The Katangese Air Force (French: Force aérienne katangaise; FAK), officially the Katangese Military Aviation (French: Aviation militaire Katangaise; AVIKAT), was the air force of the short lived secessionist state the State of Katanga. Established in 1960 under the command of Jan Zumbach, the force consisted predominantly of Belgian, French, and British mercenary pilots, operating a small number of helicopters[1] and smaller number of fixed wing planes, including three attack aircraft delivered by the CIA.[2]
| Katangese Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Force Aérienne Katangaise | |
 Air Force roundel | |
| Active | 1960–1963 |
| Country |  Katanga |
| Branch | Air force |
| Role | Air interdiction and transport |
| Part of | Katangese Gendarmerie |
| Garrison/HQ | Luano and Kolwezi airfields |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Jan Zumbach (1962–63) |
| Insignia | |
| Fin flash |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Fouga CM.170 Magister, North American AT-6G Texan |
History
editKatangese Air Force
editIn 1960, the leader of the CONAKAT party Moïse Tshombe, declared Katanga Province's secession from Congo-Léopoldville as the State of Katanga after unrest elsewhere in the Congo and the failure to establish a federalist regime in the country. The newly formed Katangese government requested military aid from Belgium while the Congolese state appealed for assistance to the United Nations.[3] On 17 July 1960 United Nations Security Council Resolution 143 was adopted, which established the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) and would provide military assistance to the Congolese forces.[1]
In August 1960, Tshombe began to establish military and paramilitary formations under the auspices of the Katangese Gendarmerie. It was also intended to include a small air force established from aircraft formerly used by the colonial-era Aviation militaire de la Force Publique (Avimil).[4] It recruited mercenary pilots, including several veterans who had served in the Royal Air Force during World War II such as the Polish fighter pilot Jan Zumbach.
The primary role of the Katangese Air Force was to provide air support for ground troops and air interdiction. Initial aircraft consisted of five de Havilland Doves, eight North American T-6 Texans, a de Havilland Heron, an Aérospatiale Alouette II helicopter, a Piper PA-18 and a single Sikorsky H-19 helicopter, which were left by the Belgian Air Force during the dissolution of the Belgian Congo. Additionally, nine Fouga CM.170 Magisters were purchased from France in 1961, but only three of these Fougas, which were armed with two machine guns and two locally made light bombs, were delivered by the CIA front organization Seven Seas Airlines.[5] Furthermore, at least six German Dornier Do 28As were imported. The first reached Katanga in late August, with four more arriving in October. The Do 28s were subsequently armed and used mostly for air-to-ground attacks.[6] Based at Luano airfield, Kolwezi and several smaller airfields in the hinterland, the FAK supported the Katangese ground troops by raiding ONUC troops and positions on several occasions. For two years, there was sporadic fighting between Katangese and ONUC forces. By 15 January 1963, the UN had finally established full control over Katanga. Remnants of the Katangese Air Force were all but gone, as most aircraft were destroyed or abandoned.[1] Those that remained in the Congo were reintegrated into the Congolese Air Force.[4]
Commanders
editIt was initially commanded by the Belgian Victor Volant.[7] In September 1961, in the aftermath of Operation Rum Punch, Volant left Katanga and command devolved to the Katangese pilot Jean-Marie Ngosa and his Belgian adviser José Delin.[8] In the aftermath of Operation Unokat in December 1961, command first changed over to the South African Jeremiah Cornelius "Jerry" Puren,[9] then, in early 1962, to Jan Zumbach, who commanded Avikat until the end of the Katangese secession in January 1963.[1]
Alleged role in the death of Dag Hammarskjöld
editDag Hammarskjöld, the United Nations Secretary-General, was killed on 18 September 1961 when his aircraft crashed at Ndola, Northern Rhodesia while en route to negotiations with Tshombe. The causes of the crash have never been definitively established but it is generally considered to have been accidental. Nonetheless, there has been speculation that Hammarskjöld's aircraft may have been shot down by the Katangese Air Force. Hammarskjöld's aircraft had taken a detour to avoid the Katangese frontier after widespread coverage of the use of Fouga aircraft by Katangese forces in skirmishes with United Nations forces. According to Bent Rosio, this had been "blown out of all proportions" by the international press.[10] There had been discussions about whether a fighter escort should be provided by the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force although this did not occur. Numerous accounts have been suggested. Jan Van Risseghem, a former RAF fighter pilot from Belgium, reportedly claimed to have shot down the aircraft personally but has been widely disbelieved.[11] Another Belgian pilot, known only as "de Beukels", was also reported to have claimed separately to have shot down the aircraft by accident during an attempted aerial abduction of Hammarskjöld.[10]
Aircraft
editThe following fixed wing aircraft and helicopters were in service from 1960 until 1963:
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | ||||||
| T-6 Texan | United States | attack | AT-6 | 8[12] | ||
| Piper PA-22 | United States | utility | 5[1] | |||
| Fouga CM.170 | France | attack / fighter | 3[12] | nine purchased, but only three delivered[1] | ||
| de Havilland Vampire | United Kingdom | fighter | 2[13][14] | two ex-Portuguese T.11s | ||
| Transport | ||||||
| Dornier Do 28 | Germany | utility / transport | 5[1] | |||
| DH.104 Dove | United Kingdom | transport | 5[1] | |||
| DH.114 Heron | United Kingdom | transport | 1[1] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Alouette II | France | utility / liaison | 1[1] | |||
| Sikorsky H-19 | United States | utility / transport | 1[1] | |||
| Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
| Piper PA-18 | United States | trainer | 1[12] | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Congo, Part 1; 1960-1963". acig.org. 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ Malta: Parliamentary question concerning US air charter firm Seven Seas; aircraft... 1 January – 31 December 1961.
- ^ N/A, Brookings; N/A, N/A, eds. (1965). Crisis in Congo: A United Nations Force in Action (1st ed.). Washington DC: Brookings Institution. ISBN 0-8157-5198-2.
- ^ a b "Congolese Republic". Interavia. Vol. 22. 1967. pp. 1305–1306.
- ^ Malta: Parliamentary question concerning US air charter firm Seven Seas; aircraft... 1 January – 31 December 1961.
- ^ Gülstorff, Torben (Winter 2018). "German links to the Hammarskjöld case" (PDF). Lobster. 76.
- ^ Othen, Christopher (2015). Katanga 1960-63. Mercenaries, spies and the African nation that waged war on the world. Stroud: The History Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780750962889.
- ^ Othen, Christopher (2015). Katanga 1960-63. Mercenaries, spies and the African nation that waged war on the world. Stroud: The History Press. p. 142. ISBN 9780750962889.
- ^ Othen, Christopher (2015). Katanga 1960-63. Mercenaries, spies and the African nation that waged war on the world. Stroud: The History Press. p. 178. ISBN 9780750962889.
- ^ a b Rosio, Bengt (1993). "The Ndola Crash and the Death of Dag Hammarskjold". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 31 (4): 662–3. doi:10.1017/S0022278X00012301. S2CID 154998847.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (12 Jan 2019). "RAF veteran 'admitted 1961 killing of UN secretary general'". The Observer. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "THE MAGISTER MYSTERY". Flightglobal Insight. 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ "All-Time Aircraft Used List | Katanga Air Force". 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Incident de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.Mk 55 -, 29 Dec 1962".
Further reading
edit- Passemiers, Lazlo (2020). Decolonisation and Regional Geopolitics: South Africa and the 'Congo Crisis', 1960-1965. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9780367660581.