IAF to observe birth anniversary of Marshal Arjan Singh today

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 14

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will observe the 103rd birth anniversary of Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh on Friday. His important speeches are being played out at various air force stations. This will continue till tomorrow.

Memorial hockey meet

• The 3rd Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Hockey tournament will be held at Chandigarh from April 18 to 23
• 12 teams from India and abroad, including hockey teams of Royal Canadian, Malaysian, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka air forces, have been invited

The Marshal was the IAF Chief when Independent India carried out its first offensive air strikes in September 1965 during the India-Pakistan war.

It was an on-the-spur decision to launch air strikes. On September 1, 1965, IAF Chief Air Marshal Arjan Singh was called in by Defence Minister YB Chavan and asked how quickly the IAF could be ready for operations. “In an hour,” he said.

Just before sunset the same day, 26 fighter-bombers, including 12 Vampires of the early 1940s British vintage and 14 Mystere-IV procured from France, had taken off from Pathankot for the Chhamb-Jaurian sector in J&K. SN Prasad, in his book “The India-Pakistan War of 1965”, records the first strike: “The IAF destroyed 10 tanks, two automatic guns and 30 to 40 vehicles of the invading column.”—

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