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Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [121r] (241/431)
The record is made up of 1 file (214 folios). It was created in 14 Jun 1938-30 Dec 1947. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
2. (g) (contd).
- 3 -
(ii) The Marconi transmitters and receivers which arrived
from England in the spring of 1942 are still in store and require .the
assistance of an expert to assemble them and fit them in aircraft.
(iii) The section nas not used its W/T lorry this quarter.
(iv) Tne small Lufthansa W/T set is still in store in
the D/F station at Snerpur.
(v) Seeger, the German Legation clerk, has ceased to give
! instruction in the use of the D/F equipment to Afgnan personnel, but ae
(occasionally inspects this equipment and recharges tne batteries.
No further test witn Berlin or Herat aas been attempted since the
abortive one neld on October 20th, 1942, and reported last quarter.
(h) Army Cooperation.
On 16th November five Afghan pilots were given
practice in turn, in picking up messages from the ground. The last
pilot hit one of the posts erected for tne purpose and broke up the
aircraft being used for the exercise. The attempt was then abandoned.
(i) Miscellaneous.
~(i) The British pilot instructor has continued his
series of lectures to Afghan pilots, but b : as f :und that interest is
flagging due to the intense cold and the ptor control and discipline
exercised by the officiating Commandant G. T . Muhd Hashim Khan.
(ii) There have been no nrther developments in the
scheme for the defence of Kabul ? and the pairs of Lewis light
automatics remain in store pending the ref rr. from India of F.M. Muhd
Ihsan Khan.
3. Romeo Squadrons.
(a) Flying Hours.
Afgnan piloLS in the Romeo Squadron have only carried
out about naif the number of snort training flignts during tne quarter
as compared with pilots on Hind aircraft.
Flignts were limited to 20 minutes up to November 30th and between
the 1st and 26th December were increased to 40 minutes. From December
27th to 31st January, 1943, no flying training was carried out.
(b) Operations. Nile
' Standard of Flying Efficiency .
No improvement in the general standard
is reported, though pilots flying Romeo aircraft are stated to have
regained confidence in their aircraft.
(d) Accidents.
” During November one R^meo aircraft broke its axle when
landing on the Sherpur airfield. The breakage was due to "metal
fatigue" as a result of poor maintenance. This aircraft is repairable
as soon as fabric and string become available,
(e) Maintenance.
(i) The position is still unsatisfactory. Three Romeo
aircraft are capable of long distance flig-ts, and six aircraft can
only be used for short flights of about 2 ..ours by using petrol from
their gravity tanks.
(ii) The services of an expert welder are required for
the repair of damaged Romeo aircraft. A Czech named Josef Bures is
attempting to secure employment in the Air Force as a welder on a
salary of £.45 per montn. The British instructors state that his work
is unsatisfactory from an Air Force pdint of view, and nave advised the
Air Comdt to test out nis efficiency as a welder very thoroughly before
he decides to employ him. Nothing furtner nas been heard about the
proposal to despatch one of the British instructors and 2 to 4 Afghan
I mecnanics to India for t-raining in electric welding.
About this item
- Content
The file contains periodical reports by the British Military Attaché at Kabul (Colonel Alexander Stalker Lancaster) on the Afghan Air Force, they cover the period 1 March 1938 to 31 October 1947. There is a gap for the period 2 May 1938 to 31 October 1940 for which no reports are present in the file.
The reports cover a range of topics such as training flights, operations conducted, condition of aircraft, accidents, maintenance work, availability of spares, petrol stores, ground facilities, administrative or political developments, and any proposals for the purchase of additional aircraft. The reports also cover the positions of the British Instructors at Kabul relative to their Italian counterparts, and indicate the progress made in training Afghan students.
The file includes a report by Squadron Leader Reid (see folios 22-23) on his testing of the Avro Anson XIX, and a report by Squadron Leader B P King on his testing of the de Havilland Tiger Moth (see folios 82-83), for service in Afghanistan.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (214 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 215; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [121r] (241/431), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2034, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100038334405.0x00002a> [accessed 23 January 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2034
- Title
- Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:215v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence