THE RHODESIAN BUSH WAR: PART II
Soon after the completion of Operation Pocket, Rhodesia began to work closely with its neighbor, Portuguese East Africa, in which white and black Portuguese citizens fought a desperate struggle against Mozambican nationalists.
The first phase of the war consisted of uncoordinated raids into Rhodesian territory by Zambian terrorist forces, whose main goals were to recruit the local population, destroy infrastructure and kill farmers. The main problem of the terrorists was the lack of coordination between the two military organizations and any clear and well-thought-out plans at all. The terrain also caused trouble - immediately after crossing the Zambezi (crossing it was difficult due to tsetse flies and crocodiles), the terrorists found themselves in an open, clearly visible valley. The lack of good training, the difficulty of supply in the conditions of a population disloyal to them, and the good work of the Rhodesian police also interfered. It was also affected by the fact that the leaders of the illegal armed groups were not professional soldiers, but consisted mainly of black intellectuals.
From the summer of 1968 to the winter of 1969, everything took place in the form of partisan actions and their neutralization. The Freedom Fighters operated in small groups, carrying out terrorist attacks and targeting communications. The Rhodesian Light Infantry and African Rifles responded by using helicopters to destroy the visitors or drive them back into neighboring black countries.
Rhodesian Light Infantry loading into the Douglas
On 29 March 1969, Operation Apollo was launched in conjunction with the Portuguese. Its goal was to destroy ZANLA camps in the Tete province in Portuguese East Africa. However, by December it became clear that all attempts had brought little benefit. The search for the enemy was hampered by the rainy season (moisture washed out the roads, interfering with the supply of government troops, and washed away traces), as well as the weak morale of the Portuguese conscripts and some habits of the Portuguese officers: they could interrupt the pursuit only because... it was siesta time!
On August 3, 1971, a Rhodesian train derailed near Victoria Falls. Operation Lobster was launched. On August 7, ZIPRA claimed responsibility for the attack (with an official announcement on Radio Zambia). By the end of September, the operation was completed, during which 14 terrorists were killed, only a few managed to escape to Zambia.
To summarize, we can say that in the first stage of the war, the Rhodesians led the way, despite the pressure of “all progressive humanity,” which was represented by Western countries and the socialist camp, as well as all kinds of left-wing and liberal organizations, from the CPSU to the World Council of Churches. ZIPRA suffered heavy damage and did not conduct operations until 1976, training personnel in the USSR and the DPRK.
ZANLA was just beginning its guerrilla warfare. From 1970 to 1972 they were recruiters in Mashonaland. Unlike ZIPRA, they immediately decided to rely on total terror of the civilian population, developing Mao’s famous concept “The guerrilla is a fish swimming in the sea of the people.”
This was the situation on the battlefields. In the political sphere, Rhodesia's policy of breaking off relations with Great Britain reigned.
Back on August 9, 1968, instead of the old flag with the Union Jack, the Rhodesian white and green flag was adopted - the famous “Green and White”.
Rhodesian flag
On 20 September that year, a Rhodesian delegation led by Ian Smith accepted an offer to meet with a British delegation led by Harold Wilson aboard the British helicopter carrier Firless off Gibraltar. Negotiations lasted from October 9 to October 14 and ended without result. Attempts to resume negotiations continued for several more months, but the Smith government decided that compromise was impossible.
On June 20, 1969, a constitutional referendum was held. Two questions were posed at it: do you approve of the new Constitution of Rhodesia and do you consider it necessary to proclaim a republic. Rhodesian voters responded positively to both questions. On March 3, 1970, a republic was proclaimed in Rhodesia and Queen Elizabeth II was officially deposed. Government Administration Officer (a position introduced after the UDI as a replacement for the governor) Clifford Dupont became the first President of Rhodesia - however, this position was of a purely ceremonial nature.
On April 10, parliamentary elections were held under the new Constitution. According to it, 50 deputies were elected by white, colored or Asian voters over 21 years of age, fluent in English, literate and having either an annual income of 1,800 Rhodesian dollars in the last two years, or a property worth at least $3,600, or having completed four years of high school (so-called secondary school) and having either an income of $1,200 in the last two years or owning real estate worth at least $2,400.
Another 8 deputies were elected by blacks, also over 21 years old, speaking English, literate and having an annual income of either $600 in the last two years, or owning real estate worth more than $1,200; with two years of secondary education, the income qualification was reduced to $400 , and for real estate - up to $800.
Finally, according to the tribal list, eight deputies were elected by tribal leaders.
A split has emerged among the ZAPU terrorists. The few Shons remaining in the party increasingly expressed disagreement with the bulk of the party. In the early 1970s, James Chikerema, Sean and party vice-president, invited British journalists from the Panorama television program to make a film about the "heroic freedom fighters" without consulting other party leaders. When the film appeared on TV, Nkomo and other senior ZAPU officials were angry. The Zambian government also expressed its displeasure, since some episodes of the film were filmed on Zambian territory.
In October 1971, Chikerema left ZAPU and created his own party, the Front Liberation of Zimbabwe (FROLIZI).
Rhodesian infantryman, equipment and weapons
In August 1971, after another shootout between ZAPU and ZANU militants, Zambian President Kaunda told them to stop disagreeing or get out. Underlining his dissatisfaction, he expelled 129 ZAPU members to Rhodesia. All of them were arrested, some were sentenced to death.
In 1971, the United African National Council (UANC) was created. Its first leader was Bishop Abel Muzorewa. The goal of the UANC was to confront the white regime in Rhodesia itself using non-violent methods. UANC remained the only legal black party for a long time, but this advantage had a downside - Abel Muzoreva could not bring anything to bear against his political opponents except his high moral authority.
Meanwhile, ZANLA forces were reorganizing and strengthening. They were actively helped by the Mozambican rebels FRELIMO, who were well entrenched in Portuguese East Africa south of the Zambezi (ZIPRA also received an offer of help, but Nkomo refused).
ZANLA prepared for the new campaign very carefully. Maoist propaganda was carried out among the local population, underground committees, safehouses and “mailboxes” were created, and routes of penetration and escape were explored. The ZANLA leadership divided the eastern part of Rhodesia into three sectors - Tete, Manika and Gaza, which in turn were also divided into sectors.
Detachments of 10-12 militants penetrated from Portuguese East Africa into Rhodesia, established camps there and waited for arriving reinforcements of 20-30 people - ZANLA accumulated forces in Rhodesia.
Rhodesia also took into account the experience of past battles and prepared for a new stage of the war. The Rhodesian Armored Corps was revived and deployed from an armored squadron armed with obsolete Ferret armored cars. It was armed with the same Ferrets with self-mounted guns and 34 South African Eland armored cars (which were copies of the French Panhard AML).
Later, their own, home-made Rhodesian armored cars of varying degrees of chthonicity appeared - for example, the Bullet TCV, assembled on the basis of a Mercedes Unimog truck, or completely in-house developed and produced by Leopard, or created on the basis of Toyota and Isuzu » Armored personnel carrier "Crocodile". A few years later, the Corps acquired a number of T-34-85 tanks captured from ZIPRA terrorists, and there were also BRDM-2s.
Rhodesian armored vehicles
The “Black Devils,” as they were called because of the color of their overalls, performed excellently in battle, instilling great fear in the rebels, but due to difficulties with the supply of fuel and lubricants, they entered battle less often than other units; the command launched armored vehicles into battle only if the discovery of a large group of terrorists was confirmed.
It cannot be said that the Rhodesians did not prevent the terrorists from preparing for a new campaign. In late September 1972, the Rhodesian SAS launched Operation Sable into Portuguese East Africa. The 2nd and 3rd RLI Commandos were later added to the operation.
The plan involved combing a strip 30 kilometers wide east of the Raya River on Portuguese territory. The operation was carried out, the Rhodesian riflemen found many camps, but they were all abandoned. After the operation was completed, the Rhodesians returned to their territory. Although no terrorists were killed during this operation, it delayed the bandits' invasion of Rhodesia.
