The Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) was an air force based in
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
(now Harare) which represented several entities under various names between 1935 and 1980: originally serving the British
self-governing colony
In the British Empire, a self-governing colony was a colony with an elected government in which elected rulers were able to make most decisions without referring to the colonial power with nominal control of the colony. This was in contrast to a ...
of
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...
, it was the air arm of the
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southe ...
between 1953 and 31 December 1963; of Southern Rhodesia once again from 1 January 1964; and of the
unrecognised nation of
Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
following its
Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain on 11 November 1965.
Named the Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) from 1954, the "Royal" prefix was dropped in 1970 when Rhodesia declared itself a republic – the official abbreviation changed appropriately. When the internationally recognised country of
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
came into being in 1980, the RhAF became the
Air Force of Zimbabwe.
History
Formed in 1935 under the name Southern Rhodesia Staff Corps Air Unit as a territorial unit, the first regular servicemen with the unit went to Britain for ground crew training in 1936. Its first pilots were awarded their flying wings on 13 May 1938. The reservists were called up early August 1939 and were posted to Kenya by 28 August. On 19 September 1939, two weeks after the
United Kingdom declared war against Germany, the Air Unit officially became the Southern Rhodesia Air Force (SRAF), and Air Unit flights become Number 1 Squadron SRAF.
In 1939, the Southern Rhodesia government amalgamated the SRAF with the civilian airline Rhodesia and Nyasaland Airways (RANA). The ex-RANA aircraft formed the Communication Squadron, which operated internal services within Southern Rhodesia, plus services to South Africa and Mozambique. By January 1940, with Britain at war with Germany, Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Vice-Marshal Sir
Arthur 'Bomber' Harris was desperate for trained aircrew and turned for help to Southern Rhodesia (where Harris had enlisted in 1914). Harris was frustrated by delays launching
Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...
stations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Southern Rhodesian Prime Minister
Godfrey Huggins (1933–53) recognised an opportunity not just to aid Britain and the Allies, but also to boost the domestic economy. The Rhodesian Air Training Group (RATG) installed aviation infrastructure, trained 10,000 Commonwealth and Allied airmen 1940–45 (seven percent of the total) and provided the stimulus for manufacturing that had been lacking in the 1920s and 1930s. Southern Rhodesia's textile, metallurgy, chemical and food processing industries expanded rapidly. The SRAF was absorbed into the RAF proper in April 1940 and redesignated
No. 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF. This squadron, initially equipped with
Hawker Harts, participated in the
East African campaign against the Italians.
On 1 June 1941, the Southern Rhodesian Women's Auxiliary Air Services came into being. British
No. 44 Squadron RAF
Number 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron was an aviation unit of the Royal Air Force. It was active between 1917 and 1982. For most of its history it served as a heavy bomber squadron.
History The World Wars (1917–1945)
No. 44 Squadron was formed on 24 Ju ...
and
No. 266 Squadron RAF
No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.
History
First World War
The squadron was formed from Nos 437 and 438 Flights at Mudros, Greece on 27 September 1918 to carry out anti-submarine patrols in that area, flying Sh ...
were also assigned the name "(Rhodesia)" because of the large number of Rhodesian airmen and crew in these units. Rhodesians fought in many of the theatres of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, including future prime minister
Ian Smith who, after being shot down over Italy behind enemy lines, was able to avoid capture and return to
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
lines. Rhodesian airmen suffered 20 percent fatalities, becoming emblematic of a "nation in arms" ideal that peppered settler nationalism and erupted fully in the 1960s. The RAF remained until 1954, indirectly assisting Rhodesian aviation, and many airmen returned with young families as settlers.
