Squadron 1
"Tigers"
No.1 Squadron Air Force was raised on 01 April 1933 at Drigh Road, Karachi and equipped with 04 Westland Wapiti aircraft. The Indian element consisted of 6 officers and 9 technicians then known as Hawai Sepoys.
The years 1933 to 1937 were the formative years for the Squadron when it trained in its primary role of Army Co-operation from Drigh Road, Peshawar, Chaklala and Sialkot. The rigorous training was to pay dividends in September 1937 when the Squadron was inducted into operations against hostile tribesmen in North West Frontier province. Fg Offr AM Engineer was "Mentioned-in-Despatches" for gallantry during this operation. By the time "B" Flight was formed and the three flights came together for the first time in Ambala, all three Flight Commanders were Indians.
On the historic day of 16th March, 1939 Flt Lt Subroto Mukherjee took over the Command of the Squadron from Sqn Ldr CH Smith, thus becoming the first Indian to Command a flight, a Squadron, later a Station and finally, the Indian Air Force itself. It was in this fashion that 1 Squadron gave invaluable experience to a fledgling Air Force and contributed towards its growth. In a way the Squadron literally provided the nucleus of the Indian Air Force, as also the Pakistan Air Force for that matter.
One famous Squadron pilot is "Baba" Mehar Singh who escaped from the hostile tribesmen in the North West Frontier. In 1937, he was attacking a force of tribesmen in a particularly wild valley near Shaider, a place which had not been visited by the Army since Lord Kitchener's expedition in 1890. During the attack the fuel tank of his Wapiti was hit by ground fire. Every second increased the risk of fire which finally resulted in the crash of the fragile Wapiti in the difficult rocky terrain. Fortunately, the bombs on the aircraft did not explode and Baba and his air gunner could crawl out of the wreckage safely. Thereafter they successfully evaded the hostile tribesmen, beating them at their own game till darkness came to their rescue. As dawn broke, they reached a tiny army post. Baba not only rejoined the squadron immediately but also was airborne the very next day.
A similar incident occurred with then Fg Offr Arjan Singh in a Hawker Audax aircraft. This time his gunner started running towards the hostile tribesmen to avoid the fire from the aircraft. Arjan Singh not only managed to get his gunner back but also successfully evaded the tribesmen.
On August 7, 1940, "B" Flight of the Squadron based at Miranshah was operating in the Daur Valley in support of the land forces in the face of intense hostile ground fire. While flying one such mission, Squadron Leader Subroto Mukherjee observed one of the Army pickets being overwhelmed by the hostiles. The besieged troops indicated their ammunition was nearly exhausted. Subroto Mukherjee instructed his gunner to remove ammunition from the magazine of the rear-cockpit-mounted Lewis machine gun. The ammunition was put in their socks and successfully dropped to the troops in a low pass despite concentrated firing on the aircraft by the enemy. This ammunition helped the picket to hold out till another aircraft came and dropped 800 more rounds of ammunition and saved the situation. This marked the beginning of air maintenance.
In June 1939, the Squadron was re-equipped with Hawker Hart aircraft with a few Hawker Audax aircraft on its inventory. During the initial period of the Second World War the Squadron continued its patrolling and Army Co-operation duties on a relatively quiet frontier. In August 1941, the Squadron was re-equipped with 12 Lysander aircraft financed as a gift from the citizens of Bombay. Since then the squadron is considered to have been adopted by Bombay and became known as the Bombay Squadron. Soon after, in October 1942, the squadron crest was designed consisting of two concentric circles enclosing the figure of a tiger with the legend "No. 1 Squadron, Indian Air Force". Beneath this, on a scroll, were the words "Ittehad Mein Shakti Hai" later changed to "Ekta mein Shakti" meaning "In unity there is strength".
