Bot at 20:48, 18 September 2022

2022-09-18T20:48:45Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]]
|name = Denis Anthony La Fontaine
|honorific_suffix = [[Param Vishist Seva Medal|PVSM]], [[Ati Vishist Seva Medal|AVSM]], [[Vayu Sena Medal|VM]]
|native_name =
|native_name_lang =
|image = Denis La Fontaine.jpg |
|caption = Air Chief Marshal Denis Anthony La Fontaine
|office = [[File:Indian CAS flag.jpg|35px]] [[Chief of the Air Staff (India)|13th Chief of Air Staff]]
|term_start = 3 July 1985
|term_end = 31 July 1988
|predecessor = [[Lakshman Mohan Katre]]
|successor = [[Surinder Kumar Mehra]]
|birth_date = {{birth date|1929|09|17|df=yes}}
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|04|06|1929|09|17|df=yes}}
|birth_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
|death_place = [[Medak District]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]<ref name="deccanherald.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/151632/former-air-chief-lafontaine-dead.html|title=Former Air Chief Lafontaine dead, Prez calls him man of innovations}}</ref>
|alma_mater = [[St. Anthony High School, Lahore]]
|nickname =
|allegiance = {{flag|India}}
|branch = {{air force|India}}
|rank=[[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]]
|serviceyears = 1950-1988
| servicenumber = 3844
|commands= [[Chief of the Air Staff (India)]] (1985–1988) [[Central Air Command]] [[Western Air Command]] [[No. 14 Squadron IAF|No.47 Black Archers]] [[No. 14 Squadron IAF|No.14 Fighting Bulls]]
|battles=[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
|awards= [[Param Vishist Seva Medal]] [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]] [[Vayu Sena Medal]]
}}

[[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]] '''Denis Anthony La Fontaine''', [[Param Vishist Seva Medal|PVSM]], [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal|AVSM]], [[Vayu Sena Medal|VM]] (17 September 1929 – 6 April 2011) was the 13th [[Chief of Air Staff (India)|Chief of Air Staff]] of the [[Indian Air Force]] from 3 July 1985 to 31 July 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianairforce.nic.in/show_exchief.php?pg_id=19&ch=13|title=EX-CHIEFS GALLERY}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Born in [[Madras]], Denis Anthony La Fontaine was the son of Major Je La Fontaine of the [[Indian Army Medical Corps]]. His family boasted a lineage of Army service. Both his grandfathers served with the [[Indian Army]] as officers.<ref name="deccanherald.com"/> La Fontaine studied at [[St. Anthony High School, Lahore|St. Anthony's High School]] at Lahore and at [[St. George's College, Mussoorie|St. George's College at Musoorie]].<ref name="indianairforce.nic.in">{{cite web|url=http://indianairforce.nic.in/show_exchief.php?pg_id=19&ch=12|title=EX-CHIEFS GALLERY}}</ref>

== Air force career ==
La Fontaine enrolled into the Indian Air Force in October 1947. He did his training on the [[de Havilland Tiger Moth|Tigermoth aircraft]], moving on to [[North American T-6 Texan|Harvards]], [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s and the [[Hawker Tempest]] aircraft. La Fontaine was commissioned into the flying branch at [[Ambala]] in April 1950.

La Fontaine's first posting was to the No.7 Battle Axes Squadron flying the Tempests aircraft. When No.7 converted to [[De Havilland Vampire]]s in 1951, La Fontaine was one of the first pilots in the Indian Air Force to undergo training in flying the jets, which were the first jet fighters operated by any country in Asia. Soon after, he was selected to undergo the All Purpose Instructors Course. Over the next three years, La Fontaine spent his career imparting beginner, intermediate and operational instructions in flying in a variety of aircraft, including the [[de Havilland Tiger Moth|Tigermoth aircraft]], [[North American T-6 Texan|Harvards]], [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfires]] and [[De Havilland Vampire]]s.

