Wing Cdr Jag Mohan Nath, 2-time recipient of Maha Vir Chakra, passes away

March 21, 2023 22:51

Wing Commander Jag Mohan 'Jaggi' Nath

Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath (retd), the Indian Air Force veteran who flew numerous reconnaissance sorties over Tibet and Pakistan in his Canberra aircraft in the 1962 and 1965 wars, passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The octogenarian, called Jaggi by his Air Force colleagues, was twice the recipient of Maha Vir Chakra gallantry honour.

Six decades ago, when he leapt into his Canberra, a twin-engine jet bomber fitted with cameras, and flew into Pakistan on a top secret mission, then Squadron Leader Jag Mohan Nath already had a Maha Vir Chakra awarded to him for his 1962 war operations.

He had flown into Aksai Chin and Tibet and returned with valuable inputs on the ground situation and enemy troop activities there, both before and during the Indo-China war.

Three years later, in September 1965, he was awarded another Maha Vir Chakra, this time for his role in the Indo-Pak war.

The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of gallantry.

Wing Commander Nath retired in 1970 and later joined Air India as a commercial pilot.

You can read about Wing Commander Nath's wartime exploits in this exclusive feature on Rediff.com by Claude Arpi: The IAF hero awarded the Maha Vir Chakra twice

Wing Commander Nath also spoke to Claude Arpi at length, you can read his interview on Rediff.com here: What if Nehru had used the IAF in 1962?

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