Operation Dingo

Rhodesian Raid on Chimoio and Tembué 1977

J.R.T. Wood

• Publisher: Helion and Company
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781907677991
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African History
• Index: History

Fireforce 'Writ Large' - Airborne Assault in Mozambique.Startling in its innovation and daringly suicidal, Operation Dingo was not only the Fireforce concept writ large but the prototype for all the major Rhodesian airborne attacks on the external bases of Rhodesian African nationalist insurgents in the neighboring territories of Mozambique and Zambia until such operations ceased in late 1979. Fireforce as a military concept is a 'vertical envelopment' of the enemy (first practiced by SAS paratroopers in Mozambique in 1973), with the 20mm cannon being the principle weapon of attack, mounted in an Alouette III K-Car ('Killer car'), flown by the air force commander, with the army commander on board directing his ground troops deployed from G-Cars (Alouette III troop-carrying gun ships and latterly Bell 'Hueys' in 1979) and parachuted from DC-3 Dakotas. In support would be propeller-driven ground-attack aircraft and on call would be Canberra bombers, Hawker Hunter and Vampire jets. On 23 November 1977, the Rhodesian Air Force and 184 SAS and RLI paratroopers attacked 10, 000 ZANLA cadres based at 'New Farm', Chimoio, 90 kilometers inside Mozambique. Two days later, the same force attacked 4, 000 guerrillas at Tembué, another ZANLA base, over 200 kilometers inside Mozambique, north of Tete on the Zambezi River. Estimates of ZANLA losses vary wildly; however, a figure exceeding 6, 000 casualties is realistic. The Rhodesians suffered two dead, eight wounded and lost one aircraft. It would produce the biggest SAS-led external battle of the Rhodesian bush war.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Glossary
• Colour Section
• Chapter 1: The Background
• Chapter 2: The Rhodesian Security Forces
• Chapter 3: The African Nationalist Revolt, the Chimurenga, and the Rhodesian Response
• Chapter 4: The Plan
• Chapter 5: The Go-Ahead for Operation Dingo
• Chapter 6: The Briefing for the Attack on New Farm, Chimoio
• Chapter 7: Zulu 1: The Attack on New Farm, Chimoio, 23–24 November 1977
• Chapter 8: Ian Smith’s Declaration, 24 November 1977
• Chapter 9: The Preparation for the Attack on Tembué
• Chapter 10: Zulu 2: The Attack on Tembué, 26–27 November 1977
• Chapter 11: The Third Blow: Operation Virile, 27–30 November 1977
• Chapter 12: The Consequences
• Dedication
• eBooks Published by Helion & Company