In the early days of 1971 Indo-Pak war, Wing commander Swaroop Krishna Kaul led several missions into Pakistani held areas of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to photograph strategically vital areas. His four missions that penetrated deep into the heavily defended areas of Comilla, Sylhet and Saidpur were extremely difficult, as he often had to fly as low as 60 meters.

While on a mission to photograph the airfields of Tezgaon and Kurmitola on the 4th of December, the wing commander faced sustained enemy antiaircraft fire. but his years of experience as a skilled fighter pilot stood him in good stead and the mission was successfully accomplished.

The Air Force choose him to lead the first strike mission into Dhaka, the capital. Even here he emerged unscathed despite the heavy shelling and the threats posed by the enemy aircraft.

Wing Commander Kaul was decorated with the Mahavir Chakra for his courage and exceptional flying skills.