PAKISTAN AIR FORCE

When the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was established on August 15, 1947, it had only a small amount of aircraft and only few to fly that amount. There were even fewer places to fly from. The PAF came into being with only thirty-two C-47 Dakotas and types like Tempests, Harvards, Tiger Moths and Auster V's which were delivered to No. 5, 6 and 9 Squadron. Operating these types of aircraft in Pakistan was far from ideal. The Dakotas were having severe trouble flying at their maximum altitude of 10.000 feet to avoid the tops of the world's highest mountains. Because most mountains in northern Pakistan are even taller than that, only one route, which lead through the narrow Indus Valley, could be used to reach the important supply-airfields Chilas, Bunji, Gilgit and Skardu.

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