On 1 February 1942, No.1 Squadron was moved to Toungoo in Burma to stem the Japanese offensive. The squadron was equipped with 12 Lysanders; an army co-operation aircraft without a bomb sight. It was assigned to fly tactical recce missions. On the day of the induction, the area came under heavy air raids by the Japanese forces. The Squadron personnel immediately swung into action and their courage and ingenuity saw them hanging pairs of 250 lb bombs on the bomb racks slung on the modified Lysanders. Massive retaliatory strikes were launched against the principal Japanese air bases at Mae-Haungsuan, Cheingmai and Chiangrai in Thailand. The missions were flown unescorted at low-level and the results were evident from the reduced air activity the following day. During that period, squadron pilots perfected the techniques of dive bombing and carried out pin-point attacks.
Burma Campaign
During the Burma Operations the squadron was tasked with recce missions in support of the Chinese army. The recce sorties brought important intelligence reports of troop concentrations and movements which were crucial to ground operation. The Squadron performed exceedingly well and in appreciation were presented a "Gold Wing" by the Chinese.
During the campaign, the Allies launched a massive counter attack to capture Martban which was a key town on the axis of advance. Success of this operation depended heavily on intelligence. Sqn Ldr KK Majumdar personally led his pilots on recce missions in adverse weather and over inhospitable terrain. For this exhibition of exceptional courage, leadership and fighting spirit in the face of the enemy he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first that any Indian officer was honoured with. WO Harjinder Singh was awarded MBE for his imaginative improvisation and for maintaining very high aircraft serviceability inspite of poor logistic backing.
The Tigers returned to Ambala in March 1942 to re-equip. On 3 February 1944, after converting onto the Hurricane Mk 3E and mothering the raising of an additional Indian Air Force squadron, it went back to Imphal for operations against the Japanese under the Command of Sqn Ldr Arjan Singh. Equipped with Hurricane III E aircraft the Squadron was tasked to carry out recce missions to gauge Japanese intentions. They carried out 60 sorties in Feb 44 reconnoitring the upper CHINDWIN area right upto the Mytkyina - Mandalay rail-road. These aerial recces discovered enemy army concentrations and river crossing equipment thus giving away Japanese ground offensive plans. The vital information provided by these missions was later to change the whole course of the war.
Now aware of the Japanese moves, General Slim ordered two of his forward divisions to withdraw to Imphal. The Japanese had anticipated this move and they attacked the 17th Indian division while on the retreat. A fierce battle ensued and the Japanese initially had the upper hand, but not for long. The Tigers were tasked to provide close air support to the 17th Indian division. The Tigers provided close air support and helped the division to finally break through on 14 March 1944. Meanwhile, No.1 Squadron continued to launch Counter Air missions to thwart the Japanese advance.
As the squadron pilots flew dawn to dusk and at times during the night, the technicians slaved to minimise the time any aircraft spent on the ground. As a result the Squadron flew a record 360 sorties/530 hours during the campaign. The month of April was critical to Japanese forces as they were within the Arty fire range of Imphal. The Tigers flew 450 hrs during that month to attack everything Japanese and sapped the enemy's strength. The battle continued through the monsoon months of May and June 1944 inspite of which the Squadron flew 950 hours providing valuable offensive support for the hard pressed 17th Indian Division and also for the 2nd division fighting its way from Kohima to open the road to Imphal. On 22 June 44 the Japanese siege of Imphal was finally lifted. The Japanese defeat was turned into a rout with the Squadron aircraft pursuing them through the jungles of Burma in Jul 44. Advancing Allied armies subsequently found ample evidence of the destruction caused by No.1 Squadron in its raids. Destroyed tanks, bombed transport columns, smashed guns and charred vehicles littered the road to Chindwin. The defeat at Imphal has been chronicled as the worst suffered on land in Japanese history. The air effort by No.1 Squadron for the defence of Imphal totalled 1034 sorties averaging 1 hr 30 mts per sortie. By March 1945 the Squadron had been in Burma Ops continuously for 14 months, the longest for any squadron, during which it had flown 4813 sorties totalling 7219 hrs.
