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India Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Not my son, he's prisoner of war: When Gen Cariappa snubbed Pak dictator's offer
"Your son is safe. If you so desire, I shall set him free," said Pakistani President Field Marshal Ayub Khan, as he made a special offer to his former commander, General KM Cariappa (Retd), after the 1965 India-Pakistan son of General Cariappa, KC Cariappa, then a Flight Lieutenant was held in captivity by the Pakistani army after his fighter plane – a Hawker Hunter – was shot down by Pakistani forces in the Khem Karan sector of Punjab in September 1965, just a day before a ceasefire was will not seek for my son anything which I cannot secure for any Indian soldier. He is no longer my son. He is the son of India. Look after all of them [Indian prisoners of war] well. They are all my sons," was the terse message General Cariappa delivered to Ayub Khan. Ayub Khan earlier served under General Cariappa in the British Indian Army, and that might have been the reason for the special offer to his former Cariappa, who was later conferred the title of Field Marshal in 1986, refused to accept any special treatment for his son, Flight Lieutenant KC story of General Cariappa's principled stand is a compelling chapter in India's military history, especially relevant in the wake of the latest armed conflict with Pakistan following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, sponsored by the hybrid regime of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. India's retaliatory Operation Sindoor, after Pakistan hit civilian and military areas in India, led to a four-day intense mini-war, which was a significant escalation between the two nations after is also relevant as Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir promoted himself to the rank of Field Marshal on May conduct of Field Marshal Cariappa reveals the discipline and integrity of the Indian military, which is in sharp contrast of the coup-addicted Pakistani army. A prime example of that is Ayub Khan himself, who elevated himself to the rank of a Field Marshal after toppling a civilian government in a coup in 1965 India-Pakistan War was triggered after Pakistani forces covertly infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir through its Operation Gibraltar. Even as Pakistan attempted to incite a local uprising in Kashmir, it moved its forces into Gujarat's prompted a full-scale military response from India in August forces crossed the international border, and advanced towards Lahore, while Pakistan launched counteroffensives. The war saw intense battles, including the iconic Battle of Asal Uttar, where India's Param Vir Abdul Hamid decimated Pakistan's Patton tanks. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) staged up close air support to ground troops while countering Pakistan's aerial attacks from US-supplied jets like the F-86 FORMER INDIAN ARMY CHIEF'S SON BECAME PRISONER OF WARAbout a month after the full-fledged war began in August, 27-year-old Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa was taken captive on September 22, Cariappa had been tasked with striking Pakistani positions in Kasur in Pakistan."Indian airplanes were in action. Some of them were brought down by Pakistani anti-aircraft guns. On the last day of the war, an Indian plane crashed in Pakistan. The pilot was Flying Officer Nanda (nickname of Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa) Cariappa. He was the only son of the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of free India, (then) General Cariappa," LS Sheshagiri Rao wrote in his book, Field Marshal KM Flight Lieutenant Cariappa's Hawker Hunter was hit, it spiralled downward, trailing thick smoke. He pulled the ejection handle. With the aircraft barely 100 feet above the ground, he crash-landed within moments. The force of the impact fractured a few bones. Through the settling haze, he saw soldiers in khaki uniforms emerging."As the artillery fire boomed, one of the soldiers asked the confused young fighter his name. 'Ft-Lt Cariappa," was the reply. "Are you Gen. Cariappa's son?" was the next query," author Sanjay Dutt wrote in his 2000 book, War and Peace in Kargil Sector."Realisation dawned then that I was in the custody of the Pakistani army," a 62-year-old KC Cariappa, who retired as Air Marshal, later told FIELD MARSHAL CARIAPPA REFUSED AYUB KHAN'S OFFERCaptured by Pakistani forces, he became a high-profile prisoner of war (POW) due to his father's stature. KM Cariappa was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. It was he who had led Indian forces during the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war, and was a respected figure, even among the Pakistani military, as many, including the then military dictator of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, had served under his command in the pre-Partition British Indian Khan once served under KM Cariappa in the North West Frontier Province, when the latter, as a young Colonel, was posted to the Bannu