The Internet's best resource on the Indian Air Force in the Second World War. Read about veteran storiess, units, database research tools and the hundreds of photographs and images from that era!
No.1 Service Flying Training School was established at Ambala on 23rd October 1940. The SFTS consisted of six flights, A to F, all located on the station.
Among the various artefacts that were part of the Jumbo Majumdar Collection sold by Morton and Eden was an audio recording of a radio address given by Wg Cdr Majumdar in the weeks prior to his death. The recording was with the Majumdar family for years and were part of the artifacts acquired by the Indian Air Force. A copy of the recording was recently provided by Mr. J R Nanda.
On the 101st birth anniversary of late Gp Capt H S R Gohel , who was born on 15th February 1921, the e-book "Flights of Valour" is presented to provide an insight into this distinguished aviator from the Second World War, who left behind a treasure trove of notes of his memories and experiences via his extensively annotated logbook.
When No.1 Squadron, Indian Air Force went into operations in February 1942 against the Japanese in Burma, it carried the hopes and future growth prospects of the Indian Air Force with it. Other than the little that is on the record about Sqn Ldr Majumdar, who was to perish in a crash a few years later, not much is known about the other officers and men who were to be the 'First in the Burma Skies'. We present a series of profiles of the personnel who were on the original team of the Tigers, No 1 Squadron, as they were being built up. The first in series of these articles is a profile of Air Commodore Homi Shapurji Ratnagar, who saw two tours of ops on the Burma Front, and is now (in 2003) 83 years old and settled in Hyderabad.
Major General Syed Ali Hamid writes about the legendary tales he heard about 'Baba' Mehar Singh, whose exploits were admired by airmen across all nations.
This is a previously unpublished hand-written account by Air Marshal Anand Ramdas Pandit , PVSM AVSM DFC 1707 F(P). Discovered by the family and painstakingly transcribed, this was released for publication on the 100th anniversary of Air Marshal Pandit's birthday.
In this article, the author, Col N N Bhatia tells the family background and story of Gp Capt Karori Lal Bhatia, who led No.12 Squadron during the 1947-48 War, and was the first pilot to land at Srinagar in Kashmir during the airlift of troops into Srinagar.
Air Marshal Yeshwant Malse, who saw two tours of ops on the Burma Front. His story will be told in three parts: the first covers his Second World War experiences, the second will be on his command of No 12 Squadron in the 1950s, and the final part will cover his various assignments as a senior officer. The meeting with Air Marshal Malse and Mrs Malse took place at his residence 'Yerandvana' in Pune. When Gp Capt AG Bewoor, one of our website's ardent supporters , called him up to find out if he would be able to spend time with us for an interview, Air Marshal Malse graciously agreed. As he himself admitted, Air Marshal Malse was never a person with a keenness to keep a historical record , but since he knew we were coming, he made sure that we would have access to his documents and his old log books! We spent about two hours enjoying the hospitality of the Malses and reliving history throughout that time.
Updated 03 February 2018: We regret to inform that Wg Cdr A Philipos passed away in Bengaluru on 31st January 2018. He was 101 years old. Original: Wg Cdr A Phillipos 3033 GD(P) was commissioned as an Accounts Branch Officer in 1944. He recently turned 100 years old and was felicitated by the Air Force Records Office in Bangalore. In this short article, he writes about his introduction to service life under the British.
Kartar Singh Saund (IND/1664 was commissioned into the Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1941. He joined No.2 Squadron after training and flew Lysander and Hurricane fighters. He died on the frontline in 1943 at Imphal - His family had preserved his photos for over seventy years - before showcasing them here. A profile of Kartar Singh Saund has also been researched and published along with the album.
The WW2 Veterans Project : WWII Veteran Encounters, Profiles and Memoirs started off in earnest in 2002 when between a small group of like minded enthusiasts, an effort was made to locate and interview WW2 veterans of the Indian Air Force. With the dwindling number of veterans every passing year, the effort continues in terms of family members writing profiles of their loved ones who took part in the war - and in keeping their memories alive.
