Image courtesy: Twitter

Chuck Yeager, the American legend, who broke the sound barrier in 1947, is now breaking the internet in 2016. The decorated war hero who has inspired a generation of pilots may be an icon, but one thing he’s surely mistaken about is the 1971 India-Pakistan war. According to the celebrated US air force pilot, who garnered a lot of acclaim during World War II, Pakistan won the 1971 war and it remained a sovereign nation. And that India did not annex it.

This claim, of course, was exchanged over Twitter with TV host Shekhar Gupta who first tweeted to Chuck Yeager about helping the Pakistani Air Force in the year 1971.

 

Gen, @GenChuckYeager have you written abt your role with PAF in ’71 war besides yr memoir. Was your parked plane shot up by IAF at Chaklala?

 

— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) September 7, 2016

Chuck Yeager’s instant reply within minutes 

 

Asked & answered many x. Indian pilots shot themselves in the foot.That plane helped rescue downed Indian pilots. https://t.co/HUbzGiHNFX

 

— Chuck Yeager (@GenChuckYeager) September 7, 2016

Gupta manages to touch his raw nerve in this one 

 

Sorry, I touched a raw nerve, Gen. You’re among the finest fighter pilots ever but sadly were on losing side in ’71 https://t.co/5oPnSMvHrx

 

— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) September 7, 2016

And now comes the bewildering claim by Yeager 

 

You touched no nerve-you don’t have that power.Pakistan won.They are a sovereign nation. India did not annex them. https://t.co/TQ3czsSQGV

 

— Chuck Yeager (@GenChuckYeager) September 7, 2016

Gupta shoots another one

 

And the pilot who you say shot himself in the foot by strafing yr plane rose to head Indian Navy, Adm Arun Prakash https://t.co/5oPnSMvHrx

 

— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) September 7, 2016

Yeager at his defensive best 

 

Not because he shot an unguarded parked airplane – one that had been used to help his countrymen. But in spite of it https://t.co/S8MENblGG2

 

— Chuck Yeager (@GenChuckYeager) September 7, 2016

But he does seek peace eventually

 

Another Indian biased opinion still fighting a war from 45 years ago instead of trying to find peace https://t.co/8CtiazDOLk

 

— Chuck Yeager (@GenChuckYeager) September 8, 2016

This should be the end of it, or so we’re hoping 

 

OK. Enough about a 45 yr old war. Look for peace instead of armchair fighting. Indian POW called me and thanked me recently

 

— Chuck Yeager (@GenChuckYeager) September 8, 2016

Yeager retired in the year 1975 and according to his book  Yeager: An Autobiography, he was sent to advise the Pakistan air force, just a couple of months before the 1971 war began. He’s mentioned in his book how Pakistan stopped India from annexing East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh, by opening up the western front. In his book, he has also mentioned how his plane was totaled in a raid conducted by the Indian Air Force while the Beech Queen Air was used in order to rescue the India pilots who were downed. Yeager also stated: “I had it parked at the Islamabad airport, and I remember sitting on my front porch on the second day of the war, thinking that maybe I ought to move that airplane down to the Iranian border, out of range of the Indian bombers, when the damned air-raid siren went off, and a couple of Indian jets came streaking in overhead. A moment later, I saw a column of black smoke rising from the air field. My Beech Queen was totaled.”

Meanwhile, you can also check out “The Right Stuff”, a 1983 film, which is based on the legendary American fighter pilot.