16 VrC, 3 VMs,1 VSM & 5 M-in-D. These are the earnings of four ad-hoc Combat sqns 120,121,122 and 123 of @IAF_MCC . This thread traces the history of these snoozing sqns that rise during a war, manned by aircraft & instructors from training establishments. #IAFhistory (1/17)
120 Sqn was activated in 1965 at Jodhpur on Vampire ac from C&R School. The Sqn was awarded a VrC, VM and a VSM. In 1971 war, it was activated with Mystere aircraft from Target Tow Flight (TTF) and pilots from TTF, 3 and 31 Sqn, operating from Nal earning 4 Vrc & 1 VSM. (2/17)
In 1965, they were employed in LL Tactical msns over enemy territory disrupting supplies. They also flew CAPs including at night time and dissuaded enemy bombers. IJS Parmar was awarded VrC, he flew four combat sorties in quick succession & chased the enemy bombers away.. (3/17)
In 1971, VN Johari, CO TTF Jamnagar and 6 pilots, operated the Mystere a/c doing tact Recon and disrupting supplies deep into enemy territory destroying railyards, oil dumps, munitions. They earned 4 VrC for the daring role. (4/17)
On 5th Dec 1971, AV Pethia spotted a train towards Bhaval Nagar transporting about 15 tanks. Despite enemy ground fire, he made two attacks and destroyed two trains. However, his ac was hit by ground fire and he was taken PoW. His story is here - tinyurl.com/bdfsfp9p (5/17)
121 sqn was activated in 1971 war & comprised of 15 Vampire aircraft from C&R School, AEB, ATW, and FTW. Nine of these operated from Srinagar and another 6 from Halwara. The Sqn has earned 3 VrC, 2 VM and 1 M-in-D. (6/17)
Srinagar dett was commanded by MS Sekhon with 7 pilots, 8 ac and 29 airmen. They flew msns in Poonch, Uri, Tithwal and Kargil sectors and damaged several enemy bunkers, vehicles, mortar positions, POL and munition dumps. Kargil war revived thoughts of something similar (7/17)
Halwara Dett under Winco Marshall was called the "Green beret" Flt for an interesting paint job. Ac were painted a mix of blue-black & grey in whatever format the painter wielded his brush. The jaws were in white & teeth in red giving the painting a ' fearsome look' (9/17)
They flew at night, black-out conditions, and attacked railyards, POL, and munition dump deep inside enemy territory. The Nav/Pilot RH seat, did all the chores of Navigation, map reading, re-setting the Stopwatch, Course correction calculations & re-setting the Compass. (10/17)
He would raise his seat & lookout & down for PinPoints calling out & discussing course change & monitoring speed, direction & height. On weapons delivery, he would set switches, callout the pullup point & height & speed & roll in direction & the command 'FIRE" & pull out. (11/17)
122 sqn in 1971, had pilots and ac from Hunter (OTU) at Jamnagar sent to Jaisalmer. They had six ac. The unit did exceptionally well in what came to be known as battle of Longewala, earned 7 VrC and 3 M-in-D. MS "Minhi" Bawa, CI Jamnagar, would earn AVSM as Jaisalmer CO (12/17)
Longewala would turn out to be one of the biggest tank losses in history. About 80 destroyed/damaged, other than ammo, vehicles, factories, and dumps. A Dramatised depiction of this battle in the movie "border" significantly downplayed the IAF role. (13/17)
But this was not all, Don Conquest, CO OTU, led a formation that attacked and set fire to Karachi Port bulk oil installation. Next day, he carried out a daring attack on Mauripur airfield and destroyed at least six enemy aircraft on the ground earning a VrC (14/17)
123 Sqn was first activated for ops in Nagaland with Harvard equipped with machine gun & F24 aerial camera for Recce at Tezpur in 1962. The Sqn was activated again during the 1971 war with five T-6G/ Harvard aircraft from AFA and FIS (15/17).
It operated from Sirsa till 6th Dec 1971 and thereafter at Rajouri ALG. The ac were painted Dark Green on surface and black underneath. They were rigged with Hunter electric boxes and carried 6 x T-10 rockets & did 13 ops sorties during the war. The Sqn has earned 1 VrC. (16/17)
For curious minds, a few reads are recommended - Jaisalmer diary - tinyurl.com/mruz2cuw , @vayusena 's talk - tinyurl.com/58a7xxed and The Epic Battle of Longewala. by Air Marshal Bharat Kumar. (17/17)
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1/8: Reflecting on the success of India’s Radar & Communication Indigenisation Project, I had to ask—why did it succeed while other aviation projects, faced significant delays, despite similar govt mechanisms?