On September 30, two members of the territorial defense forces were blown up by mines. Operation Crater ended in mid-November with the capture of several terrorists and the discovery of a cache of weapons.
The war truly began with Operation Hurricane. On December 21, 1972, a group of 10 ZANLA terrorists led by Rex Nhongo attacked Mark de Borchgrave's Altena farm, northeast of the village of Centenary, 30 kilometers west of Mount Darwin. At three o'clock in the morning, terrorists cut telephone wires and mined the road to the farm. Nhongo then reconnoitered the house and the attack began. The terrorists approached the farmhouse, fired at it with AK and RPD (each machine gunner used up two magazines), after which they threw grenades at the windows of the house. In this case, only the farmer's eight-year-old daughter Jane was injured - she was wounded in the leg.
While retreating, the militants set fire to a store they believed belonged to whites. On the way, Nhongo was stopped by the police, but he managed to hide the weapon and his documents were in order, so he was released.
At this time, at the Altena farm, Borchgrave calmed his wife and children and set off on foot (fearing mines or an ambush on the road) to warn the authorities. After the authorities were alerted, the family moved to nearby Whistfield Farm, owned by Archie Dalgleish.
The Security Forces were taken by surprise. All the commandos and Light Infantry headquarters were deployed in the Zambezi Valley to guard the border, with the Support Detachment stationed in Salisbury. On the afternoon of December 22, a detachment of the RLI Support Group and a detachment of SAS arrived at Altena. Operation Hurricane has begun. They removed the mines from the road and walked around the area, but did not find any terrorists.
ZANLA militants and reporter Robert Weller
On the evening of December 22, Nhongo's group approached and attacked the Whistfield farm - they fired at the house with an AK, threw grenades and fired one shot from an RPG-7 into the window of the room where the de Borchgrave family was sleeping. The grenade hit the window frame and slightly wounded the farmer and his nine-year-old daughter Anne. Then the bandits retreated and disappeared. Around midnight, the commanders of the SAS and RLI detachments in the vicinity of Altena learned about this. They immediately set off for Whistfield Farm, but a mine was discovered on the road and they had to walk about one kilometer.
The following morning, two teams of trackers arrived at Whistfield - one from the SAS and one from the police. On December 27, a trail of militants was discovered west of the farm, and SAS soldiers and light infantry headed there. On the way, the RLI truck hit a mine. Two fighters were shell-shocked, one lost both legs and one died.
In their haste, the terrorists leaving for the Musengezi River did not disguise their tracks, and the Rhodesians followed. The next morning after spending the night, they continued their pursuit and discovered a recently abandoned militant camp. To intercept the militants on the river, SAS helicopter landings were dropped along the Musengezi. Moving towards the river, the bandit group ran into an SAS ambush. Three terrorists were killed, the rest fled. For the next day and a half, the terrorists were pursued by SAS units, then again by the RLI. On December 30, light infantrymen discovered and captured a terrorist wounded in the arm and abandoned by his accomplices. Further pursuit proved fruitless.
The terrorists adopted a new tactic - they hid from the Security Forces and the police not in the forests and bushes, but in populated areas, influencing the black population not only with agitation, but also with terror.
On January 8, ZIPRA militants attacked the District Commissariat building in Mount Darwin. The building was fired twice from an RPG-7. Nobody died. A village club was also hit by automatic weapons fire, and a bridge on the road to Mount Darwin was damaged by a mine explosion. On the same day, two policemen were blown up by a mine on the road to Victoria Falls near Kazungula.
On 9 January, Rhodesia closed all road and rail links with Zambia. On January 12, Rhodesian helicopter pilots discovered an abandoned Land Rover near Rushinga. When examining the car, the bodies of two inspectors from the Ministry of Lands were found in it. Another, Gerald Hawksworth, was kidnapped. Rhodesian African Rifles and two helicopters were rushed to pursue the militants, but the prisoner was flown by the militants to Mozambique. He was released only in December 1973.
On January 19, with the permission of the Portuguese government, the Rhodesians began a counter-terrorism operation in Portuguese East Africa. After sunset, two teams of four SAS trackers, one west and one east of the river, were dropped from a C-47 into Portuguese territory. These groups were to determine the landing site for the main group. During the landing, one of the fighters of the “eastern” group did not open his parachute and died.
The surrounding area was wooded and rocky, but soon a more or less suitable site was found. At midnight the main group - 20 SAS soldiers - landed. One of them broke his ankle. He was later evacuated by helicopter; The body of the deceased was later picked up by another helicopter. This group operated on Portuguese territory for about a month, causing a stir among terrorists: it discovered many weapons caches of militants.
On 16 January, a Rhodesian army patrol was fired upon between the Kariba Reservoir and Chirundu on the banks of the Zambezi. On January 18, a Rhodesian police boat on the Zambezi was fired upon from the Zambian coast. On January 19, another Rhodesian police boat was fired at at the Chirundu pier, and on the same date an army truck hit a mine at Mana Pools, two soldiers were slightly wounded.
On January 24, the Ellen-Vannin farm, near Centenary, was attacked by a ZANLA gang of 9 people. The farm was shelled with automatic weapons and pelted with grenades. Farmer Chris Kleinhans was wounded and his wife Ida was killed.
On the same day, this bandit group was intercepted by the army - four terrorists were killed on the spot, one was wounded and later died from his wounds, one 16-year-old was captured. The latter reported that terrorists had set up a secret camp in the Chiweshe tribal areas.
At the end of January, a police patrol was attacked at night near the Zambezi, six police officers were injured. On February 4, the Choana farm south of Centenary was attacked by terrorists - fired from RPG-7s and thrown with grenades. 72-year-old farmer Leslie Jellicoe was killed. In September 1973, one of the terrorists, Rivers Peter Chimumondo, was sentenced to death for this attack and for planting a mine near a store in the Kendeya tribal lands.
Rhodesian infantryman in battle
The Rhodesians were considering new measures against terrorists. Since May 1973, a “cordon sanitaire” was created - a continuous minefield along the border with Zambia and Portuguese East Africa, 1,400 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide. The measure turned out to be extremely effective: over 8,000 ZANLA terrorists were blown up by these mines.
In July 1973, ZANLA bandits attacked the Catholic mission of St. Alberta. 292 students and teachers of the Catholic school at the mission were taken away, and the terrorists went with them to the border. They were intercepted, but only eight people were saved - the rest were taken by terrorists to Mozambique. Such abductions continued to occur and the Security Forces were able to do little.
The Rhodesians continued to develop new methods of combating terrorism. In November 1973, the legendary combat trackers were created - the “Selous Scouts”, who in small groups (no more than 10 people) secretly tracked down and destroyed terrorists. At the same time, they often disguised themselves as militants. 80% of this part consisted of black Rhodesians, and among them there were many captured converted terrorists.
Surprisingly, in the entire eight-year history of the unit there was only one case of betrayal by a converted bandit. Many researchers believe that the reason for such unusual loyalty was the African native mentality. In the pre-colonial period, no prisoners were taken in wars, and the conquered were often enslaved or exterminated. Thus, the deliberately humane treatment of prisoners who were considered promising for conversion by the Rhodesians easily caused something like Stockholm syndrome. In addition, the militants hated those who changed sides even more than they hated the whites themselves, so those who joined the Selous Scouts could only fight to the end.
68% of the terrorists killed were Selous Scouts. The reason for the high efficiency of the unit was their excellent training. Only volunteers became scouts after undergoing very rigorous training. The focus was on bush survival skills and tracking. They were taught to hunt without the use of firearms, during training they ate and slept on bare ground, and only 1/6 of the allotted ration was allocated - the rest was obtained themselves in the bush. During the selection, for example, there was such a test - the candidate was given a raw egg, a match, a rifle and 20 cartridges (in case of an attack by predators) and left in the bush. The next morning he had to present a hard-boiled egg. During the rigorous preparation and selection process, 85% of candidates were eliminated. The Scouts were armed with captured weapons.
