Air Marshal Malcolm Shirley Dundas Wollen (2 August 1928 – 23 May 2013),

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

, VrC, was an

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

officer who served as the Commanding Officer of the

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

Air Force base in Assam during the 1971 Indo Pak War. He later also served as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Air Command. He was awarded the

Vayu Sena Medal The Vayu Sena Medal () is a military decoration, usually awarded in peacetime for a job well done in the Indian Air Force. However, it has been granted during times of conflict for acts of gallantry in the face of enemy, though not in the same n ...

on 26 January 1968. He was later bestowed with the Vir Chakra and the

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

(PVSM) on 26 January 1972 for his exceptional skill and devotion to duty during the Indo Pak War of 1971.

Early life and education

Malcom Wollen was born on 2 August 1928. He attended

Bishop Cotton Boys' School Bishop Cotton Boys' School is an all-boys school for boarders and day scholars in Bengaluru, India, founded in the memory of Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton, Bishop of Calcutta. The school is bordered by Residency Road, St Mark's Road, L ...

, Bangalore. In 1947, he was commissioned into the Indian Air Force and awarded the Sword of Honor, the Flying Trophy, and the President's plaque in September, 1949 while commissioning.

The Indo Pak War, 1971

During the 1971 Indo Pak war, Group Captain Wollen Commanded a major Air Force base in Assam. On the outbreak of hostilities with Pakistan in Dec. 1971, he was placed in operational control of two

MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames in ...

Squadrons at a forward airfield. The task of these Squadrons was to neutralise the Pakistani Air Force in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and to give close support 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 ...

in that area. The sum of all these tasks was very large in relation to the forces under his control. The special tasks given to him included such missions as the destruction of certain selected buildings occupied by the West Pakistani forces and their Governor in

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

city, the elimination of radio transmitting stations and the day and night bombing of certain air-fields in enemy hands. Group Captain Wollen planned, organised and conducted these operations personally, and himself gave the briefings on the tactics which the aircraft were to adopt. The success of these operations contributed directly to the neutralisation of Pakistani air strength in Bangladesh and the eventual surrender of the Pakistani forces in that Sector. He was bestowed with the Vir chakra and

(PVSM) on 26 January 1972 for his exceptional skill and devotion to duty.

Post-retirement

Air Marshall Wollen retired on 4 September, 1984 and subsequently served as Chairman of

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world. H ...

between 1984 and 1988. During his tenure as the Chairman of HAL, the design and development of the Advanced Light Helicopter and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was undertaken. He also served as the president of the Aeronautical Society of India. Air Marshal Wollen passed away on 23 May 2013, aged 84 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

References

External links

bharat-rakshak.com - Air Marshal Malcolm Shirley Dundas Wollen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wollen, Malcolm Shirley Dundas 1928 births Indian Air Force air marshals Bishop Cotton Boys' School alumni Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal 2013 deaths Recipients of the Vir Chakra National Defence College, India alumni Deputy chiefs of Air Staff (India)