Pratap Chandra Lal | |
|---|---|
 Air Chief Marshal PC Lal | |
| 7th Chief of the Air Staff | |
| In office 16 July 1969 – 15 January 1973 | |
| President | V. V. Giri |
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Arjan Singh |
| Succeeded by | Om Prakash Mehra |
| 3rd Vice Chief of the Air Staff | |
| In office 1 October 1964 – 1 September 1966 | |
| Preceded by | Arjan Singh |
| Succeeded by | Ramaswamy Rajaram |
| 2nd Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command | |
| In office 24 November 1963 – 30 September 1964 | |
| Preceded by | Erlic Pinto |
| Succeeded by | Ramaswamy Rajaram |
| 3rd Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command | |
| In office 11 January 1956 – 19 November 1957 | |
| Preceded by | S N Goyal |
| Succeeded by | Kanwar Jaswant Singh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1916-12-06)6 December 1916 |
| Died | 13 August 1982(1982-08-13) (aged 65) |
| Awards | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  British India (1939–1947) India (1947–1973) |
| Branch/service |  Royal Indian Air Force Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939-1973 |
| Rank |  Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands | Western Air Command Training Command No. 7 Squadron |
| Battles/wars | World War II Indo-Pakistani War (1965) Indo-Pakistani War (1971) |
Air Chief MarshalPratap Chandra Lal,DFC (6 December 1916 – 13 August 1982) was theChief of Air Staff (CAS) of theIndian Air Force (IAF) during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971. He served in the IAF from 1939 until his retirement in 1973. He was the CAS at the time ofOperation Chengiz Khan, the preemptive strikes that were carried out by thePakistan Air Force (PAF) that marked the formal initiation of hostilities of the war.
Slated to study law inEngland, Lal instead joined the Air Force Volunteer Reserve at the outbreak ofWorld War II. After serving as a navigation instructor, he trained as a pilot and joinedNo. 7 Squadron IAF. He later commanded this squadron during the Burma Campaign andmentioned in dispatches as well as being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1945, he was absorbed into the permanent cadre of the Indian Air Force. After thePartition of India in 1947, he served as the Director of Planning and Training at Air HQ. In 1949, he attended theRAF Staff College, Andover. He led the Air Force team which broughtKing Tribhuvan to safety in 1950. Lal served as the Military Secretary to the Cabinet from 1953 to 1956 in the rank ofair commodore. He became the first Indian to break the sound barrier, in 1954.[citation needed]
After commandingTraining Command, he was deputed to theIndian Airlines Corporation for five years. He also served as thegeneral manager ofIndian Airlines Corporation from 1957 to 1962. During this time, he fell out of favour withMinister of DefenceV. K. Krishna Menon, and his services were terminated in 1962. With the outbreak of theSino-Indian War, he was re-instated and took over as Air Officer Maintenance at Air HQ. After a short stint headingWestern Air Command, he served as theVice Chief of the Air Staff during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965. From 1966 to 1969, Lal served as themanaging director and laterchairman ofHindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Lal took over as the seventh Chief of the Air Staff in 1969. Under his command, the IAF scored a decisive victory againstPakistan in theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971, which led to thecreation of Bangladesh in December 1971. He was awarded thePadma Vibhushan and thePadma Bhushan, the second and third highest civilian awards of India. After retiring from the IAF, Lal served as the chairman and managing director of Indian Airlines and later chairman ofAir India.
Lal was born on 6 December 1916 inLudhiana. He attended theModern School and theBishop Cotton School, Shimla.[1][2] Having qualified for a diploma in journalism atKing's College,London in 1938, Lal expected to return to full-time study oflaw at theInns of Court in the fall of 1939.[3] With the outbreak ofWorld War II, his plans were shelved.
Since he held a civilian pilot license, Lal was invited to join the Air Force Volunteer reserve. After appearing before the Selection Board atSafdarjung, Lal arrived at theAir Force Station Risalpur (nowPakistan Air Force Academy).[4] Since there was a shortage of navigators, Lal was recruited as a navigator to begin with and would be trained as a pilot later.
Lal was commissioned in November 1939 as apilot officer and posted toKarachi as an observer. He was later posted back to Risalpur as a navigation instructor. After a short stint at the Coastal Defence Flight inCalcutta, Lal was posted as a navigation instructor at No. 1 Flying Training School atAmbala. It was here that he was also trained as a pilot. He flew the Hawker Audax and theHawker Hart.