The Security Forces came to the conclusion that it was necessary to isolate the black rural population from terrorists. In many villages, curfews began to be introduced in mid-1973. Finally, the leadership decided to start creating protected settlements. This concept was used by the British in Malaya, the Americans in Vietnam and the Portuguese in Mozambique. The settlements performed a dual function - they protected the loyal population from the terror of the rebels and prevented the terrorists' accomplices from assisting them.
Rhodesians during an operation
In Rhodesia, this concept was implemented as follows: protected settlements included tribal ancestral lands, which were divided into areas taking into account the assessment of cultivated land, pastures and water sources. A village was created in each district. This village was surrounded by a wall with fortified bunkers in the most vulnerable places. There was only one entrance to the wall, which was guarded around the clock. At night, the area around the village was patrolled; at dawn, before the settlers were allowed to leave the village, a walk around the perimeter was carried out. Within the village, merchants had the right to sell goods only to registered residents and not more than a certain quantity. Every person entering or leaving was checked to prevent the removal of additional food or equipment or the bringing of weapons into the village.
In April 1974, 200 residents of the Madziva tribal lands were resettled to another part of the country as punishment for supporting terrorists.
On July 27, 1974, an operation began to resettle the population of the Chiweshe tribal lands (where ZANLA militant activity was greatest) into protected villages. Within six weeks, 49,960 black peasants were evicted to 21 protected villages.
The population of the north of Chiweshe, who had been terrorized by militants and were loyal to the Rhodesian authorities, moved voluntarily, but the southerners had already been propagandized by terrorist agitators and resisted the authorities. Several people died during the operation. After the move, the old peasant houses were destroyed. The operation was effective - for the next six months, terrorist activity in the lands of Chiweshe was reduced to almost zero.
At the same time, a new tactic was developed in Rhodesia to combat the insurgency: Fireforce (the word has no analogues in the Russian language and roughly translates as vertical envelopment tactics).
Past counterterrorism operations have shown that old tactics, including foot patrols, tracking, ambushes, interrogation and capture, and aerial reconnaissance, are ineffective. It did not justify the costs, and in addition, many of the detected terrorists managed to escape. Before the use of Fireforce tactics, only 18.5% of detected terrorists were destroyed, which was completely unacceptable and undermined the population's confidence in the forces of the government army, which in the history of counter-guerrilla wars has always seriously reduced the possibility of success.
The new tactics consisted of vertical envelopment of the enemy in small groups landing by parachute and from helicopters. This was followed by a quick encirclement of the discovered group and blocking of any conceivable escape routes. This forced the terrorists to take the fight on the terms of the Rhodesian army, and did not allow them to hide and disappear into the civilian population. Machine-gun fire from the air did not allow the militants to use vertical shelters.
A typical Fireforce operation involved: a commando of light infantry soldiers or a company of African riflemen, 3-4 Alouette transport helicopters (they were called G-cars - general using car), armed with 7.62 machine guns and carrying four Light Infantry soldiers Infantry, one Alouette fire support aircraft (K-car, kill car) with a 20-mm cannon, one light piston reconnaissance and fire support aircraft from the 6th squadron (used Rhodesian-built Lockheed-Aermacchi AL.60 “Trojan”).
Rhodesians disembark from an Alouette helicopter
The squadron had 17 Cessna 185 aircraft. All these aircraft were armed with 20-mm Hispano cannons, FN MAG machine guns, napalm and NURS. In 1976, the squadron received Reims-Cessna FTB 337G "Lynx" aircraft armed with four Hispano cannons, assembled in Rhodesia. These planes often walked in front of helicopters, making their rotors “noisy” to lull the vigilance of terrorists. Also participating in the operations were C-47 Dakota aircraft, which were intended to drop at least five groups of 4-5 people, as well as drop ammunition and jet fuel in case the battle dragged on. The parachutists were dropped from a low altitude, from 90 to 150 meters.
The terrorist group was first discovered by trackers or the "pseudo-terrorist" troop of the Selous Scouts. Pathfinders worked alone or in groups of up to four; they became fighters who had a high level of skills in living in the forest, secret movement, covering tracks and camouflage. Each group had to have at least one person who knew the customs (and preferably the language) of the local residents.
“Pseudo-terrorist” groups were racially mixed and masqueraded as real terrorists. Their main goal was to detect real terrorist groups. Pseudo-gangs were deployed into the countryside and visited villages under the guise of real rebels in order to identify local contacts of real terrorists. The group then tried to arrange a meeting with the terrorists. After the meeting, Fireforce was called in. Could these groups themselves commit crimes against civilians in order to create a hostile attitude towards the militants? There is no reliable information about such episodes, but this could very well happen - in a war, as in a war.
Also, beacons built into radio receivers were used to detect militants. Equipment with bookmarks was left in places where terrorists could stumble upon them, and rural stores and double agents were also supplied with them. The beacon turned on when the radio was turned off. When it became known that militants were operating in a certain area, Lynx aircraft with direction-finding equipment began to patrol it. Having heard the noise of the plane, the militants turned off the receiver, and what happened next was a matter of technology.
Also, the reason for the operations could be ambushes, terrorist attacks on farms and missions, etc.
Airplane "Troyan"
Aerial reconnaissance was also used using the same light aircraft - the pilots learned to recognize the so-called. “toilet marks” are webs of diverging paths from a bush that was used by militants as a toilet, as well as other traces of human presence. After the militants were discovered, all information was transferred to the Fireforce commander, whose detachment was in full readiness at the nearest base.
At first, from 1974 to 1976, operations usually went like this: the K-car was the first to arrive at the location of the terrorists. As the helicopter approached the combat zone, the gunner would throw out a smoke bomb to help the observer correct the flight. Then the K-car went to a height of 240 meters, destroyed the militants with fire and stopped attempts to retreat. G-cars with troops flew around the area along a pre-specified route. By order of the commander of the operation (the commander was in a K-car), they were ready to land “stop groups” to prevent the terrorists from leaving. The Dakota, circling nearby, had reserves on board, aviation fuel on parachutes and ammunition. Operations carried out using this method were labor-intensive, slow, and the terrorists often managed to escape.
In 1977, changes were made to tactics. Now the K-car flew up to the target from behind the observer, passing over him and seeing what he saw, so as not to waste time marking the target with a smoke bomb, but to immediately open fire from the cannon. Also, G-cars received the right to greater initiative. They flew straight to the intended landing site and, once there, looked for the nearest suitable landing site. If the enemy was spotted from the G-car, the landing was carried out immediately; there was no longer any need to request the commander’s permission. If the enemy was not visible, then the stop group did not land, which made it possible, if something happened, to quickly transfer the paratroopers where needed. There was also a pre-approved plan, and the commander could begin to act on it at any moment.
As soon as the stop groups blocked the escape routes, the operation commander ordered the Dakota to begin dropping paratroopers. The paratroopers began to comb the area, driving the terrorists out into the open under fire from the K-car or into ambushes by stop groups.
K-car's 20mm cannon
In 1978, Rhodesia finally had a sufficient number of helicopters. The new, 8th squadron was formed from 10 Agusta-Bell 205A helicopters (an Italian copy of the famous Huey), secretly delivered to Rhodesia (there is a version that with the help of Israel). 13 helicopters were not purchased from Italy, allegedly for delivery to Kuwait. The ship with them reached Beirut, the helicopters were taken to the suburbs of Beirut and there they were replaced with weapons for the Christian militia of Major Haddad. They were then taken to the Comoros Islands, and from there to Rhodesia. The Rhodesians began to use only 10 helicopters - 3 turned out to be faulty and were dismantled for spare parts.
Due to the sufficient number of helicopters, it became possible to change tactics again. Since 1979, twice as many helicopters have participated in the operation: two K-cars and eight G-cars. Support for Hawker "Hunter" aircraft was also often added.
Seven minutes before the G-cars arrived, two K-cars attacked the militants, trying to cause them the greatest damage and disperse the ranks. In many operations, immediately after the helicopter strike, the attack was carried out by attack aircraft. After this, the militants hid in shelters. Then the stop groups disembarked from helicopters and took up their positions, and the paratroopers began combing the area. This improvement in tactics allowed for significantly faster operations, often defeating terrorists in as little as an hour. This is how most of the infiltrating gang groups were eliminated.
