UNIT 1.

3
ON WINGS OF COURAGE
Introduction: This is a brief biography of Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh, an icon of
India’s military history and a war hero.

Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh, an icon of India’s military history, will always be
remembered as a war hero who had successfully led a young IAF during the
1965 Indo-Pak war. The only officer to attain the highest post of Marshal, the Air
Force equivalent to the Army’s five star field marshal, Singh was a fearless and
exceptional pilot who had flown more than 60 different types of aircraft.
He played a major role in transforming the IAF into one of the most potent air
forces globally and the fourth biggest in the world. “His contribution to the Indian
Air Force is monumental to the least. The IAF grew with him. He was the epitome
of military leadership in classical sense and it is, therefore, not surprising that he
was honoured with the rank of Air Force Marshal,” former Vice Chief of IAF Kapil
Kak said
 Singh was honoured with the rank of Marshal on the Republic Day in 2002. Sam
Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw and K M Cariappa were the only two army
generals honoured with the rank of field marshal.

Known as a man of few words, Singh was not only a fearless pilot but also had
profound knowledge about air power and applied it in a wide spectrum of
areas. Singh had assiduously led the IAF during the 1965 war and denied success to
Pakistani air force though it was better equipped with American support. “His most
outstanding contribution was during that war,” said Kak.

Commending his role in the war, Y B Chavan, the then Defence Minister had
written: “Air Marshal Arjan Singh is a jewel of a person, quite efficient and firm;
unexcitable but a very able leader.” In 1944, the Marshal had led a squadron against
the Japanese during the Arakan Campaign, flying close air support missions during the
crucial Imphal Campaign and later assisted the advance of the Allied Forces to
Yangoon (formerly Rangoon).
 In recognition of his feat, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on
the spot by the Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia, the first Indian pilot to
have received it. Singh was selected for the Empire Pilot training course at Royal Air Force
(RAF) Cranwell in 1938 when he was 19 years old. He retired from service in 1969.

Singh was born on April 15, 1919, in Lyalpur (now Faislabad, Pakistan), and
completed his education at Montgomery (now Sahiwal, Pakistan). His first assignment
on being commissioned was to fly Westland Wapiti biplanes in the North-Western
Frontier Province as a member of the No.1 RIAF Squadron.

After a brief stint with the newly formed No. 2 RIAF Squadron where the Marshal
flew against the tribal forces, he later moved back to No.1 Sqn as a Flying Officer to fly
the Hawker Hurricane. He was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader in 1944.
For his role in successfully leading the squadron in combat, he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1944. On August 15, 1947, he achieved the unique
honour of leading a fly-past of over a hundred IAF aircraft over the Red Fort in Delhi.
 After his promotion to the rank of Wing Commander, he attended the Royal Staff
College at the UK. Immediately after Indian independence, he commanded Ambala in
the rank of Group Captain. In 1949, he was promoted to the rank of Air Commodore
and took over as Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of an operational command, which
later came to be known as Western Air Command.

Singh had the distinction of having the longest tenure as AOC of an operational
base, initially from 1949-1952 and then again from 1957-1961. After his promotion to
the rank of Air Vice Marshal, he was appointed as the AOC-in-C of an operational
command.

Towards the end of the 1962 war, he was appointed as the Deputy Chief of the
Air Staff and he became the Vice Chief of the Air Staff in 1963. He was the overall
commander of the joint air training exercise “Shiksha” held between IAF, RAF (Royal
Air Force) and RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force).

On August 1, 1964, in the rank of Air Marshal, the Marshal of the Air Force Arjan
Singh took over reins of IAF, at a time when it was still rebuilding itself and was
gearing up to meet new challenges.
 Singh was the first Air Chief to keep his flying currency till his CAS rank. Having flown
over 60 different types of aircraft from pre-World War II era biplanes to the more
contemporary Gnats and Vampires, he has also flown in transport aircraft like
the Super Constellation.
In 1965, when Pakistan launched its Operation Grand Slam, with an armoured thrust
targeted at the vital town of Akhnoor, Singh led IAF through the war with courage,
determination and professional skill. He inspired IAF to victory, despite the constraints
imposed on the full-scale use of Air Force combat power. Singh was awarded Padma
Vibhushan for his astute leadership of the Air Force during the war. Subsequently, in
recognition of the Air Force’s contribution during the war, the rank of the CAS was upgraded
and Arjan Singh became the first Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force.

He remained a flyer to the end of his tenure in IAF, visiting forward bases and units
and flying with the squadrons. He retired in August 1969, thereupon accepting
Ambassadorship to Switzerland. He was Lieutenant Governor of Delhi from December
1989 to December 1990.

