NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday marked the historic air operations carried out on December 5, the third day of the 1971 war, underscoring how air power proved decisive in shaping the conflict’s outcome and paving the way for India’s victory and the creation of Bangladesh.In a post on X, the IAF recalled its strike on the Sakesar radar station, which crippled Pakistan’s key western air defences for two days.“On the third day of the 1971 war, the IAF was everywhere the enemy looked — and many places where they didn’t expect. Hunters tore through Drigh Road and Karachi, smashing storage hangars. Canberras kept up relentless pressure, delivering 1,44,000 lbs of ordnance across four major airfields,” the post said.The IAF added that 132 missions were flown on the western front, with An-12s and Canberras “raining devastation on enemy concentrations.” On the eastern front, with the Pakistan Air Force effectively grounded, 104 offensive sorties by the IAF cleared the way for the Indian Army’s rapid march into East Pakistan, ultimately leading to the birth of Bangladesh.It also recalled the legendary Battle of Longewala, fought from December 4 to 7, 1971, in Rajasthan’s Longewala sector, where heavily outnumbered Indian troops held their ground against a major Pakistani assault — a defence in which the IAF also played a crucial role.“Four Hunters rewrote history — shattering an enemy armoured thrust and leaving 27 tanks destroyed and 10 more damaged. Jaisalmer stood safe because air power arrived when it mattered,” the post highlighted.The 1971 India–Pakistan war began on December 3 with Pakistan launching pre-emptive strikes on Indian air bases amid the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan. The conflict ended on December 16 with Pakistan’s defeat, the surrender of 93,000 troops — the largest military capitulation since World War II — and the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation.