Eric Gordon Hall (12 October 1922 — 17 June 1998) was a Pakistani fighter pilot and

two-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usuall ...

officer in the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

(PAF). Hailing from the Christian minority in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, Hall played a pivotal role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Notably, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Hall pioneered the innovative concept of converting

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service * Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...

into heavy bombers, enhancing their capacity to carry of explosives with specific modifications. His idea was patronized by the then Commander-in-Chief of the PAF,

Nur Khan Nur Khan (22 February 192315 December 2011) was a Pakistan Air Force officer, politician and statesman who served as sixth commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Air Force from 1965 to 1969. He later served as the sixth governor of West Pakistan ...

, who flew one of the

during the war. On 11 September, Hall volunteered to lead the initial bombing mission over a strategically vital bridge in

Kathua Kathua is a city and municipal council of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir di ...

which was used to deliver supplies to the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

. Despite the transport-turned-bomber being unarmoured and vulnerable to Indian anti-aircraft guns, the mission succeeded. This success resulted in the Pakistani military leadership to authorize 13 additional strategic bombing runs using the converted C-130s, including precision strikes on Indian weaponry at

Attari Attari, also spelled Atari, is a village of Amritsar district in the Punjab state of India, 3 km from the Indo-Pakistani border at Wagah. It is situated 25 km west of the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, and is the last Indian station o ...

along the

BRB Canal __NOTOC__ Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal (BRB Canal), also called Ichogil Canal (by Indian authors), is a manmade waterway in Pakistan that takes off from the Upper Chenab Canal near the Bambanwala village (to the west of Daska), runs southeast u ...

. The effectiveness of these missions solidified Hall's innovative concept, earning him the

Sitara-e-Jurat Sitara-e-Jurat (, Star of Courage) is the third highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a republic; however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947. It is awarded for gallantry or distinguish ...

, the third highest military award in Pakistan, in 1965. He retired as the Commandant of

PAF Staff College PAF Air War College Institute is the Pakistan Air Forces academic establishment located at PAF Base Faisal providing training and education primarily to mid-career officers of the air force as well as a limited number of officers from Pakistan ...

on 30 June 1975. Following retirement, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed him as the Director General Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan, a role he held until 6 March 1978. Afterwards, he ventured into import-export businesses in Karachi for a year and relocated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

where he opened Hall Enterprises in August 1982, with his wife, Marjorie. The business imported and exported Pakistani furniture, giftware, and military spare parts. He was seen as a prominent figure on the scene which traded heavily on his name and contacts. Throughout his career, he served in several high ranking positions of the PAF, including as Commandant

Air attaché An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, Chief of Staff of the PAF, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Administration), Commander PAF Station Masroor, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training), Commander PAF Station Chaklala, Commander PAF Station Drigh Road, and Commander No. 6 Squadron PAF.

Early life

Eric Gordon Hall was born on 12 October 1922 into a Christian

Anglo-Burmese The Anglo-Burmese people, also known as the Anglo-Burmans, are a community of Eurasians of Burmese and European descent; they emerged as a distinct community through mixed relationships (sometimes permanent, sometimes temporary) between the B ...

family in

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

during the

British rule in Burma British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of ''Burma'' as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally i ...

. Eric matriculated from the Diocesan Boys High School in Rangoon. His father, Captain E. E. Hall was a

combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and went

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...

during the

Japanese invasion of Burma The Japanese invasion of Burma was a series of battles fought in the British colony of Burma (present-day Myanmar) as part of the Pacific Theater of World War II. The initial invasion in 1942 resulted in the capture of Rangoon and the retre ...

in 1941, shortly after which he was declared dead. Due to the outbreak of the war, the women of his family, namely his mother, sister and aunt were

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of Materiel, supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material lo ...

ed to

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, while the men fled on foot. Exhausted and ill with blistered bug bitten feet, he wore out his shoes after traveling through the jungle on foot for weeks from

Myitkyina Myitkyina (, ; Jingpho language, Jinghpaw: ''Myitkyina'', ; , ''Sèna'') is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar (Burma), located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese language, Burmese it means "near the big river", and Myitkyina i ...

, North

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

Dibrugarh Dibrugarh () is a city in the Indian state of Assam, located 435 kms east of the state capital Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Dibrugarh also serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kach ...

, northeast India, where he then remained hospitalized for a short time.

Personal life

He was married to Marjorie May Hall and they had two children: a daughter Gillian Hall born on 1 December 1949 and son Clive Hall born on 5 May 1953. His wife Marjorie, was the Chairwoman of the Chaklala division of PAF's Women's Association in 1966.

Royal Indian Air Force career

After being released from the hospital for his injuries caused by the weeks long trek through the jungle, he enlisted in the

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British Raj, British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the British Indian Army, and the Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The ...

as part of the 20 Pilot course of the Initial Training Wing and was commissioned on 20 December 1943. Subsequently, he was deployed to Burma during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in a fighter-reconnaissance squadron, where he flew sorties against Japanese forces as a

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

fighter pilot.

Accidents

On 12 April 1947, Flying Officer Eric Gordon Hall and Cadet Harrison took off in a Tiger Moth II and crash landed 6 miles South East from

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

after an engine failure.

Pakistan Air Force career

After the

Partition of British India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islam ...

in August 1947, he opted for

, moved his family to

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, and transferred his service to the

Royal Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when requi ...