Post World War II
The SRAF was re-established in 1947 and two years later, Huggins appointed a 32-year-old South African-born Rhodesian Spitfire pilot,
Ted Jacklin
TED may refer to:
Economics and finance
* TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar
Education
* ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association
** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey
** Transvaal Education Depa ...
, as air officer commanding tasked to build an air force in the expectation that British African territories would begin moving towards independence, and air power would be vital for land-locked Southern Rhodesia. The threadbare SRAF bought, borrowed or salvaged a collection of vintage aircraft, including six
Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...
s, six
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
trainers, an
Anson Anson may refer to:
People
* Anson (name), a give name and surname
** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname
Place names
;United States
* Anson, Indiana
* Anson, Kansas
* Anson, Maine
** Anson (CDP), Maine
* Anson, Missouri
* ...
freighter and a handful of De Havilland Rapide transport aircraft, before purchasing a squadron of 22 Mk22 war surplus
Spitfires
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...
from the RAF which were then flown to Southern Rhodesia.
Huggins was anxious to maintain the strong wartime links established with the RAF, not only for access to training and new technology but also because of his growing concern over the expansionist ideas of the newly established ''apartheid''
Afrikaner
Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...
nationalist regime in South Africa. The booming Rhodesian economy allowed more money to be allocated for new aircraft, training and aerodrome facilities, and growing co-operation with the RAF in the 1950s saw the SRAF operating in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Kenya, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Oman and South Yemen.
Huggins maintained his enthusiasm for air power when he became the first prime minister (1953–56) of the semi-independent
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southe ...
also known as the Central African Federation (CAF) comprising Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The CAF was viewed as an experiment, a democratic multiracial alternative to ''apartheid'' South Africa, and it was widely expected that the new federal state would become independent within a decade. The SRAF became a 'federal' body and received its first jets, 16
de Havilland Vampire FB9 aircraft. On 15 October 1954 the federal air arm was officially designated as the "Royal Rhodesian Air Force" (RRAF). In a well-received move aimed to distinguish the RRAF from the
South African Air Force, khaki uniforms and army ranks were abandoned in favour of those utilised by other Commonwealth air forces such as the
RAF,
RCAF,
RAAF and
RNZAF
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...
.
In the late 1950s, 16
Canberra B2 and T4 bombers were purchased, as well as
Provost T52 trainers,
Douglas Dakota and
Canadair DC-4M Argonaut
The Canadair North Star is a 1940s Canadian development, for Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), of the Douglas DC-4. Instead of radial piston engines used by the Douglas design, Canadair used Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engines to achieve a higher cruisin ...
transports.
In 1962,
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
fighter aircraft were obtained, and the
Vampire FB9 and T55s were reallocated to advanced training and ground attack roles.
The first
Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters also arrived around this time, equipping Number 7 Squadron.
Despite efforts to broker a consensus, black and white Rhodesians complained that the pace of reform was too slow or too fast and by 1961, it became clear that the Federation was doomed. Following the dissolution of the CAF in 1963, the British government granted independence to Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi) but refused Southern Rhodesia independence until more progress was made towards
multiracial democracy Multiracial democracy is a democratic political system that is multiracial. It is cited as aspiration in South Africa after apartheid and as existing for the United States.
See also
* Cultural mosaic
* Ethnopluralism
* Intercultural relations
* ...
. White settler opinion hardened and Ian Smith's Rhodesian Front government issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. Chief of the Air Staff Air Vice Marshal "Raf" Mulock-Bentley was representing Rhodesia in Washington, D.C., and resigned immediately. Bentley's reluctant successor, former
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
pilot
Harold Hawkins had come to Rhodesia with the RATG in 1944 and joined the SRAF in 1947. Hawkins accepted command of the RRAF in the increasingly forlorn hope that the rebellion could be resolved peacefully through negotiation.
Although Southern Rhodesia acquired the lion's share of the Federation's aircraft, the imposition of international economic sanctions in 1965 saw the country abandoned by many aircraft equipment suppliers and maintenance contractors. RRAF aircraft maintenance crews had stockpiled essential items, but the Air Staff knew that metal fatigue, spare parts shortages and the need for new electronic equipment would begin to erode the RRAF's capabilities. In 1968, Air Vice Marshal Hawkins failed to convince Prime Minister Ian Smith that the
HMS ''Fearless''' settlement threatened by British Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
was the best result that Rhodesia could expect. Hawkins resigned his command but accepted the post of Rhodesia's diplomatic representative in Pretoria.
![RhodesianAlouette](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/RhodesianAlouette.jpg)
When the Rhodesian Bush War intensified after 1972, the age of the aircraft, the shortage of spares and a deteriorating air safety record would become a growing concern for the Air Staff. The abrupt realignment of allies saw Rhodesia increasingly dependent upon South African support. In contrast to the
British South Africa Police and the Rhodesian Army, security force airmen possessed skills in demand by other governments and civilian airlines and the RhAF struggled to retain, recruit and instruct technicians.
Insignia
File:RAF roundel.svg, Rhodesian Regiment, Royal Air Force Roundel (1935–1939)
File:Roundel of Rhodesia (1947–1953).svg, Southern Rhodesian Air Force Roundel (1939–1954)
File:Roundel of Rhodesia (1953–1963).svg, Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland Air Force Roundel (1954–1963)
File:Roundel of Rhodesia (1964–1970).svg, Royal Rhodesian Air Force Roundel (1963–1970)
File:Roundel of Rhodesia (1970–1980).svg, Rhodesian Air Force Roundel (1970–1980)
File:Air Force Ensign of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–1963).svg, Royal Rhodesian Air Force Ensign (1953–1963)
File:Air Force Ensign of Rhodesia (1964–1968).svg, Royal Rhodesian Air Force Ensign (1963–1970)
File:Air Force Ensign of Rhodesia (1970–1979).svg, Rhodesian Air Force Ensign (1970–1979)
File:Air Force Ensign of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979).svg, Rhodesian Air Force Ensign (1979–1980)
The SRAF used standard
RAF type A roundel, with green/yellow/green bars on each side of the fuselage roundel and type A fin flashes.
The RRAF used standard RAF type A roundels with three small
assegai
An assegai or assagai (Arabic ''az-zaġāyah'', Berber languages, Berber ''zaġāya'' "spear", French language, Old French ''azagaie'', Spanish ''azagaya'', Italian ''zagaglia'', Middle English ''lancegay'') is a pole weapon used for throwing, ...
s in black and white superimposed on the red center and type A fin flashes. These assegais represented the three territories of the Federation, namely
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...
,
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
and
Nyasaland.
The Rhodesian Air Force changed to a type D roundel with a single assegai and a type D fin flash.
When Rhodesia became a republic in 1970 the roundel became a green ring with a lion and tusk on a white center.
Aircraft
*
Aerospatiale Alouette II – Six helicopters on loan from the South African Air Force, in service from 1974 to 1980.
*
Cessna 185 Skywagon – Two civil aircraft impressed into service, about 17 aircraft on loan from the South African Air Force, in service during the 1970s.
Major air bases
New Sarum Air Force Base
In the early days of Rhodesian aviation, the various air units often lodged in buildings and facilities that they inherited. By the 1940s, it became apparent that a more permanent home for aviation was needed near the capital city, Salisbury. The decision was made to build a completely new airfield at Kentucky Farm to provide a base of operations for civilian airlines and military aircraft.
Work started on the military section of the airfield in 1951. In March 1952, the New Air Headquarters and Technical Headquarters were completed at what was called New Sarum Air Force Base. The name derived from Salisbury's
sister city in Wiltshire, England, which for centuries had used the name "Sarum". The RAF station near the English Salisbury was called "
Old Sarum". It was therefore appropriate in view of both similarities in name and close association with the Royal Air Force that the new airfield be called "New Sarum."
New Sarum is still regarded as the principal Air Force establishment and provides facilities for four squadrons of aircraft of widely differing roles as well as housing training schools for technicians, security personnel, dog handlers, and the Air Force Regiment. The schools and flying squadrons are supported by a full range of services and amenities including workshops, transport fleets, living quarters, equipment depots, and sporting & entertainment facilities. The station shares with
Harare International Airport (then-named Salisbury Airport), one of the longest civil airport runways in the world, 4,725 metres (15,502 ft) or 2.93 miles, but is otherwise a totally self-contained community. The military site, complete with housing complex, is to the south of the crossing runways, whereas the international airport is to the north.