The following will outline the most significant events.
The first Operation Fireforce was carried out on 24 February under the leadership of Selous Scouts Lieutenant Dave Collett. The operation was successful, the ZANLA militant group was destroyed. The new tactics showed their effectiveness: in 1974, 345 ZANLA militants and 75% of its leadership were destroyed. More militants were killed in October and November 1974 than in the previous two years.
The Selous Scouts also carried out their operations - Operation Ogorodik became widely known. At the foot of the Muvuradon Mountains, where several main routes for terrorists from Mozambique to Rhodesia converged, lived one of the intermediaries who provided communication between the terrorists and their leadership in Mozambique. He was well known to the Rhodesians, but there was no significant evidence against him. In addition, he was very cunning and always uncovered “pseudo-terrorist” scout groups, no matter how hard they tried to resemble real terrorists. At the same time, he pretended that he was glad to meet the freedom fighters, gave them food and promised help, but in reality, he reported their every step to real terrorists. All scout work in the Muvuradon area was paralyzed because of this man.
Then the Rhodesian command developed an original plan. In November 1974, a “lighted” group of scouts was sent to the area. Upon arrival, she made contact with the intermediary. The commander explained to the accomplice that the group had been in Mozambique all this time, and now they had returned with a new batch of weapons, ammunition and equipment to transfer to local militants. To show that they were not lying, the scouts showed the intermediary a cache of weapons in the bush. The guide fed the group and invited the scouts to rest, while he himself went to inform the real ZANLA terrorists that the whites, out of their stupidity, were giving the rebels a gift in the form of weapons and ammunition. The scouts immediately after the messenger left moved the cache to another place.
Rhodesian Air Base
That evening, the intermediary reported that local militants had arranged a meeting for them to discuss the terms of the transfer of weapons. Of course it was a trap. The scout leader said that they had returned to Rhodesia with a much larger group of rebels, whose commander had sent this group ahead to find out the situation, and the final decision on the transfer of weapons depended only on him. The militants' accomplice was delighted - two groups of scouts fell into a trap at once. At night, the scouts led a messenger to the meeting place. Four people were sitting in a clearing in the deep bush among boulders and bushes. The rest of the group hid behind the boulders, but the accomplice did not know this.
During the conversation, the commander of the second group (he was Scout Captain Basil Moss) suddenly accused the guide of treason. The latter began to make excuses and reported a bunch of compromising facts that proved his complicity with terrorists. Then the scouts called themselves. Having intimidated the accomplice with reprisals against his family and himself, they forced him to agree to cooperate. To prevent the intermediary from escaping, the scouts forced him to sign a receipt for cooperation and receipt of money from the Rhodesian authorities. After which the messenger was instructed.
The next morning, he informed the real militants that he had managed to lure the Rhodesians into a trap, ZANLA troops would be able to deal with two detachments of Rhodesian special forces and get a lot of weapons, ammunition and equipment from the cache. When the terrorists arrived at the designated location, they were attacked by Scouts and Rhodesian Light Infantry. In a short battle, all the militants were destroyed.
A little later, another rebel accomplice was recruited in a similar way. Thanks to their work, 32 terrorists were killed in November and December 1974, and another 18 were captured. Unfortunately, the operation did not continue for long - the first intermediary lost his nerve, and he fled to Mozambique with his family, not afraid of the danger of being killed by his own people, and the second, a few days later, was justifiably stabbed to death by militants on suspicion of treason.
Rhodesia also experienced difficulties. Due to a lack of human resources, it was necessary to increase the period of military service from six to twelve months. The Rhodesian Light Infantry began to accept foreign volunteers into its ranks. In addition, Rhodesia lost an ally: on April 25, 1974, a left-wing military coup took place in Portugal. The authoritarian conservative regime of the New State was overthrown. A transitional government was installed that decided to end the fight for overseas territories in Africa, specifically Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau), Angola and Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique). Negotiations for independence with the leaders of terrorist movements began immediately. Rhodesia lost the support of an ally and gained an additional 1,100 kilometers of border through which militants infiltrated.
Political situation in 1965 and 1975
The South African government, concerned about the success of the rebel movements in the Portuguese colonies, decided to conduct détente with neighboring states. Under pressure from Pretoria, Rhodesia was forced to accept an armistice agreement. Under its terms, Zambia was obliged to prevent militants from entering Rhodesia, and Rhodesia would release terrorists from prison and stop all actions against them. Among the militants released from prison was Robert Mugabe, the future president of Zimbabwe.
The agreement was signed on December 11, 1974 and had fatal consequences for Rhodesia. It gave the terrorists time to recover. But what’s even worse is that the rural population firmly decided that the militants would succeed. From then on, the sympathies of the black population of Rhodesia began to lean towards terrorists.
Disappeared but not defeated
Rhodesian security forces resisted the onslaught of terrorists for fifteen years, from 1965 to 1979, during which time the state of Rhodesia itself was almost completely isolated. But the history of the Rhodesian army began much earlier, at the end of the 19th century - and from that time on, Rhodesians took part in almost all the wars of the British Commonwealth.
Origins: from the British South Africa Company police to the Boer War volunteers
The founding date of the Rhodesian Army can be considered October 29, 1889, when Queen Victoria granted the British South Africa Company permission to “explore and administer”
lands lying north of the Limpopo River. Soon the column of pioneers moved north, accompanied by five hundred former members of the Bechuanaland Frontier Police. The detachment, called the British South Africa Company Police, is considered the prototype of the Rhodesian armed forces.
Officers who accompanied the pioneer column
By 1892, the BSACP consisted of several units: the Mashonaland Cavalry, the Mashonaland Mounted Police and the Mashonaland Constables.
In 1893, a war broke out with the Matabele tribe, which required an increase in the armed forces by another thousand people. The volunteers formed several new units: the Salisbury Cavalry, the Victoria Rangers and the Raaf Rangers. Within three months of the war, the Matabele forces were completely defeated. The most heroic moment of this war was the battle of a patrol detachment of 34 people, pressed by the enemy to the Shangani River. The battle lasted all day, and by the end of it all the soldiers on the patrol were dead. The Matabele were paid tribute to their courage and buried with honors.
The last stand of the Shangani patrol
After the end of the war in December 1893, the voluntary regiments were disbanded, and from part of their personnel one regiment was formed - the Rhodesian Cavalry.
In 1895, a British uprising against Boer rule began in the Transvaal. The Rhodesians, in a patriotic outburst, staged a raid on the territory of this state. The detachment under the leadership of Dr. Jameson consisted of a small detachment of cavalry and several cannons. The forces were not equal, and Jameson and his men were captured by the Boers. As a result, the colony was left almost defenseless, which led to the uprising of the Matabele and Mashona tribes in 1896. It lasted until 1898, and it was only possible to suppress it with the participation of British units from Natal and the Cape Colony who arrived to help the besieged possession.
Soon the Rhodesian Mounted Police was formed, which in 1909 became the British South Africa Police (BSAP). This department was the basis of the Rhodesian police force until the very end of the country's existence and was disbanded only in 1980.
With the expansion of the territory, it was decided to create military units directly. In 1898, the Southern Rhodesia Volunteers were formed. It consisted of the Eastern Division, based in Salisbury, and the Western Division, based in Bulawayo.
The regiment took part in the Boer War, coming with the Mounted Police to the aid of the British during the Siege of Mafeking. At the same time, in Rhodesia itself, the Rhodesian Regiment (Rhodesia Regiment) was formed to protect its internal borders.
Southern Rhodesian Volunteers are sent to the Boer War. 1899
After the end of the Boer War, the armed forces of the colony became permanent parts of the British army, and the Southern Rhodesian Volunteer Regiment received a banner and insignia.
Rhodesian armed forces in the world wars
The Rhodesian regiment, in turn, was disbanded after the siege of Mafeking. But in 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, it was recreated. The small colony in southern Africa was able to raise two full-fledged regiments for the British Commonwealth troops, sending 5,000 white men (which was no less than 25% of the white population of Rhodesia at that time) and 2,000 black men to the war. These regiments fought in German South-West and East Africa. They were later sent to France.