. Hall was the second to take flight, following

Khyber Khan Mohammad Khyber Khan (15 March 1924 — 7 July 2007) was a Pakistani former two-star rank air officer and among the pioneer officers of the Pakistan Air Force, a fighter pilot, aerobatic pilot and diplomat. Asghar Khan and Khyber Khan were con ...

, in Pakistan's first air display on

Pakistan Day Pakistan Day (, lit. ''Yaum-e-Pakistan'') is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 ...

1948, which was witnessed by 150,000 people. He captivated the crowd in a

Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

, performing a stunning display of stunt flying and aerobatics at 3,000 feet. From April 1950 to November 1952, Hall was employed on staff duties at the

AHQ (PAF) Air Headquarters (AHQ) is the Headquarters of Pakistan Air Force, located in Islamabad. Initially it was established at Peshawar on 15 August 1947. Later it was moved to Karachi on 1 June 1948 and back to Peshawar in 1960. In 1983 construction o ...

. He was promoted to Wing Commander in November 1952 and commanded No. 6 Squadron PAF for 3 ½ years. Hall was selected to attend the

RAF Staff College, Andover The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters. History Foundation Following the ...

in May 1956. On his return to Pakistan, he commanded the Officers' Advanced Administration School. In October 1958, he was posted to the

as an instructor on the directing staff. Wing Commander Hall was promoted to Group Captain on 8 March 1960 and appointed as Assistant Commandant of

serving until December 1961.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Leading up to the outbreak of war in August 1965, Group Captain Hall was in command of PAF Station Chaklala. Knowing that war was imminent after the failure of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

Operation Gibraltar Operation Gibraltar was the codename of a military operation planned and executed by the Pakistan Army in the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India in August 1965. The operation's strategy was to covertly cross the Line of Control (LoC) an ...

Jammu and Kashmir (state) Jammu and Kashmir was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019, constituting the southern and southeastern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India, Pakistan an ...

, he was aware of the

s lack of specialist aircraft. Hall brought up the idea of converting

transports into

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...

s. With some modifications, the

were now able to carry up to of explosive ordinance. After testing the bombers' efficiency, Hall volunteered to lead the first bombing mission over a strategically vital bridge in

, Jammu and Kashmir on 11 September 1965. The mission was fraught with danger as the unarmoured transport-turned-bomber was highly vulnerable to Indian

anti-aircraft guns Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...

. However, the mission's ultimately successful outcome prompted the Pakistani high command to authorize 13 more strategic bombing runs with converted C-130s, including the precision striking of Indian heavy guns at

, on the banks of the

. Hall was awarded the

by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

in 1965 for his innovative idea.

Sitara-e-Jurat

The

citation reads:

"Gp Capt Eric Gordon Hall in his capacity as Station Commander, Chaklala played a very vital role during the war with India. All operations were conducted very successfully under exemplary guidance and inspiring leadership of Gp Capt Eric Gordon Hall. No task was too hazardous for him. To set an example, he personally flew and led several operational missions that kept the morale of his officers and men at an exceptionally high level. For his courage and example beyond the call of duty, Gp Capt Eric Gordon Hall is awarded SJ."

Post war

After the war, Hall was appointed as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at the

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

for two years. He became Commander PAF Station Masroor in October 1968 and was appointed as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Administration) in November 1969.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Hall was appointed as Chief of Staff of the

on 1 April 1970 until 3 June 1972. During the 1971 war, he played a key role in making sure the war plans were executed effectively.

Air attaché to Washington

Hall served as Air attaché to Washington from June 1972 to October 1974. He was a distinguished guest and assisted in the graduation ceremony of the 21st Advanced Class Graduation at

The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

on 1 June 1973.

Commandant PAF Staff College

In October 1974, Hall succeeded Air Commodore Shamshul Huda Shah as Commandant of the

. Hall served until 30 June 1975, when he retired from the air force and was succeeded by Air Commodore Ayaz Ahmed Khan.

Director General Civil Aviation Authority

After retiring, Hall was appointed as Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as a re-employed BPS-21 grade grade officer of the

. On 11 May 1976, Hall met with Dr. Emil Hinek in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, who was from the aviation department of the Hungarian Ministry of Transport and Postal Affairs, they signed an agreement to start regular flights between Budapest and Karachi. He relinquished charge on the afternoon of 6 March 1978.

Business career

Afterwards, Hall ran an export-import company in Karachi for a year. He moved to the

with his family in 1980 and settled in the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

area later becoming a resident of

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...

. From August 1982 to 1995, he was the President of Hall Enterprises, a business he started with his wife, which imported-exported Pakistani furniture, giftware, and military spare parts. In addition to that, he had a shop which specialized in ceramics, jewelry and gifts in

Ellicott City, Maryland Ellicott City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its ...

Death

Hall was hospitalized after a stroke and died on 17 June 1998 at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center. He was buried at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Silver Spring, Maryland).

Awards and decorations

Foreign decorations

Notes

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Eric Gordon 1922 births 1998 deaths People from British Burma Anglo-Burmese people Military personnel of British India Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Burmese military personnel of World War II Pakistani people of Anglo-Burmese descent Pakistani military aviators People of the 1947 Kashmir conflict People of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistan Air Force air marshals Pakistani air attachés Pakistani emigrants to the United States Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Pakistani Christians Recipients of the Sitara-e-Pakistan Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Silver Spring, Maryland)