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Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [‎11r] (21/431)

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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. .

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Minute Paper.
Let er from
Register No.
EXT. 7027/47*
EXTEHIIMj
Department.
Dated
Rec.
19 .
Formally acknowledged
Date.
Initials.
SUBJECT.
To
Under Secretary
Secretary of State...
Committee

Half-year Report on the Afghan Air Force -
1st November 1946 to 30th April, 1947
Under Secretary^...
Secretary c^State....
CouncLK^T;
1 able
'4,
Copy to
Previous Papers :—
1. The period under review has been rather disappointing
for the Afghan Air Force for two reasons. Firstly the
winter weather enforced inactivity and flying was confined
to weekly training flights in Hind aircraft flying from
Jalalabad, Secondly the few aircraft possessed by the
Afghan Air Force are rapidly becoming unserviceable. The
latter factor has partly been the cause of delays in the
projected reorganisation of the Air Force; since the
Afghans consider any reorganisation a waste of time until
new aircrafi^p obtained. The Commandant of the Air
Force, Lt.-Gen.^lsadullah Khan is also Chief of the G-eneral
Staff, and has been officiating as Minister of Defence,
and has consequently not had sufficient time to devote
to his Air Force duties.
2. The number of serviceable aircraft in the Afghan
Air Force:--
Hawker Hind 17
Italian Romeo
aircraft A
Tiger Moths 8
American St^man
aircraft 1
The number of serviceable Hind aircraft was increased
to 19 by the arrival of spare propellers, but it was
reduced to 17 again by an accident. The Romeo aircraft
are now almost oosolete; and the 1 St^jpman is permanently
allotted to the Commandant to the Sherpur Airfield,
Kabul. The Tiger Moths are still useful and could, if
required, carry out'light bombing operations.
29b 1000 5.31
3./

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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
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Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [‎11r] (21/431), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2034, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100038334404.0x000016> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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