Recognizing the heroes of H3, led by General Faraj Baratpour
Fars News / Fars News
15-Sep-2009 (3 comments)

On April 4, 1981 at dawn, 8 F-4 Phantoms of the Iranian Air Force took off from Hamedan and conducted a surprise attack on the H3 airbase in western Iraq where Saddam had withdrawn some of his most precious new aircraft for protection. They achieved complete surprise and destroyed or damaged 48 enemy aircraft on the ground. All Iranian fighters returned to Iran safely. Until that date, this was the longest range air attack by jet fighters in history, with air to air refuelling at low altitude in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, and it was a brilliant example of military planning. And this was from an air force that was under embargo by the west, as well as suffering purge after purge by its own government at home. More details on this operation are described below:

//iiaf.net/stories/warstories/s1.html

The flight leader of this operation was Major Faraj Baratpour (now Brigadier General) and was an experienced and excellent pilot from the Shah's time, as were all of the crews following him. Major Baratpour and his men were honored publicly yesterday. More pictures below:

//www.mehrnews.com/fa/newsdetail.aspx?NewsID=...

God bless this Iranian hero. >>>

Fair

Honoring the heroes of H3

by Fair on Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:17 PM PDT

God bless General Baratpour and his men, and all those like him both yesterday and today, who put Iran before anything else. I hope one day I will be worthy enough to deserve such men as my countrymen.


Balatarin
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anonymous111.2

Yes, Shah Gholam

by anonymous111.2 on Wed Sep 16, 2009 01:10 PM PDT

You are absolutely correct when you say:

"The planning and excecution of this mission says much about the dedication and skill of Iranian pilots".

And they accomplished all of this while Khalkhali's "traveling court" was going from airbase to airbase and executing dedicated and highly trained pilots and other officers with 5 minute "trials".  In fact, at the time of the start of the Iran ' Iraq war, there were so many pilots in your beloved IRI's prisons that the then president Bani Sadr had to personally go to Ayatoilet Khomeini and beg him to relase a few of them so that they can get some planes in the air.  The devastation that your beloved regime brought upon the Iranian Air Force will also be something that will be discussed for decades to come.


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Shah Ghollam

Thanks for the post!

by Shah Ghollam on Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:33 PM PDT

H3 attack by IRIAF is a masterpiece that will be discussed in air force academies for years to come. The planning and excecution of this mission says much about the dedication and skill of Iranian pilots under a devastating war with not only Iraq but its allies including the USA, France and USSR at the time when iran was under severe sanctions.

 


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