The Indian Air Force (IAF) is a young service. The oldest of its air force units is only 60 years old. By a coincidence these dates correspond to the major changes in the structure, composition and the capability of the Air Force. The origin of the IAF can be traced to the recommendation of the Skeen Committee set up by the British in 1925. This committee looked into the local demand of Indians for a greater say in matters of defence. The committee, chaired by Sir Andrew Skeen (then Chief of General Staff) was formally constituted as the Indian Sandhurst Committee in 1925.
It recommended, among other things, the induction of the Indians into the RAF College at Cramwell and the formation of an Indian Air Arm manned fully by Indians. As a follow-up of this report, six Indians were sent to the RAF college for the first time in 1930. When five out of the six successfully became pilots, the Indian Air Force came into being on 8 October 1932. The first unit of the IAF, was the No.1 Squadron, was formed on 1 April 1933 at Drigh Road Airfield in Karachi.
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The Beginning, 1932-46
It was a slow start for the Air Force. The No.1 Squadron was formed with only one four aircraft, five pilots and nine technicians. The rate of training was only two pilots per year. Pilots had to go to the RAF College for training as there was no facility in India. Three years went before the second flight was added, with only one more aircraft Another flight was formed in June 1938, initially with no aircraft at all. The squadron so far had had no real existence as a unit. The flights were being moved about as appendages to various RAF units.
Then at long last, the three flights came together in Ambala in July 1938. A committee in 1938 recommended the formation of an IAF Volunteer Reserve (IAFVR) and five Coastal Defence Flights manned by this. An act authorising the formation of the IAFVR was passed, but nothing much else happened. Even though the war cloud had by then started gathering over Europe, the colonial government did not seem interested in letting the Indian Air Force grow.
In the 20s and 30s, the RAF was engaged in man experiments to find out the best way to utilise air power. One of the expensive operations of the British Imperial Forces in those days was to mount punitive expeditions against rebellious tribes on the fringes of the empire, mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan. The RAF postulated that punitive expeditions could be replaced or at least largely supplemented by aerial strafing and bombing of the rebel strong-holds as a more economical alternative. This proposal was accepted. RAF set up a number of airfields and secured a presence for itself in India. In 1920, it had eight squadrons in India. This force was reduced to six squadrons in the 30s and again went back to eight squadrons by the end of the decade.
When the formation of the IAF became inevitable, the RAF wanted to use this token force as its appendage in the rebel-suppression role. 'A' flight of No.1 Squadron was tried out for six weeks in this role in 1937. The ?C? flight was deployed for a couple of months in 1938. Technically the Indian units performed at par with the RAF units both in air and on the ground. No.1 Squadron was then re-equipped with a slightly better aircraft, the Hart, and one of its flights was introduce to a new task of maritime air patrol while the other two flights went back to its air suppression role in the North West Frontier Province in Pakistan.
After Britain entered the war, it stopped training Indian pilots at Cramwell for the IAF. However, it took in a large batch of Indians for training. These pilots were commissioned into the IAFVR an were utilised by the RAF. Those pilots who survived their operational tour in Europe came back to the IAF in 1942. In 1940 the proposed IAFVR coastal defence flights came into being.
Pilots were recruited from British and Indian civilians in the five metropolitan cities of Karachi, Bombay, Madras, Cochin and Calcutta. Available aircraft of the local flying clubs and some small airlines were pressed into service. The RAF squadrons in India were not at full strength. A decision was taken to fill the existing vacancies in these squadrons by training Indians. An RAF squadron at Risalpur was converted to training role. Initial recruits for IAFVR were trained in this squadron & sent to the coastal defence flights to RAF squadrons in India.
By 1941, it had become clear that the total requirements of air force for the defence of India could not be made available from the RAF. The assessed need was for 21 squadrons and 5 coastal defence flights, whereas the RAF could at the most supply only 11 squadrons. Therefore the IAF had to be expanded to a 10-squadron force. Large scale induction into the IAFVR began. To cope with the increase training needs, two Elementary Flying Schools and one Service Flying School were set up at Begumpet, Jodhpur and Ambala.
To train technicians and other supporting tradesmen, one airmen's training school was set up at Ambala. This proved to be inadequate. Soon airmen's training was spread over 20 schools all over the country. Two squadrons were formed in 1941. No.2 Squadron in April, and No.3 Squadron in October. In July 1941, No.1 Squadron changed over from Harts to Lysanders and No.2 Squadron discarded their Wapitis for Harts handed over by No.1 Squadron. The No.3 Squadron didn't get their full share of aircraft for some time.
In December 1941, Japan entered the WWII. No.1 Squadron was sent to Burma in February 1942, but came back in March of the same year when Rangoon fell to the Japanese. After returning from Burma, No.1 Squadron converted to Hurricanes. Four more squadrons were formed in 1942; No.4 Squadron in February and Nos. 6, 7 and 8 Squadrons in December. Throughout 1941 and 1942, IAF squadrons remained on training role in addition to air suppression duties in the NWFP. During the same period, the IAFVR coastal flights were closed down. It was not cost-effective to run these unit with unsuitable aircraft and untrained crew. The task was taken over by better equipped and trained RAF units.
No.9 Squadron was formed in 1943, but was able to start training only in February 1944. No.10 Squadron was formed in February 1944. Between 1943 and 1945, some of the units took part in air operations against the Japanese. No.1 Squadron operated from Kohim from January 1944 to April 1945. No.2 Squadron from October 19 to May 1945 in Cox's Bazar and various airfields in Burma. No.3 Squadron from January to April 1945 in Burma, No.4 Squadron from Feni between April 1944 to April 1945, and then in Japan with the Allied Occupation Forces in 1946.
No.6 Squadron from November 1943 to June 1944 from Cox's Bazar, No.7 Squadron from March to June 1944 from Uderbund near Kumbhigram in support of the Chindits Operation, and again between March and May from various airfields in Burma. No.8 Squadron operated from Double Moorings near Chittagong between December 1943 and 1944, and again from July 1945 till the end of the war from Mingladon. No.9 Squadron operated from April 1944 to April 1945 from Kulaura, and again from November 1945 to January 1946 from Hmawbi. For this second operational tour, the No.9 Squadron was accompanied by No.10 Squadron.
In recognition of the work done by the IAF units in the Arakaan the IAF was given a 'Royal' prefix to its name. From then on till the country became a republic in 1950, the Air Force was known as the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF). By 1946, all units had come back to India, and by now the process of 'Indianization' had also proceeded quite far.
By 1943, the charge of Kohat airfield had been handed over to the RIAF from then on, till August 1947, all Station Commanders were from the RIAF. The RAF or the other Commonwealth personnel who had operated with the Indian units during the war went away by 1946.
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