National Experiences - British Commission for Military History

do C t r i n e, Ca pa C i t i e s, te C H n o l o g y a n d o p e r at i o n a l en v i r o n m e n t o n t H e em p l o y m e n t o f t H e air po w e r ; t H e Ca s e o f guerrilla wa r fa r e 243
case. For example, in 1965 8 DO, 6 T6, 1 AL III, 2 G91 and a C47 were hit; in 1966
2 DO, 9 T6, in the 2 nd semester; in 1967 5 DO, 5 T6, 3 AL III, and 2 G91; in all these
cases the aircrafts were repaired at the Base. The most serious case occurred in 1968
when a G91 was gunned down and the pilot ejected successfully, leaving unharmed.
The anti-aircraft guns returned again to silence at a given period, at the end of which
a new offensive took place, which was followed by a new stop – from the guerrilla
point of view it mattered to embarrass air activity, since it was the element of imbalance
in the development of the war, but it is assumed that the use of anti-aircraft guns
brought too many risks. And it is at the end of these cycles of activation / deactivation
that the missile surface - air Strella arises in 1973, with very significant results
within a very short time: a G91 and its pilot killed with explosion on the air, 2 G91
put down, in which pilots were ejected and were recovered, 1 DO 27 shot down with
two pilots, one T6 shot down with a pilot. This version of the missile had vulnerability
though: it had technical limitations in its launching, which conditioned its
efficiency (at a very low altitude and distance was not very effective, and its range
was around 10,000 feet), and produced a lot of smoke which allowed detection of the
launching site and subsequent attack. Despite this, its introduction in the theatre of
operations changed substantially the way of operating air assets and created a strong
sense of insecurity.
A brief overview of the war in Mozambique
The war in Mozambique had also different characteristics from those of Angola
and Guinea.
On August 24, 1964 a missionary in the Maconde plateau is murdered, stabbed
to death. This action was attributed to ideological motivation and its authorship to
rebellious elements of the UNA (National African Union). A month later an attack to
an administrative post and to a headquarters of Mueda takes place, this time led by
FRELIMO. These facts created insecurity in the Northern Province, especially in the
district of Cabo Delgado, which required a specific military organization to counter
this threat.
The air bases established from that time, which was progressively garnis hed with
air assets was as follows:
- The BA No. 10 in Beira;
- The AB5 in Nacala;
- The AB6 in Nova Freixo;
- The AB7 in Tete;
- The AB8 in Lourenço Marques;
- The AM 51 in Mueda;
- The AM 52 in Nampula;