Sqn Ldr Mohammad Mahmood Alam (M.M. Alam) has become the Sub-First Continent’s Ace pilot after shooting down five IAF hunter planes in less than a minute. On the morning of September 7, 1965, a historic event occurred. In only three sorties, M.M Alam shot down nine enemy planes and damaged two others. The 9 large Indian flags on his favorite F-86 F-35-NA indicate confirmed kills, while the 2 small flags indicate damaged aircraft. For his fearless valor in an air battle, patriotism, and high integrity, MM Alam will live on in the hearts of Pakistan air force fighter pilots, engineers, and technicians.
M.M. Alam is revered in Pakistan as a national hero for his extraordinary heroism during the 1965 war. During the 1965 Pakistan-India war, flying an F-86 Sabre, he shot down five Indian fighter aircraft in less than a minute and downed nine in total. In recognition of his historic abilities, he was given the titles: ‘Falcon’ and ‘Little Dragon.’
Let’s take a look at M.M.Alam’s life and his accomplishments:
Background:
MM Alam was born on July 6, 1935, in Calcutta to a well-educated family. The war hero was the eldest of eleven children. No one in his family had served in the military before him, and he joined the armed forces against his father’s wishes. In 1951, he finished his secondary education at Dhaka’s Government High School.
Alam joined the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 1952 and was granted commission on October 2, 1953. His major appointments included air gunnery and tactical instructor at Fighter Leader School, commanding officer of PAF squadrons No 11, No 5, and No 26, director of operation research, assistant chief of the air staff (flight safety), and assistant chief of the air staff (plans) at the headquarters. Alam retired as an air commodore in 1982.
The 1965 War:
The role of Pakistan’s armed forces and heroes in the 1965 war was exceptional for making heroic efforts and forcing the enemy to retreat, but M.M. Alam’s contribution stands out for inflicting massive damage on the enemy.
When India declared war on Pakistan in the late misty night of 1965, M.M. Alam, the first commanding officer of the first squadron of Assaults Mirage III, took his F-86 Sabre jet plane equipped with AIM-9 sidewinder missiles and flew over the skies of Sargodha to defeat the enemies who had entered Pakistani airspace.
M.M. Alam shot down five Indian fighter planes in less than a minute. The feat was recognized as a world record, with Alam destroying four out of five enemy warplanes in the first 30 seconds.
Alam created history by downing nine Indian fighter jets in air-to-air combat. He informed the radar controller that he had shot down nine IAF aircraft, and when Radio Pakistan announced his brilliance, Pakistanis began shouting “Allah o Akbar!”
Achievements & Death:
He was awarded “Sitara-e-Jurat” for his heroics in war. M.M.Alam breathed his last on 18th march 2013 in Karachi due to lung disease. A major road has been built in his honor in Lahore, aptly titled M.M.Alam road. He is one of the most inspiring war heroes of Pakistan whose tales of bravery and courage, as well as expertise in manning a warplane will forever be etched in history.
