Africa's Commandos - new book on the RLI

[JMA]

The following two court statement makes for interesting reading, not so much for the events that took place (although contacts are of interest), but for the fact that an experienced Rhodesian Army officer was required, by law, to immerse himself in legal bureaucracy. The fact of the matter is that, even as late as 1974, Rhodesian civil authorities, with heads buried in the sand, still believed the insurgency was a matter that the police and the courts could deal with.

Centenary C. R. 1/3/74: Statement No. ‘......’:

Richard John Alexander Passaportis states:
I am a lieutenant in the Rhodesian army attached to 1 Commando, 1st Battalion of the Rhodesian Light Infantry based in Salisbury.

On Tuesday, 26th February, 1974 I was on operational duties and stationed at Rumange Farm, Centenary. At 0900 hours on this date I received a radio instruction to stand by to give immediate support to a follow-up then in progress between a detachment of the RAR and a gang of terrorists (hereinafter referred to as Ters).

Some 15 minutes later I was uplifted by helicopter, commanded by Lieutenant Anderson, to Stacey’s farm where we arrived at about 10:15am. I had with me a section of three men and radio communications. At Stacey’s farm I was briefed on the position regarding the follow-up. I was then instructed to proceed by helicopter with my men to a grid reference south of Mutungagore Hill where I was to establish a stop line. In the helicopter I was in radio ‘intercom’ contact with the pilot and I overheard instructions being relayed to the pilot of a Provost aircraft to conduct ‘recces’ in the general area where I was to establish my stop line.

Some five minutes later I saw the Provost and I overheard his report that he had spotted a group of some ten Africans dressed in civilian clothing climbing through the fence into a tobacco field. The Provost pilot then stated that he was going down to a lower altitude to have a closer look at this group as at this time he could see no weapons. Still airborne in the helicopter at this time I could not see the group of suspected Ters. However, I saw the Provost going down and then recognized green and red tracer bullets arching up towards it. I heard the Provost pilot report that his aircraft had received bullet hits. I then pinpointed the source of the fire being directed at the Provost and I counted eight Africans in the tobacco field who were directing fire at the Provost. I saw these Africans, now established to be Ters, running in single file between two rows of small tobacco plants.

Lieutenant Anderson then orbited the tobacco field at which stage we also came under automatic fire. I notice one Ter lying on his back aiming an RDP machine gun in our direction and assumed that he was firing at the helicopter, although at this stage we received no hits. I then instructed the helicopter pilot to land and indicated a small ridge about 50 yards southwest of the Ter position. I later ascertained that this action was taking place on Panorama farm. The ridge obscured the helicopter from the Ter position and at this stage no further fire was being directed at us. I noticed the Provost pilot now making strafing runs on the Ter position.

I put my men into extended line and we moved forward towards the Ter position. We were in mopani scrub which afforded a fair amount of cover and managed to get right up to the fence bordering the tobacco field. I climbed through the fence and having taken up a firing position ordered my men to follow. As they were doing so my position came under heavy automatic and semi-automatic fire from the Ter position.

The helicopter, which had now taken off again, then opened fire on the Ter position from directly above me at an altitude of about 100 feet. I then heard the helicopter pilot report receiving hits to his aircraft and I actually heard two metallic strikes on the aircraft from my position. The helicopter then left and took no further part in action that followed.

My position was now coming under very heavy fire and I was pinned down, taking cover behind a furrow. My radio was now only receiving and it could not transmit. The Provost pilot then afforded me covering fire by diving on the Ter position and firing with his front guns. With this cover I then assaulted the Ter position in extended line. I had been pinned down by this time for about four to five minutes. As the Provost ended this strafing run the Ters then began to reappear from the cover they had taken and attempted to redirect fire at my position. We engaged opportunity targets as they presented themselves and swept through the Ter position, noting a number of dead bodies in the process.

I then noticed the Provost pilot conduct another strafing run on a position some 150 yards northeast of my position in the main contact area and I assumed that the Ters had fragmented and the Provost was directing fire at the remnants of the group. I heard the Provost pilot report over the radio that he was engaging two running Ters and during the subsequent sweep of this position located a wounded Ter lying under a tree. This Ter eventually died of his wounds.

I conducted a sweep of the main contact area with my corporal, leaving the two other men to guard the wounded Ter. As I was returning to the main contact area I saw two Ters hobbling off in a southerly direction. Both were dressed in civilian clothing and I noticed the one, who was not wounded, undoing the chest webbing which he was carrying. I called on them to stop which they did. I took possession of the webbing and found that it contained a quantity (I did not count them) of 7.62 intermediate ammunition and one Chinese stick grenade. The other Ter had a leg wound. Neither was carrying weapons at this time and in response to my question they both indicated their weapons lying on the ground among the dead bodies in the main contact area.

I now see the two Ters referred to above as the two accused in this case.

I then examined the main contact area and counted six dead terrorists. I located the following weapons and equipment:

4 AK-47 rifles
5 SKS rifles
large quantity 7.62mm ammunition,

together with the 7.62mm ammunition and a grenade which I took possession of from the accused.

A short time later D/P/O. Bacon, the CID representative arrived at the scene and I handed the above weapons over to him.

I now see that equipment as EXHIBIT ‘……….’:

Signed: R. J. A. Passaportis

D/Inspector K Samler
RLI
27/11/74