Battle of Boyra

Part of Bangladesh liberation war

Date	22 November 1971
Location	Boyra Salient, which protrudes into India from north west region of East Pakistan.
Result	Decisive Victory for Indian Airforce. Pakistani Air Force Close Air Support mission neutralised.

Belligerents

India
India (Formally Joined the war on 3 December 1971)

Pakistan

Commanders and leaders

Flt. Lt. Roy Andrew Massey

Wing Commander Afzal Chaudhry.

Flt. Lt. Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi

Strength

4x HAL Folland Gnats

3x Canadair Sabre Mk6's.

Casualties and losses

None.

2 PAF Canadair Sabre shot down.
One Sabre damaged, but recovered to land at Dacca. 2 PAF pilots PoW.

Wing Commander Afzal Chaudhry.

The Battle of Boyra, on 22 November 1971, was an aerial interception fought between the Indian Air Force and intruding Pakistani Air Force jets that had crossed into Indian Airspace. The Pakistani Army was engaged in combat against the Mukti Bahini (Bengali Guerrilla freedom fighters) and a Battalion size detachment of the Indian Army in the Battle of Garibpur as part of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Pakistani ground forces were invariably provided air cover and close air support by F-86 Sabre Jets of the PAF ex Dhaka, whose pilots crossed the Indo-Pak border with impunity. A detachment of four Folland Gnats was moved to Dum Dum (Kolkata Airport) from its parent base at Kalaikunda, near Kharagpur, over 100 km to the Southwest, to deal with such a contingency. The Detachment was commanded by Flt Lt Roy Andrew Massey.

This battle is significant as it was the first engagement between the Air Forces of India and Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. It 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 defended the area around Garibpur against a Brigade strength Combined Arms thrust by Pakistani Armed Forces and inflicted heavy casualties on them in the process.

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