Thornhill Air Force Base
In 1939 a committee was set up to locate and survey three sites in the
Gwelo area that were suitable for the establishment of an airfield for the
Commonwealth Training Group responsible for training aircrews for the defence of the
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
during World War II. The most suitable site comprised a portion of Thornhill farm and an adjacent farm, Glengarry. This land was commandeered for the duration of the War and finally purchased in 1947. The first buildings were constructed in 1941 and official use and the beginning of training began in March 1942. Some of the original buildings of this time are still in use at Thornhill today.
The town of Gwelo and the air station grew during World War II. A total of 1810 pilots were trained during this time. Many of these men returned after the war to settle in Rhodesia. Some of them formed the nucleus of the military training schemes which led to the formation of the Southern Rhodesian Air Force.
Thornhill is the home to the fighter squadrons, the training squadrons, and the Pilot Training School, where all Officer Cadets spend up to six months on initial training before beginning flying training with the squadrons. Like New Sarum, Thornhill shares its runway and
Air Traffic Control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...
facilities with civil aircraft operators. The military air traffic controllers based at Thornhill are responsible for all air traffic control in the Midlands area.
Forward Airfields (FAFs)
Airfields that served the Operational Areas in which aircraft were able to directly support security forces' operations. FAFs would also accommodate Fire Forces as well.
FAFs:
* Grand Reef (Umtali)
* Wankie
* Mtoko
Rank structure
;Officer ranks
;Enlisted ranks
Rhodesian Air Force (1970–1980)
During the
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia).
The conflict pitted three for ...
, the air force consisted of no more than 2,300 personnel and of those only 150 were pilots. These pilots were qualified to fly all the aircraft within the air force so were often involved in combat missions. In addition, they were rotated through the various units so as to give rest to the airmen who would otherwise be constantly on active service.
In March 1970, when Rhodesia declared itself a republic, the prefix "Royal" was dropped and the Service's name became the "Rhodesian Air Force" (RhAF). A new roundel was adopted in the new Rhodesian colours of green and white containing a
lion (in gold) and tusk in the centre of the white. The new air force ensign was taken into use on 5 April 1970. The new flag contained the Rhodesian flag in the canton with the roundel in the fly on a light blue field. This marking was displayed in the usual six positions, together with a green/white/green fin flash with a narrow white stripe as in RAF type C.
During the 1970s bush war, Rhodesia managed to obtain
Rheims-Cessna 337 (known in Rhodesia as the Lynx), and
SIAI Machetti SF260 (known in Rhodesia as the Genet or Warrior – two versions, trainer and ground-attack) piston-engined aircraft, 11
Agusta Bell 205 Iroquois (originally from Israel, with Lebanese mediation), and additional
Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters. To the eight bought in 1962–6, 32 more were added between 1968 and 1980 via covert means, but perhaps as many as 27 were South African machines. No jet aircraft could be obtained (except for some
Vampires
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...
FB9 and T11 aircraft from South Africa). An order for
CT/4 trainers was refused by
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Drawing upon counter-insurgency experience gained in the Second World War, the
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
and the
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', an ...
in Kenya, and adapting more recent Israeli, South African and Portuguese tactics, Rhodesian combined operations (police
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...
, army, air force) developed '
pseudo-guerrilla
A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
s', such as the Mozambican National Resistance, (
RENAMO) that wreaked havoc across the border, where
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) guerrilla camps were razed by '
Fireforce
Fire Force or Fireforce is a variant of the military tactic of vertical envelopment of a target by helicopter-borne and parachute infantry developed by the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. Regiments involved included t ...