2/8: Objective clarity was the cornerstone of RCPO. The primary goal? Plugging air defence gaps.This target was broken down into milestones spanning a decade. Indigenisation followed. Of the initial ₹185 Cr budget, ₹105 Cr was for foreign eqpt—a decade later, this had reversed
3/8: Breaking down objectives into visible milestones was a game-changer. RCPO had deliverables every 2-3 years: set up X nodes, design/ install Y radars, and build Z software. When stakeholders can see progress they benefit from, confidence and support skyrocket.
For a long time, I wondered why the Chief of the @IAF_MCC was called the "Chief of Air Staff" and not the "Air Force Chief" or something similar. Well, at least I am finally enlightened. Sharing this brief of my exploration. (1/7)
#IAFHistory
The early 20th century witnessed a significant transformation in military structures, driven by the harsh realities of the Boer Wars (1899-1902). Reflecting on the conflict's challenges, the concept of "Staffs of the Services" emerged. 2/
These staff comprised officers with specialised qualifications tasked with reflective work, including acquiring and digesting extensive information, studying war possibilities, and preparing plans for potential scenarios. 3/
Jamangar Air Force station is in news these days. Jamnagar holds a very important place in @IAF_MCC. A topic worthy of a longer thread, but a few milestones are mentioned here.
A short thread (1/13) #IAFHistory
Jamanagar was not an Air Force Airbase before Independence, though the Jam Saheb was popular in the aviation circles. Post-independence, IAF was searching for a air firing and bombing range. After a search - it settled up Jamnagar and called it Armament Training Wing (ATW). 2/
The Jam Saheb was very fond of the Air Force and helped it immensely. It had an air to ground range at Sarmat and and air to air range in gulf of Kutch near the coastal strip of Jodhya - Balachandi. ATW was visited by Squadrons for training for a few weeks in rotation. 3/
Air Marshal Ravinder Nath Bharadwaj, PVSM, MVC, VM, affectionately nicknamed "Mummy", passed away at 89 yesterday.
He was awarded MVC during the 1971 War, attacking Pakistan's airfields in the west. He was one of the only two Sqn Ldrs to receive this award(1/9)
#IAFHistory
From the 66th Pilot Course, he was commissioned in 1955 & joined the fighter stream. In 1961, he qualified as a Pilot Attack Instructor, the modern-day "Top Gun". The CO of PAI School, Nobby Clarke, gave the nickname "Mummy" for his sweet demeanour. It stuck for life. 2/
Mummy also served in training extensively - He served as an instructor in Iraq & was with the OTU, training hunter pilots before the 1971 War, which earned him a Vayu Sena Medal, too. he continued his role in training later in life in staff appointments. 3/
While researching the initial lot of Cranwell graduates, I came across a name that caught my eye. This name was that of a certain Mr WHJ Wilkinson CIE ICS, whose name figures in most entry forms of the @IAF_MCC Cadets who went to Cranwell. The name did intrigue me a lot. (1/18)
My subsequent research revealed the story of a man who lived a very interesting life in India. It is a story that needs to be told, even if not directly related to #IAFHistory. It also has some gaps (gaps that I hope will be filled by crowdsourcing). 2/
Walter Hugh John Wilkinson was born in 1874 & went on to study at Oxford. Joining the ICS as a Political Officer, the 23-year-old arrived in India on 29 Nov 1897. His first five years were spent in various capacities in Bombay.. 3/
What was it like to be in the @IAF_MCC in 1933?
This narrative captures the essence of that first year, viewed through the eyes of the early aviators. Little did they know their journey would demand courage and sacrifice. (1/20) #IAFHistory
The first Indian Air Force officers completed their education at RAF College Cranwell in July 1932. They spent a few months training in England. Subsequently, in April 1933, they returned to India to create the first flight of the No 1 Squadron. 2/
Flight Lieutenant Cecil "Boy" Bouchier assumed command of this Flight. Boy Bouchier was a distinguished WWI veteran honoured with the DFC, AFC, and Polish and French Crosses. He volunteered for this role when no other British officer was prepared to lead. 3/