The 29 Squadron flew the Toofani (French origin Dassault Ouragan) based at Bagdogra, while the 14 Squadron flew Hunters out of Jorhat. Body, Robert (2016). Runways to Freedom: RAF Tempsford and the role of the Special Duties Squadrons. Following the war his wife Dorothy returned to Africa with their son Nicholas, to live in Highlands, Southern Rhodesia. [4] [5] A separatist movement (seeking independence from India) led by Mizo National Front (MNF) was gathering steam in the area now known as Mizoram, and then referred to as the Mizo Hills. IPL 2024 purse details: How Hardik Pandya’s sensational return to Mumbai Indians impacts the auction tables

A pair of Mosquitos of 487 Squadron clear the snow covered Amiens prison just before the fused bombs they dropped explode. Whatever the supine French press said, the French Resistance and most of the French people knew better. And 15 weeks after the strike at Amiens, the Allies came ashore in Normandy. It was the beginning of the end. During one such mission, a Dakota aircraft sustained 21 bullet holes but managed to land at Kumbhigram air base near Silchar. March 5 marks the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Aizawl – the first air raid by the Indian Air Force on civilian territory within the country. This is as good a time as any to go beyond just questioning the morality of the bombing, or the complexities that led to it. It’s time to understand its legacy. Operation Biting – The Intelligence Gathering Radar Raid at Bruneval, France." www.combinedops.com.Fact File : Amiens Prison Raid". www.bbc.co.uk British Broadcasting Corporation . http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a1135199.shtml?sectionId=6&articleId=1135199. News that Raymond Vivant had been captured was smuggled out of Amiens prison and transmitted to England. The US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) feared the Germans might uncover his identity and extract information from him; the damage to Allied plans would be incalculable. News also arrived that two American spies and a British agent were in Amiens prison, two of them apparently recent arrivals in France. A request for a rescue attempt was made by William J. Donovan, the head of OSS to Stewart Menzies, the head of MI6, which was passed on to the War Cabinet. The Gaullist Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action (BCRA) in London was asked for all its information on Amiens prison and the escape and evasion specialists of MI9 and MISX, the US equivalent, began collecting information for a breakout attempt. At all costs, London and Washington wanted Raymond Vivant freed or killed in the attempt. [5] Amiens prison [ edit ] The bombing caused colossal destruction with some reports saying Aizawl town had caught fire. Fortunately, only 13 civilians were killed. The use of air power in Mizoram in 1966 has become a hot topic of discussion after the PM of India mentioned it in the Lok Sabha while replying to the no confidence motion. The story put out at the time was that the raid was requested by the French Resistance to allow as many imprisoned Resistance fighters to escape as was possible as they faced execution. In December 1943, twelve members of the Resistance had been executed at Amiens but none were planned when the raid took place. It is now accepted that the Resistance did not, in fact, request the raid and according to a French historian, Jean-Pierre Ducellier, the official RAF version is “sheer lies”. So who did?

Notably, this operation was characterized by meticulous planning and confidence rarely seen in the Indian subcontinent. Lyman, Robert (2014). The Jail Busters: The Secret Story of MI6, the French Resistance and Operation Jericho, 1944. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1-78206-536-4. Pre-1966: Mizoram was part of Assam, and the Mizos had long-standing grievances regarding their political and economic marginalization.a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Wingleader Magazine - Issue 2". Issuu. 30 January 2019 . Retrieved 16 February 2022. Bowman, Martin W (2012b). Mosquito missions: RAF and Commonwealth De Havilland mosquitos. Barnsley, S. Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-78383-005-3. OCLC 1114423096.

Ward, Chris (2007). 5 Group Bomber Command: an operational record. Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-84415-579-8. OCLC 475213900. Upon publication, Operation Red Jericho won the prestigious Poppy Red Award for Innovation in Children's Books at the British Book Trade Awards, (2006). The operation against Amiens Prison, codenamed Jericho, had been prepared in the deepest secrecy. Until a scale model of the Amiens Prison was unveiled on a table in the briefing room, none of the crews had any idea they were scheduled for the most audacious raid of the war, rivaled only by the Doolittle strike at Tokyo. Matter-of-factly their leader, Air Vice Marshal Basil Embry, told the aircrew that they were on their way to blow holes in prison walls deep in France so that prisoners inside could run to safety. Bowman, M. W. (1997). De Havilland Mosquito. Crowood Aviation. Ramsbury: Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-075-X. Despite efforts to resupply the Assam Rifles battalion via helicopters, rebel resistance led to the shooting down of some supply missions.The turning point came with the Mizoram Peace Accord of 1986, a pivotal agreement reached between the government and the MNF (Mizo National Front), which laid the groundwork for consequential constitutional changes. The keys to resolving why the prison was bombed may well have been the arrest by the Gestapo of the Vice-Prefecture of Abbeville, Raymond Vivant. Did he know anything about the plans for D-Day? Vivant may well have been privy to some aspects of ‘Operation Fortitude’ – the Allied plan to convince the German High Command that the Allied invasion would be in the Pays de Calais and not Normandy. It was known that the Gestapo used whatever they thought was needed to get information, including the torture of family members. A secret RAF document found after the war stated:

Bowman, M. W. (2012). Mosquito Missions: RAF and Commonwealth De Havilland Mosquitos. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-78383-005-3. Recounting his memories of that day, Thangsanga, a veteran member of the Mizo National Front, said the bombing took them by surprise. “Our little town was suddenly encircled by four screaming jet fighters,” he said. “Suddenly, bullets rained and bombs were dropped. Burning buildings collapsed and there was dust and chaos everywhere. They hit the heart of Mizoram, but not the Mizo spirit”. The Mizoram Peace Accord of 1986, between the government and MNF, paved the way for constitutional changes. The eponym is an event in the Book of Joshua of bible when the Wall of Jericho apparently fell down by miracle. [ citation needed]

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Lax, Mark; Kane-Maguire, Leon (2005) [1999]. The Gestapo Hunters: 464 Squadron, RAAF, 1942–1945. Maryborough, QLD: Banner Books. ISBN 1-875593-19-5. Outraged by this, the MNF leadership decided to launch ‘ Operation Jericho’ to take control of Aizawl and overran Aizawl in a few days’ time (in late February). Following the Mizoram Peace Accord (1986) between the Government and the MNF, the Indian Parliament adopted the 53rd amendment of the Indian Constitution in 1986.