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The Grand Old Man of the IAF.
Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh, who was Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from 1964 to 1969, is the epitome of a military leader and it is in the great fitness of things,and truly a grand morale booster to the officers and men of the Indian Air Force that he was honoured with the rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force (equivalent to the Army's Field Marshal), on the Republic Day of 2002. This is appropriate and timely even as the world's fourth largest Air force prepares for a major upgradation of its capabilities in the new millennium.
Born on 15 April 1919 in Lyallpur and educated first in Montgomery (now Sahiwal in Pakistan) and then at the Government College in Lahore, Arjan Singh joined the infant Indian Air Force in 1938. He was commissioned from the RAF College Cranwell on 23 December 1939, and as a Pilot Officer with 'A' Flight at Drigh Road, Karachi first saw operations on the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Arjan Singh's two operational tenures on the Burma Front during World War IIthe first as a Pilot Officer with No.1 Squadron ("Tigers") and subsequently in 1944, as Commander of the same Squadron, are outstanding landmarks of his enviable flying career. In the first, he assiduously learnt the techniques of air warfare in the thick of battle, during ceaseless sorties that he flew day in and day out. During the second, as a consummate Squadron Commander, he displayed masterly leadership to the maximum advantage of the IAF during the seige of Imphal. In recognition of his leadership and gallantry in the air, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on the spot, the first Indian pilot to be so honoured by the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia.
The citation read:
Squndron Leader Arjan Singh is a fearless and exceptional Pilot, with a profound knowledge of his specialised branch of tactical reconnaissance and he has imbued those under him with the same spirit. The success of No. 1 Squadron Indian Air Force reflects the greatest credit on him.
When India became a Republic in 1950, Arjan Singh was commanding the Operational Group, then responsible for all air operations from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari. Arjan Singh held the Command of this Group, the only fighting arm of the IAF, till December 1952 and again from December 1955 to April 1959, initially in the rank of Air Commodore and then in the rank of Air Vice Marshal for over 6 years, longer than any other officer of the IAF.
After India became independent, Arjan Singh was detailed to undergo a number of prestigious courses in the United Kingdom:
RAF Staff College, Brackwell
Joint Services Staff College, UK
Imperial Defence College, London
His long tenure of the all-embracing Operational Group well groomed and equipped Arjan Singh for higher Command. In between, from December 1952 to December 1955 he was Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel Organisation and Air Officer-in-Charge Administration from May 1961 till December 1962, which provided him with necessary administrative experience so essential for an Air Chief in the making.
On 1 August 1964, Air Marshal Arjan Singh took over as the IAF's third Indian Chief of Air Staff.
With the well-recognised qualities of leadership, experience and inborn confidence, Arjan Singh consummately directed the air campaign during the war of September 1965, but for the timely and effective action by the Indian Air Force in the Chhamb sector on 1st September, history could well have had been different. In the subsequent weeks, the IAF consolidated its air superiority by deep penetration attacks against enemy targets, including the farthest Pak airfields like Peshawar and Mauripur before the conflict came to an end.
Arjan Singh, who on 1 August 1964 had become Chief of Air Staff in the rank of Air Marshal at the young age of 45, was the first officer of the Indian Air Force to don the tapes of Air Chief Marshal, on January 15th 1966.
By the time he was 50 he had completed his tenure and retired, after having held the exalted office of Chief of Air Staff for 5 l/2 years, the longest of any Chief of the three Services. The career graph of Arjan Singh is an inspiration, and he remains an icon for subsequent generations of the Indian Air Force.
Arjan Singh has flown no less than 65 different types of aircraft and continued his passion for flying till the last day of retirement. Arjan Singh's zest for flying percolated right down the line, which enthused the flyers for combat flying training and who then gave ample proof of their readiness in the 1965 war. Arjan Singh's leadership from the cockpit won him not onlv the confidence of the flyers, but earned him their complete reverence too.
In 1967, Arjan Singh had the unique honour of being invited to take the salute at the passing out parade of the Royal Air Force Flying College, Cranwell, where he had first learnt flying 28 years earlier, and presented the 'Sword of Honour' to the best Cadet.
Arjan Singh is an amiable, softspoken man of few words, and bv nature averse to confrontation. He does not believe in throwing his weight about, nor likes to tread on others. However, despite his discreetly maintained soft exterior, he is a man of firm action. He did not hesitate in discarding three senior officers ("directed to resign"), on account of their inept performance during the 1965 War.
Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh, who was Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from 1964 to 1969, is the epitome of a military leader and it is in the great fitness of things,and truly a grand morale booster to the officers and men of the Indian Air Force that he was honoured with the rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force (equivalent to the Army's Field Marshal), on the Republic Day of 2002. This is appropriate and timely even as the world's fourth largest Air force prepares for a major upgradation of its capabilities in the new millennium.
Born on 15 April 1919 in Lyallpur and educated first in Montgomery (now Sahiwal in Pakistan) and then at the Government College in Lahore, Arjan Singh joined the infant Indian Air Force in 1938. He was commissioned from the RAF College Cranwell on 23 December 1939, and as a Pilot Officer with 'A' Flight at Drigh Road, Karachi first saw operations on the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Arjan Singh's two operational tenures on the Burma Front during World War IIthe first as a Pilot Officer with No.1 Squadron ("Tigers") and subsequently in 1944, as Commander of the same Squadron, are outstanding landmarks of his enviable flying career. In the first, he assiduously learnt the techniques of air warfare in the thick of battle, during ceaseless sorties that he flew day in and day out. During the second, as a consummate Squadron Commander, he displayed masterly leadership to the maximum advantage of the IAF during the seige of Imphal. In recognition of his leadership and gallantry in the air, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on the spot, the first Indian pilot to be so honoured by the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia.
The citation read:
Squndron Leader Arjan Singh is a fearless and exceptional Pilot, with a profound knowledge of his specialised branch of tactical reconnaissance and he has imbued those under him with the same spirit. The success of No. 1 Squadron Indian Air Force reflects the greatest credit on him.
When India became a Republic in 1950, Arjan Singh was commanding the Operational Group, then responsible for all air operations from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari. Arjan Singh held the Command of this Group, the only fighting arm of the IAF, till December 1952 and again from December 1955 to April 1959, initially in the rank of Air Commodore and then in the rank of Air Vice Marshal for over 6 years, longer than any other officer of the IAF.
After India became independent, Arjan Singh was detailed to undergo a number of prestigious courses in the United Kingdom:
RAF Staff College, Brackwell
Joint Services Staff College, UK
Imperial Defence College, London
His long tenure of the all-embracing Operational Group well groomed and equipped Arjan Singh for higher Command. In between, from December 1952 to December 1955 he was Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel Organisation and Air Officer-in-Charge Administration from May 1961 till December 1962, which provided him with necessary administrative experience so essential for an Air Chief in the making.
On 1 August 1964, Air Marshal Arjan Singh took over as the IAF's third Indian Chief of Air Staff.
With the well-recognised qualities of leadership, experience and inborn confidence, Arjan Singh consummately directed the air campaign during the war of September 1965, but for the timely and effective action by the Indian Air Force in the Chhamb sector on 1st September, history could well have had been different. In the subsequent weeks, the IAF consolidated its air superiority by deep penetration attacks against enemy targets, including the farthest Pak airfields like Peshawar and Mauripur before the conflict came to an end.
Arjan Singh, who on 1 August 1964 had become Chief of Air Staff in the rank of Air Marshal at the young age of 45, was the first officer of the Indian Air Force to don the tapes of Air Chief Marshal, on January 15th 1966.
By the time he was 50 he had completed his tenure and retired, after having held the exalted office of Chief of Air Staff for 5 l/2 years, the longest of any Chief of the three Services. The career graph of Arjan Singh is an inspiration, and he remains an icon for subsequent generations of the Indian Air Force.
Arjan Singh has flown no less than 65 different types of aircraft and continued his passion for flying till the last day of retirement. Arjan Singh's zest for flying percolated right down the line, which enthused the flyers for combat flying training and who then gave ample proof of their readiness in the 1965 war. Arjan Singh's leadership from the cockpit won him not onlv the confidence of the flyers, but earned him their complete reverence too.
In 1967, Arjan Singh had the unique honour of being invited to take the salute at the passing out parade of the Royal Air Force Flying College, Cranwell, where he had first learnt flying 28 years earlier, and presented the 'Sword of Honour' to the best Cadet.
Arjan Singh is an amiable, softspoken man of few words, and bv nature averse to confrontation. He does not believe in throwing his weight about, nor likes to tread on others. However, despite his discreetly maintained soft exterior, he is a man of firm action. He did not hesitate in discarding three senior officers ("directed to resign"), on account of their inept performance during the 1965 War.
