Squadron Leader Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy was a fighter pilot and officer of the
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
, known for his involvement in the
Aerial Battle of Boyra during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He was awarded the
Vir Chakra for shooting down a
PAF Sabre in the above-mentioned aerial battle
Career
Ganapathy was commissioned as an officer in the Indian Air force on 16 May 1965 after graduating from the class of 92 Course. Five years later as war broke out between India and Pakistan, Ganapathy was posted with
22 Squadron IAF at the
Dum Dum Airfield
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an international airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the Kolkata Metropolitan Area and is the aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India. It is located approximatel ...
in
Kolkata.
On the 22nd of November 1971,
Canadair Sabres Mk6s of the
PAF took up ground attack operations against Indian and
Mukti Bahini troop positions near the town of Garibpur during the
Battle of Garibpur.A formation of four
Folland Gnats led by Flt Lt Roy Andrew Massey took off from the Dum Dum airfield to intercept the Sabres. Ganapathy, then a Flight Lieutenant, was the second man in the formation.
On reaching the battle area, the Gnats spotted the three Sabres performing ground attack operations. In the dogfight that ensued Ganapathy shot down a Sabre piloted by
Fg Offr Khail Ahmad.
Ganapathy's wingman Fg Offr Donald Lazarus shot down
Flt Lt
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi,
who would later on become the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistani Air Force. The formation leader, Andrew Massey severely damaged Wg Cdr Afzal Chouwdary's Sabre. All three pilots were awarded the
Vir Chakra for this feat.
This aerial battle is significant as it was the first engagement between the Air Forces of India and Pakistan during the
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
in 1971 and also the first aerial victories of the war.
Ganapathy was later promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader, unfortunately he died in the 1970s under mysterious circumstances by committing suicide.
Vir Chakra
The citation for the
Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:
CITATION
(Flight Lieutenant Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy)
On 22 November 1971, at about 1450 hours order was given to intercept four Pakistani aircraft which had intruded into our territory. Flight Lieutenant Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy who was detailed to fly as No. 3 in a formation of 4 Gnat aircraft proceeded to intercept the enemy. On sighting the enemy aircraft, he skillfully maneuvered his section and got behind one Sabre Jet and shot it down.
In this action, Flight Lieutenant Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy displayed gallantry, professional skill and devotion to duty of a high order.
See also
*
Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi
*
Battle of Boyra
The Battle of Boyra, on 22 November 1971, was a Ground and aerial battle that was fought between the India and Pakistan The Pakistani Army was engaged in combat against the Mukti Bahini (Bengali Guerrilla fighters) and a Division size detachment ...
*
No. 22 Squadron IAF
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganapathy, M. A.
Indian Air Force officers
Indian military aviators
Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Kodava people
Indian military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
People from Kodagu district
Recipients of the Vir Chakra