List of weapons of the Rhodesian Bush War

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List of weapons of the Rhodesian Bush War

The Rhodesian Bush War, also referred to as the Rhodesian Civil War, Zimbabwe Independence War or Zimbabwean War of Liberation, as well as the Second Chimurenga, was a military conflict staged during the Decolonisation of Africa that pitted the armed and security forces loyal to the Rhodesian white minority-led government of Prime-minister Ian Smith (later the Zimbabwe-Rhodesian government of Bishop Abel Muzorewa) against the guerrilla forces of the African nationalist Liberation movements in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia), between 1965 and 1979. Main combatants comprised:

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Two black soldiers of the Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR) manning a FN MAG General-purpose machine gun (GPMG) aboard a patrol boat on Lake Kariba, December 1976.

An eclectic variety of weapons was used by all sides in the Rhodesian Bush War. The Rhodesian Security Forces were equipped with a mix of Western-made weapon systems from World War II and more modern military equipment, mainly British in origin, but also included Portuguese, Spanish, French, Belgian, West German, American, Brazilian and South African military hardware. Following the Rhodesia's unilateral declaration of independence in 1965, and the institution by the United Nations of mandatory trade sanctions between December 1966 and April 1968, which required member states to cease all trade and economic links with Rhodesia, severely restricted purchases of military hardware suitable for Counter-insurgency operations.[2] While South Africa and Portugal (until 1974) gave economic, military and limited political support to the post-UDI government,[31][32] Rhodesia was also heavily reliant on international smuggling operations, commonly referred to as "sanction-busting", in which other armaments and non-lethal military supplies were secretly purchased (often with a third country acting as broker) from West Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Israel, Brazil, Iran (until 1979), the Philippines, South Vietnam (until 1975), Taiwan, Japan, Bermuda and Grenada,[33][34] and smuggled to Rhodesia via clandestine air freighting through Oman, Iran, Gabon and the Comoros.[35][36] Such illegally-purchased weaponry was complemented by the use of captured enemy arms and munitions late in the war, seized in the course of the Rhodesian Security Forces' own cross-border covert raids ("externals") against ZIPRA and ZANLA guerrilla bases in the neighbouring countries.

Unexpectedly, the UN sanctions provided the impetus for a shift towards the establishment of a domestic arms industry in Rhodesia. With South African technical assistance, the Rhodesians developed in coordination with the private sector their own military manufacturing capacity and began producing substitutes for items which could not be easily imported or were unaffordable in the international Black market. By the late 1970s, Rhodesia was producing an impressive array of military hardware, including automatic firearms, anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, bombs, mortars and a wide range of unique Mine and Ambush Protected (MAP) vehicles, which used commercial running gear to meet the specific requirements of the warfare being waged.[5]

During the early phase of the War, the African nationalist guerrilla movements were largely equipped with WWII-vintage Western and Eastern arms and munitions, though as the war went on, more modern Soviet, Eastern Bloc and Chinese weaponry began to play a major role, particularly after 1972. The African host countries that provided sanctuary to ZIPRA and ZANLA, mainly Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and Mozambique, served as conduits for arms shipments coming from the sponsor countries, although the guerrillas themselves made use of captured enemy stocks (which included small-arms and land mines) and they were able to manufacture some of their own anti-personnel mines, anti-vehicle roadside bombs and other home-made explosive devices.[37][38]

Rhodesian Security Forces equipment

Revolvers

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Enfield No. 2 Mk I Revolver.
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Smith & Wesson Model 49 Bodyguard .38 Special.

Pistols

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Browning Hi-Power.
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An unloaded Star Model BM.
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Walther P1.

Submachine guns

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Sten Mk II.
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Uzi with a folding stock.
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American-180.
  • Sten Mk II: used early in the War.[54][55]
  • Austen "Machine Carbine" Mk I: used early in the War.[55]
  • Owen gun: used early in the War.[55][56][57]
  • Sterling submachine gun: Issued to the BSAP's Police Support Unit (PSU).[58][42][59]
  • Uzi: manufactured under license; issued to the BSAP's Urban Emergency Unit (SWAT) and Rhodesian Air Force helicopter crews.[60][42][61][62]
  • American-180: used by the Rhodesian SAS.[63][64]
  • Sa 25: Captured.[65]
  • GM15/GM16: locally-produced, slightly modified copy of the Czechoslovakian Sa 25 in 9×19mm Parabellum; used by the INTAF and civilians late in the War. Manufacture was later transferred to South Africa where it was briefly marketed as the Sanna 77 in semi-automatic fire only.[66]
  • Cobra Mk1: locally-produced 9mm pistol-carbine; used by civilians late in the War.[67]
  • Scorpion: locally-produced 9mm light pistol-carbine derived from the Cobra Mk1; used by civilians late in the War.[65]
  • LDP/Kommando (nicknamed "Land Defence Pistol" and "Rhuzi"): locally-produced pistol-carbine; widely used by civilians late in the War. Later manufactured in South Africa as the Paramax.[68]
  • Northwood R-76/R-77: locally-produced submachine gun/carbine; used by civilians late in the War.[69]

Bolt-action rifles

Semi-automatic rifles

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Ruger Mini-14.

