Part of India Pakistan war of 1971 and East Pakistan Air Operations (1971)
Date
22 November 1971
Location
Boyra Salient, which protrudes into Pakistan from north-eastern India.
Result
Indian Victory
Boyra Bulge fell into Indian hands
Tactical retreat of Pakistan Army
Belligerents
India
Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Flt. Lt. Roy Andrew Massey
Wing Commander Afzal Chaudhry.
Units involved
No. 22 Squadron IAF
No. 14 Squadron "Tail Choppers"
Strength
4x Folland Gnat
3x Canadair Sabre Mk6's.
Casualties and losses
None
2 PAF Canadair Sabre shot down. One Sabre was damaged but recovered to land at Dacca 2 PAF pilots captured.[1]
The Battle of Boyra was a ground and aerial battle that was fought on 22 November 1971 between the India and Pakistan.
The Pakistani Army was engaged in combat against the Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrilla fighters) and a division-sized detachment of the Indian Army[2] during the Battle of Garibpur as part of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Pakistani ground forces requested air cover and close air support from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The PAF aircraft provided support to the Pakistani ground units. A detachment of four Folland Gnats was moved to Dum Dum (Kolkata Airport) from its parent base at Kalaikunda, near Kharagpur, over 100 km southwest, to intercept the Pakistan Air Force aircraft. The detachment was commanded by Flight Lieutenant Roy Andrew Massey.
The battle is significant as it was the first engagement between the air forces of India and Pakistan during the war and is seen as a culmination of the Battle of Garibpur in which the Mitro Bahini (the alliance of Mukti Bahini and Indian Armed Forces was named as Mitro Bahini meaning Allied Forces in Bengali) at battalion strength successfully invaded and captured area along the Garibpur.
Both sides suffered casualties during the battle, which also took place before the formal start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
v
t
e
Bangladesh Liberation War
Mukti Bahini resistance
Searchlight
Jackpot
Barisal
1st Kamalpur
2nd Kamalpur
Daruin
Nakshi Border Outpost
Rangamati-Mahalchari waterway
Goalhati
Dhalai Border Outpost
Garibpur§
Gazipur§
Sylhet§
Kushtia
Ghasipur
Belonia Bulge
Shiromoni
Bogra§
Indian intervention
Cactus-Lilly
Chengiz Khan
Jackpot‡
PNS Ghazi
Trident
Python
Kamalpur
Basantar
Boyra
Chamb
Dhalai
Hilli‡
Longewala
Sylhet‡
Meghna Heli Bridge
Tangail
Air War‡
Naval War
Bangladesh genocide
Dhaka University
Shankharipara
Jinjira
Akhira
Jathibhanga
Demra
Chuknagar
Madhyapara
Bakhrabad
Burunga
Systematic events
Agartala Conspiracy Case
Killing of intellectuals
Rape
Provisional Government
Refugees in India
Pakistani Instrument of Surrender
§ indicates events in 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.
^Mainkar, Anshuman (22 November 2019). "Boyra Boys & under-3 minute air battle with Pakistan drew first blood for India in 1971". The Print (India). Archived from the original on 23 November 2019.
^Panag (retd), Lt Gen H. S. (3 December 2020). "In 1971, Army first beat the Pakistanis in their minds. Battle of Burinda is one example". ThePrint. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
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