CHOPPERTECH

Sunday, March 23, 2008

STATUS OF BLOG

I am in Abu Dhabi at the moment preparing for a trip to Spain where I will be based up for the summer season firefighting.
I will continue this blog from that location.
Please be patient and keep monitoring this site as there is a lot of interesting stuff on Rhodesia and the Chimurenga war coming up.
Beaver Shaw
shawzie@hotmail.com
Please comment on the content of the site if you will -I will be able to gauge if it is worthwhile keeping going.

Friday, March 7, 2008

THE FIRST CHIMURENGA WAR AND RHODESIAN PIONEERS

CECIL RHODES STATUE -REMOVED FROM ITS SPOT IN BULAWAYO BY MUGABE (as he couldnt bear to see pidgeons defecating on the statue of such a great leader and father of Rhodesia)

CECIL JOHN RHODES - A MAN WITH A VISION-RHODESIA

WHITE SETTLERS MEET IN BULAWAYO AT START OF REBELLION MARCH 1896

NATIVE MATABELE POLICE -they deserted and joined the rebels in 1895

FIGHTING IN THE MATOPOS -RLI Troopers would have found this type of fighting no different to those days only problem no K Car!!!

LT. CREWE AT THE BATTLE OF THE UMGUZA 1896

RAISING THE BSAC FLAG BULAWAYO 4 NOVEMBER 1893

BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY -Pioneer column route 1890

LOBENGULA'S KRAAL CIRCA 1893

Lobengula seated outside his Palace at Old Bulawayo

Rare picture of Matabele King Lobengula

Photographs and maps from : Bulawayo Historic Battleground of Rhodesia by Oliver Ransford 1968 -Pioneer Press Cape Town.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

ZANLA AND ZIPRA LEADERS OF NOTE

"GANDANGA" TERRORIST IN THE TTL
Pencil drawing -Beaver Shaw

GENERAL JOSAIAH MAGAMA TONGOGARA CHMURENGA LEADER OF ZANLA FORCES IN MOCAMBIQUE UNTIL HIS DEATH UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE END OF THE WAR.
Tongogara known as Tongo or "Nyenganyenga" (Swallow) by his supporters was born in Nhema TTL near Selukwe in 1940.
By coincidence his mother worked on Ian Smith's family farm in Selukwe and as a youngster Tongo used to collect tennis balls for Ian Smith when he played tennis on the farm.
Tongo left Rhodesia for Zambia in 1960 where he worked in the RAF bar in Lusaka and later at Chainama Hills golf club where he learned to play golf.
In 1961 Tongo became an active member of Zambia's UNIP led by Kenneth Kuanda, he also had sympathies for FRELIMO in Mocambique and set his sights on the liberation of Rhodesia from white majority rule.
He attended the ZANU conference held in Gwelo in 1963 and became chairman of the Lusaka branch of ZANU. His main objective at that time was to recruit young black Rhodesians into ZANU for military training in Zambia and the Soviet bloc.
In 1965 Tongo went to Itumbi camp in Tanzania for military training.
In 1966 Tongo led a party of 11 cadres to Nanking military academy in China where they were trained in mass mobilisation, military intellegence, political science, mass media, guerilla war strategies and tactics.
Tongo returned to Tanzania in 1966 to assume the role of military instructor.
Tongo then began to organise and equip ZANU terrorists to infiltrate into Rhodesia and establish base camps crossing the Zambezi River.
He was also involved with FRELIMO in Mocambique with the intention of opening up bases in that country.
Tongo was instrumental in opening up the North Eastern campaign in Rhodesia in 1970-71.
The war started for real with the first shots being fired at Altena Farm and within 12 months terrorists were establishing themselves in the Mount Darwin and Centeneray districts of Rhodesia.
Tongogara followed Mao's teachings which in Shona means "Simba rehove riri mumvura" (a fish has its strength in water) meaning that the terrorists must live with the masses as a fish does in water.
When the 1979 Lancaster House talks in London were convened Tongogara represented the Patriotic front on the military side and commanded much respect among the military advisors from the various delegations.
Tongogara left London to return to Africa where he was to implement the ceasefire agreement.
Wheh he arrived in Maputo he briefed his commanders on the arrangements and set out for Chimoio the next day to brief the other ZANLA commanders in the bush.
It is said that he was killed in a vehicle accident on the way to Chimoio but some say that he was murdered by Mugabes henchmen. We will never know the truth.
In my book Choppertech I cover a little about Tongogara . Tekere and Robert Mugabe and some of what happened in Chimoio during and after our devastaing external raids on those camps.

JOYCE MAJURU -Wife of Solomon Majuru alias Rex Nhongo -she was a combatant in the Chimurenga war and claims to have shot down a Rhodesian Air Force helicopter.

I have checked RhAf records and find that no helicopters were either shot down or damaged at the dates she claims to have done this. Choppertech has a record of all helicopters either shot down of damaged by enemy activity. The date she claims to have done this action was 17 February1974. In her words "Incredibly, I hit the machine and there was a lot of black smoke and it crashed. A big explosion followed", she was quoted in which all the occupants of the helicopter perished. WISHFUL THINKING!!!

