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Air Vice Marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...
Chandan Singh,
MVC
MVC may refer to:
Science and technology
* Maximum-value composite procedure, an imaging procedure
* Multivariable calculus, a concept in mathematics
* Multivariable control, a concept in process engineering
* Mechanical vapor compression, a desal ...
,
AVSM,
VrC
Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋiː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...
(18 August 1925 – 29 March 2020) was an
Air Officer in the
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
. A highly decorated officer, Singh was awarded the
Vir Chakra during the
Sino-Indian War and the
Maha Vir Chakra during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Early life
Singh was born in
Jodhpur State in a
Rathore
The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India.
Subclans
Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage
This article discusses the "Kanauji ...
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
family to
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Bahadur Singh,
OBI #REDIRECT Obi #REDIRECT Obi {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous title ... {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous title ...
, who commanded the famous
Jodhpur Lancers
The 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was a brigade-sized formation that served alongside British Empire forces in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, during World War I. Originally called the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade it was formed ...
.
Military career
Early career
Singh joined the
Jodhpur Lancers
The 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was a brigade-sized formation that served alongside British Empire forces in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, during World War I. Originally called the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade it was formed ...
in 1941, following in his father's footsteps, as a
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
. After the
Independence of India
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
, the Jodhpur Lancers was amalgamated into the
President's Bodyguard and the
61st Cavalry. Singh, then a
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, joined the
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
.
Singh was serving in the
No. 43 Squadron IAF, when in 1961, he was awarded the
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...
(then called Vishisht Seva Medal Class II). He was awarded the AVSM for "devising new procedures for training and selecting new safe routes."
Vir Chakra
At the outbreak of the
Sino-Indian War, Singh was a pilot in the
No. 44 Squadron IAF. He saw action in the Chip Chap area in
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
, where he was awarded the third-highest war-time gallantry award, the
Vir Chakra.
The citation for the
Vir Chakra reads as follows:
Maha Vir Chakra
Singh was promoted to the rank of
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
in late 1969 and took over command of the
Jorhat Air Force Station in early 1970. He commanded the Air Force base through the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Singh planned and executed the
Sylhet air-lift, when two
companies of troops of the
IV Corps were air-lifted. For this operation, Singh was awarded the
Maha Vir Chakra, the second-highest war-time gallantry award.
The citation for the
Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows:
Post-war career
After the war, Singh attended the
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Singh was promoted to
Air Commodore in 1973 and to the rank of
Air Vice Marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...
in 1977. He then took over as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of the
Central Air Command
''Nigrahya Rasava shastrava''
, colors =
, colors_label =
, battles = 1962 Sino-Indian War, East Pakistan Operations 1971, Operation Meghdoot, Orissa Super-Cyclone Relief, 1999
, anniversaries =
, commander1 = Air Marshal Amar Preet Sin ...
in
Allahabad
Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...
.
After a three-year stint as SASO, Singh retired in 1980.
Awards and decorations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Chandan
Indian Air Force air marshals
Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra
Recipients of the Vir Chakra
1925 births
2020 deaths
Indian Air Force officers