"Asia Ka Sabse Bada Airbase Tha India Mein? Mayurbhanj Ka Bhula Hua WWII Station"

 The Hidden Story of Mayurbhanj Air Station: Ek Bhoola Bisra WWII Legacy

Mayurbhanj air station ki history aaj bhi zyada logon ko nahi pata, kyunki yeh ghane jungle aur beparwahi ke saalon ke niche daba hua hai. Odisha ke jungleon ke beech chhupa hai ek aisa World War II ka airbase - Amarda Road Airstrip - jo ek time pe Allied forces ka major operation center tha Japanese forces ke khilaf. Lekin aaj yeh Mayurbhanj ka yeh bada airbase logon ke yaadon se mita chuka hai, ek aisa bhoola hua military base ban chuka hai jo aaj bhi kurbani aur strategy ki kahaniyan chupchaap sunata hai.

Aaj yeh airstrip ka toota-phoota runway aur idhar-udhar bikhre hawai jahaazon ke parts 1945 ke ek tragic mid-air collision ke gawah hai jisme kai logon ki jaan gayi. Aaj kal kuch historians aur preservation ke shaukeen log is purane Odisha ke site ka documentation kar rahe hain, jisme local logon ki personal kahaniyan aur kuch artifacts bhi samne aaye hain jo is jagah ko ek global yudh se jodte hain. Yeh article le chalta hai aapko ek safar pe - jahan yeh airbase tha ek wartime hero aur aaj hai ek bhoola hua virasat - lekin jise ek nayi zindagi milne ki umeed hai.

WWII ke Dauran Amarda Road Airstrip ka Nirman

1940s ke shuruaati dino mein, jab Asia mein yudh tej ho raha tha, tab yeh airstrip banana start hua tha. Rasgovindpur Airstrip, jo military records mein Amarda Road ke naam se jaana jaata tha, banaya gaya tha Japanese aggression ka jawab dene ke liye Burma mein.

Airstrip kyu banaya gaya tha

apanese forces ne jab Burma pe kabza kiya, tab Allied forces ko ek forward airbase ki zarurat mehsoos hui. Mayurbhanj ka yeh World War II airbase isi demand ka result tha. Lagbhag 3 crore rupaye (aaj ke time mein takriban $10 million) ki lagat se banaya gaya tha yeh base. Pehle defensive purpose ke liye banaya gaya tha, lekin baad mein yeh ek major Allied air operation center ban gaya Southeast Asia mein.

Burma ke front ke paas strategic location

Amarda Road ka location strategic tha. Yeh airbase ek major supply route par tha jahan se Chinese Nationalist Armies ko support milta tha Japanese forces ke khilaf. Yeh airbase ek bade network ka part tha jo Japanese forces ko India mein aage badhne se rokta tha:

Dhalbhumgarh

Dudhkundi

Salua

Digri

Salbani

Chakulia

Yeh sabhi airfields milkar ek defensive shield banate the. Amarda Road airstrip ka location "hump route" ke paas bhi tha - Arunachal aur East Tibet ke upar se jaane wala route jahan se Allied forces China ko support karte the.

RAF aur USAAF ke operations

Is airstrip se RAF (Royal Air Force) aur USAAF (United States Army Air Forces) dono ne major operations kiye the. RAF ki 3 squadrons - No. 136, 177, aur 607 - yahan stationed thi. February 1943 mein yahan par ek special training unit - "Air Fighting Training Unit" bhi banayi gayi thi. Planes China jaate the Chabua, Jorhat, aur Vijaynagar ke through, Himalayan routes ke upar se.

Yeh airstrip lagbhag 900 acres mein phaila tha aur uska runway Asia ka sabse lamba runway maana jaata tha. Yeh base ek bomber launch pad ke saath-saath ek major logistics hub bhi tha Allied operations ke liye.

1945 ki Bhool Bhulaiya - Mid-Air Collision

WWII ke last dinon mein ek tragic accident hua - do RAF ke B-24 Liberator bombers ka mid-air collision. Yeh incident Mayurbhanj ke air station ke history mein ek dardnaak chapter ban gaya.

