مجموعة ٥/٧٣ "سلاح الجو الأفغاني: تقارير" [و‎‎١‎٣‎٧] (٤٣١/٢٧٣)

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REPORT CI T rHI] .aFGH/V' AIR FCHC3
FCR TII5 P3RIQD 13T AUGU3T TO 3lbT OGTQBPR. 1942
1
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1343
^V-^.ry ,ttx*' j -r-■ -
^ns) Th? month ol August began with the usual int nsive practice in
xorelation flying prior to tne Independonc: Day Ravi, w which took
place on August 23rd. Practice flying was, however, som-what limit-
.a tnis year as comp red witn previous y>-rs owing to a de-sir-, to
conserve stocks of patrol.
Three squadrons of aircraft in flights of three aircraft;fl.w past
King Zanir Shah at ten- R: vi w, the s. coeisisting of 21 British Hind
aircraft and 7 Italic-* Rom .h aircraft. Th. in, was *.o marked improv -
m nt in 'Ch. standara of fematio . flying. For about s niO itn alter
the- Review practically no flying trai .mg was carried out, but ily-
r come need on Beptnnbcr 20th and from th n until the . sd of
October dgna* pilots w r . ach allowed about 20 mieu t-s flying
practice p.r fortnight.
(b) F.Ie. Luhd Ihsan iJn.-.n ( ■/. /.363) r .analend on tnn sick, list
during most of the quarter under r vmw* a.*d in tn middle- of October
after securing a r. comm me? tion for lav: from a committee of for. ign
ooctors in mabul proceeded to India for medical treatment. It is
anticipated that ne will stay in Inaia about six months.
i G.r. Luhd Hashim Khan (V.7.339) has oeen appointed officiating
I Commandant of trie Air Force during tne absence of the pormaaent
;Commandant. The British instructors report that ns has become more
(popular with his subordinates and is gradually withing tn: ir
‘CO nf id.'-nc --.
The rumours to the eff.-ct that a new permanent Commandant was to
be appointed have di d down.
(c) Ho op rations hav. been carri:-d out by the Air Force during
th r quart, r.
(d) Th, British instructors state that while th. re has been no
real improvement in effici ncy, more work has b-; an done this
quarter, and stores and spares if available ar®, now issued to them
on d rnand.
• Th: y also report that one. of th£ real wtftknessts in tne Afghan
Air Force is the lacK of an efficient system of storek.,spi,ag. This
could be put right oy securing th. scrvic s of a compete et British
K.C.O. but they fear that tne inner.nt suspicions of tne Afghans
pr- clud- the employment of any foreigner for tnis task.
expenditure on tne Afghan Air Force continues to be strictly
controlled, and tne construction of workshops on tne new Khwaja
Rawash aerodrome has bean postponed, though work on th- hangars is
proceeding.
(a) Aviation petrol arriving from India is now oeing stored in 45
gallon drums on the Snerpur aerodrome as all tne petrol storage
tanks available, are full. Paragraph 6 of tne report gives approx
imate- details of tne stocks of patrol now held. Tne British instruct-
jors nave point, d out to the Commandant of trn-; Air Force that a
frequest turn over of the stocks of aviation p trcl hold is necessary
Jin order to pr vent dot ricration in tn. quality of tn petrol, out
I tW action nas Dee:* tak-n on tn ir advice.
(f) b qu dr o n- L e a d o r B.D. biggin ton, R.A.F., arriv d in Kabul from
C .glana on 13tn iUgust ned took over tne duties of pilot instructor
to tne Afgnar. ir Force on 17tn ugust. He nas been- engaged for a
period o f o n.- y< a r.
(g) .ppendix !, A n to tnis report gives the number and condition of
aircraft, and the numoor of trained or partly trai .ed pilots in the
Af gn oh Air Force on 31st Octob.r, 1942.