Home History The RIAF in WW2

The Royal Indian Air Force in the Second World War

AudaxK3102 SmallThe 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!

By the old Moulmein Pagoda - Gp Capt George Philip

Details
Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Thursday, 15 October 2009 17:53
Written by K S Nair
Hits: 4435

A WW2 veteran of service on the Burma Front, Gp Capt CGI Philip was actually born in Burma, and had strong family connections to that country even before the War.  Jagan interviewed him in April 2004 and in November 2005, while building Bharat-Rakshak's oral archive. Gp Capt Philip's words, we believe, convey a unique sense of those unique times. We have therefore retained his own words, for much of this article, which covers his early days in the Indian Air Force training on dive bombers and flying his first tour of operations with No.8 Squadron on the Vultee Vengeance.

Read more ...

Air Cmde Nanu Shitoley DFC

Details
Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Thursday, 15 October 2009 17:36
Written by Mukund Murty
Hits: 3367

Nanu Shitoley was kind enough to share his time and hospitality with me one evening in January 2004, thanks to a meeting fixed up by my old family friend and his neighbour, Dincey Muncherjee [IAF transports, who later flew 747-400's for Air India and S'Pore Airlines]. As I walked down the road from my place in Colaba to his, I was terrified at the prospect of reaching later than the appointed hour of 7pm - an extra huff and a wheezy puff ensured that I just made it ! What followed was an hour and a half of the story of a fascinating life, including the sortie to Tamu I have semi-fictionalised at this link [which epitomizes the sheer grit and determination which earned him his DFC]. Alas, his log book is lost [as are photographs], and with it, details of the 300 hours of operational flying which he did in Burma, at the end of which he received his well-earned DFC. What follows is based upon his memory, supplemented, in parts, by extracts from the Official History of the IAF in the Second World War….

Read more ...

Pilot Officer Sayanapuram Duraiswamy Thyagarajan

Details
Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Friday, 09 October 2009 14:15
Written by David McMahon
Hits: 3789

Sayanapuram Duraiswamy Thyagarajan, who was known as "Tiger" Rajan, was one of the rare breed of Indian pilots who was joined the Royal Air Force in UK directly. Tiger Rajan would make his mark flying Whirlwind fighters and then Typhoons. His life was lost on the front lines over France - and he is remembered with gratitude by three different nations - India, Great Britain and France.

Read more ...

With the Tigers in Burma - Air Marshal A R Pandit

Details
Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Monday, 05 October 2009 13:58
Written by Amit Javadekar
Hits: 6338

Anand Ramdas Pandit was born on 21st June 1921 at Indore. He joined the IAF Volunteer Reserve in 1941. He commenced his training with the Initial Training School at Lahore in April 41. After about a month and a half, he was part of the 8th Pilots Course that commenced training at the No.2 EFTS in Jodhpur on Tigermoth aircraft. The four months spent at EFTS involved learning elementary flying on a number of civilian Tigermoths. The instructors were from RAF and included a number of civilian Indian pilots.  In September 1941, He commenced advanced flying with the No.1 SFTS at Ambala. learning flying on Audax and Hart aircraft. The cadets earned their wings in February 1942. 

Read more ...

Subcategories

  • Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs

    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.

    Article Count:
    30