Frontier Brigade in Waziristan (in the present-day Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).After being taken to a hospital, Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa was sent to two weeks of solitary confinement in a cell with a battered charpai (cot) and three blankets."I hardly saw sunlight. Every time I was taken outside I was blindfolded," Cariappa told Dutt, adding he was interrogated by the Pakistani military during that then, the news of the high-profile POW had already spread, thanks to Radio his captivity, KC Cariappa was visited by Pakistani Army Chief General Muhammad Musa along with one of Ayub Khan's sons, who gave him a PG Wodehouse book and some cigarettes, he told The Hindu in was during the early weeks of Flight Lieutenant Cariappa's captivity that Pakistani President Ayub Khan called his former commander, General Cariappa. When the 66-year-old veteran received the proposal to secure his son's release, he responded with the powerful message of fairness and equality. The veteran stood by these principles throughout his entire career and IN PAKISTANI JAIL AND SOME NEW YEAR CHEERFollowing the visit of the army chief and Ayub Khan's son, Flight Lieutenant Cariappa was, however, reunited with his fellow POWs in a jail in Fort Dargai in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."Food was terrible. We had pooris and a mug of tea for breakfast, and rice, two chapattis, lacey bhindi (lady's finger) and a soupy preparation of turnip for lunch, which was repeated for dinner," Cariappa told The Hindu in 2019."In the first week of December, the prisoners received their Red Cross parcels (under the Geneva convention pact), which indicated that they were now officially designated POWs," Dutt wrote in his 2000 book, adding that the Indian soldiers also received a parcel of biscuits and dried fruits from film actress Asha Parekh. They also received two volumes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which one of the officers would read aloud every their captivity, the Indian soldiers marked the arrival of 1966 with their own unique New Year's Eve, the officers managed to sneak some spirits from the medical assistant who came to treat their injuries. They brewed it in a pot along with dry fruits, biscuits, and even chapatis, welcoming the New Year with hearty swigs of their jail-made concoction."We wrapped up the pot with a blanket and placed it near a fire to prepare our brew, snake juice. For dessert, we had Marie biscuits and chocolates that we melted so we had almost the original Oreo sandwich!" Air Marshal Cariappa told The Hindu in CARIAPPA WAS IN PAKISTANI CAPTIVITY FOR FOUR MONTHSNot many days after the New Year's celebration, Cariappa was released. After nearly a month of intense fighting in 1965, the war ended with a ceasefire brokered by the Soviet Union in September 1965, which was later formalised by the Tashkent Agreement in January 1966."On January 22 Cariappa and six of his colleagues were put on board an aircraft bound for Delhi," Dutt coming back, Flight Lieutenant Cariappa continued his service with the Indian Air Force. He later went on to serve as the Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command. He currently lives in his family home in Karnataka's Madikeri, where his father, Field Marshal Cariappa, lived after story of Flight Lieutenant KC Cariappa's capture and release during the 1965 India-Pakistan War is not just about war and bravery. It is also a testament to the principles of honour, sacrifice, and equality upheld by India's armed KM Cariappa's commitment to fairness, even in the face of personal hardship, was and still is an inspiring example of leadership and the two Field Marshals had two very different plays. While Ayub Khan crowned himself, Cariappa showed true leadership. One sought power; the other stood for principle. The proof of strength lies in character, not in InMust Watch
The Herald Scotland
17-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Heroic Scottish pilot who brought stricken jet back to base dies
Died: March 26, 2025 Captain Geoffrey Harold Rosenbloom, who has died aged 88, was a legendary aircraft pilot who was born in Shimla, India, to Major Leah Violet Rosenbloom, and Colonel Alfred Rosenbloom, both Royal Army Medical Corps. Both parents were Scottish Surgeon Officers attached to the Indian Army. The Indian divisions would go on to acquire a truly heroic reputation in the Second World War, with 87,000 killed in action, including 3,000 killed in the taking of Monte Cassino, during the Italian Campaign. Young Geoffrey lived in India until he was nine years old. Later in life he would hold his children and grandchildren spellbound with stories of growing up with a pet elephant and several pet monkeys. Geoff was sent off to boarding school in Scotland while his parents remained serving in the Army in all its theatres of war. His parents fully expected him to gain excellent grades and enter university to become a doctor like them. The world then was not what it is today. The war had just ended, and displaced and