In 1943,Flight Lieutenant Lal joined, as a combat pilot,No. 7 Squadron, commanded bySquadron Leader Hem Chaudhuri. The squadron was equipped withVultee A-31 Vengeancedive bombers and supported theChindits. The squadron also helped in relieving theSiege of Imphal.
In June 1944, Lal was promoted to the acting rank of squadron leader and took command of No. 7 Squadron. Under him, the squadron converted to fighters. From early 1944 to March 1945, the squadron was very active in theBurma Campaign. He led the squadron in a tactical reconnaissance role in support of theXIV Army, from North Burma all the way tillRangoon. He wasmentioned in dispatches in December 1944.[5] In October 1945, Lal was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC).[6]
The citation for his DFC reads as follows:[7]
CITATION
Acting Squadron Leader Pratap Chandra Lal
(IND.1567), 7 (RIAF) SquadronSqn Ldr Lal has completed a considerable number of operational sorties, He is the Commanding Officer of a squadron which has been employed on photographic reconnaissance in support of the Fourteenth Army in the Irrawaddy Valley. He has shown exceptional qualities and keenness and has completed many hazardous sorties in the wake of strong enemy opposition. He has frequently penetrated deep into enemy territory in search of important information. By his coolness and determination, Sqn Ldr Lal has set a fine example to all his pilots.
After the war, Lal was absorbed into the permanent cadre of the IAF. He moved to the Manning department at Air Headquarters. In August 1946, he took over the inter-service recruiting centre atCalcutta. He was sent for a senior commanders' course to theUnited Kingdom in December 1946.[8]
On 15 August 1947, with thePartition of India, a new Air Headquarters of theDominion of India was formed.[9] Lal was appointed the Director of Planning and Training at Air HQ. In November 1947, he was promoted to the acting rank ofgroup captain. Realising that the planning and training were vast responsibilities, it was divided into two departments. In late 1948, Group Captain Arjan Singh took over as Director of Training, while Lal continued as Director of Planning.[10]
Along with Group CaptainMinoo Merwan Engineer, Lal embarked for United Kingdom, having been selected to attend theRAF Staff College, Andover in May 1949.[11][12] After completing the year-long course, he returned to India and was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer of No. 1 Operational Command (later Western Air Command),[13] serving in that capacity for three years.
In November 1950, there were tensions in theKingdom of Nepal.King Tribhuvan faced acoup d'état from theRana dynasty. He took refuge in the Indian embassy.[14] With twoDakota aircraft, Lal led the Indian Air Force team that brought the king to safety inNew Delhi.[3] In January 1953, he was promoted to the acting rank ofair commodore and posted to theCabinet Secretariat as deputy secretary (military).[3][12] He led a team of three in October 1954, consisting of Group Captain (laterAir Chief Marshal)Hrushikesh Moolgavkar andFlight Lieutenant (later air commodore) Roshan Lal Suri, to Europe to select new aircraft for the IAF. The team rejected theSupermarine Swift and chose theFolland Gnat, a decision which would serve India and the IAF well during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965.[15] During this tour, he became the first Indian to break the sound barrier. After a three-year stint at the Cabinet Secretariat, he took over as theair officer commandingTraining Command inBangalore.[13][16]
In November 1957, Lal's services were loaned to theIndian Airlines Corporation (IAC) for five years. He took over as thegeneral manager of IAC.[17] He simultaneously served as a member of theboard of directors of IAC andAir India. The IAC fleet was modernised and the company showed its first profits during his tenure.[16] During this time, the IAF and the IAC were looking for a replacement for the Dakotas. The three aircraft in the fray were theHawker Siddeley HS 748, theFokker F27 Friendship and the Lockheed CL-49. Theminister of defence,V. K. Krishna Menon, wanted the HS 748 while Lal had his doubts. Eventually, Krishna Menon had his way and the HS 748 was selected to be manufactured in India. In November 1959, Lal was promoted to the acting rank ofair vice marshal.[13]
In November 1960,Air India inaugurated its service toTokyo, Japan. Lal andAir MarshalSubroto Mukerjee, then Chief the Air Staff (CAS) were passengers on this flight. After landing in Tokyo, on 8 November 1960, Mukerjee was having a meal in a restaurant with a friend, an officer in theIndian Navy. A piece of food got lodged in hiswindpipe,choking him to death. Before a doctor was called for and could attend, Mukerjee had died. The next day, Lal came back with Mukerjee's body toPalam Airport,New Delhi.[18]
The falling out with Menon led to Lal being informed that his services were no longer required by the IAF at the end of his term with IAC in September 1962.[19][3] His services were not required by theMinistry of Civil Aviation either. The prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, offered him a job in a public sector steel mill but Lal refused. On 30 September 1962, he was paid out provident fund, pension and gratuity and left the service.[19]
In October 1962, theSino-Indian War broke out and with the defeat came Menon's resignation on 31 October.[20] Lal was re-instated in service in December as Air Officer Maintenance at Air Headquarters.[3] After about a year as AOM, he was appointedAir Officer Commanding-in-ChiefWestern Air Command which was recently upgraded to a full-fledged command.[21] Lal then took over as theVice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) in from Air Marshal Arjan Singh who assumed office as the Chief of the Air Staff.
During theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965, Lal served as the VCAS. For distinguished service of a high order during the war, he was awarded thePadma Bhushan.[22] On 15 January 1966, in recognition of the contribution of the IAF, the post of the CAS was upgraded to the rank of Air Chief Marshal and that of the VCAS to the rank of Air Marshal. Lal was promoted to the acting rank ofair marshal, the first VCAS to hold the rank.[23]
In September 1966, Lal was deputed to theHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and took over as themanaging director.[16] He brought about many innovations at HAL. He brought in a management specialist from theIndian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to take a fresh look at problems. Amanagement information system was introduced for the first time. To improve productivity and lower costs, a production planning and control system was introduced. Under Lal, corporate policies regarding multiple aspects ofhuman resource management were framed.[24] He was instrumental in the establishment of the production lines for the newMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 and Folland Gnat fighters, andHS 748 transport aircraft.[3]
On 16 July 1969, Lal was promoted to the rank of air chief marshal, the fourth Indian officer to hold the rank, and assumed the office of Chief of the Air Staff.[25]
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was sparked by theBangladesh Liberation War, a conflict between the traditionally dominantWest Pakistanis and the majorityEast Pakistanis. In 1970, East Pakistanis demanded autonomy for the state, but thePakistani government failed to satisfy these demands and, in early 1971, a demand for secession took root in East Pakistan. In March, thePakistan Armed Forces launched a fierce campaign to curb the secessionists, the latter including soldiers and police from East Pakistan. Thousands of East Pakistanis died, and nearly ten million refugees fled toWest Bengal, a neighbouring Indian state. In April, India decided to assist in the formation of the new nation ofBangladesh.[26]
The war started on 3 December 1971 withOperation Chengiz Khan. Aircraft of thePakistan Air Force (PAF) mounted simultaneous attacks on seven IAF bases – Srinagar, Awantipur, Pathankot, Uttarlai, Jodhpur, Ambala and Agra. A radar station on the border was also hit.[27] The IAF struck back. By 21:00hrs, theCanberras of theNo. 35 Squadron andNo. 106 Squadron, as well asNo. 5 andNo. 16 Squadrons, were armed for a foray deep into Pakistan. These flew against eight Western Pakistani airbases:Murid,Mianwali,Sargodha,Chandhar, Risalewala,Rafiqui, andMasroor. In total, 23 combatsorties were launched that night, inflicting heavy damage on Sargodha and Masroor airbases.[28] The PAF units stationed on these airfields had to operate from taxiways for the following two days. Through the night the Indian Air Force alsostruck the main East Pakistani airfields ofTejgaon, and laterKurmitola. At the same time, the Indian Air Force was deploying additional aircraft to its forward airfields for strikes that were to follow the next morning. Within days, India achievedair superiority.[29][30]
Lal ensured that theIndian Army and the IAF worked closely with each other. The advance HQs ofWestern Air Command andEastern Air Command were alongside their respective army commands. The advance HQs, under an air commodore, were responsible for providing support to the Army as required. Each corps HQ under the commands had a tactical air centre, commanded by a group captain, who reported to the advance HQ. In the field,forward air controllers were responsible for directing strikes called out in the support of the Army.[31]
The war lasted less than a fortnight and saw more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers taken prisoner. It ended with the unconditional surrender of Pakistan's eastern half and resulted in the birth of Bangladesh as a new nation.[32] The IAF flew over 7300 sorties in 14 days, an average of about 500 sorties per day. About 86 PAF aircraft were downed, at the cost of 42 IAF aircraft.[33]
