Rhodesian Bush War – The Air War (1966–1980)
Between 1966 and 1980, Rhodesia fought a protracted and bitter conflict against two nationalist insurgent movements—ZANLA and ZIPRA—in what became known as the Rhodesian Bush War. While most accounts focus on the ground war, this documentary examines the critical and often overlooked role of air power in Rhodesia’s survival strategy. Despite a shrinking economy, international isolation, and an arms embargo, the Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) managed to field a surprisingly capable combat force through improvisation, innovation, and ruthless efficiency.
We explore how the RhAF employed a mix of ageing aircraft—such as the Hawker Hunter, Canberra bomber, and C-47 Dakota—in a variety of combat roles: ground attack, airlift, close air support, and airborne commando insertion. The creation of Fireforce—an air-mobile rapid reaction tactic—was a game-changing development, allowing helicopter-borne troops and paratroopers to be inserted within minutes of a sighting, with fixed-wing air support overhead.
This video also covers the challenges of operating under embargo, Rhodesia’s secret procurement networks, and modifications made to ageing aircraft to extend their combat utility. The impact of Soviet- and Chinese-supplied weapons to insurgent groups, including SAMs and land mines, shaped the conflict’s later stages, forcing further adaptations in RhAF operations.
We examine the role of air bases, the employment of indigenous innovation, the use of aerial reconnaissance, and the unique counterinsurgency environment that shaped Rhodesian air doctrine. While the war ultimately ended in political transition and majority rule, the Rhodesian air war remains a case study in tactical improvisation under resource constraints, with many of its lessons studied long after the conflict ended.
CONTENTS
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Background
04:48 Rhodesian Air Forces
05:24 War in Two Phases
06:19 War Begins – 1965
08:18 Phase Two – 1971
10:02 Major Ops 1976
12:31 November 1977
14:23 Operation Gatling 1978
19:20 Operation Vanity 1979
21:11 Operation Uric 1979 – detailed
36:54 Uric aftermath
38:16 End of conflict
41:48 Conclusion
Correction:
02:13 should read “…23,000 from other countries and ethnicities.”
Credit to : Australian Military Aviation History