Having been a source of inspiration to all the personnel of Armed Forces through the
years, the government conferred the rank of the Marshal of the Air Force upon Arjan
Singh in January 2002, making him the first and the only ‘Five Star’ rank officer with
Indian Air Force.
ACTIVITIES: Page 14. Q.1 The Ranks of the Officers
ARMY NAVY AIR FORCE
Brigadier Commander Wing-
Major, Colonel Vice-Admiral Commander
Field Marshal Admiral of fleet Squadron-Leader
Lieutenant- General Commodore Air Marshal
Rear Admiral Flying Officer
Air Commodore

Q.2.A. Homophones/Homographs: Make sentences to bring out the difference

between:
1. a. wear: The little girl wanted to wear a pink, frilly dress.
b. ware: The silver ware kept on the table was exquisite.
2. a. here: You must sit here.
b. hear: Try to hear the sound.
3. a. there: I kept the bag there.
b. their: the girls picked up their bags before leaving the hall.
4. a. cell: The prisoner sat in the dark corner of the cell.
b. sell: The hawker wanted to sell all his wares before evening.
B. Write what the underlined homographs in the following sentences mean:
1. a. A bear is an omnivorous animal. an animal
b. She could not bear the injustice. to tolerate
2. a. A bat is the only bird which is a mammal. a bird
b. His bat broke as it struck the ball. a wooden tool to hit ball
3. a. He had to pay a fine for breaking the traffic signal. penalty
b. Use a fine cloth for the baby’s clothes. delicate or soft
4. a. We enjoyed a lot at the temple fair. a gathering
b. She has a fair complexion. Light, not dark

ACTIVITIES: 1. Web:

Man of few had leadership

was fearless words qualities

Personality traits of
Arjan Singh

applied his knowledge to

a wide spectrum of Was
knowledgeable an exceptional pilot
areas
2. Build a word wall with the words related to ‘Military’

Military

army soldiers guns tanks

ammunition trenches commands war

aircraft submarines pilots captains

3.State the different meanings of the following pairs of homophones and make sentences
of your own with each of them:
Word Meaning Sentence
a. Led Past participle of lead (to The Captain led his team to
guide or conduct) safety
lead graphite used as part of a
pencil Do you have a lead pencil?
b. role a part (in a play, film etc) Marie got the leading role
in the new movie.
roll move in a particular
direction by turning over The boy wanted to roll in
and over
the mud while playing.
c. air the invisible gaseous There is a lot of humidity in
substance surrounding the air during the
the earth monsoon.
heir successor or inheritor The family did not know
who the heir to the
property was.
d. feat a great achievement Climbing Mt.Everest is a
feat.
feet a unit of measurement
The girl saw to her shock
that the lion was only a few
feet away.
e. reign rule as king or queen Queen Elizabeth’s reign
has been a long one.
rein a restraining influence The new manager kept a
tight rein on her
rain Water that falls in drops employees.
from clouds Children love to play in the
rain.
 More Activities for you based on lesson:
Based on page 15 :
1. How will Air Marshal Arjan Singh be remembered ?
2. What did Vice Chief of IAF Kapil Kak say about Arjan Singh?
3. Who were the two other army generals honoure d with the rank of field
marshal?
4. According to Kak which was the most outstanding contribution of Arjan
singh?
5. When was Singh honoured with the rank of ‘Marshal’?
6. Write Noun forms of:
1. exceptional 2. transforming 3. denied 4. equipped 5. better 6. young
7.wide 8. firm
7. Write adjective forms of:
1. attain 2. honoured 3. power 4. person 5. support
8. Doo as directed:
1. Singh was a fearless and exceptional pilot who had flown more than 60
different types of aircraft. ( Name and identify the clause)
2. Singh was not only a fearless pilot but also had profound knowledge about air
power. ( Remove ‘not only… but also’)
3. Singh was a fearless and exceptional pilot. ( Begin with ‘Wasn’t……?)
 Based on Page: 16
1.What enabled Arjan Singh to the DFC award ?
2. At what age did Arjan Singh become a Squadron Leader?
3. For how long did Arjun Singh hold the post of AOC ?
4. Write Noun forms of:
1. retired 2. selected 3.promoted 4.achieved 5. unique 6. appointed 7. selected
5. Do as directed:
1. He retired from service in 1969. ( Frame a wh-question to get the underlined part as
answer)
2. He was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader in 1944. ( Add a question tag)
3. Singh had the distinction of having the longest tenure as AOC of an operational base.
( Identify the tense form of the verb)

Based on page: 17

1. What uphill task did Singh face when he took over as Air Marshal?
2. What other important positions did Arjan Singh hold after his retirement ?
3. Do as directed:
1. He inspired IAF to victory. ( Change the voice)
2. Make sentences using:
a. epitome b. took over rein c. gearing up d. assiduously
LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES:
1. Complete the word chain with adjectives of your own:
generous, S_______, e______, t_____, l_____, g____
2. Singh applied it in a wide spectrum of areas. ( Rewrite using past perfect tense of
the verb)
3. Please end this dispute immediately. ( identify the underlined world class)
4. He was the only officer to attain the highest post of Marshal. (Rewrite using ‘no’)
5. He will always be remembered as a war hero. ( Rewrite using ‘never’)
6. After his promotion to the rank of Wing Commander, he attended the Royal Staff
College at the U.K. (Rewrite using the verb form of the underlined word)
7. Prepare a word register of 8 adjectives from the text that describe Arjan Singh.
8. Use the word ‘end’ as noun and verb in different sentences.

KES H
NA RA
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