For his tireless bravery, dedication, valour and unflagging enthusiasm Sqn Ldr Arjan Singh was decorated with the DFC on the field personally by Lord Mountbatten. Five more officers were awarded the coveted DFC.
The Tigers after their return from Burma continued to fly Hurricanes till November 1945, when Spitfires of Battle of Britain fame were brought in.
Post independence
In 1947 during partition, the Squadron assets were transferred to the Pakistan Air Force. The Tigers soon made a fresh beginning. On 26 January 1953, 1 Squadron was reformed at Halwara, with Spitfires on its inventory. In February, 1953 the Tigers entered the jet age with re-equipment onto the De Havilland Vampire. By August 1953, No. 1 Squadron had reached its full unit establishment of 16 Vampire FB.52's.
In September 1953, the Tigers moved from Halwara to Palam. The squadron continued to operate from Palam with the Vampires until it was re-equipped with the Mystere-IV A, an aircraft of French origin. It was in this aircraft that the Tigers were to participate in the next two operations.
Goa Liberation-Op Vijay
The Squadron took part in the 1961 operation for liberation of Goa, operating from Santa Cruz airport. Also known as Op Vijay, this was the first battle for the Tigers after Independence. The Squadron carried out fighter sweeps and strike missions over Goa, Daman and Diu. In the face of offensive air strikes, the Portuguese capitulated. Liberation of Goa was a swift operation. The Squadron not only provided air superiority but also became a deterrent to force the Portuguese for an early surrender. A four aircraft mission against the Daman fort on 10 Decmber 1961 found the traditional surrender signal fluttering on top. Inspite of the short operation, Tigers had fired 586 Rockets and released 176 Bombs during Op Vijay. Sqn Ldr S Bhattacharya was awarded the VM.
Operations in 1965
During the Indo-Pak conflict of 1965, 1 Squadron was equipped with Mystere-IV A aircraft and operated from Adampur. The war began with a pre-emptive air strike by PAF against our forward air bases. Adampur happened to be one of them. The Tigers were tasked with the airfield Air Defence, offensive strike missions against heavily defended Pakistani airfields and interdiction of major lines of communication.
In the course of the war, the squadron flew a total of 128 strike missions and 46 Combat Air Patrol sorties. Notable among them was the successful 8 aircraft dawn strike by the Tigers against Sargodha airfield that not only put it out of action, but proved a big deterrent for rest of the war. A 4 aircraft strike against fuel tankers at Ghakkal near Ralwali Railway Station set the fuel ablaze and this had a telling effect on the ground operations in that area. Having achieved a favourable air situation and reduced the PAF air activity to near zero, the Squadron flew in support of the ground forces.
In recognition of their contribution to the war effort the Tigers were awarded 3 Vr Cs, 2 VMs and 2 VSMs.
1965-1971 Period
In July 1966, the Tigers were re-equipped with the supersonic Mach-2 class, all weather interceptor- the MiG-21 FL. The Squadron was singularly honoured on 18 October 1968, when the President, Dr Zakir Hussain, presented the Tigers with the President's Colours at a ceremony held at Air Force Station, Adampur.
Operations in 1971
The 1971 Indo-Pak War was the 11th major operation the Tigers took part in since inception. The squadron was equipped with the latest supersonic jet fighter, the MiG-21 FL. The squadron was tasked with the Air Defence of Punjab sector and providing air cover to our own attacking formations deep inside enemy territory. Operating from Adampur, the Tigers defended the air space assigned to them so well that but for one unsuccessful pre-emptive strike not a single enemy aircraft could penetrate into our territory. In addition all strike missions escorted by the Tigers achieved their objectives and returned safely.
