Rhodesian F-84F Thunderstreak

[comrade harps]

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
a/c 813, No. 1 Squadron, Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF)
Buffalo Range, Rhodesia, June 1964



Part of the Central African Federation (CAF), Southern Rhodesia stood in contrast to other Free British colonies in Africa. Instead of a managed, UN backed independence process to majority rule, the white minority population of Southern Rhodesia was resistant to this outcome. This came to a head on 1 November 1960, when the CAF was formally dissolved as Northern Rhodesia attained independence as Zambia. The next day, the parliament of the self-governing Free British Crown Colony of Southern Rhodesia passed a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI). The same day, the country renamed itself the Republic of Rhodesia. This isolated the Rhodesian government from most of its UN and Commonwealth partners, but aligned it with the governments of the Free Portuguese Empire and South Africa. Within months this plunged the nation into a civil war, as African nationalists took up arms against the white minority government in Salisbury.



The UDI was proclaimed against a backdrop of rising domestic tensions, including strikes, protests and other civil disobedience campaigns that increasingly erupted into violence. The main black liberation parties, the Marxist Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) and the pro-capitalist Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), formed rival guerilla armies following the arrest and detention of several African nationalist leaders in the weeks following UDI. ZANU and its military wing were supported by the governments of Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya and Zambia. ZAPU was backed by the Moscow Pact and neutral Egypt and Palestine.




The insurgencies were based in border and ungoverned cross-border regions. As the threat posed by liberation armies grew, the Rhodesian government authorised more militant responses. By mid-1962, C Squadron of the Rhodesian Special Air Service (which had seen considerable action against the Reds in north Africa) was mounting cross border missions in hot pursuit of guerilla forces. The retitled Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) was inevitably drawn into supporting these incursions and ultimately conducted an interdiction campaign against enemy infrastructure in foreign sanctuaries.




F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bombers and RF-84F Thunderflash photo reconnaissance aircraft were delivered to the Royal Rhodesian Air Force from 1955. Some of these aircraft flew with No.9, No.10 and No.11 squadrons under UN command in North Africa. Together, these squadrons formed the 1st Rhodesian Expeditionary Wing (2REW). At home, No.1 and No.12 squadrons at Thornhill received swept wing F-84s to conduct domestic air sovereignty and training operations. Unlike the camouflaged F-84Fs fighting up north, the Thornhill Thunderstreaks were maintained in a shiny, natural metal finish. At UDI in 1960 the 1REW squadrons were flying F-104G Starfighters, but these had been supplied under Lend-Lease terms and could not legally be based in Rhodesia without US approval. The Starfighters remained fighting with the UN until the end of 1962, after which they were handed over to the USAF. This left No. 1 and No.12 squadrons flying F-84Fs and RF-84Fs as Rhodesia's fighter-bomber force. With no replacements immediately available, the strength of this small F-84F fleet was maintained through second hand airframes sourced from Pakistan and Taiwan. Armscor built F-104Gs replaced the Thunderstreaks of No.1 Squadron in 1965. However, the type was found unsuitable for counter insurgency (COIN) duties and No. 12 Squadron soldiered on with the Thunderstreaks. The F-84Fs were supplemented by Australian built Canberra B.20s of No. 5 Squadron, which used them for bombing and photo reconnaissance missions.



The appearance of the Rhodesian F-84F and RF-84F fleet changed as the requirement arose for them to undertake cross-border combat missions. A scheme with upper surfaces painted brown and green above light grey undersurfaces was introduced in 1962. National, unit and individual markings were removed in mid-1963. By then the brown had been applied on all undersurfaces in a wrap around manner. Only stencils relating to safety remained. Although justified as a security measure, the lack of national and unit markings wasn't fooling anyone: Rhodesia was the only F-84F and RF-84F operator in the region. When an unmarked F-84F was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Zambia on 27 April 1963, killing the pilot, the Zambian government did not hesitate to announce that a Rhodesian Thunderstreak had been claimed. The visual sanitisation of both aircraft and aircrew had more to do with esprit de corps than plausible deniability.



This F-84F, a/c 813, was built in 1956 and supplied to Taiwan. In about 1958 it was modified with the "intermediate" underwing pylons added. These had originally been designed for the carriage of AIM-9B Sidewinders, but evolved into a hardpoint useful for light bombs and rocket pods too. Another mod was the installation of a deeper ventral fairing, which housed a braking parachute. It was retired in 1962 as F-104Gs replaced the Taiwanese Thunderstreak fleet. Sold in late 1962 with US approval to Pakistan, it was delivered instead to Rhodesia via the Free Portuguese Empire port of Beira in Mozambique.



It is modelled here as photographed during Operation Aztec. This was a cross-border combined arms offensive against  the Marxist Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO). Together, these armies had liberated a large portion of Mozambique's Gaza Province. The aim of Aztec was to destroy "terrorist" camps, seize arms caches and re-open the railway line that ran from Beira into Rhodesia. The troops on the ground included Rhodesian Army units, plus Rhodesian backed pseudo guerilla forces in the form of the the Selous Scouts and RENAMO (Resistência Nacional Moçambicana). A reciprocal Free Portuguese Empire operation was simultaneously mounted from the south. Most of the Portuguese troops were white mercenaries. Operation Aztec ran from 28 May to 15 June 1964 and was heavily supported by No. 1 Squadron F-84Fs flying from Buffalo Range, Rhodesia. A/c 813 (distinctive in its freshly applied camouflage) is carrying a typical CAS loadout of 2 Arnscor made Mk.82FE bombs and 2 LAU-32 7 round 2.75 inch rocket launchers. The rockets would have carried flechette warheads.



The plane was involved in other cross-border operations, including Neptune and Abundance into Zambia and Operation Cooper over Botswana. The aircraft was destroyed at Thornhill on 15 January 1967 when struck by mortar fire during an attack by ZAPU guerillas.

[Dizzyfugu]

That's odd, but cool. 

[comrade harps]

That's odd, but cool. 

Thank you.

The whole Rhodesian thing was the result of a mistake. It was meant to be a USAF green/dark green and tan scheme, with lots of decals, but l used a wood brown tin of paint instead of the tan. l rescued it by going full Rhodesian and buggerall decals. It's the opposite to the plan l started out with.

[Dizzyfugu]

True whiffing! There are NO mistakes... 

[comrade harps]

True whiffing! There are NO mistakes... 

Only creative opportunities.

[buzzbomb]

True whiffing! There are NO mistakes... 

Only creative opportunities.

Exactly. So in this case a great outcome

[zenrat]

 

[NARSES2]

True whiffing! There are NO mistakes... 

Only creative opportunities.

Your'e not a lawyer by any chance are you ?   

[comrade harps]

True whiffing! There are NO mistakes... 

Only creative opportunities.

Your'e not a lawyer by any chance are you ?   

I can't be, l'm poor.

[Dizzyfugu]

True whiffing! There are NO mistakes... 

Only creative opportunities.

Your'e not a lawyer by any chance are you ?   

I'm in advertising, that's worse. ;-)