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The Struggle For Land in Zimbabwe (1890 – 2010)…ruthless air strikes on bases

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The bombers dived to a height of 1 000 feet (305m)…Confusion gripped the Rhodesians as to the locality of the Base and to the positions of the anti-aircraft guns. Some paratroopers (SAS) had been dropped right in the middle of the ZANLA commandos and were making a hasty retreat northwards, away from the base in moves meant to get them back to Rhodesia, writes Dr Felix Muchemwa in his book The Struggle For Land in Zimbabwe (1890-2010) that The Patriot is serialising.

AT exactly 0800hrs on September 18 1978, the first Canberra bombers came in low over the Vanduzi Mountains aiming to attack the Operations Base with alpha bombs.
The bombers dived to a height of 1 000 feet, ideal for precision bombing with alpha bombs, delivered their pay loads, but got hit by anti-aircraft fire and they never returned.
The Hunters close behind the Canberras, carrying the golf bombs and flying at the same altitude met the same fate, and never returned.
Behind the Hunters, the Lynxes got wiser and skirted the anti-air positions and began to circle the large Operations Base.
Confusion gripped the Rhodesians as to the locality of the Base and to the positions of the anti-aircraft guns. Some paratroopers (SAS) had been dropped right in the middle of the ZANLA commandos and were making a hasty retreat northward, away from the Base in moves meant to get them back to Rhodesia.
They had believed the Operations Base was further north of the mountain range, almost close to the old Takawira I Training Base, which they had earlier failed to successfully attack during the 1977 Chimoio raid.
And, they also believed they had been diverted from the main operations base by the burst of anti-air positions in the Vanduzi Mountains. (Stiff, 1999: p.259)
The whole morning the Lynx circled above the operations base, making forced reconnaissance on ZANLA anti-air and trench positions, teasing them to provoke gunfire response, which the ZANLA commandos were only too keen to give (Gumbo), and it was soon discovered that the Operations Base was vast and heavily defended by a 23mm anti-air defence system.
The subsequent decision to carpet-bomb the entire ZANLA Operations Base from 14 hours on that day and for the rest of the three-day operation was informed by that discovery.
Canberras using the alpha bombs, and Hunters using golf-bombs carpet-bombed the base from the very high altitudes and, unfortunately for them, they also bombed members of the ‘D’ squadron SAS of which quite a number died.
These included troopers of their own forces and among the dead were Trooper Steve Donnelly, (Cole, 1984: p.224) and notably Sergeant H. G. ‘Mac’ Van de Merwe, a South African Defence Force member serving with ‘D’ Squadron, SAS. (Stiff 1999:p.259)
After the carpet bombing, the Rhodesians were fortunately without enough ground forces to assault a heavily armed ZANLA Commando force (Stiff 1999: p.259) holed inside trenches and bunkers well-dispersed over more than 10km radius.
In certain areas, the Rhodesians security forces actually managed to push the ZANLA commandos away from their food supply depots and, at such key points, laid mines most of which were extremely sensitive, requiring only very little disturbance to trigger them.
The South African SAS engineers also introduced photo-sensitive mines which, in addition to normal anti-lift sensitivity, went off on exposure to light. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.95)
ZANLA commando engineer, Comrade Giepe, was a victim of one such mine. After clearing all comrades from a mined area, he was blown to pieces when he gently brushed off sandy soil from one such mine, thus exposing it to light. (Gumbo)
On September 20 1978, the third day of the fighting, FRELIMO T-54 tanks and armoured cars tried to intervene, but were driven off by the Hunters. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.154)
The Rhodesians eventually moved out the same day, having failed to successfully assault the ZANLA Operations Base.
Downing of the Air Rhodesia
Viscount
