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The Struggle For Land in Zimbabwe (1890 – 2010)…ZANLA response to the Chimoio and Tembwe raids

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A ZANLA response to the Chimoio and Tembwe Raids came at 22:45 on December 18 1977 when 60 commandos from the Chimoio ZANLA Operations Base attacked the Grand Reef Rhodesian Security Force Base near Umtali (Mutare). The unit was commanded by Comrade Nyika (Commissioner-General Prisons Paradzai Zimondi), the provincial commander of the Manica Province, deputised by artillery commanders, Comrade Gumbo and Comrade Chocha (Commissioner-General Police Augustine Chihuri), writes Dr Felix Muchemwa in his book The Struggle for Land in Zimbabwe (1890-2010) that The Patriot is serialising.

THE assault weaponry included recoilless guns, heavy machine guns (HMG), RPG-7s, Mortar 82mm, and light machine guns plus a wide range of AK-47 rifles. (Nyika)
On the night of the attack, the Rhodesians were enjoying a film in the canteen. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.147)
By the time the enemy recovered and returned fire, the commandos had disappeared, leaving (according, to an African informant from inside the Grand Reef Base) the white base adjutant, six white soldiers plus one African soldier dead. (Nyika)
Within five days of the Grand Reef attack, the same unit was re-inforced by a 40-man artillery unit to become 100-strong for an attack on 3 Brigade HQ, right in the centre of Umtali.
Again, the assault weaponry included recoilless guns, Mortar 82mm, heavy machine guns, RPG-7s and light machine guns which were used to pound the city of Umtali uninterrupted for almost an hour.
And, most of the mortar and recoilless shells that fell short of the intended target (3 Brigade HQ), fortunately landed in the northern whites-only suburbs.(Gumbo)
Another attack on Umtali was attempted in March 1978 when more than 450 ZANLA guerillas commanded by Comrade Josiah Tungamirai, deputised by Comrade Kambeu (both members of the ZANLA High Command) crossed the border south of Umtali and took strategic positions in the Gandai Mountains south-west of the city.
While in those positions, they were joined by other detachments from various ZANLA sectors in the Manica Province.
For the first time in the Second Chimurenga, a detachment of women combatants was included and unfortunately, the excitement their inclusion caused among villagers resulted in early detection by a Rhodesian Patrol. (Kambeu)
In the ensuing running battles over the Gandai Mountains, the ZANLA forces quickly dispersed to various sectors and aborted the attack on the town.
Encirclement of urban areas
By March 1978, ZANLA had already deployed more than 13 000 guerillas throughout Rhodesia.
ZANLA operations extended to Chinamhora and Mangwende in the Tete Province; Wedza (Hwedza), Buhera, Gutu, Gatooma (Kadoma) and Hartley (Chegutu) in the Manica Province; and to the Rutenga railway line in the Gaza Province.
There were guarded convoys on virtually every main road, and mine-warfare along dusty roads in rural areas reduced Rhodesian Government administration to a minimum, thus facilitating the creation of semi-liberated zones inside Rhodesia.
The Second Chimurenga was on target to achieving total encirclement of most of the urban areas. (Martin and Johnson, 1981: pp.292-299)
Chemical and biological warfare
In the middle of this success story by ZANLA forces, the ugly head of chemical and biological warfare by the Rhodesian security forces had been emerging since the Chimoio HQ raid.
The Selous Scouts and SAS were using a wide range of chemical and biological weapons against ZANLA and ZIPRA forces inside Rhodesia. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.106)
Cyanide
As already understood from the Chimoio raid, cyanide was used to contaminate medical injectables of antibiotics and vitamins.
Organo phosphorus compounds
Organo phosphorus compounds were used to contaminate clothes, in particular underwear, jeans or other items of clothing preferred by the guerillas.
Thousands of guerillas were killed this way. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.106)
Thalium
Food, in particular canned or tinned beef, tinned jam or beers, as well as wine in bottles with wooden corks was poisoned with thalium, the most lethal chemical warfare agent.
The thalium was injected into the sealed tins or bottle tops by the use of syringes with fine needles. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.106)
Many comrades either died on the spot or found themselves with severe diarrhoea and vomiting, and later developed severe aloplecia and sudden greying of hair. Severe peripheral neuropathy was often the end result.
The second Chimoio raid: September 18 1978.
In the Chimoio raid of November 23 1977, the Rhodesian security forces had deliberately avoided hard guerilla targets such as the nearby Chimoio ZANLA Operations Base and instead, concentrated on very soft targets consisting of heavy concentrations of refugees, patients, women, children and the disabled.
The Chimoio ZANLA Operations Base was situated near the Vanduzi Mountains, only 15km south-west of the old Chimoio HQ Base Camp.
ZANLA anti-air positions were deployed on either side of the mountain range over-looking the ZANLA Operations Base as well as inside the base.
Within the base, more than 2 000 guerillas, among them commandos and artillery regiments equipped with anti-air, recoilless guns, mortars and RPG-7s were dug-in inside zig-zag trenches and bunkers. There were no ‘civvies’ or refugees inside the ZANLA Operations Base.
Also held captive inside the operations base were four Europeans, including a retired British Army major, Tom Wigglesworth. (Cole, 1984: p.224)
When the Rhodesians eventually attacked the base in September 1978, the Rhodesian Air Force, Special Air Service (SAS) and the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) were directly assisted by the South African Defence Force (SADF) in terms of both manpower and equipment.
More than 20 SADF’s ‘D’ Squadron SAS men commanded by Captain Connie Van Wyk were assigned to assist. (Stiff, 1999: p.258-9)
The Rhodesian security forces for the first time used locally manufactured cluster bombs, the alpha cluster bombs which exploded in a very similar manner to the conventional cluster bombs.
Also used for the first time at the ZANLA Operations Base was the Rhodesian-invented golf bomb which bounced up on impact with the ground before exploding at a height of about two metres.
Both the alpha bomb and the golf-bomb were developed by a helicopter pilot, Peter Petter-Bowyer, who led a team of engineers who also produced the flechette anti-personnel bomb. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.97)

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