How jugaad worked in the 1965 war

FROM the 1965 war to Operation Sindoor, it has been a long journey for the Indian armed forces. Indigenous technology was showcased during the recent operation, while we often banked on jugaad (innovation) to deal with challenging situations six decades ago.

The concept of an alternative ATC (air traffic control) was unknown before that war. The ATC building, being the tallest, would have been an easy target for the enemy. We located a broken wooden structure near a runway as the right place for an alternative ATC. The structure was renovated and ATC facilities were shifted to a tiny hut where only one person could barely squeeze in to operate the equipment. The supporting manpower was deployed in the open. Trenches were dug all around the hut to provide shelter during air raids. We were armed with rifles to fight the enemy.

Around 2 am on September 21, 1965, the calm in Ambala was shattered by air raid sirens that warned us about an imminent enemy air attack, making us jump into the trenches. Flt Lt AJS Sandhu, who was carrying out a CAP (continuous air patrol) sortie in a Gnat aircraft, was directed to climb to a safe height to avoid the firing from ack-ack guns around the airfield.

We heard the sound of an approaching B-57 bomber from the west. I spotted the aircraft closing in swiftly towards the hangar at a dispersal height of around 300 ft, barely 800 yards from our trenches. Raising my rifle, I took aim and fired, but the aircraft flew away in no time. There was a deafening noise after a bomb hit St Paul’s church adjacent to the airfield. Flt Lt Sandhu was traced by launching “Operation Batti Jalao”.

As night landing operations were dependent on gooseneck flares (a form of kerosene lamp), manpower was deployed to man each gooseneck on the runway. On getting the command “Batti Jalao”, personnel would light up the goosenecks and the runway would emerge from the darkness in 50 seconds.

The airfield would plunge into darkness when the command “Batti Bujhao” was given. Not a crack of light would be visible to the enemy pilot, providing no clue about the existence of the airfield.

A mobile ATC was cannibalised by mounting communications equipment on a three-tonner. The camouflaged vehicle was placed in between the two runways, hidden among trees.

Back in 1965, we did not have much technological prowess, but our spirits were high. The shooting down of the first Sabre by Sqn Ldr Trevor Keelor, who was flying a Gnat, on September 3 brought cheer to the country — and there was no looking back.

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