. ISBN   1-85833-777-1 . and "Dassault MD.452 Mystere Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft" . www.militaryfactory.com . Retrieved 16 June 2024 . General characteristics Performance Armament 2 x 30mm DEFA internal cannons Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists The initial version of this article

1404-519: The border. The resulting flood of impoverished East Pakistani refugees strained India's already overburdened economy. The Indian government repeatedly appealed to the international community for assistance, but failed to elicit any response, despite the External Affairs minister Swaran Singh meeting foreign ministers of other countries. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 27 March 1971 concluded that instead of taking in millions of refugees, it

1456-578: The capture of around 15,010 km (5,795 sq mi) of Pakistani territory; this land gained by India in Azad Kashmir , Punjab and Sindh sectors was later ceded in the Simla Agreement of 1972, as a gesture of goodwill Casualties inflicted to Pakistan Army's I Corps , II Corps , and Pakistan Marines' Punjab detachment were very high, and many soldiers and marines perished due to lack of operational planning and lack of coordination within

1508-435: The conflict on his terms, and set a date for it; Gandhi accepted his conditions. In reality, Gandhi was well aware of the difficulties of a hasty military action, but she needed to get the military's views to satisfy her hawkish colleagues and the public opinion, which were critical of India's restraint. By mid July, India had settled on a plan of attack. The ground in the East would be drier by mid November, which would make

1560-627: The conservative print media outlets in the country had published jihad related materials to boost the recruitment in the military. On the evening of 3 December, at about 17:35, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched surprise pre-emptive strikes on eight Indian airfields, including Agra , which was 480 kilometres (300 mi) from the border. At the time of the attack, the Taj Mahal had been camouflaged with lots of twigs and leaves and draped with burlap, because its marble glowed prominently in

1612-572: The east. On 26 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman of the Pakistan Army declared the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In April, the exiled Awami League leaders formed a government-in-exile in Baidyanathtala of Meherpur . The East Pakistan Rifles and Bengali officers in Pakistan's army , navy , and marines , defected to the rebellion after taking refuge in different parts of India. The Bangladesh Force, namely

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1664-650: The eastern and western fronts. Thirteen days after the war started, India achieved a clear upper hand, and the Eastern Command of the Pakistan military signed the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, marking the formation of East Pakistan as the new nation of Bangladesh . Approximately 93,000 Pakistani servicemen were taken prisoner by the Indian Army , which included 79,676 to 81,000 uniformed personnel of

1716-591: The eastern front was to capture Dacca, and on the western front to contain Pakistani forces. The Indian army was better equipped than the Pakistanis and enjoyed significant numerical superiority over them. Pakistan launched a ground offensive on the western front. Major ground attacks were concentrated on the western border by the Pakistan Army but the Indian Army was successful in penetrating into Pakistani soil. It eventually made some quick and initial gains, including

1768-564: The end of September 1971, a propaganda campaign, possibly orchestrated by elements within the government of Pakistan , resulted in stickers endorsing " Crush India " becoming a standard feature on the rear windows of vehicles in Rawalpindi , Islamabad and Lahore ; this soon spread to the rest of West Pakistan. By October, other stickers proclaimed Hang the Traitor in an apparent reference to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. From mid October to 20 November,

1820-784: The first combat kill with a Mach 2-capable aircraft. During the campaign Mystère IVs also destroyed Pakistani aircraft on the ground including four F-86F , three F-104 and 2 Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports. The phasing out of the aircraft started soon after the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, though it saw further action in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 , it was completely phased out of the Indian Air Force by 1973. Data from The Complete Book of Fighters General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Record setting pilots Dassault Myst%C3%A8re The Dassault MD.452 Mystère

1872-520: The four 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon for two 30 mm (1.181 in) DEFA revolver-type cannon. A Mystère IIA was the first French aircraft to break Mach 1 in controlled flight (in a dive), on 28 October 1951. The eleven preproduction machines that followed were designated Mystère IIC , nine of which were fitted with the SNECMA Atar 101 C axial-flow turbojet, rated at 24.5 kN (5,500 lbf) thrust, while two were experimentally fitted with

1924-498: The government, and dissidents in the East began targeting the ethnic Bihari community, which largely supported West Pakistan. In early March 1971, approximately 300 Biharis were slaughtered in riots by Bengali mobs in Chittagong alone. The Government of Pakistan used the "Bihari massacre" to justify its deployment of the military in East Pakistan on 25 March, when it initiated its military crackdown . President Yahya Khan called on

1976-660: The internal resistance movement linked to the Indo-Pakistani War. ‡ indicates events in the Indo-Pakistani War linked to the internal resistance movement in Bangladesh. Other conflicts Border skirmishes Strikes The Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 , also known as the third India-Pakistan war , was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until

2028-464: The marine-army formations against Indian Army's Southern and Western Commands . By the time the war came to end, the army soldiers and marines were highly demoralised– both emotionally and psychologically– on the western front and had no will to put up a defensive fight against the approaching Indian Army soldiers. On 3 December, after the air strike carried out by the PAF, the 106 Infantry Brigade of

2080-423: The mass protests in 1969. These led to the resignation of President Ayub Khan , who invited army chief General Yahya Khan to take over the central government . The geographical distance between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan was vast; East Pakistan lay over 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) away, which greatly hampered any attempt to integrate the Bengali and the Pakistani cultures. To overcome