Crash ki puri details

26 July 1945 ko subah 9:45 baje, do RAF bombers - EW225 aur EW247 - ek training formation exercise mein thhe. Badalte mausam aur ghane badalon ki wajah se squadron leader ne cloud ke neeche se nikalne ki koshish ki, lekin aircrafts zero visibility mein cloud ke andar chale gaye. Waha dono aircrafts dangerously close aa gaye aur ek dusre se takra gaye. EW247 ne pull up kiya lekin usne EW225 ka tail tod diya aur khud ka wing kho diya.

14 jawanon ki maut ho gayi - 6 British, 3 American, 1 Canadian, 1 Dutch, 1 New Zealander, 1 Australian aur 1 Indian serviceman. Irony yeh thi ki kuch din baad airstrip band hone wala tha kyunki Europe mein war khatam ho chuka tha.

Search aur recovery ke challenges

Crash ke baad aircrafts ka debris gira ek remote area mein jo ki monsoon se bhare paddy fields the. Waha tak pahuchna mushkil tha. Road ya bridge nahi tha. Log missing in action declare kar diye gaye. Kuch hafte baad weather thoda better hone ke baad ek 12 logon ka search team gaya site pe lekin bodies badly decomposed thi.

Bodies ko do graves mein dafnaya gaya. 1953 mein Royal War Graves Commission ne bodies ko Madras War Cemetery le jaake waha re-burial kiya.

Historian Anil Dhir ne baad mein jab Madras Cemetery gaye toh unhone dekha 14 gravestones ek saath - wahi se unka research start hua.

Yaadon ko Zinda Karna: Memorials aur Kahaniyan

2011 mein pehli baar ek memorial service hui Amarda Road Airstrip pe. Local school kids, Air Force ke log, activists, aur MLA Rajkishore Das waha gaye. Tab se har saal historian Anil Dhir ek memorial event karwa rahe hain:

Gandhi ji ke all-religion prayer aur Lord's Prayer padhe jaate hain

Har airman ke naam pe wreaths rakhe jaate hain

School kids participate karte hain

Dhir ne research mein Matt Poole (ek war historian) se help li aur governments se baar-baar memorials ki demand ki. Unhone kai families ko locate kiya, jisme Flight Officer Peter Ettlinger ki daughter bhi thi jo sirf 10 months ki thi jab unke pita shaheed hue.

Kayi families ne items donate kiye jaise chair, folding cot, uniform, photos etc. In sab ko leke Gandhi Gurukul mein ek "Peace Museum" ban raha hai jisme British, Dutch, American, Australian authorities ne bhi contribution diya hai.

Future Possibilities: Airstrip ka Bhavishya

Aaj yeh airstrip ka runway ab bhi 3500 feet intact hai. Concrete itna strong hai ki 70 saal ke baad bhi zyada damage nahi hua. Buildings tooten-phoot chuki hain, lekin foundations ab bhi original design dikhate hain. Local log kabhi-kabhi yeh jagah use karte hain jaise playground.

UDAN scheme ke under Government ne isko revive karne ka plan banaya hai. Historical aur aviation dono purpose ke liye. Kuch initial inspections bhi ho chuke hain.

Yeh airstrip industrial aur tourism angle se bhi important ban sakta hai. Revival se local economy ko bhi boost mil sakta hai.

Peace Museum ke saath MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) hub banane ka plan bhi hai jisse employment milega aur heritage preserve hoga.

Conclusion

Amarda Road Airstrip ek example hai ki kaise ek jagah ki history bhool jaati hai lekin uski kahani mitti mein ab bhi chhupi rehti hai. WWII ke dino ka yeh strategic base aaj ek forgotten memory ban chuka hai, lekin uska role Allied victory mein crucial tha.

Memorial services, Dhir ka research, aur families ka connect hone se yeh bhoola hua chapter phir se zinda ho raha hai. UDAN scheme aur Peace Museum jaise plans se yeh jagah ek baar phir se relevant ban sakti hai - na sirf as a monument, balki ek working center bhi.

Yeh kahani sirf ek airbase ki nahi hai - yeh ek misaal hai ki kaise sacrifice aur unity ko hum future generations tak le ja sakte hain. Mayurbhanj ka yeh chhupa hua virasat 

ek nayi pehchaan dhoondh raha hai - jahan history aur future dono ka milan ho raha hai.

“Aapko kya lagta hai, aise bhule facts aur bhi chhupe hain India mein? Comment zaroor karein!”