Alfred Tyrone Cooke

Last updated

Flight Lieutenant

Alfred Tyrone Cooke

VrC
Birth nameAlfred Tyrone Cooke
Born1940
Allegiance Flag of India.svg India
Service/branchAir Force Ensign of India.svg  Indian Air Force
Years of service1961-1968
Rank Flight Lieutenant of IAF.png Flight Lieutenant IAF Flight Lieutenant sleeve.png
Service number 6339 GD(P)
Unit No.14 Squadron
Battles/wars Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Awards Vir Chakra ribbon bar.svg Vir Chakra

Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke VrC (born 1939 or 1940) is an Indian pilot who was decorated for his role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was honoured with the Vir Chakra in September 1965. [1] He received the award for shooting down a Sabre jet and severely damaging another, whilst flying a Hawker Hunter, whilst they were under anti-aircraft fire. [1] It has been said that, "Flt Lt Alfred Tyrone Cooke is the only pilot in the Indian Air Force, who could claim to have engaged multiple enemy aircraft in the air and got the better of them." [2]

Contents

Biography

Alfred Cooke VrC attended La Martiniere Lucknow. [3] He left service as a Flight Lieutenant and settled down in Australia. [2]

He is married and has two sons. [4]

Vir Chakra

The citation for the Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:

CITATION
(FLIGHT LIEUTENANT ALFRED TYRONE COOKE)

On the 7th September, 1965 when Kalaikunda airfield was under attack by 6 Pakistani Sabre Jet aircraft Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke who was leading two of our aircraft on combat air patrol immediately led the aircraft into intercept them. Although our own anti-aircraft guns had already started to fire, he had engaged two of the enemy aircraft in complete disregard of his personal safety. The enemy aircraft tried evasive and counter-offensive manoeuvres; but with firm determination and exceptional skill Flight Lieutenant Cooke outmanoeuvred the enemy and pressed home his attack and shot down one of the enemy aircraft which disintegrated in mid air. Subsequently, he skillfully put his aircraft in a favourable position behind another enemy aircraft, but by then he had no ammunition left. However, he kept the enemy on the run and the remaining enemy aircraft fled in confusion. In this action Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke displayed great courage, leadership and devotion to duty in the best traditions of the Indian Air Force. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dassault Mystère IV</span> Fighter-bomber aircraft family, first transonic aircraft of the French Air Force

The Dassault MD.454 Mystère IV is a 1950s French fighter-bomber aircraft, the first transonic aircraft to enter service with the French Air Force. It was used in large-scale combat in the Israeli Air Force during the 1967 Six Day War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon</span> Recipient of Param Vir Chakra

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC was an officer of the Indian Air Force. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration during war time, in recognition of his lone defence of Srinagar Air Base against a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) air raid during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is the only member of the Indian Air Force to be honoured with the PVC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 7 Squadron IAF</span> Military unit

No. 7 Squadron, Indian Air Force operates as a Special Munitions Delivery and air superiority unit. Based at Gwalior AFB, No.7 Squadron forms a part of 40 Wing AF, Central Air Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui</span> Pakistani War Hero (1935-1965)

Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui was a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. He was known for his bravery and courage in two of the aerial combats during Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and is a recipient of both the Hilal-e-Jurat and the Sitara-e-Jurat military awards from the Government of Pakistan.

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 saw the Indian and Pakistani Air Forces engaged in large-scale aerial combat against each other for the first time since the Partition of India in 1947. The war took place during the course of September 1965 and saw both air forces conduct defensive and offensive operations over Indian and Pakistani airspace. The aerial war saw both sides conducting thousands of sorties in a single month. Both sides claimed victory in the air war; Pakistan claimed to have destroyed 104 enemy aircraft against its own losses of 19, while India claimed to have destroyed 73 enemy aircraft and lost 35 of its own. Despite the intense fighting, the conflict was effectively a stalemate.

Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, KC, AVSM, VrC is a retired air officer of the Indian Air Force and a hero of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He had a younger brother Trevor, who was also honoured for his service in the Indian Air Force. The brothers were both awarded the Vir Chakra for shooting down Pakistan Air Force Sabres.

