Arjan Singh, Marshal of the Indian Air force, is the only Indian officer with a five-star rank still alive. The story of his active service begins in December 1939 when he was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) for World War II. He was immediately engaged in the war in the North West Frontier Province against Pashtuns.
In May 1943, a detachment of the famous No. 1 Squadron (the Tigers) went to Miranshah for bombing trials and then moved to Kohat where command was assumed by Sqn. Ldr. Arjan Singh on 3 September 1943. During the next few months, No. 1 Squadron detachments carried out army co-operation exercises at Adampur, in the Punjab. He later led the offensive against the Japanese in Imphal. His leadership and daring exploits earned him a Distinguished Fltying Cross (DFC), which was pinned on him by Lord Mountbatten in Imphal itself during the ongoing operations.
Source: Supplied
He then led India in the 1965 war against Pakistan in which Air Force was engaged for the first time. The valour with which Arjan Singh led the Indian Air Force in the '65 war made him the force's Air Chief Marshal. He was also awarded with a Padma Vibhushan and in 2002 he was named as the first ever Marshal of the Indian Air Force.
Arjan Singh was born on 15 April 1919, in Lyallpur just after the First World War.
At a brief ceremony, Air Marshal C Hari Kumar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command unveiled the new name at the entrance to the Air Force Station, which is set to be IAF's second C-130J Super Hercules hub after Hindan, near New Delhi.
“On this day of rechristening of the Panagarh airbase to Air Force Station Arjan Singh, it is indeed a proud moment for all of us in EAC to be bestowed with such an honour,” the Air Marshal said after the inauguration.
“Air Force Station Arjan Singh, now with the induction of C-130J, would have a prominent role to play in our war waging capability, true to its name,” he also added.
Panagarh, approximately 150 kms from Kolkata is located at Birudhia, in Burdwan district of West Bengal. The airbase at Panagarh was constructed in 1944 during Second World War by USAF towards CBI (China-Burma-India Theater) campaign.
The renamed India Air Force base in Panagarh, West Bengal Source: Supplied
Coincidentally, around the same time in eastern theatre, a young Commanding Officer of No. 1 Squadron, then Squadron Leader Arjan Singh, was leading the 'Tiger' squadron in saving Imphal Valley against the marauding Japanese forces.
Air Force Station, Panagarh, post the Second World war, played a significant role in 1965 and 1971 wars against Pakistan. The airbase under Eastern Air Command would now oversee tactical and strategic air operations in eastern theatre with the Super Hercules aircraft.
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