Zimbabwe Russian Front Threatened
By John Frame
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), with the support of Mozambique liberation front (FRELIMO) and with increased logistic and munition assistance from USSR, threatened the south eastern border regions of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, called the ‘Russian Front’ by Zimbabwe-Rhodesian Security Forces.
Intel that large numbers of ZANLA Forces and military equipment was being transported from Maputo to Mapai in their attempt to overthrow the newly elected black government of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, triggered a joint Zimbabwe-Rhodesian and South African offensive called Operation URIC (Operation Bootlace for SADF).
The operation took place from 1st to 7th September 1979, involving up to 400 Zimbabwe-Rhodesian and South African military personnel and deploying most of Zimbabwe-Rhodesian Air Force aircraft, plus numerous SAAF helicopters.
The joint Zimbabwe-Rhodesian / SAAF deployment involved:
8 Hawker Hunters
12 Dakotas
6 Canberras
6 Lynxes
28 helicopters
The joint strike force attacked bridges, ZANLA staging points and FRELIMO’s military installation at Mapai.
ZANLA and FRELIMO sustained heavy losses with in excess of 380 killed with many bridges and installations destroyed.
17 Zimbabwe-Rhodesian soldiers were killed and one Bell UH-1 destroyed. 3 SAAF aircrew were killed when one SA 330 Puma was shot down.
URIC was the first Operation when the Zimbabwe-Rhodesian Security Forces failed to achieve their military objectives, being forced to retire before overrunning Mapai.
However, this attack, plus subsequent other operations undertaken in the latter part of 1979, inflicted damage to the Mozambique economy and thereby played heavily on the Mozambique President Machel to eventually force ZANU and Mugabe to attend the Lancaster peace conference held in London to bring the conflict to an end.
For more detail of this and other operations with linkages to their related political aspects – The Rhodesian Civil War history book now available as eBook on Kindle, Amazon.