Wing Commander Trevor Keelor, VrC, VM was an officer of Indian Air Force who participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was honoured with a number of medals including the Vir Chakra and the Vayu Sena Medal. He had an elder brother, Denzil, who was also honoured for his service in the Indian Air Force. Both brothers have a Vir Chakra for the same feat of shooting down Pakistan Air Force F-86 Sabre fighters. It was the first time two brothers have received Vir Chakras for the same reason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 18 Squadron IAF</span> Military unit

No. 18 Squadron, is an air-defence unit of the Indian Air Force, flying from Sulur Air Force Station. The squadron is equipped with indigenous HAL Tejas MK1 in FOC configuration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 27 Squadron IAF</span> Military unit

No. 27 Squadron IAF is a Ground-Attack and Close Air Support squadron of the Indian Air Force, operating from Gorakhpur AFS, under Central Air Command.

Air Commodore Imtiaz BhattiSJ SI(M) SBt in Gujrat, British India, is a cyclist and a former Air Force pilot of Pakistan. He was the Pakistan cycling champion during his student days at Punjab Agriculture College, Lyallpur in late 1940s and early 1950s. He set national cycling records and represented Pakistan in the individual and team road race events at the 1952 Summer Olympics where he was placed 1st among the Asian cyclists and 25th in the world in the 1000 m time trial. Bhatti a veteran of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 flew 34 combat missions, the maximum from Pakistan during the war and is credited with confirmed downing of two Indian planes and damaging a third, besides participating in raids that took out the Amritsar radar and various other air defence and ground support missions.

Squadron Leader Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy was a fighter pilot and officer of the Indian Air Force, known for his involvement in the Aerial Battle of Boyra during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He was awarded the Vir Chakra for shooting down a PAF Sabre in the above-mentioned aerial battle

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajjamada B. Devaiah</span> Indian Air Force officer

Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya MVC is the only Indian Air Force Officer to be posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC). The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest wartime gallantry award and is less in precedence only to the Param Vir Chakra. During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Sqn Ldr A B Devayya was part of a strike mission when he was attacked by an enemy aircraft. He shot down the enemy pursuer's plane but in the process his aircraft was damaged and he went missing. Presumably he died in Pakistani territory. 23 years later, in 1988, he was posthumously awarded the retrospective MVC award for this feat in the 1965 conflict.

Air Marshal Vinod Patney, SYSM, PVSM, AVSM, VrC is a retired Indian Air Force officer. He is currently Director General Centre for Air Power Studies.

No. 106 Squadron ("Lynxes") is a squadron of the Indian Air Force. It was raised on 1 May 1957 with eight newly inducted PR.57 English Electric Canberras in the strategic photo-reconnaissance role. Initially positioned at Bareilly, later the squadron moved to Agra. When the Canberras were retired in 2007, the squadron was equipped with Hawker Siddeley HS 748 ("Avros"). The motto of the squadron is "Sarva Peshayami".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Pereira</span>

Flt Lt Lawrence Frederic Pereira was an Indian air force officer. He was the recipient of the Vir Chakra, India's gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield.

Air Vice Marshal Cecil Vivian Parker, MVC, VM is a former air officer of the Indian Air Force. During the Indo-Pak War of 1971, he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest gallantry Award. He last served as the Commandant of the Air Force Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virendera Singh Pathania</span> Indian Air Force fighter pilot

Group Captain Virendera Singh Pathania was an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot reputed for making the first confirmed aerial dogfight kill of independent India when he shot down a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Sabre Jet with his Folland Gnat on 4 September, 1965. For this action, he was awarded the Vir Chakra.

29 Air Defence Regiment (Samba) is an Air Defence regiment of the Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 14 Squadron (Pakistan Air Force)</span> Military unit

The No. 14 Squadron, nicknamed Tail Choppers is an air superiority squadron of the Pakistan Air Force's Central Air Command. It is one of PAF's most decorated squadrons which earned its nickname after a daring strike mission on the Kalaikunda Air Force Station during the 1965 War. Currently, the Squadron is deployed at PAF Base Rafiqui and operates the PAC JF-17 Thunder multirole aircraft.

Wing Commander Vinod Kumar Neb VrC and Bar is a retired Officer and fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force and a hero of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and Indo- Pakistan War of 1971. He was awarded with medals for bravery twice during his service. He was awarded the Vir Chakra twice for shooting down a Pakistan Air Force Sabres in each war in 1965 and 1971.

References

  1. 1 2 Indian Air Force awards Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine accessed June 2007
  2. 1 2 Alfred Cooke at Jaganpvs.tripod.com accessed June 2007
  3. ↑ "Alfred Tyrone Cooke". Thank You Indian Army. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "A 1965 Vir Chakra fighter pilot returns home from Australia". The Indian Express. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  5. ↑ http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/6339


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.