lost souls were trying to find their families in a world as yet unencumbered with the internet and social media. His trip to Scotland, with his mum and younger sister, Jane, took several weeks on trains and steamers. At boarding school, Geoff joined the Air Cadets. Dutifully gaining good grades, he started medicine at Edinburgh University. By this time, he was also enlisted in the University Air Squadron. At just 18 years old he obtained his wings. Read more Obituaries He had now caught the 'flying bug' however, and after just two years of medicine, Geoff was awarded a commission in the RAF. He abandoned his medical studies. Today the RAF would pay for such a cadet to finish their studies but, perhaps back then, the RAF needed pilots as much as they needed doctors. Geoff then found his future wife, Liz on a blind date. This was the start of a life-long 'honeymoon'. When Geoff was promoted as a fast jet pilot, he was posted abroad, where the victorious powers were still trying to restore post-war order. He was posted to Cyprus with 43 squadron, to help the restoration effort in the Middle East. He few a Hawker Hunter single seat fast jet fighter. At first Liz remained in Scotland studying at the Domestic Science School, fondly remembered as the 'Dough School' in Edinburgh. Liz, who died in October 2020, was renowned for her cooking and needlework skills. Liz and Geoff wrote to each other almost every day. On the occasion of one of his rapid promotions in the squadron, Geoff ended one of his letters to Liz with the remark 'I'm thinking of getting married.' Liz immediately replied with a two-word letter 'Who to?' Soon after that the couple were married in Scotland, and they were allocated officer's family accommodation in Cyprus. Geoff received an official Commendation and a medal from the Queen, while stationed in Cyprus. One day he was performing a tight left dive at 21,000ft in his Hunter jet fighter, when he realised that he no longer had full control of his jet; it would no longer respond to aileron input, which rolls and turns the jet. Being over the sea, the standard drill if one lost control, called for the pilot to depart the stricken jet by ejection seat, and bask in the Mediterranean sunshine until fished out of the water by helicopter. However not our Geoff, to whom losing aileron control meant little more than an inconvenience. Geoff wrestled the jet to something close to straight and level and nursed his jet back to a very passable landing. When asked by his Station Commander why he had not ejected, Geoff replied that trying to bring the stricken jet back would allow engineers to examine why the jet lost aileron control. True enough it was readily determined that the near catastrophe was due to the failure, through metal fatigue, of an aileron pulley wheel bracket. Geoff's Commendation recorded that in heroically and selfishly nursing his uncontrollable jet back to base, the problem was corrected across the fleet, potentially saving loss of life in the future. Geoff also saw service in Aden and the Suez Crisis, after which his Commission on fast jets came to an end. Returning to Scotland in 1962, Geoff was hired by Willie Logan's fledgling Loganair becoming their third pilot after Captain Duncan 'Mac' MacIntosh DFC and Captain Ken Foster DFC, both sadly no longer with us. Geoff was invited as a guest of honour to Loganair's recent 60-year anniversary celebration, which he attended with his customary grin. After some years flying for Loganair, which included piloting the renowned 24/7 air ambulance service to the outer and northern isles of Scotland, Geoff started his own air charter company. Later, with a fleet of 12 aircraft and many pilots, Geoff took on a new director, Sir Hugh Fraser, at that time owner of House of Fraser including Harrods. Geoff flew many well-known characters and celebrities, including Elton John, the Rolling Stones, The Average White Band, Diana Ross and Scotland's own Billy Connolly. Elton invited Geoff to a VIP seat at his Glasgow concert including a visit back-stage. As well as being a legendary pilot on the Scottish scene, Geoff was equally well known for being an international broker in the purchase and sale of all types of aircraft, from the smallest primary trainer to Boeing Jumbo jets. Only a couple of years ago he arranged the sale of two very large passenger jets from the French Government fleet to a customer in Indonesia. Geoff personally delivered a lot of the aircraft he bought, sold or brokered. He performed over 1,000 long-distance ferry flights, over the Atlantic, the Arctic and Indian oceans. Read more Obituaries However such was Geoff's humility, that not a lot of people were aware that he was also for 25 years, one of the unpaid volunteer pilots of the St John Ambulance Air Wing, transferring donor organs, such as kidneys, hearts, lungs and all manner of 'human spare parts' as well as patients and surgical teams all over Britain and the Continent. The co-ordination of human transplants never sleeps and Geoff saw it as a special achievement in humanitarian service to have