2132-464: The military – which was overwhelmingly led by West Pakistanis – to suppress dissent in the East, after accepting the resignation of Lieutenant-General Yaqub Ali Khan , the chief of staff of the East-Pakistani military . Mass arrests of dissidents began and, after several days of strikes and non-cooperation , the Pakistani military, led by Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan , cracked down on Dhaka on

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2184-540: The moonlight. These pre-emptive strikes, known as Operation Chengiz Khan , were inspired by the success of Israeli Operation Focus in the Arab–Israeli Six-Day War . Unlike the Israeli attack on Arab airbases in 1967, which involved a large number of Israeli planes, Pakistan flew too few planes to inflict significant damage. In an address to the nation on radio that same evening, Prime Minister Gandhi held that

2236-458: The night of 25 March 1971. The government outlawed the Awami League, which forced many of its members and sympathisers into refuge in Eastern India . Mujib was arrested on the night of 25/26 March 1971 at about 1:30 am (as per Radio Pakistan's news on 29 March 1971) and taken to West Pakistan. Operation Searchlight , followed by Operation Barisal , attempted to kill the intellectual elite of

2288-700: The remainder had the French-built Hispano-Suiza Verdon 350 version of that engine. Israeli Mystère IVs saw action during the Arab–Israeli wars and were joined by the French Mystères for the Suez crisis . France was the main operator of the Mystère IV and at the peak usage operated 6 squadrons. Most of the aircraft were purchased under a United States Offshore Procurement contract and many were returned to US custody after they were retired. In April 1953

2340-479: The veto, and subsequently refused to yield the premiership of Pakistan to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . The Awami League called for general strikes in the country. President Yahya Khan postponed the inauguration of the National Assembly, causing disillusionment with the Awami League and their supporters throughout East Pakistan. In reaction, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for general strikes that eventually shut down

2392-454: The war , which they termed as "suicidal course for Pakistan's unity." Despite this warning, in November 1971, thousands of people led by conservative Pakistani politicians marched in Lahore and across Pakistan, calling for Pakistan to "crush India". On 23 November, President Yahya Khan declared a national state of emergency and told the country to prepare for war. By the first week of December,

2444-523: Was 1,030 km/h (560 kn; 640 mph) at low level. Details of external stores are unclear, but a reasonable assumption would be that they were similar to those of the Ouragan. The last Mystère IIC was delivered in 1957, by which time the type was already being relegated to advanced training duties. Aircraft design was moving very quickly in the 1950s and even as the Mystère IIC was becoming operational,

2496-1696: Was based on a public domain article from Greg Goebel's Vectorsite . Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Eastern Front: Western Front: [REDACTED] Indira Gandhi [REDACTED] Swaran Singh [REDACTED] Sam Manekshaw [REDACTED] J.S. Arora [REDACTED] G.G. Bewoor [REDACTED] Sagat Singh [REDACTED] J. F. R. Jacob [REDACTED] S. M. Nanda [REDACTED] S. N. Kohli [REDACTED] Nilakanta Krishnan [REDACTED] Pratap C. Lal [REDACTED] H. C. Dewan [REDACTED] Sheikh Mujibur Rahman [REDACTED] M. A. G. Osmani [REDACTED] Yahya Khan [REDACTED] A.A.K. Niazi   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Rao Farman [REDACTED] Tikka Khan [REDACTED] Iftikhar Janjua   † [REDACTED] Muzaffar Hassan [REDACTED] Rashid Ahmed [REDACTED] Md Shariff   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] M.A.K. Lodhi [REDACTED] Leslie Norman [REDACTED] Abdul Rahim Khan [REDACTED] Inamul Haq   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Z.A. Khan   [REDACTED] Indian Armed Forces : 825,000 – 860,000 Pakistan Armed Forces : 350,000 – 365,000 [REDACTED]   India 2,500 –3,843 killed 9,851 –12,000 injured Neutral claims Indian claims Pakistani claims [REDACTED]   Pakistan 9,000 killed 25,000 wounded 93,000 captured 2 destroyers 1 Minesweeper } 1 Submarine 3 Patrol vessels 7 gunboats Neutral claims Indian claims Pakistani claims Systematic events § indicates events in

2548-582: Was economical to go to war against Pakistan, and expressed full support of her government for the independence struggle of the people of East Pakistan. On 28 April 1971, the Union cabinet ordered the Chief of the Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw to "Go into East Pakistan". Defected East Pakistan military officers and the elements of Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) immediately started using

2600-501: Was relocated from Kalurghat in East Pakistan to India after the transmission building was shelled by Pakistani Sabre jets on 30 March 1971. It resumed broadcasts on 3 April from Tripura, aided by the Indian Border Security Force . The clandestine station was finally shifted to Kolkata , where it was joined by a large number of Bangladeshi radio programmers, newscasters, poets, singers and journalists. Its jurisdiction

2652-516: Was sparked by the Bangladesh Liberation War , a conflict between the traditionally dominant West Pakistanis and the majority East Pakistanis. The political tensions between East Bengal and West Pakistan had its origin in the creation of Pakistan as a result of the partition of India by the United Kingdom in 1947; the popular language movement in 1950; mass riots in East Bengal in 1964; and

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2704-443: Was transferred to the provisional Bangladesh government-in-exile, and made its first broadcast on 25 May, the birth anniversary of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam (who would later be named Bangladesh's national poet ). Among the Indian contributors to the radio station's nationalistic programmes was Salil Chowdhury . Akashvani Kolkata also actively took part in this effort. By the end of April 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had asked

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