The
following extracts are
from the book
“ Ed Bird, Special
Branch War ; Slaughter in
the Rhodesian Bush – Southern Matabeleland,
1976 – 1980 . published in
2013 by E.A. Bird,
Amanzimtoti, South Africa.The following extracts are from the book “ Jim Parker, Assignbment
Selous Scouts. Inside story of a Rhodesian Special Branch Officer “
published in 2006 by Galago Publishing.
The following extracts are based on
incidents recorded in the Beitbridge Special Branch Incident Log [ War Diary ]
which formed the foundation of Ed Bird’s book. It is also an account of enemy
activities impacting on the duties of Guard Force soldiers deployed within the
Protected Village system and the protection of the line of rail. Each of these
incidents is a story on its own . The story of soldiers of the Rhodesian Guard
Force and their operational activities during the final years of the Rhodesian
War.
…On 10 February 1978, Guard Force located a landmine on
the road between Tongwe and Penemene protected villages. Engineers were deployed and destroyed the
landmine in situ .
…During the early hours of 15 February 1978, the Tongwe
protected village in the Mtetengwe TTL, came under attack by a group of twenty
terrorists. The attack lasted approximately thirty minutes. Guard Force
retaliated with no injuries being inflicted on the opposing force, none of the
occupants of the protected village were injured.
…On 22 February 1978 , Shabwe protected village came
under small arms, rocket and mortar attack. No casualties were inflicted on any
of the occupants of the PV. The following morning, elements of D Company 6 RR
located the twenty firing positions one kilometre from the PV.
…At approximately 09:30 on 5 March 1978, the protected
village at Shabwe in the Mtetengwe TTL, came under intense attack from a large
group of terrorists using small arms, RPG-7 rockets and 82 mm and 60 mm mortar
bombs. The attack lasted three quarters of an hour with three 82 mm mortarbombs
penetrating the perimeter fence, causing no injuries, but several tents were
damaged by shrapnel. From the expended cartridge cases recovered from the
terrorist firing positions, ballistics confirmed that 29 different AK-47
assault rifles, sixteen SKS rifles, and one RDP machine gun and one FN rifle
had been used in the attack, indicating that at least fifty terrorists had
participated. This was an extremely determined attack with the terrorists
attacking from threehundred meters away. It was also an indication that the
terrorists were feeling the squeeze of the locals being removed from the rural
areas and placed into protected villages. The objective of this and subsequent
attacks on protected villages was to drive the locals, through fear, back to
their homes, but for the rest of the war they were unable to achieve this.
…Farther on, we encountered a Guard Force roadblock /
ambush site where we reported the developments to them. Later that afternoon
the Guard Force unit received reinforcements and proceeded to the scene of the
morning’s action. As they approached the same kraal, they came under attack by
approximately six terrorists. The terrorists fled once again and the Guard
Force withdrew to their ambush site as night was rapidly approaching. For
several hours firing was heard emanating from the area. The following morning,
when we returned, the kraals were deserted as the locals had fled, never to
return. All their livestock was abandoned – over time, the cattle went
completely wild. These locals should, in fact, have been moved into the
protected villages in the Mtetengwe TTL but somehow seemed to have been
overlooked. The cattle managed to survive and even thrived in that harsh
environment. They were to stay in the bush for the duration of the war.
…Also on 18 April 1978, at approximately 19:00 hrs, ten
terrorists entered the Chaswingo protected village were they were fed by a
kraal head. They then left, firing rifles and directing 60 mm mortar bombs at
the Guard Force strongpoint inside the protected village. Guard Force returned
fire with no casualties on either side. Later that night, the terrorists again
attacked the PV with 60 mm mortar and small arms fire. Fire was returned and,
again, there were no casualties on either side.
…On 18 April 1978. A Guard Force vehicle detonated a
landmine in the Mtetengwe TTL. One Guard Force member was slightly injured.
…On 24 April 1978, a Guard Force road –clearance patrol
from the Shabwe protected village in the Mtetengwe TTL had a fleeting contact
with five terrorists. There were no casualties on either side.
