Operation Gatling

Operation Gatling
Part of Rhodesian Bush War
Westlands Farm Chikumbi Rufunsa Operation Gatling (Zambia)
Date 19-21 October 1978 Location Westlands Farm, Chikumbi, Rufunsa, Zambia Result Rhodesian victory
Belligerents
Rhodesia	ZIPRA  Cuba
Commanders and leaders
Ian Smith Lt. Gen Peter Walls Maj. Brian Robinson Gp Cap. Norman Walsh Sqn Ldr Chris Dixon (known during the raid as ‘Green Leader’)	Joshua Nkomo Mountain Gutu  Unknown
Units involved
Rhodesian Army RLI Selous Scouts SAS RhAF No.1 Squadron No.5 Squadron	unknown
Strength
8 Canberras (Green Section) 8 Hawker Hunters (Blue Section) 4 Alouette III (K-Cars) 1 DC-3C Dakota (Paradak) 1 Reims Cessna (Lynx)	4,000 cadres
Casualties and losses
1 killed 3 wounded 1 helicopter crashed	ZIPRA: 1,500 killed'[1] 1,348 wounded[2] 1 captured[3] 192 missing Zambia: 37 killed Cuba: unknown
351 civilians killed (ZIPRA claim)

Operation Gatling, which took place on 19 October 1978, was a joint-force operation into Zambia launched by the Air Force and Army of Rhodesia; the main forces which contributed were Rhodesian Special Air Service and Rhodesian Light Infantry paratroopers. Gatling's primary target, just 16 kilometres (10 miles) north-east of central Lusaka, Zambia's capital, was the formerly white-owned Westlands Farm, which had been transformed into ZIPRA's main headquarters and training base under the name "Freedom Camp". ZIPRA presumed that Rhodesia would never dare to attack a site so close to Lusaka. About 4,000 guerrillas underwent training at Freedom Camp, with senior ZIPRA staff also on site.^[4]

The Rhodesian operation's other targets were Chikumbi, 19 kilometres (12 miles) north of Lusaka, and Mkushi Camp; all three were to be attacked more or less simultaneously in a coordinated sweep across Zambia. Assaulting targets deep inside Zambia was a first for the Rhodesian forces; previously only guerrillas near the border had been attacked.^[1]