Wing Commander Cecil Vivian Parker commanded a fighter bomber squadron of the Indian air force based at Ambala during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. his bombers flew at extremely low altitudes and hit targets located well inside enemy territory. On 4 December, the squadron led an attack on the Pakistan air force base at Peshawar. They then hit enemy air bases at Kohat, Mainwali, Chaklala, Walton and Lahore; the radar base at Sakesar; the oil refinery at Attock and the Mangal hydroelectric power station.
To block enemy road movements, the wing commander led his operations in several areas in the northwest, including Lahore, Montgomery and Wazirabad. Once while returning from one such mission, his aircraft was attacked by Sabre aircraft. the Wing commander ably maneuvered his machine and shot down one enemy aircraft and severely damaged another. He returned to the base triumphant and unharmed.
Wing Commander Parker was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his bravery.
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