Kartar Singh Taunque

Wing Commander Kartar Singh Taunque, then Hawai Sepoy 1st Class, became the first ever personnel of Indian Airforce (then Royal Indian Airforce) to win a gallantry award. He won this award for a successful bombing raid during "Operations in Waziristan 1937-38". He was mentioned in despatches. Flt.Lt. Peter Haynes and Hawai Sepoy 1st Class Kartar Singh Taunque (later Wing Commander), as the air gunner / bombardier, conducted a daring bombing raid in Waziristan during the World War II operations.

Peter Haynes and Kartar Singh Taunque were flying Wapiti II Army Co-operation biplane during this sortie. Peter Haynes flew steady at a constant altitude as Taunque conducted precesion bombing using 112-lb RL bombs and Mk.IX bomb sight. This daring bombing sortie required tremedous courage and presence of mind on the part of Taunque for calculating terminal velocity, feeding speed and heading on the compass on-the-fly, and releasing 112-1b RL bombs at the enemy targets over the Pir of Ipi's fortress with pin-point accuracy and devastating impact. Later Kartar Singh also served in Mesopotamia.

Wing Commander Kartar Singh Taunque was the grandfather of Sergeant Uday Singh Taunque who won the Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously for showing gallantry in Iraq in 2003 as part of the US army.