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	{{Short description\|Indian Air Force officer (1933–1972)}}		{{Short description\|Indian Air Force officer (1933–1972)}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=July ~~2022~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2020}}
	{{Use Indian English\|date=July ~~2022~~}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=July 2020}}
	{{Infobox military person		{{Infobox military person
	\| honorific_prefix = [[Wing commander (rank)\|Wing Commander]]		\| honorific_prefix = [[Wing commander (rank)\|Wing Commander]]

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{{Short description|Indian Air Force officer (1933–1972)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Wing commander (rank)|Wing Commander]]
| name = Padmanabha Gautam
| honorific_suffix = [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]]**, [[Vayu Sena Medal|VM]]
| image =
| caption = Wing Commander P Gautam
| birth_date = 23 July 1933<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Record/view.php?srnum=4482|title=Service Record for Wing Commander Padmanabha Gautam 4482 F(P) [bharat-rakshak.com]-->}}</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|1972|11|25|1933|7|23|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Chennai, Tamil Nadu]], India<ref name="Chakravorty1995">{{cite book|author=B. Chakravorty|title=Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzizVBSb4YsC&pg=PA173|year=1995|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7023-516-3|page=173}}</ref>
| death_place = [[Pune, Maharashtra]]
| placeofburial =
| allegiance = India
| branch = [[Indian Air Force]]
| serviceyears = 1953-1972
| rank = [[Wing commander (rank)|Wing Commander]]
| servicenumber = 4482<ref>{{cite web | url=https://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/wing-commander-padmanabha-gautam | title=Wing Commander Padmanabha Gautam - Maha Vir Chakra | publisher=Ministry of Defence, Government of India | date=5 December 1971 | access-date=9 July 2020 }}</ref>
| unit = * [[No. 5 Squadron IAF]]
*Jet Bomber Conversion Unit (JBCU)
* [[No. 16 Squadron IAF]]
| battles = {{plainlist|
*[[Congo Crisis|1961 Congo Crisis]]
*[[1965 Indo-Pakistani war]]
*[[1971 Indo-Pakistani War]]
}}
| awards = {{ubl|[[Maha Vir Chakra]] [[Medal bar|& Bar]] | [[Vayu Sena Medal]] (Gallantry)}}
}}
[[Wing commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] '''Padmanabha Gautam''', [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]] [[Medal bar|& Bar]], [[Vayu Sena Medal|VM]] (23 July 1933 – 25 November 1972) was an officer in the [[Indian Air Force]]. He was awarded the India's second-highest war-time gallantry award, the [[Maha Vir Chakra]] twice. Awarded during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] and the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], Gautam is one of only six officers to have been decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra twice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianairforce.nic.in/show_page.php?pg_id=315|title=SQUADRON LEADER PADMANABHA GAUTAM (4482) VM : MAHA VIR CHAKRA|website=indianairforce.nic.in|access-date=2016-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510154155/http://indianairforce.nic.in/show_page.php?pg_id=315|archive-date=2017-05-10|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Gautam was born on 23 July 1933 in [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]] to Neelkanta Padmanabha.

==Military career==
Gautam was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 1 April 1953.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners|last=Chakravorty|first=B.|publisher=Allied Publishers|year=1995|pages=173–174}}</ref> In 1961, he served as a Flight Lieutenant which as deployed in [[Congo Crisis|Congo]] and was awarded the [[Vayu Sena Medal]] for his service.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Record/view.php?srnum=4482|title=Service Record for Wing Commander Padmanabha Gautam 4482 F(P) [bharat-rakshak.com]-->|website=www.bharat-rakshak.com|access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref> On 25 November 1972, he died in an air-crash due to [[internal bleeding]]. The engine of his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MIG-21FL]] flamed shortly after take-off and he was forced to crash land.<ref name="auto"/>

==Maha Vir Chakra==
The citation for the first [[Maha Vir Chakra]] awarded to him reads:
{{Quotation|Gazette Notification: 126 Pres/65,22-9-65
Operation: Operation Riddle, Date of Award: 6 September 1965

Citation:
Squadron Leader P. Gautam, Commanding Officer of a bomber conversion-training unit led it in a number of difficult and dangerous missions. He undertook six important offensive and tactical close-support operations over Pakistani territory during the period from 6 to 21 September 1965. In complete disregard of personal safety in the face of heavy enemy ground fire and of the risk of attack by Pakistani Sabrejets, he carried out his missions successfully with courage and determination. These missions included reconnaissance deep into enemy territory and the bombing of Akwal and Gujarat airfields and enemy troops concentrations in the Gujarat and Chawinda areas.

Throughout the operations, Squadron Leader P Gautam's devotion to duty, professional skill and gallantry were in the finest traditions of the Air Force.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twdi.in/node/1364|title=Mahavir Chakra (MVC), Awardee: Wg Cdr Padmanabha Gautam, MVC @ TWDI}}</ref>}}

The citation for the second [[Maha Vir Chakra]] awarded to him reads:
{{Quotation|Gazette Notification: 22 Pres/72,12-2-72
Operation: 1971 Cactus Lily
Date of Award: 5 December 1971

Citation:
Commander P/ Gautam, Commanding Officer of a bomber squadron, led many missions deep into enemy territory. Notable among these were two raids on the night of the 5 and 7 December 1971 when Wing Commander Gautam led attacks on the Mianwali airfield. On both these occasions, he and his formation were met with intense anti-aircraft fire. Despite that, the target was attacked with great precision, at low level and heavy damage was inflicted. On the other missions, he carried out rocket and four gun attacks on railway marshalling yards in the Montgomery-Raiwind area with conspicuous success. Throughout the operation, Wing Commander Gautam displayed conspicuous gallantry, exemplary flying skill and leadership in the highest traditions of the Air Force.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twdi.in/node/2150|title=Mahavir Chakra (MVC), Awardee: Wg Cdr Padmanabha Gautam, MVC @ TWDI}}</ref>|sign=|source=}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gautam, Padmanabha}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Indian military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Vayu Sena Medal]]

Padmanabha Gautam - Revision history

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