SOLOMON MUJURU also known by his Chimurenga name REX NHONGORex Nhongo led Robert Mugabes ZANLA terrorist forces during the Chimurenga bush war.

In post Independent Zimbabwe he became the Army chief before leaving government in 1995.

Solomon Mujurus wife is the Vice president.

ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE ZANLA TERRORIST LEADER BASED IN MOCAMBIQUE
NOW PRESIDENT OF ZIMBABWE (COMMUNIST CHINESE SUPPORT DURING WAR)

JOSHUA NKOMO ZIPRA (his team came second in the Southern African war games 1963-1980) TERRORIST LEADER ZAMBIAN BASED SOVIET SUPPORT.

Nkomo was responsible for the shooting down of the Air Rhodesia Viscounts Umniati and Hunyani which resulted in Rhodesian Strikes into both Zambia and Mocambique. These incidents are covered in detail in Choppertech.

THE RHODESIAN AFRICAN RIFLES -CHOPPERTECH

RAR COLOURS

RAR CAP BADGE

MAJOR ANDRE DENNISON B.C.R. C/O A COY 2 RAR - Pencil drawing by Beaver Shaw

Andre was a fine soldier and an excellent K Car commander -his men would follow him to hell and back , they called him K Car because of the way he carried his weapon in action.

Andre died in a blue on blue incident just outside the Zimbabwe Ruins hotel in 1979.

Choppertech describes many incidents on Fireforce operations with Andre Dennison and 2 RAR. One story of note is a description of the action in which Richard Cecil (Lord Salisbury) a British journalist and filmaker was killed in action with the Mtoko Fireforce.

I love working with the RAR and was well liked by them.

An A Company 2 RAR Trooper on patrol -pencil drawing by Beaver Shaw

THE RHODESIAN LIGHT INFANTRY

G Car deploying troopies of the RLI

MAG MACHINE GUN 7.62 GOOK KILLER OF NOTE-THE RLI KNEW HOW TO USE IT

Fireforce would have been nothing without the Troopies of the RLI who came from many lands to serve Rhodesia in her time of need.

Choppertech describes the formation of Fireforce and how the G and K Cars went into action with this fine body of men. The "Saints" also described as The Incredibles, they had faces of boys yet fought like lions.

Some books of note on the RLI are:

The Saints by Alexandre Binda -compiled and edited by Chris Cocks.

Fireforce by Chris Cocks

Stickleader RLI by Charlie Warren

MARIUS THE MAG GUNNER ATYPICAL RLI TROOPER COMPLETE WITH MAG

C Squadron (Rhodesia) SAS

SAS TROOPER ARMED WITH RPD MACHINE GUN EXTERNAL OPERATION MAPAI (Le Petit) -Pencil drawing by Beaver Shaw

TPR. ALAN LOCKE SHAW C SQN SAS THE MALAYAN SCOUTS 1951 My father.

Seven Squadron worked very closely with C Squadron Rhodesian SAS on operations in and out of Rhodesia.

Choppertech describes some of these operations in detail.

My father Alan Shaw served with this elite unit in the Malayan Emergency with Walls and Reid Daly.

MESSAGE FROM IAN

I TOLD YOU SO MR F###ING KISSINGER

RHODESIAN AIR FORCE

FEDERATION ROUNDEL

RHODESIAN ROUNDEL

RHODESIAN LION AND TUSK

RHODESIAN FLAG

AIR VICE MARSHAL NORMAN WALSH

AIR VICE MARSHAL MICK Mc CLAREN

AIR VICE MARSHAL FRANK MUSSELL

RHODESIAN AIR FORCE FLAG

The Only Rhodesian Air Force Air to Air Contact of the Bush War

I n Choppertech I describe the incident with a Rhodesian Air Force K Car and a Botswana Air Force Defender near Francistown in Botswana -The K Car flown by Chas Goatley with Beaver Shaw as his technician/gunner was attacked by a Botswana defender while uplifting a Selous Scout call-sign at a remote airfield in Botswana . Choppertech describes this little known air combat and its result.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

TERRORIST ANTI AIRCRAFT WEAPONS USED IN EXTERNAL CAMPS BY ZIPRA AND ZANLA FORCES

This was the array of weapons which the Rhodesian Security forces (Air Force) could expect to encounter when we attacked ZANLA and ZIPRA terrorist bases in Mocambique and Zambia.
During these attacks the Rhodesian Air Force Lynx and Alouette K Cars loitered over the scene taking tremendous AAA fire from the terrorists on the ground.
Rhodesian external attacks on terrorist base camps were nearly always supported by Canberra bombers, Hawker Hunter and Vampire ground attack aircraft.

The ZANLA and ZIPRA gunners returned fire with determination and in some cases used baboons chained to thier bunkers to warn them of an (airborne) attack by the Rhodesian Forces.
We had a healthy respect for these weapons especially the SA7 Grail missile known to us as a Strela.
In Choppertech I recount some of these external raids into Mocambique and Zambia telling the Rhodesian side of the story and of the Rhaf aircraft which were hit by some of this awesome arsenal of weapons.