Sights and Sounds of Kohat Part-2

Sights and Sounds of Kohat Part-2

Nevertheless, the British were never at peace in this part of their Kingdom as resistance and opposition always cropped from one quarter or the other. But their tactics of "Divide and Rule" ultimately strengthened their hold over the region.

They put one tribe against the other by giving preference to one against the other and finally succeeded in administration them. An example of unrest against the British empire are the actions of Afridi Ajab Khan, who forced the entire British administration
of the district to surrender to his demands.

The RAF commissioned Kohat as an airfield for operational purposes in 1922 to meet the threat posed by tribesmen of the northern and western areas of the Frontier Province.

Kohat was one of the three stations in the region, the other two being Peshawar and Risalpur. In the 20s, Kohat was The administrative wing, maintenance wing fighter-bomber base with two squadrons of Westland Wapitis – Nos. 27 and 60 RAF Squadrons.

According to records , the headquarters building, aircraft and supply hangars, Ml room, armory, swimming pool and many other buildings were erected in 1925. Double storey barracks Nos 90 and 95, and living out JCOs’ accommodation were built in 1940.

In 1938 there were two different squadrons at the station, Nos 16 and 17 Squadrons RAF with three flights each and with each flight comprising 8 aircraft. The aircraft were mainly Wapitis and Audaxes, with a few Blenheims. All pilots and airmen were British.

During WWII, several RAF and IAF squadrons staged through Kohat as part of their cycle of rest periods between deployments on the Burma front. The same air filed is presently under use by the PAF as a satellite base used for emergency landing and recovery
of aircraft during both peacetime and wartime. Kohat is served by a single 8,100 foot long runway.

The Kohat district is located around bare and rock mountain region east of river
Indus, dotted with river valleys and deep ravines, beside a few scattered patches of cultivated low land.

The eastern or Khattak country especially comprises a perfect labyrinth of ranges, which fall, however,-into two principal groups, to the north and south of the Ten Toi river. The Miranzai valley, in the extreme west, appears by comparison a rich and fertile
tract.

To be continued…

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Posted by Naveed A Bari on Apr 14 2012. Filed under Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry