The story of how the first chief of the @IAF_MCC came about to be decided on. A period of 30 days in June/July 1947, hectic negotiations and parleys, and a surprise twist by later to be @IAF_MCC's first Indian Chief Subroto Mukerjee. #IAFHistory (1/16)
Three questions needed answering - Will there be a chief for each service or one commander-in-chief? What rank will the officer tenant? Who will be the officer?
All of these were being deliberated in parallel and Air Mshl Hugh Walmsley, AOC-in-C India set the ball rolling 2/
On 1 July 47, he sent his recommendations to Loud Louis Mountbatten, though the ultimate decision rested with Nehru and Jinnah respectively. Also, a key influencer in the process was Claude Auchinleck, then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. 3/
The name of Air Mshl Sir Thomas Elmhirst to be the Chief of @DGPR_PAF , seems to have been at the insistence of General Auchinleck who wrote the attached letter directly to Mountbatten on the recommendation. 4/
Lord Mountbatten quickly moved the ball forward but made it clear that if Elhmirst is to be considered, he should be considered for India too. This would turn out to have a major impact eventually. 5/
Air Mshl Walmsley would lead the deliberations. On 10 July 47, Mountbatten informed him that both India and Pakistan had agreed to have an Air Officer Commanding from the RAF, of the rank of Air Vice Marshal. This surprised Walmsley, as Mukerjee would be knocked out. 6/
Not only did Walmsley find this shocking, he thought Mukerjee would be shocked too. This implies that the brass felt that Mukerjee had positioned himself as the defacto choice for the Indian Air Force's top job. 7/
All factors put together, including the fact that not too many RAF officers were keen to volunteer for the job, Walmsley did find the most suitable officer for India (given his boundary conditions) - AVM Perry-Keene. 8/
AVM Perry-Keene was a fine choice because he had spent considerable time in India across roles from 1935 and was reasonably well known amongst officers in India 9/
At Walmsley's insistence on 18 July 47, Mountbatten met with Mukerjee and was surprised at his views - Mukerjee put the needs of the service above his & was supportive of a senior RAF officer. He was concerned about parity with Army and hoped to be Chief in 2-3 years. 10/
Mukerjee was aligned with Mountbatten, Walmsley, and Perry-Keen and it seemed on 22nd July 47, Perry- Keen would make the Chief of the IAF, but a twist was in the offing. 11/
On 21st July, Nehru wrote to Mountbatten encouraging him to consider Air Mshl Elhmirst for IAF. Apart from him and his Defence minister's opinion, it seems Auchinleck would have weighed in as well, being close to Nehru and held in high esteem by him. 12/
On 23 July 47, Mountabetten had arranged for a meeting between Nehru and Elhmirst, so that the latter could be convinced for the job. This though meant that the rank of the chief would no longer be AVM, but Air Marshal, atleast for IAF. 13/
Nehru was able to convince Elhmirst on the 26th of July, and it was decided for him to become chief. While Mukerjee had his wish of having an Air Mshl, at par with the Army, come true, unknown to him then, he would have to wait 7 years to become Chief himself as Air Mshl. 14/
In parallel, Mountbatten aligned Jinnah to have a very capable and willing AVM Perry-Keen be the Chief of PAF. 15/
On 27 July 1947, the announcement was made. IAF was to have Air Marshal Elhmirst as its first Chief and Air Vice Marshal Perry-Keen as the first chief of PAF. 16/16
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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/