M M Engineer | |
|---|---|
 From left:Nur Khan,Asghar Khan,Abdur Rahim Khan,Om Prakash Mehra, Minoo Merwan, and an unidentified officer, circa 1944. | |
| Birth name | Minoo Merwan Engineer |
| Born | (1921-12-01)1 December 1921 |
| Died | 31 December 1997(1997-12-31) (aged 76) |
| Allegiance |  British India (1940–1947) India (1947–1973) |
| Branch |  Royal Indian Air Force Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1973 |
| Rank |  Air Marshal |
| Service number | 1614 F(P) |
| Commands | Western Air Command Eastern Air Command Air Force Station Lohegaon Air Force Station Srinagar No.4 Squadron No. 8 Squadron |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Param Vishisht Seva Medal Maha Vir Chakra Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Relations | Aspy Engineer (brother) |
Air MarshalMinoo Merwan Engineer,PVSM,MVC,DFC (1 December 1921 – 31 December 1997) was a formerAir Officer in theIndian Air Force. He is one of the most decorated officers in the Indian Air Force, with the third-highest civil decoration - thePadma Bhushan, two gallantry awards - theMaha Vir Chakra and theDistinguished Flying Cross, and the highest peace-time distinguished service award - theParam Vishisht Seva Medal.
His elder brother,Air MarshalAspy Engineer served as the 4thChief of the Air Staff.
Engineer was born Aspy Merwan Irani on 1 December 1921 inLahore,Punjab Province,British India[1] to Meherwan Irani and Maneckbai. Meherwan was a Divisional Engineer for theNorth Western Railway,.[2] His interest in mechanics led his friends to rename him Engineer.[1][3][4][5] He was the sixth amongst eight siblings - two girls and six boys. His brothers,Aspy, Jungoo andRonnie, also joined the Indian Air Force, while another brother, Homi, joined the Indian Army. Aspy, Minoo and Ronnie were recipients of the DFC, a unique feat where three brothers were decorated with gallantry awards.[4][2]
Engineer joined theIndian Air Force in 1940, being commissioned on 1 August. He was the third Engineer brother to join the Air Force, after his elder brothersAspy and Jehangir (Jangoo). DuringWorld War II, he served inBurma as a part ofNo. 3 Squadron IAF. He was awarded theDFC for his part in theArakan operations.[6] On 30 November 1945, Engineer was promoted to the acting rank ofSquadron Leader and appointedcommanding officer ofNo. 8 Squadron IAF.[7]
After the war, on 1 November 1946, he was appointed commanding officer ofNo. 4 Squadron IAF. The squadron relocated to Miko, Japan as part of the occupation forces. Engineer led the squadron in the relocation and operations in Japan.[8]
In March 1948, Engineer took command ofAir Force Station Srinagar. As Station Commander at Srinagar, he was responsible for all air force operations in Jammu and Kashmir. For this operation, he was awarded theMaha Vir Chakra, the second-highest war-time gallantry award.[8]
The citation for theMaha Vir Chakra reads as follows:[9]
Gazette Notification: 2Pres/50, 26-1-50
Operation: 1948Effective Date of Award: 06 November 1948
CITATIONWING COMMANDER MINOO MERWAN ENGINEER, DFC
(1614) GD(P)Wing Commander Engineer was in charge of the Kashmir operations for nearly a year. Under his able guidance and leadership the enemy has been hit hard and effectively on a number occasions. e.g. KISHEN GANGA BRIDGE, SKARDU AND GILGIT besides the normal close support sorties. The most effective support by the IAF to our land forces in the capture of GURAIS was largely attributable to the planning and drive shown by this officer in personally directing the air operations. Throughout he has set a fine example of leadership.
After the war, in 1949, he was selected to attend theRAF Staff College, Andover. After completing the staff course, he returned to India and was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of theTraining Command in Bangalore. On 1 Oct 1954, he was appointed Station Commander ofLohegaon Air Force Station in Pune.[8] He then commanded the newly formed 2 Tactical Air Support Group and 2 Tactical Air Centre at Mumbai and Pune. On 15 April 1959, he was appointed SASO of theEastern Air Command.[7]
During theSino-Indian War in 1962, he was appointedAir Officer Commanding (AOC) of the No. 1 Operational Group based atTezpur. For his services in the Eastern sector, he was awarded theParam Vishisht Seva Medal.[10]
On 5 August 1963, Engineer was promoted to the rank ofAir Vice Marshal and appointedAir Officer Commanding-in-ChiefEastern Air Command. After a little over an year, he moved to Air HQ in October 1964 asDeputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS).[8] On 1 March 1968, the appointment of DCAS was upgraded to the rank ofAir Marshal and Engineer was promoted to the rank.[11]
At the time ofIndo-Pakistani War of 1971, he wasAir Officer Commanding-in-Chief ofWestern Air Command. For his part in the war, Engineer was awarded thePadma Bhushan for his leadership and services.[12]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Shivdev Singh | Air Officer Commanding-in-ChiefWestern Air Command 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Chief of the Air Staff 1964–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Air Officer Commanding-in-ChiefEastern Air Command 1963–1964 | Succeeded by Y V Malse | |