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FLAVOUR OF THE SEASON: COORG-BORN FLT LT GANAPATHY WAS AWARDED VIR CHAKRA DURING LIBERATION OF BANGLADESH WAR

By P.T. Bopanna

While Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya is the flavour of the season after the release of the film ‘Sky Force’, it is time to remember yet another Coorg-born Indian Air Force pilot, Flt Lt Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy (in picture), who was awarded the Vir Chakra during Bangladesh liberation war of 1971.

There are many things common between Devayya and Ganapathy, who were flying ‘inferior’ war planes, but overcame the challenge from superior American planes flown by the Pakistanis.

This reporter had the opportunity of witnessing many fighter aircraft while covering Aero India shows as a journalist. He is convinced that India was able to overcome challenge from superior enemy aircraft solely because of the courage and superior combat ability of its pilots.

His fan moment came when he interviewed the legendary Russian pilot Victor Pugachev in 1998.

Pugachev attained stardom after he performed the ‘Cobra manoeuver’ in which an airplane flying at a moderate speed suddenly raises the nose to the vertical position, momentarily stalling the plane before dropping it back to normal, during which the aircraft does not change effective altitude. I will write more about Pugachev during the course of the forthcoming Aero India show.

Because of Pakistan’s military alliance with the United States, Pakistani pilots were able to fly supersonic fighters, unlike Indian pilots who could only fly Mystere and Ghats, mostly vintage fighters.  

While Sqn Ldr Devayya flew the Mystere, the Pakistani pilot was flying F-104 Star Fighter. Despite that Devayya engaged in a dogfight and shot down the Pakistani fighter aircraft.

In the case of Flt Lt Ganapathy, he was flying a Gnat, unlike the Pakistan pilot who was flying Sabre Fighter Jet.

This reporter remembers the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war when the tagline was ‘When Gnat goes up, Sabre comes down’.

Ganapathy was part of the ‘Sabre Slayer’ team of the Indian Air Force, and one of the heroes of the Battle of Boyra, on November 22, 1971.

The Battle of Boyra was an aerial interception fought between the Indian Air Force and intruding Pakistani Air Force jets that had crossed into Indian Airspace. 

Squadron Leader Ganapathy was awarded the third highest gallantry award, Vir Chakra in 1972 for his exemplary skills during the Battle of Boyra, where he shot down a Sabre Fighter Jet.