' cross-border raids. Fireforce comprised units of
Selous Scouts, an undercover tracker battalion of 1,500 troops on double pay, 80 percent black, (many recruited by Special Branch from captured guerrillas facing trial and execution) probing ahead of a parachute infantry battalion and up to 200
Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...
commandos. These forces were supported, in turn, by armoured transport columns, mobile field artillery, equestrian pursuit dragoons (
Grey's Scouts
Grey's Scouts were a Rhodesian mounted infantry unit raised in July 1975 and named after George Grey, a British soldier and governor. Based in Salisbury (now Harare) it patrolled Rhodesia's borders during the Rhodesian Bush War, and then became a ...
), air force helicopter gunships and bomber squadrons, one newly equipped with 20 French-made Cessna Lynx low-altitude surveillance aircraft modified for precision ground attacks. Fireforce gathered intelligence, disrupted guerrilla forces, seized equipment and is identified frequently as a precursor of new forms of counterinsurgency warfare. The United Nations condemned the Fireforce raids.
[See, for example, Cilliers (1984); Carver (1993); Wood (1996); Martinez (2000); Parker (2006).]
For ground defence, the Rhodesian Air Force had their own
armoured car unit equipped with
Eland 60s armed with 60 mm breech loading mortars.
Flying squadrons
*
No. 1 Squadron – Thornhill (12 x Hawker Hunter FGA.9)
*
No. 2 Squadron – Thornhill (8 x Vampire FB.9; 8 x Vampire T.55; plus 13 x Vampire FB.52 on loan from South Africa)
*
No. 3 Squadron – New Sarum (13 x Douglas C-47; 1 x Cessna 402; 6 x BN-2A Islander; 1 x DC-7C; 1 x Baron)
*
No. 4 Squadron – Thornhill (11 x AL-60F5 Trojan; 21 x Reims-Cessna FTB.337G; 14 x SF.260W)
*
No. 5 Squadron – New Sarum (8 x EE Canberra B.2; 2 x EE Canberra T.4)
*
No. 6 Squadron – Thornhill (13 x Percival Provost T.52; 17 x SF.260C)
*
No. 7 Squadron – New Sarum (6 x Alouette II; 34 x Alouette III)
*
No. 8 Squadron – New Sarum (11 x AB.205)
Air Force of Zimbabwe (1980–present)
![Roundel of Zimbabwe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Roundel_of_Zimbabwe.svg)
In June 1979, the short-lived
Zimbabwe-Rhodesia
Zimbabwe Rhodesia (), alternatively known as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, also informally known as Zimbabwe or Rhodesia, and sometimes as Rhobabwe, was a short-lived sovereign state that existed from 1 June to 12 December 1979. Zimbabwe Rhodesia was p ...
government of
Bishop Muzorewa was installed and the air force flag was the only military flag to be changed to coincide with the change in the national flag. The roundel remained the same.
In the last year of the Rhodesian War and the first few years of Zimbabwe's independence, no national insignia of any sort were carried on Air Force aircraft. This was legal as long as the aircraft did not fly outside of the country's borders.
Following the independence of Zimbabwe in April 1980, the air force was renamed the
Air Force of Zimbabwe, but continued to use the emblem of a
bateleur eagle in flight, as used by the Rhodesians. The new air force flag retains the light blue field and has the Zimbabwe flag in the canton with the air force emblem in gold in the fly.
In 1982, a new marking was introduced, featuring a yellow Zimbabwe Bird sitting on the walls of
Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It is thought to have been the capital of a great kingdom during the country's Late Iron Age about which little is known. Con ...
. This marking was displayed on the fin of the aircraft or on the fuselage of helicopters. No wing markings were displayed.
In 1994, a new roundel was introduced, featuring the
national colours
National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...
in concentric rings. Initially, the roundel was used in association with the 'Zimbabwe Bird' tail marking used previously, but this was soon replaced by the national flag. The main marking is normally displayed above and below each wing and on each side of the fuselage. However, this seems to be changed, and today the Zimbabwe Bird is also used as a fin flash.
