Fire Force (Rhodesia)

[2] Unlike conventional military units, Fire Force troops were broken down into 'sticks' of 4 men instead of the usual 8 or 9-man sections.

[4] Of the 4 men, one was the Stick Leader, with an A63 or A76 VHF radio, a FN FAL, 100 rounds (7.62×51mm NATO) and several types of grenades.

[8] The Fire Force would be based at an airfield with usually four helicopters, one Dakota and a light attack aircraft (known as the "Lynx").

The Fire Force Commander directed ground operations from an orbit of 800 ft (240 m), high enough over the contact area to see everything that was happening.

Hunter ground-attack fighter jets, Canberra light bombers and more rarely, Vampire fighter-bombers were on 24-hour standby should a Fire Force encounter stiff resistance.

The Fire Force (of which there were only three main ones most of the time) had responsibility for huge swathes of Rhodesia (many thousands of square miles each).

By 1977, all Rhodesian regular infantry were trained paratroops and would in turn be deployed by helicopter or parachute or brought in as reinforcements from the vehicles of the 'land-tail'.

The Paratroopers went first to the tent where their equipment and parachutes were held and the dispatchers and off-duty comrades would help them kit out.

[18] In addition to direct insertions, the RhAF used C-47s to deliver troops to areas inaccessible by their helicopters, especially during cross-border strikes.

The Rhodesians were particularly fond of airdrops and consequently the entire SAS and approximately half of the rest of their forces trained as paratroopers, 29 Aircraft were also used to extract isolated sticks of troops in emergency situations.

However, when the supply convoy arrived, it consisted of over 400 troops supported by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), A far too formidable target for either the fifteen men in the SAS patrol or helicopters.

Sometimes the sticks were dropped immediately, but on many occasions, the G-Cars would circle the scene several times (to the delight of the troops) before the commander made his final decisions.

The accuracy of this firing was extraordinary, due to the machine flying in tight anticlockwise circles just a few hundred feet above the ground.

The 20 mm cannon poked out of the port side, thus there was no "lead in", and the exploding high-velocity shells would impact right next to and often on their intended targets.

Sometimes G-car sticks would form the main sweep line immediately after they were deployed instead of the Paras, depending on the circumstances at hand.

The G-Cars would make dummy landings to confuse the enemy while placing men in cut-off or stop positions.

[18] Whilst the K-Car was looking for or engaging the enemy, the commander also had to decide on where to drop the Para-sticks and direct any strikes by the Lynx.

In a perfect scenario, the Para-sticks would form the main sweep, and the G-Car sticks would carry out blocking actions.

Wind direction and speed, the presence of a tree-covered ridgeline or a multitude of other factors would make the difference between life or death.

Although the number of operational parachute jumps was remarkable, the majority of troops were carried into action by helicopter.

There were many times when the exiting from G-cars was dangerous, due (for example) to them being unable to descend close enough because of trees and troops had to clamber out and hold on to the steps and drop from too great a height, with mass leaves and twigs whirling about the inside of the machine and great stress of pilot and tech.

The Alouettes were much more capable of dropping off stops in rough terrain than the Bells, though they had less carrying capacity and range and speed.

The K-Car Gunners had to be careful, for there was always a shortage of 20mm rounds (they cost around $25 each) and there were many times when friendly troops were only meters away from the target.

Tracers, smoke or phosphorus grenade, or miniflare (pencil flare) were used as the "Fireball" to mark a target for strike aircraft.

[8] A 37mm SNEB shoulder-launched marker rocket was locally developed and used by the Selous Scouts to identify an enemy position.

It is more difficult to implement when in larger numbers, but is also the hardest to counter because prone troops rise from their positions in a very random and seemingly uncoordinated fashion.

Sticks of four always used something resembling the Pepper Pot when on the assault, or split pairs if a serious attempt at out-flanking the enemy position was intended.

Although they were requested to take prisoners wherever possible, in a close-quarter firefight and in thick bush, it was sometimes difficult to determine an enemy's intentions.

Prisoners were usually extremely valuable as they might reveal important intelligence to Special Branch or Selous Scouts.

[19] The Fire Force commander's call-sign was usually a two-digit number ending in nine, e.g.: 39 (pronounced three-nine).