On September 3 1978, ZIPRA guerillas used a SAM-7 heat-seeking missile to shoot down an Air Rhodesia Viscount with 53 people on board, over the Hunyani River, near Kariba.
Ten out of 18 survivors of the crash were shot and killed on the ground (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.154). Comrade Nkomo, the Commander-in-Chief of ZIPRA forces, accepted full responsibility for the shooting, but totally refused to accept that the survivors were shot by ZIPRA forces.
The reprisal raids against ZIPRA camps, Mukushi Women Police Training Camp and ‘Freedom Camp’ at Westlands Farm near Lusaka, Zambia, came more than a month later and they involved every SAS soldier in the Rhodesian Regiment. Even old SAS veterans like one Sergeant-Major Stan Standish were re-called from England. (Cole, 1984: pp.225-227)
Rhodesian Reprisal Attack on
Freedom Camp
At 0830hrs on October 18 1978, four Hunters bombed Freedom Camp with
1 000lb bombs, followed by four Canberra strategic bombers armed with alpha bombs which killed almost every one on the parade ground.
Four K-Cars then quickly boxed in the Freedom Camp with their 20mm cannons. More than 1 000 refugees out of the more than 2 000 inmates were massacred by the Rhodesian security forces. (Cole,1984: pp.226-232)
Incredibly enough, there was no anti-aircraft fire to knock out the aerial invaders as anticipated.
This was because Freedom Camp was a refugee camp holding over 2 000 refugees at the time of the Rhodesian security forces raid as confirmed by the UNHCR and the ICRC. (Martin and Johnson, 1981: pp.296)
Meanwhile, the Canberra Commander, Squadron leader Chris Dixon, call-sign ‘Green Leader’, had taken over control of the Lusaka Airport Tower and directed that no aircraft was to enter or leave Lusaka Airport without his authority. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: pp.136-144)
Rhodesian Reprisal Attack on Mkushi Women Police Training Camp
The next target to be raided by the Rhodesian security forces that morning was the Mukushi Women Police Training Camp.
There were over 1 082 very young girls and women undergoing police and customs officers’ courses, 916 instructors, administrators and security personnel plus 38 old people, making a total of 2 036 people inside Mukushi Camp. (Martin and Johnson, 1981: pp.296)
The Rhodesian plan was a jet air strike, immediately followed by the paradropping of 120 SAS men flown directly from New Sarum and a deployment of 45 heliborne SAS commandos from Mana Pools as well as RLI paratroopers from Kariba, plus an 81mm mortar squad, all intended to vertically envelop and destroy Mukushi Camp. (Cole, 1984: p.225)
At 1145hrs, a Canberra carrying alpha bombs flew into Mukushi Camp followed by two Hunters with 1 000lb bombs and they pounded the parade ground, creating huge craters. Dakotas then para-dropped the 120 SAS, with Sergeant Stan Standish leading the jump into the middle of the Mukushi Camp.
The heliborne SAS, and the 81mm Mortar squad, were also quickly deployed.
Notable among the Rhodesian casualties were one Corporal Jeff Collett who was shot dead by a ZIPRA woman commander and SAS Bruce Langley who had his face partly blown off by another ZIPRA woman commander. (Cole, 1984: pp. 228-229)
The SAS then captured the Mukushi Woman Police Training Camp, and as usual, began laying landmines on roads leading into the camp.
They held the camp for two days and when all was over, a total of 600 women police trainees out of a camp population of
2 036 had been massacred.
Many organisations volunteered to donate transport to evacuate casualties from both Freedom and Mukushi Camp to the Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.
SWAPO, South African ANC and the Red Cross, all donated some form of transport and/or other material assistance to ZAPU. (Cole, 1984: p.231)
In Mozambique, there was grief among ZANLA cadres who sent four large truckloads of food, clothing and blankets and also promised to avenge the massacres.
However, apart from the ZAPU refugees and police women trainees who died, the bulk of ZIPRA’s 10 000 strong army in Zambia remained unscathed. (Moorcraft and McLaughlin, 1982: p.144)

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