During the same period, the Rhodesian Native Regiment, consisting of Africans, was formed. After the end of the First World War, he received the distinctive "East Africa 1916–1918" insignia on his banner. These insignia would later be transferred to the Rhodesian African Rifles. The Southern Rhodesia Volunteers were disbanded in 1920, although a few rifle companies were retained in Rhodesia's main towns.
Rhodesian Regiment on the streets of Cape Town, 1914
The Defense Act, adopted in 1927, determined the need to create permanent armed forces in the colonies and dominions of the British Commonwealth. By 1939, compulsory conscription was introduced in Rhodesia, and the police (BSAP) were finally separated from the army.
In 1934, the Rhodesian Air Force was created (initially as part of the Rhodesian Regiment). In 1936 they were withdrawn into a separate unit, and in 1937 the fledgling air force was given an airfield and base at Cranebourne Barracks in Salisbury. In September 1939 they began to bear the name "Southern Rhodesian Air Force", and in 1940 they were officially incorporated into the Commonwealth Air Force.
With the outbreak of World War II, there was a need to increase the armed forces. The 1st Battalion of the Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR), an artillery detachment, an armored vehicle detachment, and training centers at Gwelo and Umtali were created. Rhodesians served in many British units - in order not to risk extermination of all the men of the colony of military age, they were not brought together into one unit, but were distributed among different ones. Two conscript battalions were left behind to defend Rhodesian territory. A flight training center was also established at Thornhill Air Base, and almost 2,000 people trained there before the end of the war.
Air Force Training Center at Thornhill AFB
The Rhodesians fought in most of the theaters of war. In North Africa, there was a Deep Desert Reconnaissance Group, Long Range Desert Patrol - “Desert Rats”. In Burma and Indochina, the Rhodesian African Rifles served with the King's African Rifles in the 22nd (East African) Independent Brigade. This unit first saw action in April 1945 and performed well in Burma.
The Rhodesians fought in artillery and tank units, as well as in commando saboteur units (the prototype of the SAS). After the war, the Rhodesian Regiment received the "Royal" prefix for its merits, which would only be removed in 1970, after the declaration of independence.
Rhodesians of the Royal Fusiliers in North Africa
Three squadrons in the Royal Air Force deserve special mention: the 237th and 266th Fighter Squadrons and the 44th Bomber Squadron, which were staffed for the most part by residents of Southern Rhodesia. They took part in the Battle of Britain, battles in North Africa and Europe. In total, 2,300 people fought in these squadrons, of whom every fifth died.
The 237th and 266th squadrons were disbanded at the end of the war, the 44th existed until 1957. It is noteworthy that Ian Douglas Smith, the future Prime Minister of Rhodesia, fought in 237 Squadron. He was shot down in the skies over Italy in 1944, but managed to get out to the Allies, crossing from Italy to France through the Alps.
Lancasters of the 44th Bomber Squadron in flight, 1942
Final years under the British Colonial Empire
In 1947, the Rhodesian Air Force became an independent unit. In 1952 they moved permanently to the air base at New Saruma and were renamed the Federation Rhodesian Air Force (referring to the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland).
In 1948, conflict began in Malaya between communist guerrilla forces and the British government. The fighting took place mostly in the jungle, and special soldiers were required who could track down the enemy while away from their bases. In 1951, a group of Rhodesian volunteers join British forces in Malaya. They took part in operations with the Malayan Scouts and subsequently, in 1961, became C Troop of the 22nd SAS, Britain's most elite special forces unit. In 1952, Rhodesia again assisted Commonwealth forces in the Suez Canal Zone conflict.
C Troop, 22nd SAS, during the Malaya conflict, 1953
During the existence of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now three independent African states - Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi), the army was completely reorganized, and each unit received the name "Rhodesia and Nyasaland". In 1955, rotating African Rifles units were sent to Malaya to replace the Northern Rhodesian Regiment. In 1961, the second purely “white” unit of Rhodesia was formed (the first was Squadron “C” SAS) - the 1st Battalion of the Rhodesian Light Infantry.
In 1964, the federation collapsed, and in 1965, Prime Minister Ian Douglas Smith unilaterally proclaimed the independence of Rhodesia from Great Britain. Naturally, this again causes changes in the army.
Rhodesia under siege
Since April 1966, militant groups began to infiltrate Rhodesia from neighboring Zambia. But the official beginning of the “War of Independence” (Bushwar, “Second Chimurenga”) is considered to be 1972 and the attack on the Altena farm in Centenary County.
The course of the war required non-standard solutions. The terrorists knew the terrain very well, worked in small groups and, if detected by security forces, disappeared into the bush. Some captured fighters from among them went over to the side of the Rhodesians, which made it possible to subsequently introduce agents and “pseudo-terrorists” into the nationalist camps. Based on this experience, a pathfinder course was created, which was taken by members of the SAS, a special unit of police and criminal investigation. As a result, the Tracking Combat Unit arose. TCU fighters tracked down the terrorists, infiltrated their structures, found out the necessary information, and then either transferred it to the special operations center, or called in the light infantry airborne forces and African riflemen, who destroyed the enemy.
Selous Scouts disguised as terrorists
In the period from 1973 to the beginning of 1977. with their help, directly or indirectly, about 1,200 of the 2,500 terrorists who entered Rhodesian territory were destroyed. The successes of the “pseudo-terrorists” were so great that in 1974 the number of TCU groups was increased to six. They were later reorganized into a special unit - the Selous Scouts.
The Selous Scouts were 70% black. It included former members of ZANLA and ZIPRA, police, African Rifles, light infantry and SAS. The fighters were taught to survive in the bush, read tracks, disguise themselves as terrorists and much more. To this day, selection for Selous Scouts is considered one of the toughest in the world - less than 10% of those who began training reached the end.
Terrorists very often hid in rugged and inaccessible terrain. To ensure greater infantry mobility, a mounted infantry unit was created - Gray's Scouts. His fighters were not cavalry in the full sense of the word, but used horses only as transport. The main tasks of the unit were patrolling, reconnaissance and pursuit of the enemy. Patrolling the territory, on an average day, Gray's scouts examined the area within a radius of 40 kilometers.
When the command of the Rhodesian armed forces realized that it was virtually useless to wage war on its territory, because... More and more terrorist detachments are penetrating across the borders with Zambia and Mozambique, it became clear that the war must be transferred to enemy territory.
Four De Havilland Vampire fighters from the 2nd Squadron of the Rhodesian Air Force in the Victoria Falls area
Since 1976, rapid raids were carried out in the territories of Zambia and Mozambique to destroy enemy camps by forces of the Selous Scouts, SAS, light infantry, air force and armored car corps. So, for example, Operation Gatling was a response to the destruction of a civilian Rhodesian airliner (Vickers Viscount, flight 825, tail number 782D) on September 3, 1978. The airliner was shot down by a Strela-2 MANPADS near Lake Caribou. Eighteen people who survived the fall were killed by terrorists. In response to this, the Rhodesian Air Force carried out an unprecedented raid on Zambian territory: Air Force bombers bombed the training camps, and the troops that landed after them cleared the terrorist camps.
On February 12, 1979, another airliner (flight 827) was shot down by freedom fighters. In response to these actions, the Rhodesian Air Force conducted Operation Vanity, a raid on Angola. Having successfully bombed the training camps, the Rhodesian pilots returned to their bases without losses. The Selous Scouts and SAS raided the ZIPRA headquarters in Zambia, nearly killing ZIPRA leader Joshua Nkomo in the raid.
Light infantry soldiers are loaded into a helicopter
It is worth mentioning the “mercenaries” in the Rhodesian army. As part of its units, people from all over the world fought - the French, the British, the Americans (there were especially many of them in the light infantry). However, they received the same salary as ordinary soldiers and did not have any privileges or concessions compared to the Rhodesians. Despite their merits and titles, they were all first selected for the desired units, and then enrolled there on a general basis.
