8-Pass Charlie
Najeeb Ahmad Khan Air Commodore ( Air Commodore | |
---|---|
Unit |
|
Commands | Air Attachè of Pakistan to France |
Battles/wars |
|
Awards | Sitara-e-Jurat Tamgha-i-Basalat |
Najeeb Ahmad Khan, commonly known as 8-Pass Charlie, was a
He was named "8-Pass Charlie" by his impressed
Early life and education
Najib was born in Kaimganj to Israil Ahmad Khan of the Afridi tribe of Pashtuns, from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on 24 August 1933. He was the older brother of Jamal Ahmed Khan. Najib received his primary education from Muslim High School,
Career
Najib joined the Pakistan Air Force's 17th GD(P) course at
On his return to Pakistan, he served in various PAF squadrons. He was amongst the few pilots who were selected to fly the newly inducted
1965 War
Najib was serving as the commander of the No. 7 Squadron during the
B-57 raids
During the war, the bomber wing of the PAF was attacking the concentration of airfields in north India. In order to avoid enemy fighter-bombers, the B-57s operated from several different airbases, taking off and returning to different bases to hop and avoid being attacked.[6] The B-57 bombers would arrive over their targets in a stream at intervals of about 15 minutes, which led to achieving a major disruption of the overall IAF effort.[7][8]
1971 War
During the 1971 war, Najib served as the PSO[
Named by adversaries
The name was assigned to this unknown pilot by his impressed Indian adversaries at the Adampur base,[9] and appears to be derived from his daring routine of making eight passes in bombing runs during every air raid over the alerted airbase to bomb selected targets with each 500 lb bomb in the moonlight, "and tried to carry out an effective attack each time", instead of dropping his entire bomb-load of 4,000 lbs during the first pass which would have allowed a safer exit for the aggressor aircraft over initial defences.[2]
Kills
One of 8-Pass Charlie's confirmed kills is an
Technique
In addition to his routine of making eight passes over Adampur, Najeeb also seemed to have had a second routine of conducting his raids thirty minutes after moonrise.[10][2]
Paddy Earle, an Indian fighter pilot, paid tribute to the PAF pilot by saying:
I have the utmost respect for the Pakistani Canberra bloke who loved to ruin the equanimity of our dreary lives! 8-Pass Charlie was an ace, but he had this nasty habit of turning up about 30 min. after moonrise, just as we were downing our first drink! Seriously, he was a cool dude and a professional of the highest order. To disguise the direction of his run, he used to cut throttles before entering a dive and by the time the ack-ack opened up he was beneath the umbrella of fire. After dropping his load he'd apply full throttle and climb out above the umbrella.[10][2]
Sitara-e-Jurat citation
For his inspiring leadership, courage and other actions displayed during the
His Sitara-e-Jurat citation read as follows:
CITATION
Sqn Ldr Najeeb Ahmed Khan
7 SQUADRON PAK/3610
Squadron Leader Najeeb Ahmed Khan was commanding a Bomber Squadron during the Indo-Pakistan War. He flew 17 bombing missions against various Indian Air Force operational bases and led his Squadron with courage during the most hazardous raids on Ambala, Adampur, Jamnagar and Jodhpur. He carried out the raid on the well-defended airfield of Ambala deep in enemy territory at great personal risk. The attack was conducted with great accuracy and outstanding professional skills. By his example, he inspired confidence, determination and aggressiveness amongst personnel of his Squadron. For his outstanding courage, inspiring leadership and dedication to duty, he is awarded Sitara-i-Juraat.[11]
Personal life
Najeeb married Surraya on 14 October 1964 in
See also
References
- ^ a b c Air Commodore (R) Najeeb Ahmed Khan (26 February 2021). "Will The Real "8-Pass Charlie" Stand Up". Second To None PAF. Directorate of Media Affairs, Pakistan Air Force.
- ^ ISBN 978-8173046414. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Colonel (R) Azam Qadri; Group Captain Muhammad Ali. Sentinels in the Sky (PDF). PAF Book Club. pp. 151–154 – via Pakistan Air Force official website.
- ^ Group Captain (R) Husseini & Pakistan Air Force. "Trauma & Reconstruction (1971–1980)". PAF over the Years (Revised ed.). Directorate of Media Affairs, Pakistan Air Force. p. 95.
- ^ Sarfaraz Ali (2015). "Charles Yeager and Pakistan Air Force". Daily Pakistan.
- ^ "B-57 The Intrepid Bomber of PAF". Defencejournal.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "PAF and the three wars." Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine defencejournal.com, 2001. Retrieved: 5 July 2010.
- ^ "The Magnificent Bomber Operations of PAF in Indo-Pak 1965 War". Defense Journal (September 1999). Archived from the original on 8 July 2001.
- ^ Samir Chopra, When old warriors meet., Bharat-rakshak.com, archived from the original on 6 December 2006, retrieved 19 December 2006
- ^ a b "The Class of '65", The Indian Express, 30 July 2006, retrieved 24 September 2006
- ^ "HEROES of PAKISTAN AIR FORCE, 1965 Gallantry awards section". Pakistan Air Force Museum.
Squadron Leader Najeeb Ahmed Khan – Sitara-i-Juraat
Further reading
- Air Commodore Rais A Rafi. PAF Bomber Operations: 1965 & 1971 Wars. PAF Book Club.