Reply With QuoteOperation Tepid - Lusuto, Zambia.
Attack by the RLI and 1(R)SAS on a conventional warfare trained ZIPRA Battalion, October 1979. Later confirmed that Russian advisers were present.
Inkomo Barracks - Ammunition Magazines.
Although based within the grounds of Inkomo barracks this was one of a few national army ammunition storage magazines. Shortly after "Independence" this facility was deliberately targeted, presumably by ex-Rhodesian Security Forces, and it's contents largely destroyed.
Operation Tepid - Lusuto, Zambia.
Attack by the RLI and 1(R)SAS on a conventional warfare trained ZIPRA Battalion, October 1979. Later confirmed that Russian advisers were present.
Darwendale Ammunition Magazines
Mainly used for ammuntion storage but an underground section is also by the Central Intelligence Organisation as an interrogation facility.
There is permanent 12.7mm DDShk gun emplacement on the hill to the east of the south to north entrance to the Magazine, it can be spotted whilst driving along the SW to NE road running along the southern border of the facility.
What units did the Rhondesia Army hire for their mercenary duties?
None in the military, it was never official policy to hire mecenaries nor indeed was it practically neccesary. Different story in the intelligence services obviously.
However there were many foreigners who served in the Rhodesian Army for example but under the same employment terms as Rhodesian born and bred soldiers whether as a National Serviceman or Regular. The RLI had a good compliment of foreign soldiers as did the 1(R)SAS, however because of the sensitivity of operations in the latter most foreigners were posted to one particular Squadron with the other two mainly being manned by Rhodesians.
There were a few foreigners who worked as freelance "bounty hunters" and who tried to earn a living from government offered rewards paid for enemy kills and equipment finds.
Some foreigners worked as "brightlights", being paid by farming communities to secure specific areas and look after families left on farms while farmers were away on military service.
ZIPRA Base at Westlands Farm.
Bombed by the Rhodesian Airforce on the 19th October 1978 inflicting many casualties using Golf (bouncing) bombs.
Actual radio transcript of the attack can be found at:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-p1NRLFso6Q
ZIPRA base camp attack - Kavalamanja, Zambia.
Attacked by the Rhodesian airforce and SAS troops early March 1978 resulting in 42 dead enemy and a destroyed weapon/ammunition dump. No Rhodesian casualties.
The camp was OP'd by Cpt. Schulenberg and Sgt. Chikondo of the Selous Scouts before during and after the attack.
Read about this and other camp attacks.If anyone is interested readOriginally Posted by Nzhou
No Mean Soldier my Peter Macallese. He is EX-Para-SAS-Rhodesian SAS-SADF 44 PARA Brigade.
Rhodesian Airforce Forward Air Fields (FAFs)
These were strategically placed around the country and were initially operated solely as Airforce bases. As the war progressed the FAFs increasingly operated as Fire Force bases for Heli/Para borne troops.
FAF1 Wankie
FAF2 Kariba
FAF3 Centenary
FAF4 Mt Darwin
FAF5 Mutoko
FAF6 Rutenga (?)
FAF7 Buffalo Range
FAF8 Grand Reef
Last edited by Nzhou; 11-23-2008 at 06:22 PM. Reason: Add one last item
In the 80's I use to read a magazine equivilant as Soldier of Forture but I can't remember the name. Well, I read a few articles about the hire mercenaries to do special operations with the Rhodesia army and trained side by side.
Nzhou, I don't have first hand information but I have looked around Inkomo and believe the magazines you posted are to the ones that were sabotaged aorund 81/82. The magazines you posted seem to be mostly in use. I believe you can see 2 x heavy machine gun (possibly AAA) positions, one to the south and one north-east of the complex.
I believe the magazine comples that was sabotaged was here: -17.661961° 30.728004° (north west of the air strip). After the explosions, the sent the air force to finish off the magazines - so I take it they we completely destroyed.
I also believe you have got Hwange wrong. I understand the AFZ will be at -18.631230° 27.022563° , which is in the National Park. You can even see 8 aircraft shelters there. The civilian half is to the east end of the runway. I read somewhere that the FAB is not the one by Hwange town!
Thi is a smaller Ammo dump at BBS, -18.190234° 32.628192°. There are 2 shooting ranges South-East from the ammo dump, one at 1,500m and another at 2,000m. There is a 3rd shooting range if you follow the trail north past the ammo dump. A 4th (possible not longer used) range is at -18.224144° 32.592905° .
Last edited by Tempest II; 11-22-2008 at 09:03 PM.
I suppose some would class all foreigners who served in the Rhodesian Security Forces who had no allegiance to the country and who were only there for the war as mercenaries. But they were subject to the same Rhodesian Army command structure, operating methods and discipline as Rhodesian born soldiers. And they were paid exactly the same. I guess it is open to interpretation, perhaps under the same supposition Rhodesians who volunteered to fight and who were not conscripted could be termed mercenaries.
Don't believe everything you read in SOF type magazines....
Misinterpretation, the exact location of the destroyed ammunition magazines is indeed just to the NW of the airstrip and it was subsequently rebuilt of to the west of the physical barracks themselves. These are indeed still in use. I was generalising about the Inkomo facility (old or new) as a whole rather than specific magazines when I referred to its destruction in the early '80s, I perhaps should have been more specific.
FAF1 was definitely located at Wankie town, I had occasion to visit it a few times in its heyday during the war! Sadly its in a real state of disrepair today. The Wankie airport you are referring to, located close to Wankie Safari Lodge near the NP, was only considered a strategic airfield by the RhAF mainly for air distance/coverage reasons as well as it being able to take a number of SAAF aircraft not present in the RhAF inventory. Fire Forces were nearly always based at FAF1 (Wankie town) due to its good logistics and its proximity to the Zambian/Botswana borders as well as the more widespread tribal areas to the north and east used for infiltration
Thanks for this
Thanks Nzhou for the info. As I had said, I don't have first had info - I research and try to put bit of info together.
He was also an ex-mercenary operating under the clinically insane "Colonel" Callan all of whom were supposed to be fighting on behalf of the FNLA (Holden Roberto) in northern Angola in the early 1970s.
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