This, by the way, caused a wave of discontent among many newly arrived experienced soldiers, and they often went back without even unpacking their things. From the point of view of the international law of military conflicts, these foreign military personnel were volunteers rather than mercenaries.
End of the Rhodesian Army
Despite partial successes in waging the war, it became clear that the Rhodesians would not be able to overcome the endless stream of nationalist partisans supplied with Soviet and Chinese weapons. Economic sanctions against Rhodesia also played a role. Trade with the whole world “under the counter” in valuable minerals could not compensate for the unacceptably high costs of the war. By 1979, they reached 1 million US dollars a day, which was a very significant amount for small Rhodesia.
Foreign observers (in olive uniform) who arrived to verify the legality of the elections in Rhodesia
Peace negotiations began in 1979, during which civilians continued to die from mines and bullets. Based on their results, it was agreed that free elections would be held in the country in 1980 under the supervision of the international community.
Despite all this, the Rhodesian military prepared Operation Quartz, whose goal was to destroy the leadership of ZANLA, kill Robert Mugabe and prevent a Marxist coup in Rhodesia by force of arms. When it became clear that Mugabe had won a decisive victory in the elections, the military was forced to cancel the operation so as not to start a new round of war and to avoid unnecessary casualties.
Last parade of the Rhodesian Light Infantry
1980 marked the virtual destruction of the Rhodesian security forces. Lieutenant General Peter Walls was dismissed by the new president. Fearing reprisals from the new authorities, many white residents left Zimbabwe with their entire families.
The Selous Scouts, SAS and Rhodesian Light Infantry caused the greatest hatred among the former guerrillas. Most of the Selous Scouts secretly left the country, crossing the border into South Africa and enlisting in 5 Recce (South African reconnaissance and sabotage unit). All documentation, lists of personnel and methods of training scouts were classified or destroyed by former Rhodesians.
Soldier Memorial erected in Great Britain
At 11:00 on July 25, 1980, Rhodesian light infantrymen marched along the regimental parade ground past the soldier’s monument, cast from spent cartridges, in solemn formation for the last time, greeting their fallen comrades. Lists of the dead were read out, and the battalion chaplain read a prayer. A bagpiper played "The Last Post" and wreaths were laid at the memorial and regimental colors were folded. On July 28, the statue was removed from its pedestal and transported to South Africa. She is currently based in the UK. The 1st Battalion Rhodesian Light Infantry was finally disbanded on 31 October 1980.
The SAS held a simple farewell ceremony and folded the unit's colours. However, this was not the end - they carried out Operation South of the Border. During its course, a memorial slab was taken across the border with South Africa, on which were carved the names of the operatives who died in the war against terrorists (the government that came to power, naturally, first of all began to fight the monuments of the “white regime”). This stove is now installed on the farm of one of the SAS veterans near Durban in South Africa. All documents of the unit were destroyed.
Memorial plaque of the Rhodesian SAS
The Rhodesian African riflemen held out the longest in the “whirlwind of change.” In 1980, they took part in suppressing protests by groups opposing the new government. In November 1980 and February 1981, African riflemen took part in suppressing the uprisings. While the unit of the new army of Zimbabwe (5th brigade) was formed and trained under the guidance of North Korean instructors, in fact the only fighting force in the country remained the Rhodesian African riflemen.
By December 1981, the situation in the army and the nature of the orders given to it had deteriorated so much that most of the old soldiers simply deserted. On December 31, 1981, an order was given for the inclusion of the remnants of the Rhodesian African Rifles into the newly created units of the Zimbabwe Army.
Emblem of the Rhodesian Army
This was the end of the history of the armed forces of Rhodesia, a country that supported Great Britain throughout its history and was then betrayed by it. The Rhodesian army, which fought even when the whole world was against it, was never defeated by force of arms. Politicians put an end to it.
Literature:
- https://en.wikipedia.org
- Blog of Sergei Karamaev (https://tiomkin.livejournal.com)
- https://rhodesians.ru
- https://rhodesia.nl
- Brief History of the Rhodesian Army by R. Allport
- https://rhodesianforces.org
- OSPREY MEN AT ARMS No. 018 – Modern African Wars (I): Rhodesia 1965–1980
- https://www.iwm.org.uk
It was Rhodesia, but it became Zimbabwe: the story of the transformation from a prosperous republic to a banana one
So, let's get down to the requested facts. In the territory that interested Rhodes, there was no developed culture or full-fledged states. There, the newly arrived Matabele (Ndebele) nomads bullied the tribes of sedentary Shona farmers...But the memory of the uprisings gave rise to the native legend of the heroic “chimurenga” - a war of liberation against the white invaders...despite the fact that the “war of liberation” aimed at their enslavement. The Ndebele came there before the British and quite managed to acquire statehood, a full-fledged capital, and considered the land theirs with the right to raid the local tribes, contemptuously nicknamed Shona (and the Ndebele fled from the Zulu empire, shouldn’t they also be considered a state?) - this is how Zulu economics worked. It was from them that BSAC bargained for the right to develop mineral resources, and then simply annexed the land. If the first “uprising” was a war for workers between exploiters, then the further introduction of taxes led precisely to the uprising of not only the offended Ndebele, but also the protected Shona. It was called Chimurenga - the war of liberation. But the author ironically laughed at the myth of stupid niggas, himself confusing the two conflicts.
Race in itself was not a formal qualification. However, the overwhelming majority of the natives did not meet the existing requirements. Naturally, they did not comply, the qualifications were prohibitive in most cases - segregation as it is. Let's add a little more to how racism worked in Rhodesia: - Division of urban areas and agricultural land into African and European sectors. Is it necessary to clarify who had better positions? — Preventing competition between impoverished whites and struggling blacks for inexpensive housing — Classics like curfews for blacks in the centers of European cities, separate entrances, separate windows for service, etc. — Seemingly a racially integrated army, but still with all-white elite units in availability – Reservations
Positive discrimination against whites occurred in Rhodesia. Misuse of the term "positive discrimination". These are measures of privilege used to achieve equality rather than to maintain a ruling minority. And what is described is precisely discrimination against the bulk of the population
In light of the above, it is obvious why radical leftist ideas were so successful.
The militants did not restrain themselves in their methods: they attacked civilians of different racial backgrounds, destroyed villages, carried out explosions in cities, and shot down civilian aircraft. Many field commanders became disillusioned with the struggle and went over to the side of the government. Just as the Rhodesians did not restrain themselves when clearing out terrorist camps in the territories of neighboring states. And they still lost.
Well, enough facts from half the article? You can also evaluate the selection of quotes to suit the desired point of view, the thesis about the control of elections by militants and add about the popularity of the image of Rhodesia among the current white supremacy.
From the stories of the Rhodesian Light Infantry paratroopers
From the stories of Australian Tony Young, a reservist in the Australian Armed Forces, in the 1970s - a corporal from the support company of the 1st Battalion of the Rhodesian Light Infantry. (Note - as a very young guy, having served in Australia, Tony went to Rhodesia - solely for the love of adventure. He fought in the airborne rapid reaction landing force, took part in both operations in Rhodesia and in Mozambique. Served in the 4th company - the so-called [fire] support company, which was considered the elite even among light infantrymen. After the end of the war, he went back to Australia where he lives to this day. An exceptionally pleasant person to talk to).
* * *
Since I had already served in the armed forces, I was spared from the young fighter course - I was enrolled in the Light Infantry training course, right before the start of training in counterinsurgency operations. By then I had been in Rhodesia for less than a month. During this course, a funny story from the “Welcome to Africa” series happened to me. The previous week, our course had been on training exercises in the Lake Kyle area, where we put into practice the skills of counterinsurgency operations. Geographically, the exercises took place in the Kyle Nature Reserve.
My partner and I were unlucky - when we saw the place that the instructors showed us, we grimaced: a large flat stone platform. There we had to set up a single trench and pitch a tent. The area was quite large - so we could not quietly move and get more comfortable, the instructors would have noticed this instantly. We also could not ask to be assigned another place - what good would they have ordered instead to dig a trench in the stone for shooting while standing. There was nothing left to do but make the most of the situation: since it was impossible to dig in, we found several large stones and built from them something like a parapet on which we fixed the tents.