…During the early hours of 29 April 1978, Penemene
protected village in the Mtetengwe TTL came under attack by a large group of
terrorists using small arms, an 82 mm mortar and a 75 mm recoilless rifle. The
attack was ineffectual and caused no damage or injury to property or person.
…0n 09 May 1978, a Guard Force convoy travelling on the
Tschiturapadzi road in the Diti TTL was
ambushed by eight terrorists using small arms and RPG-7 fire. There were no
casualties on either side.
…On 17 June 1978, two elderly locals were shot and
killed by an unknown number of terrorists in the area of Shabwe protected
village in the Mtetengwe TTL. Both were shot for staying in the protected
village against the order of the terrorists and as a warning to other occupants
to move back to the bush.
…Also on 08 July 1978, elements of Guard Force
travelling in a vehicle convoy were ambushed by between fifteen and twenty
terrorists in the Diti TTL. The ambush was initiated with RPG-7 rockets,
followed by AK-47 and RPD fire. One of the vehicles was disabled by a rocket.
One Guard Force member was hit and killed and three others were wounded, all of
whom were casevaced to the Messina Hospital.
…On the 28 July 1978, ten terrorists cut through the
security fence and gained entry into the Chikwarakwara protected village where
they abducted sixteen locals whom they forced to march into the Chipisi TTL.
Follow-up operations were immediately instituted but due to road-work
operations and the movement of Roads Department heavy vehicles, all spoors had
been obliterated.
…Again on the 06 August 1978, nineteen locals were
abducted by a group of terrorists from the Chiswingo protected village in the
Diti TTL. Two of the locals managed to escape. Guard Force reacted without
success.
…On 24 August 1978, elements of Guard Force, while
driving into a kraal line, observed locals scattering in all directions. The
Guard Force fired warning shots in an attempt to stop the locals and
immediately came under terrorist attack. The terrorists were engaged, resulting
in the capture of one wounded terrorist and the recovery of an AKM rifle. Guard
Force sustained no injuries.
…On the 13 November 1978, the protected village at
Chaswingo in the Diti TTL came under terrorist attack by a force estimated at
fifty strong.The attack lasted two hours during which time RPG-7 rockets, 82 mm
and 60 mm mortars and automatic weapons were used. Four locals were serious
injured which necessitated their casevac to Messina Hospital. The terrorists
broke off their attack at 20:30 hrs.
…On 17 November 1978, a group of thirty african females
from the Mapai protected village in the Diti TTL, who were out gathering wood
at the time, were abducted by nine terrorists and forced to, march in an
easterly direction apparently to the site of an extremely large base. Four of
the females managed to abscond during the march and returned to the PV.
…During the early hours of 26 November 1978, the
protected village at Shabwe in the Mtetengwe TTL came under attack from a large
group of terrorists estimated to number in excess of sixty. Their 75 mm
recoilless rifle was in action again, as well as 82 mm and 60 mm mortars. Fire
was returned by Guard Force, which although mainly ineffectual, forced the
attackers to stay where they were.
A check of the protected village found that fifty
metres of security fencing had been cut and that twohundred locals had been
abducted before the attack was launched. During the course of the day, and
subsequently, a number of abducted locals returned to the PV, having managed to
escape from their kidnappers. These abductions were always regarded with
suspicion : it was suspected that the locals were warned of the impending
attack and had fled the PV to escape the
ordeal.
The attack was the most accurate up until then, with
twenty-seven 82 mm mortar fins and eight unexploded bombs being recovered from
the confines of the PV, as well as seventeen 60 mm mortar fins, M60 rifle
grenade fins, and one RPG-2 rocket which failed to detonate. Fouteen empty 75
mm recoilless rifle cases were recovered from the attacking position . Several
locals in the PV sustained injury but there were no fatalities.
…Tenty-two locals were killed on the 4 December 1978 in
an airstrike on a povo camp in the Diti TTL. However, all had freely elected to
run with and support the terrorists, ignoring repeated warnings to report to
the protected villages. It could be said that the terrorists had forced the
locals, on pain of death, to remain outside the protected villages, as the
enemy could not survive without local support. In fact, the enemy was abducting
locals from PVs for this very purpose. Most abductees who wanted to escape from
their captors did so within hours and even in the povo camps they ere left
unattended for days and had ample opportunity to escape and return to the PVs.