Battle rifles

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L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle.
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FN FAL assault rifle (50.00 model).
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FN FAL 50.61 variant.
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Heckler & Koch G3A3 rifle.

Assault rifles

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M16A1 assault rifle.

Sniper rifles

Shotguns

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Browning Auto-5
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Remington Model 870

Light machine guns

General-purpose machine guns

Medium and Heavy machine guns

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Browning .303 Mk 2 medium machine gun.
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Browning M2HB .50 Cal heavy machine gun.

Grenade systems

Land mine systems

  • Box Mine: locally-produced wood box anti-personnel blast mine based on the German World War II Schü-mine 42; used early in the War.[129]
  • Shrapnel Mine No.2: South African copy of the US M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel mine; used in small numbers.[129]
  • Mine Shrapnel HE Anti-Personnel Claymore: locally-produced anti-personnel blast mine based on the South African Shrapnel Mine No.2, but smaller in size; trip-wired as a static mine in the border minefields (CORSAN).[130][131]
  • No. 5 (Mark I) anti-personnel mine
  • Mine Shrapnel HE Anti-Personnel Plough Disc (nicknamed "Ploughshare Mine"): locally-produced anti-personnel blast mine; trip-wired as a static mine in the border minefields (CORSAN).[132]
  • Mine Pressure HE Anti-Personnel Carrot or RAP No.1 (nicknamed "Carrot Mine"): locally-produced pressure mine, made of brown plastic tubing 7-8 inches long, with a pointed end at the bottom.[133]
  • RAP No.2 (nicknamed "Adams Grenade"): locally-produced fragmentation grenade/mine based closely on the Soviet POMZ-type stake mounted anti-personnel mine; trip-wired as a static Booby trap for protecting military camps and rural homesteads.[134]
  • Mine Pressure HE AP Non-detectable: locally-produced anti-personnel round convex pressure mine, moulded in Green plastic.[133]
  • "The Cutter": locally-produced anti-personnel blast mine, based on captured guerrilla's home-made Disc Mines. It was made of two plough discs lightly welded together, packed with all-weather Semtex and an inserted 4-second delay fuse; used by the BSAP's Special Branch.[133]
  • M/969 anti-personnel mine: Portuguese copy of the Belgian NR 409 plastic cased AP blast mine.
  • Shrapnel No.2 R2M1/2: South African-produced anti-personnel blast mine.
  • Mk 5 anti-tank mine
  • Mine Pressure HE Anti-Vehicle: locally-produced round convex pressure mine, moulded in Drab Green plastic and fitted with an anti-lift device.[133]
  • TM-46 blast anti-tank mine: Captured.[135]
  • TMN-46 blast anti-tank mine: Captured.[135]

Bombs and explosive devices

  • "Golf" and "Mini Golf" General-purpose bombs: locally-produced 460 kg pressure bombs used by the Rhodesian Air Force on Fireforce missions.[136][137][138]
  • 20 lb Fragmentation Bomb Mk 1: locally-produced bomb used by the Rhodesian Air Force; not very reliable, retired in 1974.[139][140]
  • Mk 1/2 Fragmentation Bomb (nicknamed "Alpha"): locally-produced blast and shrapnel 450 lb (200 kg) Cluster-type bomb used by the Rhodesian Air Force.[141][137][142][143][144]
  • 17 gall and 50 gall "Frantans" (acronym for "frangible tanks"): locally-produced Napalm-filled drop tanks used by the Rhodesian Air Force on Fireforce missions.[145][146]
  • Bunker bomb: locally-produced explosive device, consisting of a length of plastic pipe or old grenade packing tubes filled with explosive and fitted with a grenade fuse at one end; used by the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) during external "camp attack" operations to clear enemy bunkers.[123][122]
  • Tin bunker bomb: locally-produced explosive device, consisting of 1 kg of explosive packed into a cylindrical tin, used for taking the roof off bunkers and buildings; not very reliable.[123]
  • "The Hulk": locally-produced bunker bomb, consisting of a 5 kg explosive charge with a 20 second fuse designed to blow holes in the walls of buildings under attack; not very reliable.[123]
  • Charge Demolition Special No 1: locally-produced demolition charge.[123]
  • Charge Demolition Special No 3 (Hayrick): locally-produced demolition charge.[123]
  • Shape-charge Beehive: locally-produced demolition charge.[123]
  • Firing Mechanism Demolition 4 (Pull): locally-produced demolition charge.[123]
  • Pipe bomb: locally-produced shotgun-like explosive device, made of steel piping of 100mm with one end plugged, packed with explosives and shrapnel; used by the BSAP's Special Branch in targeted assassinations within Rhodesia.[123]
  • Car bomb: Semtex-rigged civilian cars were used by the Selous Scouts and the BSAP's Special Branch to assassinate enemy VIPs in Zambia.[147]
  • Suitcase bomb: four captured (and modified) Soviet-made suitcase bombs were used by the Selous Scouts to attack ZIPRA's HQ in Francistown, Botswana.[147]
  • Radio bomb: portable commercial transistor radio receiver or record player fitted by the Selous Scouts with explosives and a switch that detonated after three or so on/offs; they could also be remotely triggered by transmitters carried in Rhodesian Air Force's "Trojan" Signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft flying overhead.[133]

