Procurement of french warplanes and armaments were a misfired political maneuver by Nehru. Since, India has been a colony of both Britain & France, Nehru wanted to forge a strategic alliance with Britain, France & Canada and develope nuclear technology with their help to checkmate China which was on the verge of becoming a nuclear power. France was, however, only interested in Indian beryllium and thorium for her own atomic programne. Nehru, tried unsuccessfully to seduce France with US$ 794 million purchase of Ouragan, Mystere, Alizee aircrafts and 150 Armor 13 tanks. Now, in the words of eminent defence analyst, Late Bharat Verma:
Historians usually consider the period between 1947 and 1962 as the first phase of the Indo-French relations. Year 1962 was for France the year it constitutionally departed from the subcontinent and for India, it marked the end of the dream of a Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai relationship.Though the relations were not too cordial between France and India, as early as January 1947, the French Government asked for a ten-year extension of the 1945 agreement permitting military air ferries to fly across India. Nehru, the Interim Prime Minister noted: “Public opinion in India is very much against the use of force by the French Government against the people of Indochina and anything which we do to facilitate the use of this force is bound to be resented and vigorously criticised.“ On July 16, 1947 an Agreement on Air Services between India and France was nevertheless signed.By the end of year, an interesting development occurred. Nehru was “anxious to help in every way in developing atomic energy in India.” He decided to unofficially send Dr. Homi J. Bhabha to France to enquire about the possibility of collaboration for the peaceful use atomic energy: “In view of the fact that India possesses very large resources of minerals suitable for the generation of atomic power, India is destined to play an important part in research on atomic energy in cooperation with other countries. We would like to welcome this cooperation, more specially in Great Britain, Canada and France.” Homi Bhabha had extremely cordial contacts with Frédéric Joliot-Curie and Raoul Dautry, the first heads of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), founded by de Gaulle in 1945. At that time, Joliot-Curie was interested by two materials: beryllium and thorium. Nehru, interested in the program ‘Atoms for Peace’, saw the nuclear collaboration as discriminatory. Why countries with colonial territories should use raw material looted from these colonies for their research, he thought.
‘Discrimination’ will remain at the core of the Indian position in the decades to come .
The French armament sales during this first phase were relatively large despite the factors mentioned above. Though the Indian Air Force did not directly take part in the conflict with China, 49 Ouragan fighter planes (produced by Dassault Aviation), 110 Mystère and 12 Alizée (of Bréguet Aviation) were in service in 1962. Further, 150 AMX 13 light tanks were sold to India after an agreement signed in 1957. The total arms sales from France between 1950 and 1962 amounted to $ 794 millions according to SIPRI database , which made it the second most important after UK ($ 4,612 millions) and before USSR ($ 612 millions) and the US ($ 248 millions)
On September 22, 1962, General de Gaulle received Nehru in Paris. Nehru first congratulated him for the settlement of the Algerian crisis as well as the ratification of the cession of the French Establishments in India. De Gaulle replied that he was happy to see that India had dealt successfully with some of the issues on which the West had doubts at the time of independence. At the end of the meeting, Nehru pointed out at the danger coming from China “which spent most of its resources for preparing the bomb. …It is for them a question of prestige” explained a worried Indian Minister who however did not request the French President for armaments.
On October 27, 1962 Nehru called French Ambassador Jean-Paul Garnier to tell him that it is “an invasion (by China) pure and simple”. The French President had written to Nehru a few days earlier: “We can not approve that border claims are settled by military actions which is in any case disproportionate with the proclaimed objectives [of the Chinese]”.
During this encounter with the Indian Ambassador, the General conveyed to him what would be the core of the French position for several decades. He told (Indian Ambassador) Jung: “France is the friend of India, not its ally and therefore will not provide any [military] support.” Paris was prepared to provide some military supplies to Delhi (and this in consultation with the US), but was not ready to intervene.
Those poor supplies of Ouragan, Alizee & Mystere found their way to India this way. As for their role in 1965, better read this account of Ajay Shukla to get the true picture. India suffered massive loss of aircrafts including Hunter, Vampire & Mystere. All were found wanting against superior Paki Sabre and Starfighter. Ouragan & Alizee were not mentioned.
http://m.rediff.com/news/column/def...his-self-congratulatory-nonsense/20140902.htm
it says that the Mystere Iv performed honourably during the 1965 war , though not in the lead role as Gnats and Hunters.