delivered a combined heart and lungs one Christmas day, followed a week later, on New Year's Day, by transporting a surgical team complete with a child donor heart and lungs in the 'white cold-box with the large green cross'. Geoff was decorated by the Queen at Buckingham Palace as an Officer of the Order of St John 'for services, above and beyond duty, to mankind'. Perhaps Geoff's loss to the medical profession was somewhat redeemed after all. Geoff passed all his regular flying medical examinations, with associated X-rays, ECGs, etc, every year right up until he was 82 years of age. In 2022 his heart, as he described it himself, 'sprang a leak'. Not only did Geoff have heart surgery at the Jubilee Hospital, Clydebank, but he allowed the operation to be filmed or the Heart Hospital TV series. Geoff was operated on by the extraordinary heart surgeon, Angie Ghattas. She had been hoping to review Geoff's health this year. Geoff Rosenbloom employed, nurtured and inspired hundreds of pilots, many of whom are now flying 'heavies' for airlines all around the world, and he will be sorely missed. He is survived by his two daughters, Lizanne and Lucy, Lizanne's husband Gerry, and grand-daughters Leah and Lily, as well as his sister Jane and her husband Rod. FRANK CANNON
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Look inside incredible UK plane graveyard where war-ready fighter jets are left to ROT including 1950s Hawker Hunter
AN EXPLORER has revealed the remnants of an abandoned ex-military plane field – including a rotting 1951 Hawker Hunter jet. Abandoned UK, as they're known online, came across Advertisement 6 Several abandoned fighter jets are located at the site Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK 6 Many of the jets are in a state of disrepair Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK 6 Some of the planes were used in 1951 Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK They have visited other plane graveyards before, though this one, located in Scampton, Lincolnshire, left them particularly shocked. Left behind were iconic And the explorer described what he saw to be 'like something out of a film'. In a clip, which has racked up 11,000 views, he trawls through a tall – and unkempt – field of wheat. Advertisement Read More on RAF News As he makes his way to the other side, though, a series of impressive jets are shown, partially covered with grey tarpaulin. The Confused by why they've been left behind, he looks through the windows at all the controls and spec inside. The engines, which are rusted and need replacing, have a date of last inspection – with one dating back to 1972. Advertisement Most read in News Travel As he claims to have asked the field owner for permission to access the grounds, he was allowed inside one of the aircraft's cockpits. The explorer is shocked to find hidden knives, noting that it's 'crazy'. Frozen in Time: Inside the Ghostly Ruins of Nicosia International Airport He says the area isn't just notable for its planes, though. The nearby RAF base used to be the home of The Dambusters, a group of Royal Air Force aircrews, who were known for their raid on German dams during World War II. Advertisement 'These planes have no use now, but they were used for parts until the nearby airbase closed,' he told What's The Jam. 'There was also a Buccaneer and a Phantom. 6 Several planes even had components which were still in incredible condition Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK 6 Some of the jets even had names printed on their exteriors Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK Advertisement 'It was part of a farmer's field where they are stored and it was quite sad to see the aircrafts out in the open with no protection. 'There wasn't [much] damage, but they were rotting. 'Some still had their controls, some were stripped. 'The atmosphere was very calm and it looked like something out of a film.' Advertisement He says that a lot of people mistake the planes for being on the RAF's Scampton base, in which only officials are allowed to access. These planes, though, are actually stored on a nearby private field. The explorer added: 'It's such a shame for these ex-military aircrafts to be left with no future. 'They'd be better off in a Advertisement 6 The planes are located near the RAF Scampton base Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Look inside incredible UK plane graveyard where war-ready fighter jets are left to ROT including 1950s Hawker Hunter