See also
*
Fireforce
Fire Force or Fireforce is a variant of the military tactic of vertical envelopment of a target by helicopter-borne and parachute infantry developed by the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. Regiments involved included t ...
*
List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in Southern Rhodesia
Notes
References
Bibliography
RRAF/AFZ markings* Allport, R, ''Flags and Symbols of Rhodesia, 1890–1980'' (SAVA Journal 5/96)
* Allport, R. (n.d.) ''Brief History of the Rhodesian Army''. Rhodesia and South Africa Military History
* Australian Gold Coast Branch of the Aircrew Association, (n.d.) ''Service Profile: Archie Wilson'' (Point Cook: RAAF Museum).
*
* CAA (Central African Airways) (1961) ''The Story of CAA 1946–61'' (Salisbury: CAA).
* Carver, R. (1993) 'Zimbabwe: Drawing a Line through the Past', ''
Journal of African Law
The ''Journal of African Law'' is published biannually by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London, United Kingdom). It is a peer-reviewed law review
A law review or law journa ...
'', (31) 1 pp. 69–81.
* Cilliers, J. K. (1984) ''Pseudo Operations and the Selous Scouts'', (London: Routledge).
* Clark. C (2003) ''The Empire Air Training Scheme'', (Canberra: Australian War Memorial History Conference).
* Clayton, A. (1999) '"Deceptive Might": Imperial Defence and Security 1900–1968' in J. M. Brown and W. R. Louis (eds) (1999) ''The Oxford History of the British Empire vol. IV: The Twentieth Century'', (Oxford: Oxford University Press).pp. 280–305.
* Flower, K. (1987) Serving Secretly. ''An Intelligence Chief on Record: Rhodesia into Zimbabwe 1964 to 1981'', (London: John Hammond).
* Gann, L. H. (n.d.) ''The Development of Southern Rhodesia's Military System, 1890–1953,'' Rhodesia and South Africa Military History.
*
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Annals of the Gauntlet". ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', No. 2, n.d., pp. 163–176.
*
*
* Huggins, Sir Godfrey. (1953) 'Foreword for Air Rally Programme', ''Rhodes Centenary Air Rally'', 13–14 June.
* Hyam, R (1987) 'The Geopolitical Origins of the Central African Federation: Britain, Rhodesia and South Africa, 1948–1953', ''The Historical Journal'', (30) 1 pp. 145–72.
* Hyam, R. and Henshaw, P. (2003) ''The Lion and the Springbok: Britain and South Africa Since the Boer War'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
* Kay, R. P.(2011) 'The Geopolitics of Dependent Development in Central Africa: Race, Class and the Reciprocal Blockade' ''Commonwealth and Comparative Politics'', Vol. 49 No. 3 pp. 379–426.
* Keatley, P. (1963) ''The Politics of Partnership: The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland'', (Harmondsworth: Penguin).
* Killingray, D. (1984) '"A Swift Agent of Government": Air Power in British Colonial Africa, 1916–1939', ''The Journal of African History'' (25) 4 pp. 429–44.
* McAdam, J. (1969) 'Birth of an Airline: Establishment of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Airways', ''Rhodesiana'', (21).
* McCormack, R. L. (1976) 'Airlines and Empires: Great Britain and the "Scramble for Africa", 1919–39', ''Canadian Journal of African Studies'', (10) 1 pp. 87–105.
* McCormack, R. L. (1979) 'Man with a Mission: Oswald Pirow and South African Airways, 1933–1939', ''The Journal of African History'', (20) 4 pp. 543–57.
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*
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External links
Air Force of ZimbabweRhodesian Air Force and Rhodesian civil aircraft photographs and infoRhodesian and South African Military History An extensive collection of histories and analysis of Rhodesian and South African military operations, to the early 1980s
Rhodesian Air Force Sods photos and videos
{{Rhodesian Security Forces of the Bush War
Disbanded air forces
Military units and formations established in 1935
Military units and formations disestablished in 1980
Military units and formations of Southern Rhodesia in World War II
Military units and formations of Rhodesia in the Bush War