…Also on 4 December 1978, six locals collecting
firewood outside the Shabwe protected village in the Mtetengwe TTL failed to
return to the PV ; it was suspected that they had been abducted by terrorists.
…During the early hours of 7 De4cember 1978, an unknown
number of terrorists cut the security fence of the Chikwarakwara protected village in the Chipisi TTL and
abducted forty-seven locals. The following morning, elements of Guard Force
followed spoor heading in a northerly direction for three kilometres when it
was lost.
…On 11 December 1978, 1 Indep Company reported that an
estimated eighty locals were moving from the bush in the direction of the
Chaswingo protected village. Guard Force , reported that, over the past two
days, forty-four locals had reported to that PV and another fifty-four to the
Chikwarakwara PV, both PVs being located in the Chipisi TTL.
…On 13 December 1978, two local men were abducted by a
lone terrorist outside the confines of the Tolkwe protected village in the
Mtetengwe TTL. One managed to escape and reported the incident.
…On the 21 December 1978, twenty-eight locals were
abducted by an unknown number of terrorists while collecting firewood from the
Tshiturapadzi protected village in the Chipisi TTL. One female managed to
escape and reported the incident to Guard Force who reacted and managed to
follow the spoor for some considerable distance before loosing tracks.
…Also on 24 December, a Guard Force vehicle detonated a
landmine in the Diti TTL. Two of the occupants of the vehicle received what
appeared to be serious injuries and both were casevaced by air force helicopter
to the Messina hospital.
…Again, on 25 December, terrorists breached the
security fence at Mapai protected village in the Mtetengwe TTL and abducted
seventeen locals. However, all the abductees managed to escape and returned to
the PV.
…Also on 30 December 1978, a Guard Force convoy was
ambushed by an estimated thirty terrorists in the Chipisi TTL. The convoy was
attacked with RPG-7 rockets and automatic fire. Guard Force returned fire and
eventually the terrorists broke off the attack. Blood spoor was located in the
terrorists ambush position, indicating that one of the terrorists had been
wounded by the return fire.
…More and more locals were now being killed,
unintentionally, by the security forces. With the implementation of the PV
regime, those locals who refused to comply with the requirements to move into
the PVs put their own life at risk. Most of the locals were killed in attacks
on povo bases, but others who failed to stop when called upon to do so were
also fired on, normally with deadly consequences. However, this warning was not
afforded to curfew breakers who were shot out of hand, for obvious reasons.
…On 15 January 1979, elements of Guard Force opened
fire and killed a local man while following the spoor of six terrorists in the
Diti TTL. The deceased was subsequently identified as a well known, powerful
witchdoctor from the area who had been running with the terrorists for some
time.
…Also, on 15 December 1979, a CMED convoy under Guard
Force escort was aqmbushed in the Diti TTL. The only injury was to one
terrorist who was wounded.
… Also, during the night of 21 January 1979, forty
terrorists breached the security fence of the Tshiturapadzi protected village
and abducted three hundred locals. Three locals who refused to accompany the
terrorists were badly beaten and were casevaced to Beitbridge the following
morning. Spoor of the abductees was followed for several kilometres before
being obliterated by cattle movement.
…During the night of 22 January 1979, an unknown number
of terrorists breached the security fence at the Shabwe protected village in
the Mtetengwe TTL. Elements of Guard Force, protecting the PV, opened fire on
the terrorists who then returned fire from supporting positions with automatic
weapons, 60 mm mortars and 3,5 inch bazooka rockets. Two locals in the PV were
killed in crossfire. The terroristd managed to abduct an unknown number of locals
who, over the course of the following day, returned to the PV. The follow-up
was unsuccessful owing to the amount of human spoor in and out of the PV.
…On 26 January 1979, a combined Guard Force – Rhodesian
Defence Regiment convoy was ambushed by fifteen terrorists in the Diti TTL.
Fire was returned, while the terrorists retaliated with ineffectual 60 mm
mortar fire. The follow-up did not last long before spoor was lost. There were
no security force casualties.
