Operation Griffin
Operation Griffin | |||||||
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Part of the Rhodesian Bush War (or Second Chimurenga) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Rhodesia South Africa |
ZIPRA | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Maj. Robert Southey 2Lt. Jerry Strong Flt. Lt. Petter-Bowyer Norman Walsh | Unknown | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Rhodesian Army
RRAFSouth African Police | unknown | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
unknown | 28 cadres | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Rhodesia: 1 killed 7 wounded 1 helicopter damaged South Africa: 1 killed 2 wounded |
27 killed 1 defected |
Operation Griffin was a military operation launched by the
Background
A group of 28
The Operation
A patrol of South African Police (SAP) was despatched along with a detachment of RLI men from 3 Commando and some from E Company, Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR), who were in the area on border patrol. Noticing the increased helicopter activity of the security forces, the cadres realised they had been detected and moved into a defensive position in a deep gully.
The two the different forces came into contact with each other on the morning of 18 July, when the insurgents opened fire on 12 Troop, 3 Commando, led by
The Alouette was then hit and, although only lightly damaged, forced to withdraw, leaving the ground troops without covering MAG fire. Now covered by the Rhodesian ground troops and Frantans
The RLI, meanwhile, was redeployed by Southey, and positioned to seal off likely escape routes from the gully. Ambushes were set up on each ridge and at both ends of the gully. At dawn four guerrillas attempted to break through a 3 Commando stop position at the eastern end; unfortunately for the insurgents, this ambush was headed by Commando Sergeant Major Al Tourle,[1] a particularly aggressive soldier nicknamed "Bangstick",[4] whose men shot and killed all four. Southey then led 12 and 14 Troops on a sweep of the gully from the west and found that the ZIPRA fighters had vacated their position, leaving most of their equipment. Two cadres hiding in a cave opened fire on Southey's men and were killed. Two insurgent bodies were found, burnt by the Frantans. By noon on 19 July the area was clear; 10 guerrillas had been killed while the security forces had lost one trooper and suffered six troopers wounded. Headquarters was moved to Kariba while 2 Commando was brought in from Salisbury to assist in locating the remaining cadres.[1]
Strong led a sweep up the river and met with no resistance while a squad of trackers including Tourle moved south, towards Kariba.[4] The latter group spotted the 10 insurgents in ambush in another gully at 13:30 on 19 July and a fierce battle ensued.[1] The RLI squad leader's faulty radio set meant that he was unable to issue orders, leading Tourle to take the initiative by shouting orders to soldiers around him. This made him the subject of concentrated ZIPRA fire,[5] but he nevertheless directed the RLI actions throughout the contact while also accounting for most of the opposing force personally.[5] "Tourle," says Binda, "armed with an MAG, moved with one other man to a rocky outcrop overlooking the enemy position and laid down a withering fire."[1] Under this cover Corporals Johnstone and Strydom flanked right and eliminated a ZIPRA sniper, while Corporal Kirkwood and Lance-Corporal Coom moved to the left. A sweep was then carried out, during which a guerrilla jumped out of cover and opened fire, wounding Coom; Johnstone killed the insurgent.[1]
Aftermath
The remainder of the search revealed that the other nine cadres were dead, six having been killed by Tourle. For his "gallantry and leadership" in this action, Al Tourle was awarded the Bronze Cross of Rhodesia on 23 October 1970. The remaining seven cadres were captured or killed over the course of the next week, leaving none unaccounted for when the operation ended at 12:00 on 26 July 1968.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Binda 2008, pp. 84–88
- ^ A "Frantan"
- ^ Petter-Bowyer 2005, p. 88
- ^ a b c Petter-Bowyer 2005, pp. 138–139
- ^ a b Binda 2008, pp. 514–515
Bibliography
- Petter-Bowyer, P J H (November 2005) [2003]. Winds of Destruction: the Autobiography of a Rhodesian Combat Pilot. Johannesburg: 30° South Publishers. ISBN 978-0-9584890-3-4.
- Binda, Alexandre (May 2008). The Saints: The Rhodesian Light Infantry. Johannesburg: 30° South Publishers. ISBN 978-1-920143-07-7.
- ISBN 978-1-920169-61-9.