In remembrance of independent India’s first air battle with Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday marked the anniversary of the exploits of IAF pilots over Chhamb-Jaurian in Jammu and Kashmir during the 1965 war.“The skies over Chhamb witnessed remarkable acts of courage during the 1965 War,” the MoD said in a post on X, terming the occasion a tribute to “our combat heroes”.“Squadron Leader Trevor Keelor and Flight Lieutenant Virendra Singh Pathania displayed exceptional gallantry during air combat on September 3-4, 1965,” it said.For their bravery, determination and valour, both air warriors were awarded the Vir Chakra, the country’s third-highest battle honour. The MoD also posted the citations of the two pilots on X.The MoD’s tribute recalled a significant air battle of the 1965 war. The sequence of events of September 3, 1965, was recorded by the MoD’s History Division. The pre-dawn briefing at Pathankot airbase that day was tense, with the tactical plan calling for an offensive response. The IAF was seeking to avenge the losses suffered a day earlier, when the Pakistan Air Force had shot down Indian Vampire aircraft, killing three pilots.SN Prasad, in his book ‘The India Pakistan War of 1965’, an authorised account based on the Ministry of Defence archives, describes the aerial duel on September 3.“Two Mysteres were sent on normal operational sorties with a high-altitude cover by a formation of Gnats. When Pakistan’s F-86 Sabres tried to shoot the Mysteres down, the Gnats pounced on them from above,” he wrote.A Pakistani F-86 Sabre, a US-made fighter armed with missiles, appeared on the scene. Squadron Leader Keelor opened fire and shot down the PAF jet, etching his name in history as the first Indian pilot to “shoot down an enemy plane in mid-air”.“Sqn Ldr T. Keelor shot down the first Sabre in a dog fight,” wrote Prasad, who was Director of the MoD’s History Division from 1964 to 1969.The shooting down of the battle-hardened F-86 Sabre by the smaller Gnat had a major impact on the morale of IAF pilots. It was the first time the Gnat had been used in combat and it opened its account with a “kill” in its very first encounter, without suffering any loss to enemy action, Prasad noted.Within hours of the first kill, Flight Lieutenant VS Pathania also claimed a PAF jet, according to the book.