Ranjan Dutt

Air Vice Marshal Ranjan Dutt, VrC (30 September 1921 or 1922 – 13 August 2009) was a former air officer of the Indian Air Force.

He last served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Air Command.

Prior to that, he was the managing director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Ranjan Dutt was born on 30 September 1921, or in 1922.

He was educated at Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun in India.

At the age of 16 he gained his civilian pilot "A" licence after taking private lessons.

In 1940 Dutt was one of the 24 Indian pilots seconded to the UK for operational training and squadron service.

In August 1940, Dutt was selected from the 4th pilot's course at the initial training wing in Lahore to travel with another 23 Indian pilots to the UK for operational training and squadron service in preparation to assist in the Battle of Britain.

They became known as the X-squad.

The youngest of the batch, he later admitted that he submitted an incorrect date of birth in order to qualify for the place.

The group's activities received widespread media coverage.

The P&O liner SS Strathallan's passenger list records the group's arrival at Liverpool, England, on 6 October 1940.

On arrival at London on 8 October, Dutt and his group were welcomed by the Air Minister, Sir Archibald Sinclair, who handed each a note concluding "we shall be proud to have you fighting by our side".

That day the group were posted to RAF Uxbridge, and subsequently Dutt was sent with most of the others to No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School RAF at Prestwick to train on Tiger Moths.

There he was selected for fighter training and subsequently spent the summer of 1941 protecting convoys through the English Channel and flying Hurricanes with No. 32 Squadron RAF after the Battle of Britain.

He served in North Africa and the Middle-East in the latter part of that year before returning to India to join No. 4 Squadron IAF at Peshawar, North-West Frontier.

There, he flew sorties from Miranshah in the Datakhel operations.

He completed his advanced training at No. 9 Service Flying Training School at RAF Hullavington, Wiltshire, and received his wings on 16 April 1941.

Eight of the Indians, including Dutt, were selected for fighter training at No. 56 OTU at RAF Sutton Bridge.

Subsequently, he spent near four months protecting convoys through the English Channel and flying Hurricanes with No. 32 Squadron RAF after the Battle of Britain.

After a year in the UK he was posted to No. 94 Squadron RAF, based in Egypt.

Along with Mahinder Singh Pujji, Mian Mohd Latif and Edwin Nazirullah from his initial group, he served in North Africa and the Middle-East in the latter part of 1941.

After returning to India he joined No. 4 Squadron IAF at Peshawar, North-West Frontier.

No. 4 Squadron was officially formed on 1 February 1942 and at first consisted largely of some of that first batch of 24 Indian pilots of 1940; Pujji, Latif, Nazirullah, Shiv Dev Singh, and Om Prakash Sanghi.

They obtained four Westland Lysanders from Lahore and completed a move to Kohat by 23 February 1942.

By March 1942, the squadron had 19 officers and 40 pilots.

In May 1942, Dutt flew several sorties from Miranshah in the Datakhel operations; these lasted until mid-August.

At the end of 1942 he was posted as flight officer to No. 1 Squadron IAF, also known as the Tigers, at Trichinopoly.

In June 1944 he became one of the first Indian flight instructors at a training unit in Risalpur.

The following year he completed a flight leader course at RAF Tangmere in the UK, and then joined No. 8 Squadron IAF in Mingaladon as a flight commander.

In June 1944, he became one of the first Indian flight instructors at No. 151 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit RAF, Risalpur.

He served in the Burma campaign, flying Hurricanes.

For a short while he was posted to No. 20 Squadron RAF Arakan and saw action in the Battle of Imphal.

He later joined the newly raised No. 10 Squadron IAF in 1944 and replaced Bob Doe's Canadian pilot.

Dutt remained there for the squadron's first operational tours.

In August 1945, after completing a flight leader course at RAF Tangmere in the UK, Dutt joined No. 8 Squadron IAF in Mingaladon, as flight commander.

There, he substituted the Vic formation with the finger-four formation.

In March 1946, Dutt was promoted to squadron leader of No. 1 Squadron RIAF.

Later, in a senior post at the Operational group, he led several air missions in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948.

On 26 January 1950 he was awarded the second Vir Chakra.