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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!

A Tiger pilot remembers - Air Marshal Y V Malse

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Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Monday, 27 January 2020 05:39
Written by Jagan Pillarisetti
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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.

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Pilot Officer Phillipos - Accounts Branch Officer in WW2

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Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Saturday, 03 February 2018 18:24
Written by Wg Cdr A Phillipos
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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.   

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Flying Officer Kartar Singh Saund - a Photo Album

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Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 October 2017 00:00
Written by Updates
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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.

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Air Marshal Aspy Engineer's Recollections

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Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Wednesday, 12 July 2017 03:46
Written by Air Marshal Aspy Engineer
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In 1992, the then CAS Air Chief Marshal N C Suri requested many of the surviving senior veterans of the Indian Air Force to write down their memoirs or recollections for the purpose of publishing them in a commemorative 50th Anniversary History. Air Marshal Aspy Engineer responded to the personal request of the CAS and penned down his recollections in nine pages of hand written notes. The account was never used in any publication, but thankfully the preserved notes are in the collection of Cyrus Engineer, Aspy's son. Recently Mrs Farida Singh, daughter of Jungoo Engineer procured the papers as well as several  photographs from the collection and very kindly provided them here for our website with the permission of the family

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"Then Whose Battle Was It?" - Sqn Ldr M S Pujji

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Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Saturday, 17 June 2017 04:06
Written by K S Nair
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Squadron Leader Mahender Singh Pujji was in fact one of the first batch of 24 Indian 'A' licence holders to be accepted for service in the Air Force early during the Second World War. He received a Volunteer Reserve commission, trained with the Royal Air Force, and was awarded RAF wings. He flew in a combat role from emblematic RAF stations in the British Isles such as Kenley (one of the three main fighter stations defending London; and the operating base of "Sailor" Malan, Johnny Johnson, and earlier, of Douglas Bader), putting his life on the line to defend the British mainland; and flew in some of the Allies' first offensive operations over Occupied France. He later flew briefly in the North African theatre, as well as extensively in the China / Burma / India theatre (and in the NWFP)

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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.

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