…During the night of 1 February 1979, approximately
fifty terrorists attacked the Tshiturapadzi protected village, using 75 mm
recoilless rifle, 82 mm mortars, machine guns – including an SG-43 Goryunov
medium machine gun – and automatic weapons. Elements of Guard Force reacted to
the attack which eventually drove off the attackers. However, prior to the
attack, one group of terrorists breached the security fence around the PV and
abducted onehundred and seventeen locals. One female was murdered by the
terrorists for refusing to leave the PV. At first light the following morning,
a check of the area revealed the attacking position where a wounded terrorist
was captured. An SKS rifle, thirteen 82 mm mortar bombs, grenades and other war
materie were recovered. An unsuccessful follow-up operation was undertaken.
…On 5 February 1979, elements of Guard Force patrolling
the Diti TTL located a wooden box mine of British manufacture. Army engineers
reacted and destroyed the mine in situ.
…Also on 7 February 1979, a Road Department vehicle,
escorted by elements of Guard Force, was ambushed by four terrorists in the
Mtetengwe TTL. The terrorists, apart from automatic weapons, used a 60 mm
mortar to attack the convoy. One Road Department employee was slightly injured
and casevaced to Beitbridge for treatment. An unexploded 60 mm mortar bomb was
located at the scene and which was later destroyed by army engineers.
…On 11 February 1979, elements of Guard Force operating
in the Mtetengwe TTL opened fire on a group of twelve terrorists. The
terrorists did not return fire but fled from the area.Guard Force followed
spoor for some distance before loosing it through cattle movement.
…Also on 16 February 1979, elements of Guard Force
located and successfully recovered an anti-tank box mine in the Diti TTL. On
the same date but in a different area of the Diti TTL, Guard Force also located
and successfully recovered anolther anti-tank box mine. Former army engineers
who had joined the Guiard Force were proving their worth and a damned fine job
they were doing too.
…On 19 February 1979, elements of Guard Force
travelling in convoy detonated a landmine in the Diti TTL. Two guardsmen
received minor injuries and were casevaced to Beitbridge for treatment.
…Yet again, on 23 February 1979, elements of Guard
Force operating in the Diti TTL detected and successfully lifted a wooden box
mine without incident, thanks again to their engineers.
…On 2 March 1979, elements of Guard Force in convoy in
the Chipise TTL detonated a landmine assessed as being a box type. Three Guard
Force members were slightly injured and were casevaced to Beitbridge by road
for treatment. Shortly after noon, elements of Guard Force guarding the damaged
vehicle spotted three terrorists, two of whom were carrying AK-47 rifles and
the other a yellow box. The guardsmen opened fire on the group, causing them to
flee. There were no casualties on either side. The three terrorists were deemed
as being a minelaying team and that the yellow box was the landmine.
…During the night 10 March 1979, the Chaswingo
protected village in the Diti TTL came under terrorist mortar and small arms
attack, lasting fifteen minutes. Elements of Guard Force protecting the PV
returned fire. During the attack, another group of terrorists entered the PV
and abducted forty-eight locals. Three locals in the PV were slightly injured
during the attack.
…Also on 14 March 1979, elements of Guard Force located
a wooden box mine on a road in the Diti TTL and the army engineers were called
in. Because of the poor condition of the mine, the engineers destroyed it in
situ.
…Again , on 22 March 1979, elements of Guard Force,
supported by the local miliotia – now known as Venda Militia and still armed
with their trusty bolt-action .303 Lee Enfield rifles – attacked a povo base in
the Chipise TTL. The base was occupied by an estimated twenty terrorists who
met the attack with mortar, RPG-7 rocket and automatic fire. The attacking
force managed to capture the base after forcing the terrorists to flee. They
did, however, apprehend a mixed bag of thirty-four local povo and over
five-hundred head of cattle stolen from the locals living in the Chaswingo and Tshiturapadzi protected villages, which
were duly returned to their rightful owners. An excellent job executed by
poorly trained men. The Venda Militia fell under the control of Internal
Affairs and, for command purposes, the District Commissioner and his staff at
Beitbridge. They assisted mainly in the guarding of the protected villages, in
conjunction with Guard Force, in the Beitbridge area.
…Yet again, on 24 March 1979, elements of Guard Force
in convoy were ambushed by terrorists in the Chipise TTL. Fire was returned,
forcing the terrorists to break off the engagement. The convoy escaped
unscathed.
