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Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [38r] (75/431)
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.
Page 3.
►
(SO
Pira 1 Contd.
J
\fnhan G-ovt are still marking
J^r (
(d) In civil aviation the :*rg
tirne-, and arc reluctant to come to any real decisions a bo of
the establishment of a main world civil air route through
the country.^ The main cause of this caution is hussia* and
while the Afghan Grovt have stated that they would like to
w ,sgc an American and a British main civil air service running
across Afghanistan they will hesitate to commit themselves
to such services until they are fairly certain that Russia
will not become awkward concerning any concessions given.
# The Afghan Govt have at last opened the Khwaja Rawash
military airfield to the Russian diplomatic courier air
service, and the service was due to recommence on 24th ifarch,
but so far n<D Russian aircraft has arrived in Kabul. The
present difficulty may be 4 the offer of the Russian Embassy
to transport by this service certain Czech and Yugoslav
employees who wish to return to their countries on the expiry
of # their ccmtracts. This procecdure from the Afglian Govvs
point of view would be equivalent to the authorisation of
a Russo-Afghan civil air service in lieu of the existing
diplomatic courier air service.
.(c) Appendix A to this report gives the number of serviceable
aircraft on the strength of the Afghan Air Force on 30th April
1946 and the number of Afghan pilots who are considered to be
efficient on the various types of aircraft. These figures
will show that the Afghan Air Force is still compelled to
seek assistance from one or more foreign sources'in the
purchase and maintenance of the aircraft it requires and in
training its personnel.
(f) The Afghan Govt have during the past six months
made various requests for assistance from K.1I.G. or the
Govt of India. Gome of the requests have been of a firm
nature, w ? hile others have been the usual kind of hints which
a poor but proud Govt are inclined to throw out in the hope
of securing a favourable reaction.. These requests have included:-
(i) a r firm request for the loan of the services of two
N.G.O., instructors from the R.A.F. in India for
a period of one year. One to teach W/T to officers
and N.C.Osof the Air Force and the other tp instruct
personnel in the R.A.F. system of storekeeping and
issue of spares etc. It is hoped that whose two
instructors will r : ach Kabul shortly;
(ii) a firm request for the supply of 24 propellers and
other essential sprres for British Hind aircraft from
England. 10 of these propellers have already been
despatched from England;
(iii) a firm request for the supply of two 800 gallon petrol
tanker lorries f$c>m the Govt of India;
somewhat diffident requests for facilities for training
Afghan Air Force personnel in India. The numbers
mentioned beginning with 20 and ending in 70 or 80
officers and C.Rs. The Afghan Govt realise that they
are not in a position to give advancedtrafning to
Air Force personnel and that facilities for giving
*ab initio 1 training in Kabul arc limited. They
therefore hope that the Govt of India will consider
sympathetically any ( requests ^tbxggmay make for such
training. Should the Govt of India not be prepared
to grant these facilities they will turn to the U.S.A.
or any other country except possibly Russia for this
training, and with the training will follow the purchase
of aircraft from the country involved in the training
of Afghan Air Force personnel.
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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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