Ward, Chris (2007). 5 Group Bomber Command: an operational record. Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-84415-579-8. OCLC 475213900. Acting Wing Commander, 51 Squadron, Royal Air Force. Citation reads: This officer has made his squadron an extremely efficient bombing force. He has extracted the maximum effort from all, at the same time promoting and fostering an excellent comradeship between flying personnel and ground staff thus instilling the team spirit so necessary to achieve success. He has instituted a fine spirit among his flying crews for accurate bombing and in obtaining photographs. The historical use of air power in Mizoram during the 1966 insurgency has recently gained attention due to its mention by Prime Minister Modi in response to a no-confidence motion. This article delves into the events surrounding the Mizoram insurgency of 1966, the government’s response, the involvement of the Indian Air Force (IAF), and the aftermath of Operation Jericho. Mizoram of 1966: A Rising Insurgency: Operation Jericho: How Air Force Operations Quelled the Mizoram Insurgency of 1966 Bowman, Martin W (2012b). Mosquito missions: RAF and Commonwealth De Havilland mosquitos. Barnsley, S. Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-78383-005-3. OCLC 1114423096.

a b Perry, Mike (8 September 2013). "Operation Biting: The Bruneval Raid". SOFREP . Retrieved 14 January 2022. He retired from the RAF as a group captain in 1966, and took up farming in south Devon. His wife Joan, whom he married in 1942 when she was a WAAF officer, died in 1994. They had two daughters, one of whom died in a car accident, and a son, who is now deputy supreme allied commander, Europe, General Sir Rupert Smith. Ward, Chris; Smith, Steve (2008). 3 Group Bomber Command. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books Limited.Bowman, Martin W (2004). Moskitopanik!: Mosquito fighters and fighter bomber operations in the Second World War. Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-78303-452-9. OCLC 1124541018. A March 9, 1966, report by the now-defunct Kolkata-daily, the Hindustan Standard, quoted Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as saying that the fighter jets had been sent in to airdrop men and supplies, not bombs. But the question was, why would anyone deploy fighter jets to drop rations? All three squadrons of the raider group flew the de Havilland Mosquito, probably the finest fighter-bomber of the war. The “wooden wonder,” as she was called, was constructed largely of plywood from Canada and balsa wood from Ecuador. Her parts were put together in woodworking shops all across Britain—“every piano factory” Göring grumbled, when the Mosquito proved faster than any German fighter of the day. Then the final assembly took place at de Havilland, where the sections were put together in concrete molds, the glue bombarded with microwaves to hurry the drying. Clifford, Chris; Beebee, Steve, eds. (2009). "Mosquito Flypast Special: A Celebration of de Havilland's 'Wooden Wonder' ". Flypast, 2015. Stamford, Lincs: Key. ISSN 0262-6950.

In a daring mission that would change the course of events, a Dakota aircraft endured a staggering 21 bullet holes but managed to execute a remarkable landing at Kumbhigram air base near Silchar. This critical incident marked the turning point that prompted offensive air operations. Strategic Airstrikes The bombing may have managed to crush the Mizo uprising but it also helped usher in two more decades of insurgency. Following the bombing, the Union government implemented what it termed the “regrouping of villages” in which thousands of Mizos deep in the hills and hamlets of what is now Mizoram were forcefully displaced – their homes and villages burned – and relocated in centres along an arterial highway under armed guard ostensibly so that the Indian state could keep an eye on them.

The bombing caused colossal destruction with some reports saying Aizawl town had caught fire. Fortunately, only 13 civilians were killed. During one such mission, a Dakota aircraft sustained 21 bullet holes but managed to land at Kumbhigram air base near Silchar. Remarkably, Operation Jericho was executed with remarkable precision. It was characterized by meticulous military preparation and strategy, described by military experts as a “masterstroke.” This level of readiness and execution had not been witnessed before in the Indian subcontinent. As a result, the MNF swiftly overran Aizawl, achieving their objectives in just a matter of days. Operation Jericho & Government’s Response Taken from Mosquito SB-F (F-Freddie, W/Cdr Bob Iredale and F/Lt J. L. McCaul). The aircraft following is MM402 SB-A (A-Apple, S/Ldr W. R. C. Sugden and F/O A. N. Bridges). [25]

Smith was posted to 151 squadron flying Hurricane fighters in July 1940, and was soon involved in the Battle of Britain. On August 15, he shot down two Messerschmidt Bf-109E fighters and damaged a third. Other victories followed in August and October. In November, 151 squadron, flying Hurricanes and Defiant fighters, was re-deployed on night operations against the Luftwaffe's night blitz on British cities. Smith was promoted to the rank of flight commander, and in March 1941 was awarded a DFC. In July, flying a Defiant, he destroyed a Dornier Do-217 bomber and damaged a Junkers Ju88 off Cromer. Thomas, C. (2010). Typhoon Wings of 2nd TAF 1943–45. Osprey Combat Aircraft No. 86. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84603-973-7. To repay their debt of honour, MI6 requested an air raid with a seemingly impossible brief: to simultaneously blow holes in the prison walls, free as many men and women as possible while minimizing casualties, and kill German guards in their quarters. The crews would have to fly their bomb-run at an altitude of just 20ft. Despite the huge difficulties, the RAF decided that the low-level specialists of No. 140 Wing had a chance of success.Channel Coast, Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne, Abbeville, Beauvais, Lille, Arras, Cambrai, St Quentin, Soissons, Rheims, Somme, Ardennes and Marne. [1] Bowman, M. W. (2005). The Reich Intruders: RAF Light Bomber Raids in World War II (1sted.). Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 1-84415-333-9. Bowman, M. W. (1997). De Havilland Mosquito. Crowood Aviation. Ramsbury: Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-075-X.

Operation Jericho had been described by a military writer as an expression of confidence and clinical planning not witnessed hitherto fore in the Indian subcontinent.Jones, R.V. (2017) [1978]. The Wizard War: British Scientific Intelligence 1939-1945. Brattleboro, Vermont: Echo Point Books & Media. ISBN 978-1-63561-054-3. Fishman, J. (1983) [1982]. And the Walls came Tumbling Down (pbk. Pan, Londoned.). London: Souvenir Press. ISBN 0-330-26920-8.