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Indian Air Force Losses in the 1947-48 War.
The fledgling Indian Air Force committed almost its entire fighter resources to the 1947-48 Kashmir Operations. Tempests of Nos 7, 8 and 10 Squadron took part in the fighting as well as the sole Transport Squadron, No.12 flying the venerable Dakota. Accidents were many. The following are the known losses that occurred during the war.
DETAILS OF AIRCRAFT LOSSES :
Date |
Aircraft |
Sqn | Name of the Pilot |
S.No | Remarks |
Fate |
30-Oct-47 |
Dakota |
12 | Fg Offr Clifford Joseph Mendoza | MA965 | Crashed at Pir Panjal 24 Killed. | Killed |
05-Nov-47 |
Spitfire |
AFSI | Fg Offr PVS Ram |
. | BO near Muree, Pakistan on flight to Srinagar. | POW |
01-Dec-47 |
Harvard |
7 | Fg Offr Ulrich Anthony D'Cruz |
. | SD Ground Fire. Pilot and Pax (PN Sharma) POW | POW |
15-Mar-48 |
Tempest |
8 | Fg Offr Donald Michael |
PR749 | Dam Ground Fire . Cr on Landing at Jammu ALG | Safe |
16-Mar-48 |
Tempest |
7 | Fg Offr Balwant Singh |
PR597 | SD Ground Fire attacking a Bridge. | Killed |
21-Mar-48 |
Dakota |
12 | Wg Cdr KL Bhatia |
. | hit by artillery fire after landing at Poonch Air Field | Safe |
22-Mar-48 |
Tempest |
10 | Flt Lt Sardindu Dasgupta |
PR660 | Killed during an operational sortie in Kashmir | Killed |
12-May-48 |
Tempest |
8 | Fg Offr Derek Austin O' Brien |
PR601 | Stuck throttle on Ldg at Jammu. Crashed | Killed |
08-Aug-48 |
Tempest |
8 | Flt Lt Aloysius William Barrette |
HA431 | Crashed after TO from Jammu airfield | Killed |
12-Sep-48 |
Tempest |
7 | Plt Offr Donald George Baptiste |
HA411 | SD AAA Kishenganga 1210 Hours 2 m from Tithwal | Killed |
03-Oct-48 |
Tempest |
7 | Fg Offr UG Wright |
HA363 | SD AAA BO Pandu, made it back to our lines DNE | BO |
05-Nov-48 |
Tempest |
10 | Plt Offr Ivor Patrick Carrapiett |
HA416 | Failed to return from Sortie near Chamb. | Killed |
??-???-48 |
Tempest |
10 | Fg Offr Amit Singh Bakshi |
. | Cr Landing at Jammu, ac caught fire and destroyed | injured |
| Grand losses | 13 Known Losses | |||||
Legend:
| AAA : Anti Aircraft
Artillery BO: Baled Out TO: Take Off Ldg : Landing |
AFSI: Advanced Flying
School (India) POW: Prisoner of War SD : Shot Down Dam: Damaged |
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