For his services to the nation, Lal was awarded thePadma Vibhushan in January 1972.[34] Lal retired from service on 16 January 1973 after serving for over 33 years. He handed over charge to Air Chief MarshalOm Prakash Mehra.[35]
In April 1973, Lal was appointed full-time chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Indian Airlines Corporation (IAC). With the IAC increasing in magnitude and complexity, a need for appointing a full-time CMD was felt.[36] Lal was also a part of the 21-member apex body constituted by theMinistry of Labour to delve into the problems of industrial relations for industries in the private sector.[37] In August 1976, he was removed from the chairmanship after a falling out withSanjay Gandhi.[38] With thenew government being formed in March 1977, Lal was appointed part-time Chairman of Indian Airlines in July.[39] Lal also served as the chairman of the Indian Tube Company, a part of theTata Group.[38][40]
In February 1978,J. R. D. Tata, the founder and long-time chairman of Air India was unceremoniously dropped from the board by Prime MinisterMorarji Desai. Lal, who was the chairman of Indian Airlines was appointed chairman of Air India as well. Two senior executives, Managing Director K G Appusamy and Deputy Managing Director Nari Dastur, resigned in protest.[38][41][42]
Lal died of a heart attack while visiting London on 13 August 1982. His body was brought back on an Air India flight. He was cremated with full military honours. Among the pall bearers were the former chief ACM, Arjan Singh, and the serving chief, ACM Dilbagh Singh. Wreaths were laid by theMinister of DefenceR Venkataraman and the chiefs of the three service – COASGeneralK. V. Krishna Rao, CNSAdmiralOscar Stanley Dawson and CAS ACMDilbagh Singh[43]
Lal was working on his memoirs and the history of the IAF when he died. His wife, Ela Lal edited and completed the book andMy years with the IAF was published in 1986.[3]
The Indian Air Force won its most decisive victory under the leadership of Lal.[44] He was regarded as an exemplary aviator and administrator.[45] Unlike earlier Chiefs, he was not a fighter jock, but an instructor and manager.[44] The Air Force organises an annual 'Air Chief Marshal P C Lal Memorial lecture'.[46]
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| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Pilot Officer | Royal Indian Air Force | 14 November 1939[48] |
 | Flying Officer | Royal Indian Air Force | 14 May 1941[13] |
 | Flight Lieutenant | Royal Indian Air Force | 15 May 1942 (acting)[13] 21 September 1944 (substantive)[13] |
 | Squadron Leader | Royal Indian Air Force | 1 October 1944 (acting)[13] 1 November 1946 (substantive)[13] |
 | Wing Commander | Indian Air Force | 15 August 1948[13] |
 | Group Captain | Indian Air Force | 4 November 1947 (acting)[13] |
 | Group Captain | Indian Air Force | 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[49] 15 September 1952 (substantive) |
 | Air Commodore | Indian Air Force | 28 January 1953 (acting)[3] 1 October 1958 (substantive)[13] |
 | Air Vice Marshal | Indian Air Force | 14 November 1959 (acting)[13] 1 October 1961 (substantive)[13] |
 | Air Marshal | Indian Air Force | 15 January 1966[50] |
 | Air Chief Marshal (CAS) | Indian Air Force | 16 July 1969[25] |
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of the Air Staff (India) 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Vice Chief of the Air Staff (India) 1964–1966 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Air Officer Commanding-in-ChiefWestern Air Command 1963–1964 | |
| Preceded by S N Goyal | Air Officer CommandingTraining Command 1956–1957 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Aizad Baksh Awan | Commanding OfficerNo. 7 Squadron IAF 1944–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Air Marshal Commanding, Royal Indian Air Force (1947–1948) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Air Force (1948–1950) | ||
| Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force (1950–1955) | ||
| Chief of the Air Staff (1955–present) |
| |
(**Seconded from theRoyal Air Force) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
