Hedayatollah Gilanshah

Hedayatollah Gilanshah (1907–1986) was the commander of the Imperial Iranian Air Force for three terms. He was among the individuals who contributed to the development of the Iranian air force.[1] In addition, he was one of the army officers who played an active in the coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953.

Hedayatollah Gilanshah
Born1907
Tehran, Sublime State of Persia
Died1986 (aged 78–79)
Service/branchImperial Iranian Air Force
Years of service1930s–1957
RankLieutenant general

Early life and education

Gilanshah was born in Tehran in 1907.[1] He hailed from an aristocratic family.[2] He graduated from the Officers’ Academy in Tehran.[1] He was trained as a pilot in England and France.[1] He joined further training programmes in England and the US.[1]

Career and activities

Between 1950 and 1952 Gilanshah served as the head of the Iranian Soccer Association.[3] In 1952 he was appointed as the chief of staff of the Iranian Air Force.[4] He blamed Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh for his early retirement and joined the anti-Mosaddeq officers.[5] He was part of the pro-British army officers who were planning a coup against the government of Mosaddegh.[2] The major members of this group included General Hassan Arfa, Brigadier General Teymur Bakhtiar and Colonel Hassan Akhavi.[2] Gilanshah was promoted in rank after the coup which had removed Mosaddegh from office and was named as the chief of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's military office.[1] From 1954 to 1957 he was the chief of staff of the Iranian Air Force.[1]

Later years and death

After leaving office he retired and died in 1986.[1]

References
  1. Ali Rahnema (2014). Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran. Thugs, Turncoats, Soldiers, and Spooks. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 303. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139875974. ISBN 9781139875974.
  2. Ervand Abrahamian (Summer 2001). "The 1953 Coup in Iran". Science & Society. 65 (2): 198. JSTOR 40403895.
  3. James M. Dorsey (2017). "Rooted in History: The Politics of Middle Eastern and North African Soccer". In Cenap Çakmak (ed.). The Arab Spring, Civil Society, and Innovative Activism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 195. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-57177-9_9. ISBN 978-1-137-57176-2.
  4. "Persons". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  5. Ervand Abrahamian (2021). Oil Crisis in Iran: From Nationalism to Coup d'Etat. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-108-83749-1.
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