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Pink's War
Pink's War was an air-to-ground bombardment and strafing campaign carried out by the Royal Air Force, under the command of Wing Commander Richard Pink, against the mountain strongholds of Mahsud tribesmen in South Waziristan in March and April 1925. It was the first independent action by the RAF, and remains the only campaign named after an RAF officer. Background The defence of the North-West Frontier Province was an important task for British India. In the 1920s, the British were engaged in a continuing effort to defend British Indian Army bases against raids from Native Pashtun tribesmen in the province. In July 1924, the British mounted operations against several of the Mahsud tribes in southern Waziristan and by October most tribes had ceased their activities. Only the Abdur Rahman Khel tribe and three other supporting tribes continued to attack army posts. Operations After the successful use of aerial bombardment in the Fifth Expedition of Somaliland campaign in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Military History Of The North-West Frontier
The North-West Frontier Province (1901–55), North-West Frontier (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) was a region of the British Indian Empire. It remains the western frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the modern Pakistani frontier regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North-West Frontier Province (renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan from neighbouring Afghanistan in the west. The borderline between is officially known as the Durand Line and divides Pashtuns, Pashtun inhabitants of these provinces from Pashtuns in eastern Afghanistan. The two main gateways on the North West Frontier are the Khyber Pass, Khyber and Bolan Passes. Since ancient times, the Indian subcontinent has been repeatedly invaded through these northwestern routes. With the expansion of the Russian Empire into Central Asia in the twentieth century, stability of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Risalpur
Risalpur (Pashto/) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters above sea level, it is bounded on the south and west by the Kabul and Kalpani rivers, respectively. The famous Khyber Pass lies 90 kilometers to the north. Risalpur is known as "Home of Eagles" and "Home of Sappers". It has several important educational institutions and industrial plants. Languages spoken here are Urdu, English, Pashto, and others. The Risalpur Export Processing Zone is on the main Nowshera-Mardan road. The Risalpur Cantonment itself lies on high ground, some 30 feet above the surrounding area, with the oldest building dating from 1913 or 1914. The population that mostly lives here are from mixed Pushtoon tribes. History In 1910 Risalpur had a former aerodrome and airfield of the Royal Flying Corps, and later the Royal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful command and leadership during active operations, typically in actual combat. Equal in Awards and decorations of the British Armed Forces, British precedence of military decorations to the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and Royal Red Cross, since 1993 the DSO is eligible to all Military rank, ranks awarded specifically for "highly successful command and leadership during active operations". History Instituted on 6 September 1886 by Queen Victoria by Warrant (law), Royal Warrant published in ''The London Gazette'' on 9 November, the first DSOs awarded were dated 25 November 1886. The Order (distinction), order was established to recognise individual instances of meritorious or distinguished service in war. It is a military order, and wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur John Capel
Air Vice-Marshal Arthur John Capel, (11 December 1894 – 18 April 1979) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. Military career Having served in the British Army during the First World War in the Somerset Light Infantry and then Royal Flying Corps, Capel joined the Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ... (RAF) on its creation in 1918. He was involved in Pink's War, the RAF's first independent operation that was an air-to-ground campaign in Waziristan, and for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He rose up the ranks, and served as Commandant of the School of Army Co-operation (1936–1938), Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 22 Group RAF, No. 22 (Army Co-operation) Group (1940), and AOC No. 20 Group RAF, No. 20 (Training) Group (1941). Dur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Squadron Leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediately senior to flight lieutenant and immediately below wing commander. It is usually equivalent to the rank of lieutenant commander in the navy and of the rank of major in other services. The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Women's Royal Air Force (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (until 1980) was "squadron officer". Squadron leader has also been used as a cavalry command appointment (UK) and rank (France) since at least the nineteenth century. In Argentina it is used as a command appointment by both the army's cavalry and by the air force's flying units. The cavalry rank of squadron leader in France is equivalent to a major, and the cavalry appointment of squadron leader in the UK gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Group Captain
Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group captain is immediately senior to Wing commander (rank), wing commander and immediately below air commodore. It is usually equivalent to the rank of Captain (naval), captain in the navy and of colonel in other services. The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force, Women's Royal Air Force (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (until 1980) was "group officer". Canada The rank was used in the Royal Canadian Air Force until the 1968 Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces, unification of the Canadian Forces, when army-type rank titles were adopted. Canadian group captains then became colonels. In official Canadian French usage, the rank title was . India United Ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at which point its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from this source, which is available under th Open Government Licence v3.0 © Crown copyright It was equivalent to the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty at that time, which was responsible for the Royal Navy (RN), and (much later) the Air Ministry, which oversaw the Royal Air Force (RAF). The name 'Old War Office' is also given to the former home of the department, located at the junction of Horse Guards Avenue and Whitehall in central London. The landmark building was sold on 1 March 2016 by HM Government for more than British pound, £350 million, on a 250-year lease for conversion int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Salmond
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Maitland Salmond, (17 July 1881 – 16 April 1968) was a British military officer who rose to high rank in the Royal Flying Corps and then the Royal Air Force. During the First World War he served as a squadron commander, a wing commander and then as General Officer Commanding the RAF on the Western Front towards the end of the war. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Iraq in the early 1920s when he halted a Turkish invasion and sought to put down a Kurdish uprising against King Faisal, the British-sponsored ruler of Iraq. He was Chief of the Air Staff in the early 1930s and bitterly opposed the position taken by British politicians at the World Disarmament Conference in Geneva, which would have led to the UK's complete aerial disarmament. In the event the talks broke down when Adolf Hitler withdrew from the Conference in October 1933. Early life John Salmond was born the son of Major General Sir William Salmon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chief Of The Air Staff (United Kingdom)
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is the title of the professional head of the Royal Air Force, who is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Air Force Board. The post was created in 1918, with Major General Sir Hugh Trenchard as the first holder. The current and 30th Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, who succeeded Sir Michael Wigston on 2 June 2023. Responsibilities As of June 2023, the responsibilities were described as follows: As the RAF progressively adopts responsibility for Air Capability planning and management from MOD Head Office, CAS will be responsible for commissioning RAF equipment, materiel and other support requirements. As a Service Chief of Staff, he has the right of direct access to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister. CAS chairs the Air Force Board Standing Committee, and is a member of the Defence Council, the Air Force Board, the Armed Forces Committee, the Chiefs' of Staff Committee and the Senior Ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
India General Service Medal (1909)
__NOTOC__ The Indian General Service Medal (1909 IGSM) was a campaign medal approved on 1 January 1909,British Battles and Medals, p. 220. for issue to officers and men of the British and Indian armies. From 1919, it was also awarded to officers and men of the Royal Air Force, with the Waziristan 1925 clasp awarded solely to the RAF. Clasps The 1909 IGSM was awarded for various minor military campaigns in India from 1908 to 1935. Each campaign was represented by a clasp on the ribbon; 12 were sanctioned. *North West Frontier 1908 *Abor 1911–12 * Afghanistan NWF 1919 *Mahsud 1919–20 * Waziristan 1919–21 *Malabar 1921–22 *Waziristan 1921–24 * Waziristan 1925 * North West Frontier 1930–31 * Burma 1930–32 *Mohmand 1933 * North West Frontier 1935 Description The medal is in diameter. It was struck at both the Calcutta and London mints, for Indian and British forces respectively. For early campaigns it was awarded in silver to combatants and in bronze to native bea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sortie
A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. In siege warfare In siege warfare, the word ''sortie'' refers specifically to a sudden sending of troops against the enemy from a defensive position—that is, an attack launched against the besiegers by the defenders. If the sortie is through a sally port, the verb ''to sally'' may be used interchangeably with ''to sortie''. Purposes of sorties include harassment of enemy troops, destruction of siege weaponry and engineering works, joining the relief force, etc. Sir John Thomas Jones, analyzing a number of sieges carried out during the Peninsular War (1807–1814), wrote: In aviation In military aviation Military aviation is the design, development and use of military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miranshah Airfield
Miranshah Airfield, also known as Dardoni Aerodrome (ICAO: OPMN) is a joint civil and military airfield located in North Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. History In 1905, the British constructed Miranshah Fort to control North Waziristan. It was built using sun-dried mud bricks, and was occupied by the Tochi Scouts. Through the years, the fort faced tribal raids. However, in 1919, the 3rd Afghan War led to the Afghans raiding Waziristan, and tribes rose-up. Following this, over 10,000 troops of Indian Army were deployed to re-establish British control. Five Royal Air Force squadrons begun strafing and bombing attacks on the tribes, operating mainly Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2C, Bristol F.2B Fighter, de Havilland DH.9, and other DH bombers. 1,300 men were killed, and the bombings led to the conflict ending. Establishment Prompt by success, in November 1923, the British government made Miranshah a Royal Air Force Base, using the existing fort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