The airfield is located near one of the UK's major RAF bases GROUNDED Look inside incredible UK plane graveyard where war-ready fighter jets are left to ROT including 1950s Hawker Hunter AN EXPLORER has revealed the remnants of an abandoned ex-military plane field – including a rotting 1951 Hawker Hunter jet. Abandoned UK, as they're known online, came across the site while out on a sunny walk. 6 Several abandoned fighter jets are located at the site Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK 6 Many of the jets are in a state of disrepair Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK 6 Some of the planes were used in 1951 Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK They have visited other plane graveyards before, though this one, located in Scampton, Lincolnshire, left them particularly shocked. Left behind were iconic British fighter jets that would've been used in wars; dating back to as far as 1951. And the explorer described what he saw to be 'like something out of a film'. In a clip, which has racked up 11,000 views, he trawls through a tall – and unkempt – field of wheat. As he makes his way to the other side, though, a series of impressive jets are shown, partially covered with grey tarpaulin. The aircrafts appear to be in immaculate condition, until he takes a closer look and spots signs of rotting. Confused by why they've been left behind, he looks through the windows at all the controls and spec inside. The engines, which are rusted and need replacing, have a date of last inspection – with one dating back to 1972. As he claims to have asked the field owner for permission to access the grounds, he was allowed inside one of the aircraft's cockpits. The explorer is shocked to find hidden knives, noting that it's 'crazy'. Frozen in Time: Inside the Ghostly Ruins of Nicosia International Airport He says the area isn't just notable for its planes, though. The nearby RAF base used to be the home of The Dambusters, a group of Royal Air Force aircrews, who were known for their raid on German dams during World War II. 'These planes have no use now, but they were used for parts until the nearby airbase closed,' he told What's The Jam. 'There was also a Buccaneer and a Phantom. 6 Several planes even had components which were still in incredible condition Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK 6 Some of the jets even had names printed on their exteriors Credit: Jam Press/Abandoned UK 'It was part of a farmer's field where they are stored and it was quite sad to see the aircrafts out in the open with no protection. 'There wasn't [much] damage, but they were rotting. 'Some still had their controls, some were stripped. 'The atmosphere was very calm and it looked like something out of a film.' He says that a lot of people mistake the planes for being on the RAF's Scampton base, in which only officials are allowed to access. These planes, though, are actually stored on a nearby private field. The explorer added: 'It's such a shame for these ex-military aircrafts to be left with no future. 'They'd be better off in a museum, than in a field left to all weathers.'
The Sun
16-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Look inside incredible UK plane graveyard where war-ready fighter jets are left to ROT including 1950s Hawker Hunter
AN EXPLORER has revealed the remnants of an abandoned ex-military plane field – including a rotting 1951 Hawker Hunter jet. Abandoned UK, as they're known online, came across the site while out on a sunny walk. 6 6 6 They have visited other plane graveyards before, though this one, located in Scampton, Lincolnshire, left them particularly shocked. Left behind were iconic British fighter jets that would've been used in wars; dating back to as far as 1951. And the explorer described what he saw to be 'like something out of a film'. In a clip, which has racked up 11,000 views, he trawls through a tall – and unkempt – field of wheat. As he makes his way to the other side, though, a series of impressive jets are shown, partially covered with grey tarpaulin. The aircrafts appear to be in immaculate condition, until he takes a closer look and spots signs of rotting. Confused by why they've been left behind, he looks through the windows at all the controls and spec inside. The engines, which are rusted and need replacing, have a date of last inspection – with one dating back to 1972. As he claims to have asked the field owner for permission to access the grounds, he was allowed inside one of the aircraft's cockpits. The explorer is shocked to find hidden knives, noting that it's 'crazy'. He says the area isn't just notable for its planes, though. The nearby RAF base used to be the home of The Dambusters, a group of Royal Air Force aircrews, who were known for their raid on German dams during World War II. 'These planes have no use now, but they were used for parts until the nearby airbase closed,' he told What's The Jam. 'There was also a Buccaneer and a Phantom. 6 'It was part of a farmer's field where they are stored and it was quite sad to see the aircrafts out in the open with no protection. 'There wasn't [much] damage, but they were rotting. 'Some still had their controls, some were stripped. 'The atmosphere was very calm and it looked like something out of a film.' He says that a lot of people mistake the planes for being on the RAF's Scampton base, in which only officials are allowed to access. These planes, though, are actually stored on a nearby private field. The explorer added: 'It's such a shame for these ex-military aircrafts to be left with no future. 'They'd be better off in a museum, than in a field left to all weathers.' 6