The exercises went well overall and our instructors, clearly pleased with the results, gave us a small pleasant surprise: each cadet was given an unprecedented luxury - two bottles of beer. Considering that in each group there is always at least one teetotaler, it is not surprising that very soon some cadets had at their disposal much more than two bottles.
The actual adventure happened the next morning - in those very pre-dawn minutes, when the night is still dark, but an implicit light is already breaking through and some objects can already be distinguished. As usual, my partner and I woke up before dawn. We were slowly building a fire to make tea, when suddenly I heard strange sounds: not very far from us, in front, about 30 meters. I didn’t see who or what was there, but I heard it very well. There was a complete feeling that someone was blowing into the neck of an empty bottle. My partner and I decided that this must be one of those enterprising cadets who had a very good time last night, and now were still wandering around drunk and fooling around.
I remembered very well that during the cadet period there is no such thing as “individual guilt” - everyone was punished for any mistake. So I decided to find this whistler and return him to his place - before his absence was noticed and the wrath of the instructors fell on our heads. I took a couple of steps when the sound suddenly changed: instead of a dull and soft hum, I now heard a loud, low, guttural growl - clearly not of human origin. I reacted instinctively - I turned around and flew over the parapet in a jump, grabbed the rifle, chambered the cartridge and prepared to open fire. This growl, apparently, was also heard by others - the sound of cocking shutters was heard from all sides, which cannot be confused with anything.
However, nothing happened. What kind of growl it was and who made it, I did not see. They announced the rise, followed by the usual morning procedures. About 30 minutes later, all the cadets lined up along the country road for their morning jog. After a couple of hundred meters, a large clearing opened up in the bush: about 150 meters from the road, in a lowland, there stood a large tree, under which a pride of lions was located. Over breakfast, my Rhodesian comrades laughingly told me about the habits and lifestyle of lions: these creatures, it turns out, wander around the camp quite often, and the sound that I took for “buzzing into a bottle” was in fact a typical cough of a lion.
Well, welcome to Africa.
* * *
It happened in April 1979, I served in a support company - a rapid reaction airborne assault force. Operation "Breaker". We were located at the Grand Reef base, not far from Umtali. All these days and weeks, our company flew out for combat almost every day - sometimes several times a day. A couple of times, of course, there were “dummy” incidents, but otherwise, all landings ended in clashes, sometimes serious.
Anyone who served in the Rhodesian Light Infantry at that time will agree that the period from March to May 1979 was one of the most intense. We battered the enemy thoroughly, but we ourselves suffered serious losses.
That day began as usual: in the morning a company run along the runway, then an endless repetition of techniques with weapons, etc. After this, those who were in the first line of landing put their equipment next to the command post not far from the helicopter boxes. The boxes were built from old 200-liter barrels - they were filled with earth or sand and placed on top of each other in several rows; In addition, a wire mesh was reinforced on top. In general, these boxes, and indeed the entire Grand Reef air base, were equipped in a thoroughly utilitarian and simple manner - but by some strange coincidence, the command post was fenced with a quaint garden fence, as if transferred straight from England - a sort of touch from colonial times.
Lunch passed calmly, there were no calls, and everyone began to think that today would finally be a free day and there would be no flights. Just as everyone began to look forward to free time, the sirens began to wail. So we ran to the command post: load up our gear and have a quick smoke while the group commanders inside the command post received instructions. Since the actions and procedures for this case were worked out to the point of automaticity, as a rule, the group commanders did not linger at the command post - a few minutes and then we jumped into the helicopters. But this time for some reason they were stuck there for a long time - we stood, waited, waited, waited. Finally they appeared and began the briefing.
The helicopters were starting their engines, and there was a strong smell of fuel in the air. We were told that a hidden NP spotted a gang of gooks, about 12 people, in civilian clothes (blue jeans/green cotton), armed mainly with AK-47s, as well as RPD and RPG-7. The reason why the commanders were so late at the checkpoint turned out to be the following - the flight to the place was going to be long, and the helicopters had to stop to refuel. Because of this, there were fears that we would not be able to land in time to block the gooks and return to the Grand Reef before dark. The fact is that helicopters were not designed to fly at night. In the end, after discussion, we decided to fly out - we had a rest, so to speak.
I was a machine gunner in the group - this meant that I did not have to know where exactly we were flying (the commander knew the exact coordinates of the place, and he could bring them to us, or he could not tell us). So, as usual, I sat by the open door and watched the landscape below. After some time, I figured that we were flying in a northerly direction, and when the helicopter began to gain altitude to go around the rocky hill, I realized that we were heading towards the Inyangi Mountains. Before the war really broke out, Inyanga, with its cool climate, waterfalls and green mountains, was considered a popular holiday destination. However, for me now it was a very rugged area with a lot of edges and streams, densely covered with tropical rainforests - not the most suitable place for hunting gooks.
Approximately 40 minutes later, the helicopters began their descent and landed in the territory of a large fenced vehicle park of the 3rd separate infantry company. This was part of the reservists, permanently stationed in Inyanga - they were patrolling nearby territories and, it must be said, that this significantly impeded the free movement of Huks around Inyanga. From their base there was an absolutely stunning view of the surrounding area. The conical hills, completely overgrown with all kinds of greenery, for some reason reminded me of small extinct volcanoes. But even despite this beauty, the first thing I thought was that from these “volcanoes” the Huks could easily observe the base of the 3rd company. I later learned that the Gooks periodically fired mortars at the location - I can’t say that this surprised me.
The arrival of the paratroopers at the location naturally aroused a certain interest and those of the infantrymen who were free reached out to us with the intention of striking up a conversation. We ignored these attempts - partly because we were not very inclined to chat about trifles on the eve of the operation, but, to be honest, mainly because we looked at the servicemen of the other units (with the exception, of course, of the SAS and the Selous Scouts) as lower forms of life. We were Light Infantry, airborne troops, flying out every day for combat - and they were mere mortals. A certain snobbery, yes - but then we really had to regret it.
The helicopters were refueled quickly and we took off again. The flight didn't take long. We were dropped off in a dry, wide river bed, at the foot of a richly overgrown ridge with a bunch of rocky peaks, dotted with ravines and gullies. Due to dense vegetation, helicopters were unable to provide full aerial surveillance, as was usually the case. We formed a chain and, with all precautions, began to move towards the top of the ridge.
At first it seemed to us that the gooks had somehow managed to sneak through our chain, but about a third of the way to the top they opened fire on us. The Terras dug in near a stream, in extremely thick and dense bushes - there was literally shelter there, higher than the roof. Despite the fact that helicopters and “Lynx” (Lynx air reconnaissance/fire support aircraft) were circling in the air, when they appeared, the gooks, as a rule, took off from their places - this time the Terrans were patiently waiting for our appearance. Uprooting such serious and stubborn gooks from their well-equipped positions is, to put it mildly, a difficult task. And it took us much longer than we expected.
We usually cleared streams on slopes in the following way. The group commander walked in the middle of the riverbed, and the rifleman and machine gunner walked on both banks, covering the flanks, ready to open fire at any moment. I walked along the right bank with a machine gun and at some point actually ran into a huge tree growing on the very bank. A sizable piece of roots protruded into the riverbed and overhung the bank. It was not possible to simply go around it - there was a very steep slope there. So I maneuvered and began to slowly walk around it, paying special attention to not getting entangled in the bush: vines, branches, thorns and other nasty things tended to firmly cling to the unloading, to the belts and to the machine gun itself. I was almost back to the edge, when suddenly, somewhere at the level of my feet, in this “carpet” of vines and grass, a movement was heard. I knew without a doubt that none of my own could be here - so I immediately deployed my MAG and fired a couple of short bursts. The muzzle was located a meter from this grass carpet, so the shots actually scattered it. There was a gun with an AK-47 lying there - just in case, I fired another burst.
The group commander shouted at me to move away - which I immediately did, taking cover behind the nearest tree. By that time, I had already served enough, and I knew that in such cases I had to do it first, and then think. The commander fired several bursts at this Huk shelter - as it turned out, two of them were buried there. Most likely, I also killed the second one (I fired 20 cartridges at point-blank range) - their shelter was a natural narrow hole - but it didn’t hurt to be on the safe side.
This pair, apparently, lay in ambush, waiting for someone to go along the center of the channel, but my sudden appearance on the other side seemed to alarm them, and while they were fiddling with their weapons, I reacted to the noise and shot them. We were lucky in this regard: when we pulled the corpses of the Huks out of their hiding place to inspect them for weapons and equipment, and dragged them to the middle of the riverbed, only then did we discover Chinese hand grenades on the corpses. With a long handle. The handles were split from the hits, but for some reason the grenades themselves did not explode: neither when I shot at the gooks, nor when we were dragging them. If they had crashed, then, let’s say, we would have been in trouble.
We carefully detonated these grenades and continued to clear the ravine. We stopped where a stream flowed into this ravine - not far from the original landing site. At that moment, we were informed on the radio that some kind of television crew was flying in our direction in order to film the scene of the battle. The group commander ordered me to go with him: meet the group and escort it back to where we destroyed the two Terrans. Approaching the exit from the ravine, we saw a helicopter land about 80 meters from us and take off almost immediately. There were thick thickets of elephant grass, two meters high. We didn’t see these TV crews, but we roughly estimated where they were - so we went to them. Halfway up we discovered an abandoned cattle pen that we didn't know existed. In general, while we have overcome it, there is still something to be done. Shooting could be heard from afar - our people were smoking out the gooks. When we finally reached the journalists, they were beside themselves with fear - they decided that they had been thrown right into the center of the battles and forgotten about them.
We told them not to lag behind us a single step, and headed back to where our terri were killed. There they filmed what interested them: the scene of the shootout, the corpses, asked us questions - they even filmed a short interview with me. I still remember thinking – what a stroke of luck, damn it! Those. They will show me on TV as I was, only from the battle, right at the battle site. Super! Yeah, yeah, these dreams lasted exactly until the moment I found out that the documentary was being made for the Germans, and, therefore, it was extremely unlikely that my family or friends would see it. Well, your mother...
Soon after the television crews departed and the remaining pockets of resistance were finally suppressed, we departed by helicopter back to the base of the 3rd company in Inyanga. By this time the sun had almost set. It was clear to everyone that we remained at the base until the morning. We hung around the helicopters and waited for our officers - they had gone to negotiate food and overnight accommodations. And then it somehow dawned on us that the guys from the 3rd company, who had been besieging us during the day, were now somehow not visible. If only we knew why then! We were already tired of waiting for our commanders (although in fact only 20 minutes had passed). Then they appeared and immediately intrigued us with one phrase: “Guys, you have a choice.” We were taken aback: in the army, the word “choice” does not apply to privates in principle. In short, they explained to us that in Montclair (a popular vacation spot with a bunch of establishments in Juliasdale, about 40 kilometers away) there was a promotion going on: “Evening for 10 cents.” Well, our officers borrowed money for us from officers from the 3rd company, and also agreed on transport there and back.
We were recovering from such a shock (we were given a choice(!), my mother!) - and then the officers explained to us that this was all for a reason, but under certain conditions. If we want to go there, then we, accordingly, refuse dinner in the canteen of the 3rd company, and secondly, we have 30 minutes to take a shower and put ourselves in order - then the cars leave. Something else that was unusual here was that we were only allowed to go on layoff in full dress: i.e. clean, ironed camouflage uniform (dress and weekend), uniform belt, beret, polished boots, etc. Of course, the sergeant checked how clean-shaven and short-haired we were. During the operations, we were dressed in whatever way we wanted - or rather, in whatever way was most comfortable - and did not even come close to the appearance of the exemplary light infantryman from the poster. So we were also stunned by this - that we would go to hang out in exactly what we were wearing.
Naturally, there were no fools to refuse such an offer, and everyone unanimously shouted: “10 cents!!!”, after which they rushed to look for the nearest shower. By this time it was completely dark. When we finally found this shower room, we discovered, to our great chagrin, that in order to comply with safety measures, all light sources at the base were turned off at night, including the washing unit. And one more thing - the guys from the 3rd company, remembering our arrogance (well, we were the elite, Light Infantry, and not some kind of infantry), having learned from their officers that we were staying at their location for the night, they immediately spent the entire supply of hot water. Washing at night by touch under cold water is a dubious pleasure, but in addition, we were not given any soap or towels. In general, we didn’t wash off the camouflage cream – we just spread it in a thinner layer over the body and face. Instead of towels, we used our T-shirts, shorts and overalls, which we then put on ourselves. Well, then, as they were, in full gear, i.e. wearing body kits and carrying weapons, they loaded onto a truck and headed to Montclair.
In Montclair, it turned out that the generosity of our brothers in arms from the 3rd Orta was truly “limitless”: each fighter received as much as $2 - for which he could deny himself nothing. This really didn’t bother us - we enthusiastically headed to the Montclair casino. When we burst in there, those present there stared at us, to put it mildly, in surprise: with their mouths agape and in deathly silence. Well, we, as light infantrymen, have long been accustomed to the fact that civilians treat us with a certain degree of hostility. Yes, we had that same sight, of course: tanned, stern-looking guys, with weapons and in uniform. But to be greeted like this was already a bit too much. A little later it turned out that a few months earlier the gooks tried to attack this casino - and the unexpected appearance of a heavily armed gang with dirty faces was regarded by visitors as another attack. The fear of God was visible on their faces in large letters.
We dumped the weapons and equipment in a huge pile in the corner of the casino. I was terribly hungry, so I called the waiter and ordered a beer and a sandwich - which cost me a dollar. Having satisfied my hunger, I sat down at the blackjack table, pulled out the second remaining dollar and asked for 10-cent chips. To which the dealer immediately gave me one dollar one. I asked what was meant by “Evening for 10 cents” then? He kindly replied that this is the pure truth - it only applies to roulette and poker slot machines. It was somehow shameful to ask for money back, so I put in a chip and asked for change.
To my deep surprise, I won this hand - and then the next one, and the next, and the next, and the next, and so on, just endlessly. The pearl map is fantastic! It is clear that the guys were immediately ordered drinks with this money. The last thing I remember is that I am sitting alone at the table, playing several hands at the same time, and our guys are crowding behind me and excitedly watching the game. Waking up in the morning at the base, I found a fairly decent amount of money and a bunch of chips in my pockets.
Since, according to the rules, we were obliged to arrive at the Grand Reef as soon as possible (no one canceled combat duty), we took off from the location of the 3rd company as soon as the sun barely appeared above the horizon. During the flight, I was extremely cold, sitting at the door - not to mention the severe hangover. But despite the headache and blurred eyes, I remember how I again enjoyed the most beautiful landscape: valleys filled with fog, like milk, and from this sea the conical peaks of green hills stick out.
Well, as a postscript: a few weeks after this adventure, all sorts of guys kept coming up to me and handing back small sums of money with the words: “Thank you for borrowing money from the casino back then.” They say that everyone has a special day in their life when absolutely everything works out in their favor. Well, we can say with all confidence that that day was the most successful for me...
Tony Young (right) helps a friend put on a parachute, New Sarum Air Force Base and Parachute Training Center.
Tony Young after a training jump, New Sarum Air Force Base and Parachute Training Center.
The support company is practicing techniques for transporting a mortar, together with the 7th (helicopter) squadron. About what kind of photo this is written here
Tony Young (right), during the movement of a mobile column. On the left is a member of the Selous Scouts. Operation Miracle, attack on a heavily fortified militant camp in Mozambique (Monte Cassino), 1979. This is the same photo in black and white - here. About the RSAS raid in this area, which preceded Operation Miracle, and the death of Soviet military advisers, it is written here.
Carl Saltzman and Tony Young (right).
Tony Young at evening tea, combat exit, somewhere in the Mazoi area.
Sergey Karamaev aka Tiomkin
Original article.
