Katangese Air Force
Katangese Air Force | |
---|---|
Force Aérienne Katangaise | |
Aircraft flown | |
Attack | Fouga CM.170 Magister, North American AT-6G Texan |
The Katangese Air Force (French: Force aérienne katangaise, or FAK) or Katangese Military Aviation (French: Aviation militaire Katangaise, or Avikat) was a short lived air force of the State of Katanga, established in 1960 under the command of Jan Zumbach. The force consisted predominantly of Belgian, French, and British mercenary pilots, operating a small number of helicopters[1] and smaller number of fixed wing planes, including three attack aircraft delivered by the CIA.[2]
History
Katangese Air Force
In 1960, the leader of the CONAKAT party Moïse Tshombe, declared Katanga Province's secession from Congo-Léopoldville as the State of Katanga after unrest elsewhere in the Congo and the failure to establish a federalist regime in the country. The newly formed Katangese government requested military aid from Belgium while the Congolese state appealed for assistance to the United Nations.[3] On 17 July 1960 United Nations Security Council Resolution 143 was adopted, which established the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) and would provide military assistance to the Congolese forces.[1]
In August 1960, Tshombe began to establish military and paramilitary formations under the auspices of the Katangese Gendarmerie. It was also intended to include a small air force established from aircraft formerly used by the colonial-era Aviation militaire de la Force Publique (Avimil).[4] It recruited mercenary pilots, including several veterans who had served in the Royal Air Force during World War II such as the Polish fighter pilot Jan Zumbach.
The primary role of the Katangese Air Force was to provide air support for ground troops and
Commanders
It was initially commanded by the Belgian Victor Volant.[7] In September 1961, in the aftermath of Operation Rum Punch, Volant left Katanga and command devolved to the Katangese pilot Jean-Marie Ngosa and his Belgian adviser José Delin.[8] In the aftermath of Operation Unokat in December 1961, command first changed over to the South African Jeremiah Cornelius "Jerry" Puren,[9] then, in early 1962, to Jan Zumbach, who commanded Avikat until the end of the Katangese secession in January 1963.[1]
Alleged role in the death of Dag Hammarskjöld
Aircraft
The following fixed wing aircraft and helicopters were in service from 1960 until 1963:
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Aircraft | ||||||
T-6 Texan | United States | attack | AT-6 | 8[12] | ||
Piper PA-22 | United States | utility | 5[1] | |||
Fouga CM.170 | France | attack / fighter | 3[12] | nine purchased, but only three delivered[1] | ||
de Havilland Vampire | United Kingdom | fighter | 2[13][14] | two ex-Portuguese T.11s | ||
Transport | ||||||
Dornier Do 28 | Germany | utility / transport | 5[1] | |||
DH.104 Dove | United Kingdom | transport | 5[1] | |||
DH.114 Heron | United Kingdom | transport | 1[1] | |||
Helicopters
| ||||||
Alouette II | France | utility / liaison | 1[1] | |||
Sikorsky H-19 | United States | utility / transport | 1[1] | |||
Trainer Aircraft
| ||||||
Piper PA-18
|
United States | trainer | 1[12] |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Congo, Part 1; 1960-1963". acig.org. 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ Malta: Parliamentary question concerning US air charter firm Seven Seas; aircraft... 1 January – 31 December 1961.
- ISBN 0-8157-5198-2.
- ^ a b "Congolese Republic". Interavia. Vol. 22. 1967. pp. 1305–1306.
- ^ Malta: Parliamentary question concerning US air charter firm Seven Seas; aircraft... 1 January – 31 December 1961.
- ^ Gülstorff, Torben (Winter 2018). "German links to the Hammarskjöld case" (PDF). Lobster. 76.
- ISBN 9780750962889.
- ISBN 9780750962889.
- ISBN 9780750962889.
- ^ S2CID 154998847.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (12 Jan 2019). "RAF veteran 'admitted 1961 killing of UN secretary general'". The Observer. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "THE MAGISTER MYSTERY". Flightglobal Insight. 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ "All-Time Aircraft Used List | Katanga Air Force".
- ^ "Incident de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.Mk 55 -, 29 Dec 1962".
Further reading
- Passemiers, Lazlo (2020). Decolonisation and Regional Geopolitics: South Africa and the 'Congo Crisis', 1960-1965. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9780367660581.