…On 10 June 1979, elements of Guard Force engaged in
the recovery of the Roads Department vehicle damaged by a mine on 8 June in the
Diti TTL detonated a landmine, slightly injuring on of the occupants who was
subsequently casevaced to Beitbridge for treatment.
…On 25 June 1979, elements of Guiard Force surprised
five terrorists preparing to bury a landmine in a road in the Mtetengwe TTL.
The terrorists were fired on but managed to escape with their mine.,There were
no casualties on either side.
…On 2 July 1979, elements of Guard Force fired on a
suspected terrorist moving near the railway line in the Mttengwe TTL. The
suspect fled and opn following up, the Guard Force located one stick grenade.
…On 9 July 1979, elements of Guard Force located and
recovered a TM-57 landmine on Lesanth Ranch. Another TM-57 landmine was then
located and recovered by the same patrol in the Bubye River farming area.
…Again, on 12 July, elements of Guard Force attacked an
estimated ten terrorists i9n the Diti TTL. One terrorist was killed. Two Guard
Force members were wounded, one seriously and who was casevaced by air to
Bulawayo for treatment.One SKS roifle was recovered.
…On 28 July 1979, elements of Guard Force located a
landmine in the Diti TTL. Engineers, finding the boxmine to be unstable,
destroyed it in situ.
…On 1 August
1979, elements of Guard Force patrolling the railway line in the Mtetengwe
observed a group of terrorists digging under the tracks. The Guard Force then
opened fire with rifles and a 60 mm mortar and the saboteurs fled. The patrol
was unable to locate spoor because of rocky terrain.
…Again on 12 August 1979, just after 10 o’clock that
night, the Chaswingo protected village in the Diti TTL came under attack from a
large group of terrorists. The attack was repelled by the Guard Force defenders
and the terrorists abandoned their positions. However, the shock was still to
come when police ballistic reports confirmed that two 75 mm recoilless rifles
and one DShK 12,7 mm heavy machine gun
had been used in the attack. The DShK 12,7 mm HMG is a fearful weapon often
used in an anti-aircraft role; in the right hands it can be deadly against
helicopters. Apart from these formidable weapons, forty-five AK-47 assault
rifles, tenty-five SKS rifles, one RPD machine gun, one RPK heavy-barrelled
AK-47 and one Goryunov MMG were identified as having been used during the
attack.
…On 15 August 1979, elements of Guard Force located a
landmine in the Diti TTL. Engineers were deployed and recovered a TM-57
,landmine.
…Also on 15 August, a Guard Force patrol operating in
the area of Chaswingo protected village in the Diti TTL located the body of a
terrorist thought to have been killed during the attack on the PV on 12 August.
No weapon was recovered.
…On 12 September 1979, elements of Guard Force and the
Venda Militia travelling by vehicle detonated an unidentified landmine. There
was one minor casualty who was casevaced by road to Beitbridge for treatment.
…On 20 September 1979, elements of Guard Force
travelling in Chipise TTL located a buried landmine. Army engineers were
deployed and recovered the mine.
…Also on 21 September, elements of Guard Force sighted
eight terrorists in the Chipise TTL and moved into a position to attack them.
The terrorists were then engaged at a distance of approximately sixty meters.
The contact was unsuccessful, with no casulaties on either side.
…Also on 23 September 1979, elements of Guard Force
located a wooden box mine in the Chipise TTL. Army engineers reacted and
destroyed the mine in situ as it was suspected to have been boosted.
…Again, during the night of 26 September 1979, the
homestead on Sentinal Ranch came under attack for half an hour by an estimated
twenty-five terrorists using rocket and small arms fire. Elements of Guard
Force protecting the homestead suffered two seriously wounded casualties who
were casevaced to Bulawayo by air for treatment. Both subsequently recovered
after specialized treatment.
…Also on 29 September 1979, elements of E-Coy 1 Guard
Force based at the Bubye River near the Lion and Elephant Motel on the
Beitbridge – Fort Victoria road came under terrorist attack from the
southwestern side of the Bubye River. The terrorists used mortars, rockets and
small arms fire during the attack but broke off the contact when the Guard Force
returned fire. At first light, elements of 1 Indep Company conducted the
follow-up, during which four 3,5 inch rockets were located and destroyed by
army engineers. There were no security force casualties.
