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Sattar Alvi

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Air Commodore

Sattar Alvi


Sitara-e-Jurat
SJ, SI(M)
Birth nameAbdus Sattar Alvi
Nickname(s)Master of Migs[1]
Born1944 (age 79–80)
Jalandhar sammipur, British Punjab, British India
Allegiance Pakistan
Service / branch Pakistan Air Force
Years of service1963–1998
Rank Air-Commodore
Service numberPAK-4534
UnitNo. 11 Squadron Arrows
CommandsPAF Base Rafiqui
Combat Commanders' School
Battles / wars
AwardsSitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Other workFlight instructor

Air Commodore Abdus Sattar Alvi (Punjabi, Urdu: عبد الستار علوی), SJ, SI(M), is a retired one-star rank air officer and a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force, who is renowned for his gallant actions during the third Indo-Pakistani in 1971, and served as a military advisor in the Syrian Air Force during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.[2]

According to modern Pakistani sources, in 1974, Alvi shot down the Israeli Air Force's Mirage III over the dogfight took place in Golan Heights in Syria, and was honored for his bravery with gallantry war-time medals by Syrian and Pakistan government.[3] However, no major sources from the time reported on such an incident.[4][5][6]

Biography

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Sattar Alvi was born in Sammipur, Jalandhar, Punjab, British India in 1944, into a Punjabi family that had the military background. His father was an officer in the British Indian Army who later served in the Pakistan Army.[7] He was educated at the Bannu where he did his matriculation and attended the Emerson College in Multan, Punjab where he secured his graduation.[7]

In 1963, he was accepted to join the Air Force Academy in Risalpur where he received his flight training on the Cessna T-37T, and graduated in General Duty Pilot (GD) course in 1965.[7] Pilot Officer Alvi participated in the second war with India in 1965, touring his duty as "Mail Runners" to convey messages from one base to another, served on this assignment until the war was ended.[7]

From 1966 to 1971, Flight Lieutenant (Captain) Alvi was selected in the military adviser group for the Iraqi Air Force, where he qualified as a test pilot for the MiG-21 and sat up the training school for the Iraqi IAF.[7] He returned to Pakistan to participate in the third war with India and flew the Quick Reaction Close Support Missions especially in Shakargarh, where the battle with the Indian IAF was the most turbulent.[7] After the war in 1971, Flt.Lt Alvi was sent to join the faculty at the Air Force Academy and served as a flight instructor on the flight manuals on the F-7P, a Chinese variant of MiG-21F.[2]

Yom Kippur War

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Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto sought to maintain close relationships with the Arab world. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Alvi was one of the Pakistan Air Force fighter pilots who volunteered to go to the Middle East to support Egypt and Syria. By the time they arrived, however, Egypt and Israel had already concluded a ceasefire, and only Syria remained in an active state of war against Israel.[8] Alvi, who was serving as a flight lieutenant in 1973, joined the Syrian Air Force along with Arif Manzoor. The Pakistani fighter pilots flew in a formation using the call-sign "Shahbaz" under the command of Squadron Leader Arif Manzoor.[9]

Aerial fight over Golan according to modern Pakistani sources

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On 26 April 1974, Alvi was flying a SAF MiG-21F-13 (Serial No. 1863) on deputation to No. 67A Squadron, Syrian Air Force (SAF) out of Dumayr Air Base, Syria, in an eight-ship formation with a fellow PAF pilot and the flight leader, Squadron Leader Arif Manzoor.[10][11] While leading a Mig-21 patrol along the border, Squadron Leader Arif Manzoor was apprised of the presence of two Israeli Phantom aircraft and was cautioned that these could be decoys while two other fast tracks approaching from the opposite direction might be the real threat. The latter turned out to be Mirages and a moment later Alvi, in Arif's formation saw the no. 2 Mirage breaking towards him.[12] All this time, heavy radio jamming by Israeli ground stations was making things difficult, but the Pakistani pilots were used to such tactics. According to the same Pakistani sources, he managed to shoot down Captain Lutz, while the wingman quickly disengaged, and Captain Lutz later succumbed to wounds he sustained during ejection.[2] However, no major sources from the time reported on such an incident,[4][5][6] and there is no mention of "Captain Lutz" in Israel's Ministry of Defense's record of Israel's casualties of war.[13]

Honours

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After the engagements, Flight Lieutenant Captain Sattar Alvi and Shahbaz formation leader Squadron Leader Major Arif Manzoor were awarded two of Syria's highest decorations for gallantry, the Wisaam Faris and Wisaam Shuja'at in 1973 by the President of Syria Hafez al-Assad in a public ceremony. The government of Pakistan also awarded each PAF pilot the Sitara-e-Jur'at. The prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto personally met each of them and awarded the gallantry awards in public ceremonies.

Post war

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After the war, Sattar Alvi was promoted to Wing Commander and went on to command PAF's elite Combat Commanders' School and the premier PAF Base Rafiqui. In 1994, he was promoted to Air Commodore and commanded the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) until 1998. He retired as an Air Commodore in 1998 and received an honourable discharge from the air force.

Awards and decorations

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Sitara-e-Jurat

(Star of Courage)

Sitara-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Star of Excellence)

Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War

(War Star 1965)

Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War

(War Star 1971)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War

(War Medal 1965)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War

(War Medal 1971)

10 Years Service Medal 20 Years Service Medal
30 Years Service Medal Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-

Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam

(100th Birth Anniversary of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah)

Hijri Tamgha

(Hijri Medal)

Jamhuriat Tamgha

(Democracy Medal)

Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha

(Resolution Day

Golden Jubilee Medal)

1990

Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan

(Independence Day

Golden Jubilee Medal)

1997

Order of Bravery

(Wisam al Shujaa)

Order of Merit

(Wisam al Istehqaq)

Foreign Decorations

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Foreign Awards
 Syria Order of Bravery (Wisam al Shujaa)
 Syria Order of Merit (Wisam al Istehqaq)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tufail, PAF, Gp. Capt. (Col) Kaisar (April 1999). "Shahbaz Over Golan: The saga of an intrepid PAF pilot who humbled the Israelis". www.defencejournal.com. Islamabad: Defence Journal. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Alvi, Air Cdre. Sattar (19 March 2015). "50 years on: Memories of the 1973 Arab-Israeli Conflict - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Islamabad, Pakistan: The Express Tribune, Alvi (2015). The Express Tribune. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  3. ^ "The PAF Shaheens of International Fame". My Voice Unheard. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b "⁨מעריב⁩ | עמוד 1 | 28 אפריל 1974 | אוסף העיתונות | הספרייה הלאומית". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b "April 1974 Broadcast Index | Vanderbilt Television News Archive". tvnews.vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Results 1 to 13 of 13 for syria israel — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "The PAF Shaheens of International Fame - My Voice Unheard". myvoiceunheard.com. PAF Shaheens. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  8. ^ "1973 Arab Israeli War and PAF Pilots". 26 August 2009.
  9. ^ "'Shahbaz' over Golan–1973–WAR-GOLAN-IDF-CLICK ON TOP TO ENLARGE « understanding each other". pavocavalry.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011.
  10. ^ Tufail, Group Captain Colonel Kaisar (April 1999). "Shahbaz Over Golan:The saga of an intrepid PAF pilot who humbled the Israelis". Defence Journal of Pakistan. Pakistan Defence Forces. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  11. ^ "Ibid". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  12. ^ The Global Security. "Syria 1974".
  13. ^ "אתר ההנצחה לחללי מערכות ישראל". אתר ההנצחה לחללי מערכות ישראל (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
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