Bharat Rakshak

Originally posted by Tom Cooper: - was there ever some kind of a "special" outfit or programme in the IAF for training of foreign officers/pilots, or were all such cooperations organized independently, as the situation needed? Tom, just to add a couple of words to what Arun_S and Sunil ha...

Originally posted by Vivek.: ... Is it that you (US) want to single out other nations that helped Iraq to hide the recent revelations of massive US support to Iraq coordinated by - Donald Rumsfeld?? You're barking up the wrong tree Tom if you are playing the blame game. Vivek, Tom isn't from the US...

Originally posted by Jagan:


...

Great job in getting dan to write more about Jumbo.

Jagan

Jagan, that was precisely my intention, of course!!

Thanks for the thumbs-up; but all I did was point him at you!! (Or to be more accurate, at the B-R IAF History pages ... )

D. Gill, good luck!! Here's another review, with a little sequel that I was personally involved in -- apologies for the shameless plug :) : "Remains: A Story of the Flying Tigers" by Daniel Ford This book is not a history; it's a novel, so perhaps doesn't fall strictly into the categories ...

A small update, to my comments on Victor Bingham's book on the Gnat: I have just read, thanks to Anandeep and Jagan, an article on the Gnat by Pushpindar Singh Chopra, published in Air International in 1974. Many of the small inaccuracies in Bingham's representation of the Gnat's encounters with the...

(Warning: Long post ahead!!) Victor Bingham's Gnat book OK guys, as promised, here are my comments on (and some excerpts from) Victor Bingham's book, "Folland Gnat: Sabre-Slayer and Red Arrow", published in 2000; with the proviso that they are not exhaustive, and are oriented towards the p...

Originally posted by Harry: Sree,could you be a little bit more specific on how Victor bingham's book describes IAF performance and scores in the wars?(Especially in 1965).Please quote if possible. ... ? Harry, I will, but please give me a few days. I have just returned to base after nearly five we...

[quote]Originally posted by dsandhu:
... Where is the BR Hyderabad Library located?

Very knowledgable staff, too.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a copy of Victor Bingham's recent book on the Gnat, " Folland Gnat: Red Arrow and Sabre Slayer ". I haven't read it yet (too many other distractions, in the last few days!); but a few impressions on flicking quickly through: - The author (himself an RAF ve...

Fascinating stuff, really. Thanks to everyone who's contributing.

I know everyone's got a few other distractions (like earning a living, mebbe!), but can we have more, please, pretty please?

Originally posted by Johann: Sree I am going to step through some tiresome details on the planning and preparations for wider air war before I get to the subject of CAS in order to put in proper context. ... ‘Emerging Targets’ ... approved by the commander and his (no jokes)legal advisory team, the...

Originally posted by Johann: Sree are you interested in a rough model of CAS/BAI in Afghanistan? ... Johann: Short answer -- yes please! (With apologies to Sukumar!) Thanks in advance, and look forward to it ... (B-52s and GPS guided munitions ... boy, what would the RAF guys flying Typhoons in the...

Johann, thanks a million for that briefing -- I think you're a lot clearer -- and one heckuva lot more informative -- than Rear-Adm Stufflebeem! (Who's the UK equivalent?) And Jagan, thanks as always for the authoritative detail. (Mebbe I should get into the habit of checking with you before posting...

Thanks Johann -- your description of the CAS planning process is very much appreciated. Will await more on the process of actually calling it in, whenever you can find the time. Some years ago, I remember seeing a news clip on CNN, showing a USAF HUD recording from a CAS mission in the Balkans. What...

Very briefly, because I don't know much about it, I believe the IAF designates Forward Air Controllers (FACs), who are generally IAF officers who work with the army and call in air support when required. From what I've read, FACs do seem to work quite close to the front-line -- which would seem to a...

Originally posted by Samir Chopra: ... Sree, I'm not sure if you were disputing the existence of Flight Commanders in the IAF today. They do exist. ... Its a prestige posting, and getting to serve as Flight Commander by virtue of P-staff ensuring that you are the senior-most squadron leader in a un...

Originally posted by Jagan: ... Time for me to do my daily soapbox lecture. ... Jagan, if that's a soapbox lecture, you can have one at my street corner any time! Six lines, to fill gaps, put some definitive detail, and correct errors, in a long ramble ... what brand of soap is that you use, again?...

I suspect that Sukumar's question can only be completely and correctly answered by a serving officer. (And such a one won't answer it, at least not on a public Forum!) But a few observations, for what they're worth; with the usual statutory warning that a lot of my knowledge in this area is some yea...

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Babui: Based on books I've read (specially during the Vietnam War), the Purple Heart became almost a joke. It was awarded for the most minor cuts and thus became much cheapened ... My fear is t...

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Riza Zaman: Was he the one (Bikram Singh) badly wounded in J&K? <hr></blockquote><p>I wouldn't recognise Brig Bikram Singh, but the second medal ribbon in the Tribune photo certainly looks ...

Vikram, as always, fascinating post -- thanks for the info (and congratulations on your 500th!).<p>One tiny comment -- if I'm not mistaken, the AVSM comes before the VrC, in the precedence order of decorations (even if we on this Forum are always more interested in the actions that resulted in the g...

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Arun A: For the benefit of DOO's here, can someone explain the significance of making him a Marshal. What is a marshal? <hr></blockquote><p>Badar is, as usual, accurate in his description of th...

They don't often make them like Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh, do they ... ?<p>Among Air Chief Marshal Singh's other distinguished services to the nation, following his retirement as CAS, members might be interested to know that he also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Delhi, duri...