The war effort of Tigers, totalled 513 sorties. Wg Cdr Upkar Singh was awarded the AVSM. In addition one Vr C, 3 VMs and 9 Mention-in-Despatches were awarded to the Squadron. During 1971, the Tigers had not only earned laurels in war but had maintained a high standard of flight safety and serviceability as not a single aircraft was lost, in war or peace.
Post 71 - a period of consolidation
No.1 Squadron continued to be based at Adampur for the next ten years. On 24 September 1973, Wg Cdr Brijesh Jayal took over command of the unit. He would become Commodore Commandant of No. 1 Squadron and an Air Marshal at the time of the Tiger's Diamond Jubilee. The Tigers celebrated their Golden Jubilee in the early 80's, having meanwhile been relocated at Gorakhpur in February 1982, after a record period of stay at Adampur.
The No.1 Squadron of the Indian Air Force had been flying the MiG-21FL for nearly twenty years and it was time to re-equip. The Chief of Air Staff was now Air Chief Marshal Lakshman Karte, who as a young flying officer, had in 1947 brought the Squadron's ground party from Peshawar by train. His fondness for the Tigers was certainly evident in the selection of No.1 Squadron to receive the brand new Mirage-2000 aircraft.
Tigers And The Mirage-2000
In response to the acquisition of F-16 Fighting Falcons by the PAF, the Indian government formalised orders for 40 Dassault Mirage-2000's, the advanced multi-role delta-winged fighter with fly-by-wire flight controls, multi-mode radar and beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-air missiles. The IAF became the first foreign Air Force to receive the new generation Mirage-2000 fighter. The Government of India had sanctioned the raising of two new fighter Squadrons for operating the Mirage -2000 but the IAF's top brass decided that the premier Squadrons of the service must be 'the chosen ones' to receive this advanced new fighter. Thus Nos. 1 and 7 Squadrons were chosen to re-equip with the Mirage-2000 and their Mig-21s then being operated "transferred" to the newly-raised Nos. 52 and 51 Squadron respectively.
The first seven Mirage-2000 for the Indian Air Force left from Bordeaux-Merignac on their ferry flight to India on 21st June 1985.
After six months of operations in India, on 1 January 1986, No. 1 Squadron formally came into being at Gwalior. Normal flying operations were commenced the very next day. The Squadron flew a total of 220 Hrs in the very first month of operations with this new class of fighters.
Diamond Jubilee Year
The Tigers celebrated their Diamond Jubilee in a grand manner in 1993. Incidentally, the Air Force too celebrated its Diamond Jubilee this year and the Squadron celebrations saw the who's-who of the entire Air Force under one roof. The squadron also undertook a motorcycle expedition on this occasion which received tremendous response all over the country.
Kargil Operations in May 1999 - Op Safed Sagar
In May 1999, the Tigers, now with Mirage-2000's ASF's, were deployed at Ambala for Op Vijay. The task entrusted to he Air Force was to assist the Army in countering the increased militant activity in the area North, North-East of Kargil. The so-called infiltrators -- later established as Pakistan Army regulars -- had taken over certain strategic positions overlooking the Leh-Srinagar Highway and were threatening to cut it off. The Air Force played a vital and decisive part in evicting the infiltrators and shortening the duration of this limited war.
From Ambala the Tigers were tasked for Elint and AD Escorts missions to PR/ ARC ac and strike missions. A total of 234 operational sorties were flown from Ambala which included a few missions at night. As a contingency, a few aircraft moved to Jodhpur, where the squadron flew 153 sorties consisting of AD Escorts missions and trials. Air Commodore Ahluwalia, then the Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station Gwalior under took several trails which went on to pave the path to one of the greatest successes for any Air Force operating in mountainous terrain.
Throughout the operations, the Tigers maintained a high serviceability of aircraft and only one mission was aborted during the entire duration of Op Safed Sagar, which lasted for more than two months. Wg Cdr S Neelakantan, VM was awarded the YSM for Op Safed Sagar. In addition seven Mention-in-Despatches were awarded to the squadron.
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