Rocket systems

Anti-tank rockets and Grenade launchers

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M72 LAW

Recoilless rifles

Mortars

Howitzers

Anti-aircraft guns and Autocannons

Armoured and mine-protected vehicles

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BSAP Marmon-Herrington MkIII armoured cars in the Zimbabwe Military Museum, Gweru.
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Eland-90 Mk 6 armoured cars of the Rhodesian Armoured Corps parked at the Inkomo weapons range, 1979.
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Rhodesian T-55LD tank of the Rhodesian Armoured Corps parked at the Inkomo weapons range, 1979.
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A Leopard APC, mine-protected vehicle, designed and built in Rhodesia during the late 1970s and based on a Volkswagen Kombi engine. This example is displayed in the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK.
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A Rhodesian Pookie mine detecting vehicle deployed in 1979.

Escort, transport and recovery vehicles

Rail vehicles

  • Rhino rail-mounted MAP vehicle: adapted to run on rails by the Rhodesian Railways; employed in reconnaissance for ambushes and spotting (or safely detonating) any anti-tank mines that were laid on the rail tracks, travelling ahead of civilian trains.[273]
  • Tusker rail-mounted MAP vehicle: adapted to run on rails by the Rhodesian Railways; employed in reconnaissance for ambushes and spotting (or safely detonating) any anti-tank mines that were laid on the rail tracks, travelling ahead of civilian trains.[274]
  • Kudu rail-mounted MAP vehicle: adapted to run on rails by the Rhodesian Railways; employed in reconnaissance for ambushes and spotting (or safely detonating) any anti-tank mines that were laid on the rail tracks, travelling ahead of civilian trains.[275]
  • Cougar rail-mounted MAP vehicle: adapted to run on rails by the Rhodesian Railways; employed in reconnaissance for ambushes and spotting (or safely detonating) any anti-tank mines that were laid on the rail tracks, travelling ahead of civilian trains.[276]

Helicopters

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A Rhodesian Air Force SE 3160 Alouette III helicopter lifting a short wheelbase Mini Moke, August 1962. The Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) later used these helicopters for its Fireforce operations.

Aircraft

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ex-Rhodesian Air Force De Havilland Vampire T.11 (DH.115) fighter jet at the Zimbabwe Military Museum, Gweru.
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ex-Rhodesian Air Force English Electric Canberra B.2 at the Datangshan Aviation Museum, Beijing, 2012.

Watercraft

Patriotic Front equipment

Pistols

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Tokarev TT-33 pistol
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Makarov PM pistol

Submachine guns

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MP 40 Submachine gun
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PPSh-41 Submachine gun
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PPS-43 Submachine gun
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Sa vz. 23/25 Submachine gun
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Škorpion vz. 61 Submachine gun

Bolt-action rifles

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Steyr Mannlicher M95/30 rifle.
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Chinese Type 53 carbine.

Semi-automatic rifles

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SKS semi-automatic rifles were used by the guerrillas before the full introduction of AK-47 and AKM assault rifles.

Battle rifles

Assault rifles

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Type 63 assault rifle
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AK-47 assault rifle, widely used by the African guerrilla movements.

Sniper rifles

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Hungarian M/52 rifle with PU 3.5× optics
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Dragunov SVD-63 sniper rifle

Light machine guns

General-purpose machine guns

Medium and Heavy machine guns

Grenade systems

Land mine systems

Bombs and explosive devices

Rocket systems

Anti-tank rockets and Grenade launchers

Recoilless rifles

  • Type 56 75 mm: Chinese copy of the US M20 recoilless rifle, used on occasions against military camps and INTAF Keeps.[53]
  • B-10 82 mm: used mainly in the defence of guerrilla staging-bases and training camps.
  • B-11 107 mm: used mainly in the defence of guerrilla staging-bases and training camps.

Mortars

Anti-aircraft guns and autocannons

  • ZPU-1 14.5mm AA autocannon: employed in both air defence and direct fire supporting roles, usually placed close to guerrilla staging-bases and training camps.[120][380]
  • ZU-23-2 twin-barrelled AA autocannon: employed in both air defence and direct fire supporting roles, usually placed close to guerrilla staging-bases and training camps.[380]
  • ZPU-4 14.5mm Quadruple-barrelled AA autocannon: employed in both air defence and direct fire supporting roles, usually placed close to guerrilla staging-bases and training camps.[380]
  • Zastava M55 A2 20mm triple-barrelled automatic anti-aircraft gun: employed in both air defence and direct fire supporting roles, usually placed close to guerrilla staging-bases and training camps.[183]
  • Type 65 37 mm twin-barrelled anti-aircraft gun: employed in the air defence role, usually placed close to guerrilla staging-bases and training camps.[402]

Armoured vehicles

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ex-ZIPRA T-34/85 medium tank at the Zimbabwe Military Museum, Gweru.

transport vehicles

Aircraft

Watercraft

Notes

See also

References

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