Pakistani version

Indo-Pak War 1965
The five Lockheed C-130s of No 6 Squadron, which had already played a vital
support role with their supply-dropping sorties in Kashmir, were to undertake
even more dramatic offensive operations besides their normal logistic support
missions in the 1965 War.
The Commando Assault
The airfield strike plan of 6th September included an air assault against the
advanced enemy air based at Adampur, Halwara and Pathankot as targets. On the
night of 6/7 September, three C-130s were airborne from Peshawar. Each dropped a
strike team comprising 60 para commandos tasked to destroy aircraft, kill enemy
personnel, blow up fuel pumps and storm other valuable points. All the three
C-130s executed successful drops and returned safely.

  
    
The Use of C-130s Heavy Bomber

One of the most enterprising demonstrations of the PAFs genius for improvisation
related to the night bombing campaign. The immense load-carrying capabilities of
the C-130s, coupled with the frequently demonstrated ability of No 6 Squadrons
crew to drop supplies in all types of weather conditions into drop zones in the
mountains as small as 1-1500 metres across, gave the Station Commander of the
transport base at Chaklala Group Captain Eric Hall the idea of using these big
transports as bombers. Some modifications had to be carried out to carry the
bombs. A greater hurdle was the limit of flying at a maximum speed of 150 knots
because of the open ramp and door. This low speed increased the giant aircrafts
vulnerability to ground fire or interception. The matter was resolved by flying
without the rear ramp door which enabled the pilot to maintain a speed of 280
knots during bomb release.
Target : Kathua Bridge
On the night of 11/12 September, the first bombing mission was undertaken by
Wing Commander Zahid Butt against the target of Kathua Bridge 16 Kms East of
Pathankot. This bridge formed a vital link for the supply line to Indian ground
troops. Gauging the dangerous nature of the mission, Chaklala  Station
Commander Group Captain Eric Hall also went along on the mission. Flight
Lieutenant Rizwan was the navigator. They reached the target safely and during
the bombing run, they were attacked by an enemy fighter. Wing Commander Zahid
Butt took evasive action only after the bombs had been released. On successful
return to the base, they discovered a 1 cm bullet hole in the port wing tip.
Bombing in Ramgarh - Sialkot Sector
After the Kathua bombing raid, the next target for the C-130 bombers was a
concentration of enemy tanks and guns, three miles north of Ramgarh in the
Sialkot Sector. Two C-130s dropped nine tons of bombs each on the night of 15
September and played a major role in shattering the enemy forces moving up for
the battle of Chawinda. On the following night, a single C-130 strike was
repeated against Ramgarh destroying enemy tanks and guns as well as ammunition
and fuel dumps.
Rurki and Pagowal Under Attack
On the night of 19th September, two successful C-130s sorties were made against
Indian Army concentrations in the vicinity of Rurki and Pagowal, and apart from
the resulting material damage, the effect on enemy morale was believed to be
devastated.
Saving Lahore
In the closing stages of the 1965 War, the Indians had amassed their heavy guns
close to the BRB canal to concentrate their heavy artillery fire on Lahore. On
21st September a single C-130 dropped ten tons of bombs on the heavy artillery
four miles south-east of Jallo. Another C-130 dropped nine tons of bombs on
Indian artillery concentration at Valtoha. On 22nd September bad weather
hampered PAF strike action against the assembled Indian artillery but the
inclement weather did not deter three C-130s taking off that night to find the
enemy target and drop their bombs by radar. The target at Atari included an
Indian AA Regiment with 72 guns, located in a strip about one mile long running
parallel with and close to the BRB canal. The Army was reluctant in giving
clearance to the C-130s for fear of breaching the BRB or worse still, the bombs
landing on our own troops this side of the canal. Permission was finally granted
and the C-130s conducted a highly accurate drop of more than 30 tons of TNT
which devastated the Indian artillery. Many independent observers believe this
last action by PAF set the Indians clamouring for a ceasefire. Seven officers of
the Transport Wing were awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat and 2 JCOSs the
Tamgha-e-Jurat.
 

Indian
Version

On the night of the September 15th, PAF C-130s made their appearance once again
after the Kathua raid. The aircraft intended to attack our tank and troop
concentrations near Ramgarh in the Sialkot sector. Both C-130s dumped 9 tons of
bombs each in a random and uninspired bombing pattern. The next day, (September
16th) saw the C-130s coming again but this time with a lone aircraft coming over
to release its load. The effectiveness of these raids is questionable, but they
leave no doubt about the courage of the crew flying these bombers. On the Indian
side, the lack of night interception facilities prevented the tackling of these
huge and lumbering transports.

On the night of September 19th, the converted C-130 bombers went into action
again. Two C-130 sorties were made against army concentrations in the vicinity
of Rurki and Pagowal, but not much material damage was incurred. The C-130
bombing tended to be blind bombing, without any accuracy aimed at, thus did not
create the damage, as it should have done. This type of bombing could have been
effective against strategic targets like factories and marshalling yards, but
prove useless against tactical targets like infantry concentrations.
The C-130s of the PAF saw action again on September 21st when a single C-130
dropped ten tons of bombs on the artillery positions set up by the Indians four
miles south-east of Jallo. Another C-130 dropped nine tons of bombs on Indian
artillery concentrations at Valtoha. On September 22nd, a strike by some Sabres
was called off due to bad weather, but the inclement weather did not deter three
C-130s taking off that night to try and bomb Indian positions by radar. Some 30
tons of bombs were dropped by blind bombing methods.This bombing did not deter
the Indian ground troops from fighting their last major battle of the war.

September 22nd was the last day to see severe fighting in the war. The C-130s of
the PAF saw action again on September 21st when a single C-130 dropped ten tons
of bombs on the artillery positions set up by the Indians four miles south-east
of Jallo. Another C-130 dropped nine tons of bombs on Indian artillery
concentrations at Valtoha. On September 22nd, a strike by some Sabres was called
off due to bad weather, but the inclement weather did not deter three C-130s
taking off that night to try and bomb Indian positions by radar. Some 30 tons of
bombs were dropped by blind bombing methods.