In 1956, La Fontaine returned to operational flying, when he was posted to the No.2 Squadron flying the [[Dassault Ouragan|Toofanis]]. Then he moved onto No.29 Scorpions as a senior flight commander. Command of his own unit came in 1960, wheLa Fontaine was promoted to [[Indian Air Force|squadron leader]] and was entrusted to raise a new squadron, No.47 Black Archers. This squadron, also flying the Toofanis became the first fighter combat squadron to win the Mukherjee Trophy in its first year of raising. After the upgrading of ranks of the squadron commanders of fighter squadrons, to [[Indian Air Force|wing commander]], La Fontaine took over command of No.14 Fighting Bulls Squadron at [[Kalaikunda]].<ref name="indianairforce.nic.in"/>

== Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 ==
Flying the [[Hawker Hunter]], La Fontaine was involved in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Indo-Pak Ops of 1965]]. He led an unfruitful fighter interception sweep over the [[East Pakistan]]i city of [[Jessore (city)|Jessore]] and an abortive interception to [[Barrackpore]]. Aircraft from his unit did take on the Pakistani [[North American F-86 Sabre]] over [[Kalaikunda]] and No.14 Squadron was the only Hunter unit in 1965 that encountered the enemy Sabres and got the best of them and were still unscathed. Told to lay off operations against targets within East Pakistan, La Fontaine and his team did not see much action later on.<ref name="indianairforce.nic.in"/>

== Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 ==
At the outbreak of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 War]], he was deputed as a senior staff officer to the Maritime Air Operations Cell in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] to help out civilian airline operations.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Personnel/Chiefs/263-DA-LaFontaine|title=Denis Anthony La Fontaine - Bharat Rakshak:Indian Air Force}}</ref>

== Chief of Air Staff ==
On the untimely death of the then [[Chief of the Air Staff (India)|Chief of Air Staff]] (CAS) [[Lakshman Madhav Katre|Air Chief Marshal L M. Katre]], La Fontaine took over as the CAS in July 1985. After becoming CAS, he oversaw the IAF inducting state-of-the-art defence fighters like the [[Mirage 2000]] and the [[MiG-29]]. Both were procured primarily to counter the [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|Pakistani F-16]] threat. The IAF was involved in operations for the first time since 1971, when it undertook supply and relief sorties over Sri Lanka. Later after the induction of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force|IPKF]], the IAF was involved in supply and COIN operations. However La Fontaine could not oversee the complete operations of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] (IPKF). He retired in 1988, succeeded by [[Surinder Mehra]].<ref name="auto"/>

== Death ==
La Fontaine died of heart attack on 6 April 2011, at his home in Medak district in Andhra Pradesh; he was 82 and is survived by his wife and three daughters.<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Air Chief Lafontaine Dead|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/former-air-chief-lafontaine-dead/717952|website=outlookindia.com}}</ref> Medak district Collector S Suresh Kumar laid a wreath on Lafontaine's body on behalf of AP government and paid homage.<ref name="deccanherald.com"/>

== Awards ==
During his tenure he was decorated with the [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal]], [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]] and [[Vayu Sena Medal]] for his distinguished service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://telugupeople.com/news/article_00065092_Ex-Air_Chief_Marshal_La_Fontaine_passes_away.asp|title=Ex-Air Chief Marshal La Fontaine passes away - TeluguPeople.com News}}</ref>

==Military Honours and Decorations==

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan="5"|[[File:Param Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg|105px]] [[File:Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|colspan="4"|[[File:Vayusena Medal ribbon.svg|105px]] [[File:India General Service Medal 1947.svg|105px]] [[File:IND Samar Seva Star Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|[[File:IND Paschimi Star Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Raksha Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Sangram Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|[[File:IND 25th Anniversary Independence medal.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 30 Years Long Service Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="2"|[[Param Vishisht Seva Medal]]
|colspan="2"|[[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
|-
| colspan= "1" style="text-align:center;"| [[Vayusena Medal]]
| colspan= "2" style="text-align:center;"| [[General Service Medal 1947|General Service Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|Samar Seva Star]]
|-
|[[Paschimi Star]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|Raksha Medal]]
|[[Sangram Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|Sainya Seva Medal]]
|-
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|25th Anniversary of Independence Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|30 Years Long Service Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|20 Years Long Service Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|9 Years Long Service Medal]]
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before= [[Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee]] |years=1987–1988}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lakshman_Madhav_Katre|Lakshman Katre]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of the Air Staff (India)|Chief of the Air Staff]] |years=1985–1988}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Surinder Mehra]]}}
{{end}}

{{Chief of Defence Staff (India)}}
{{Chief_of_the_Air_Staff_(India)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Fontaine, Denis}}
[[Category:Indian aviators]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Air Staff (India)]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force air marshals]]
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Lahore]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force officers]]
[[Category:National Defence College, India alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Vayu Sena Medal]]

Denis La Fontaine - Revision history

Bot at 20:48, 18 September 2022