…On 30 September 1979, elements of Guard Force fired on
two terrorists in the Mtetengwe TTL. The terrorists returned fire and managed
to escape.
…On 1 October 1979, elements of Guard Force patrolling
the line of rail near Lesanth Siding located an explosive device consisting of
twenty kilograms of TNT primed for electrical detonation. Elements of 4
Engineers were deployed, dismantled the device and reopened the line at eleven
o’clock that morning.
…On 19 October 1979, elements of Guard Force operating
in the Diti TTL located a buried landmine and called for the army engineers to
deal with it. The engineers successfully lifted the mine which they identified
as a P2 Mk3.
The
following extracts are
from the book “
Jim
Parker, Assignment Selous
Scouts . Inside story
of a Rhodesian Special
Branch Officer “, published in 2006 by
Galago Publishing [1999] [ Pty ] Ltd , Alberton, South Africa.
Sometimes it is important to read
accounts of enemy activities impacting on the duties of our Guard Force
soldiers deployed within the Protected Village system and Farm Protection. Jim
Parker, a Reserve Detective Section Officer with the Special Branch Selous
Scouts, describes short and precise such incidents as highlighted in the
following extracts :
….They selected
the Mpagati protected village as a target because its location meant they could
launch their attack and retreat safely to the cache area the same night. At
last light on 04 August 1977, 32 guerillas unearthed their arsenal and moved to
a position by the southern boundary fence of the Mpagati. By that time the
Guard Force personnel had secured the
perimeter fence and locked the main security fence gates.
The Guard Force men stayed in an enclosure within the
protected village surrounded by an earth abutment three metres high. At each
corner were sentry posts made from teak railway sleepers with firing slots
built in. It was reckoned their positions were strong enough to resist a direct
hit by a 60 mm mortar bomb. Next to the barrack area were bunkers of similar
construction.
At 18:10 the guerrillas mounted a major attack on the
Guard Force positions, firing AKs, an RPD machine gun, 82 mm mortars, RPG-7
rockets, a heavy machine gun and a 75 mm recoilless rifle. As was the usual
pattern, the guerrilla fire was hopelessly inaccurate and after a 45 minute
bombardment only one Guard Force member had been slightly injured by shrapnel
from a lone mortar bomb that had dropped within the earth perimeter. The Guard
Force had only G3 rifles to repel the attack.
The next morning an investigation by National Service
Patrol Officer Collinge of Sub-JOC Chiredzi revealed the staggering total of
2415 cartridge cases at the attackers firing positions .
On the 19 October 1977, two weeks later, the same
specialist team attacked the Rimbi protected village in the southern Ndowoyo
TTL with a full array of weapons. Again the attack was ineffective, even though
540 cartridge cases were found by Detective Section Officer Barton at the
guerrillas firing positions.
Eight months had passed since ZANLA’s specialised
guerrilla section attacked the Rimbi Protected Village in the Ndowoyo TTL. It
seemed they had begun to run low on ammunition but had recently been
resupplied.
The next target they selected was the Chikombedzi
Protected Village in the Matibi II TTL. Their last attack there on 03 October
1977 was when they mistakenly attacked the Chikombedzi Mission hospital instead
of the Guard Force base.
At 19:45 on 04 June 1978 the specialised guerrilla
section of 40 combatants moved their arsenal of heavy weapons to firing
positions north of the protected village. This time there was no mistake and
they set their sights on the Guard Force base. They had two 60 mm mortars, one
82 mm mortar, RPG-2 and RPG-7 grenade launchers, a heavy machine gun. Three RPD
light machine guns and their personal AKs. They didn’t use their 75 mm
recoilless rifle, probably because they had expended all its ammunition.
Their standoff bombardment lasted an hour. It was an
exhibition of inaccurate shooting as not a single missile struck the revetment
protecting the Guard Force positions. Detective Patrol Officers Drake and
Elkington investigated the next day and found a phenomenal 4986 AK cartridge
cases. No one was injured during this major attack.
