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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 5:11:40 GMT
The RAF has a global capacity, including South America. Most of their assets are concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, Middle East and Far East. South Africa, on the other hand, is around 10 hours flying distance away from Argentina or Chile and a little further to Brazil.
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 14:26:28 GMT
The grand strategic situation for Rhodesia at this stage is very advantageous, even compared to their generally good position in 1965 in @ from a purely military point of view. There is a border with the Congo, which provides bases for various rebel groups in addition to the African Liberation Front, but Angola and Mozambique cover its flanks and Tanganyika (scheduled for independence in 1970 at the earliest) is also a British colony.
The Rhodesian Armed Forces are large, much better armed, and have active support from South Africa and other Commonwealth states. Far from being under an embargo, it has material and financial support and is in the process of modernising its forces. It has a white population of ~24% as compared to ~6%, which, whilst still substantially outnumbered, provides a much larger basis for longer term survival.
Perhaps most significant is the position of the United States, which has a military presence in the Congo and regards support of the anti-communist states in Africa as a priority at this time.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 12, 2020 14:48:37 GMT
Perhaps most significant is the position of the United States, which has a military presence in the Congo and regards support of the anti-communist states in Africa as a priority at this time. It does not end up as another Vietnam does it. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 15:31:52 GMT
It won't be as intense a scale, but the Congo does continue to blow up much further, just when it was dying down in @.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 12, 2020 15:32:50 GMT
It won't be as intense a scale, but the Congo does continue to blow up much further, just when it was dying down in @. Do we also see State of Katanga in the Darkearth verse. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 15:40:38 GMT
I refer you to several posts previous, where the boundaries of Rhodesia were described, including Katanga. Rhodes' men take Msiri's kingdom back in 1890 prior to those of the King of Belgium.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 12, 2020 15:44:14 GMT
I refer you to several posts previous, where the boundaries of Rhodesia were described, including Katanga. Rhodes' men take Msiri's kingdom back in 1890 prior to those of the King of Belgium. Miss that part, my bad. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 15:46:03 GMT
Not a problem at all. One of the consequences of that is that Rhodesia is a genuine natural resource great power.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 12, 2020 15:53:54 GMT
Not a problem at all. One of the consequences of that is that Rhodesia is a genuine natural resource great power. With the biggest clients i assume being the United Kingdom and India. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 16:27:28 GMT
Britain and the United States are the chief clients of its copper, chromium, uranium, radium, tin, diamonds, nickel, platinum, gold, silver, cobalt and manganese, with much of its iron ore and coal being increasingly used for domestic production. India and Canada are also important markets
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 17:05:43 GMT
A further point of note is the Rhodesian Army’s heavy artillery units grouped separately from the field divisions. Initially, this might seem either a strange duplication of the South African corps artillery or simply Commonwealth profligacy.
However, in Rhodesia’s case, they are deployed in Katanga alongside the 3rd Division, allowing very heavy firepower to be focussed on cross border raids. The 1st Division is based at Salisbury, the 2nd Division at Livingstone and the 4th Division at Ndola. The rockets and 9.2” guns can hit targets up to 60 miles away.
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 12, 2020 17:59:06 GMT
And, in the final snippet for the night, the British South Africa Police serve both as Rhodesia’s national police force and a paramilitary service that is very well armed and trained for internal security and counter guerilla warfare operations, bringing in many veterans who successfully fought the Mau-Mau Rebellion in Kenya and in the Malayan Emergency. In this, they are perhaps the foremost frontline paramilitary force in the British Empire, narrowly shading the Royal Constabulary, which has a variety of roles.
The BSAP’s armaments includes armoured Land Rovers and Bedford RLs, Eland armoured cars and wheeled APCs.
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 13, 2020 15:46:55 GMT
Kenyan Order of Battle 1963/64
Kenyan Army
2 divisions, 54,529 personnel
Strategic Reserve Command
Kenyan Special Air Service Regiment
7th Medium Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 24 x 6"
8th Medium Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 24 x 6"
1st Kenyan Division
Kenyan Light Horse: 56 Sabre ACR, 24 Stag APC
1st Royal Kenyan Scouts
1st Brigade
1st Royal Kenyan Tank Regiment: 60 Super Centurion MBT
2nd Battalion, Kenya Regiment: 42 FV-432 Saxon APC
4th Battalion, Kenya Regiment: 52 Stag APC
8th Kenyan African Rifles
1st Field Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 32 x 25pdr
2nd Brigade
1st Kenyan African Rifles
3rd Battalion, Kenya Regiment: 52 Stag APC
4th Royal Kenyan Tank Regiment: 64 x Royalist LT
Kenyan Highlanders: 52 Stag APC
2nd Field Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 32 x 25pdr
3rd Brigade
1st Battalion, Kenya Regiment: 42 FV-432 Saxon APC
3rd Royal Kenyan Tank Regiment: 64 x Royalist LT
5th Battalion, Kenya Regiment: 52 Stag APC
7th Kenyan African Rifles
3rd Field Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 32 x 25pdr
2nd Kenyan Division
Kenyan Lancers: 56 Sabre ACR, 24 Stag APC
2nd Royal Kenyan Scouts
4th Brigade
3rd Kenyan African Rifles
5th Kenyan African Rifles
6th Battalion, Kenya Regiment
Kenyan Parachute Regiment
4th Field Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 32 x 25pdr
5th Brigade
2nd Kenyan African Rifles
7th Battalion, Kenya Regiment
2nd Royal Kenyan Tank Regiment: 60 Super Centurion MBT
Kenyan Rangers
5th Field Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 32 x 25pdr
6th Brigade
4th Kenyan African Rifles
6th Kenyan African Rifles
8th Battalion, Kenya Regiment
Kenyan Commando Regiment
6th Field Regiment, Royal Kenyan Artillery: 32 x 25pdr
Territorial Army: 2 divisions, 96,572 personnel
2 Infantry Divisions
Royal Kenyan Navy
5246 men, 7 combat ships, 8 rotary aircraft
HMKS Kenya CL
HMKS Mombasa FF
HMKS Nairobi FF
HMKS Nyeri MS
HMKS Kisumu MS
HMKS Malindi MS
HMKS Embu MS
8 Westland Wessex
Royal Kenyan Air Force
10 Squadrons, 200 aircraft, 8132 men
28 Supermarine Swifts
52 Hawker Hunters
15 English Electric Canberras
21 de Havilland Chipmunks
20 de Havilland Canada Beavers
15 de Havilland Canada Caribous
20 Bristol Bulldog helicopters
15 Fairey Rotodynes
14 Vickers Victorias
No. 1 Squadron: 24 Hawker Hunters (RKAF Mombasa)
No. 2 Squadron: 24 Hawker Hunters (RKAF Eastleigh)
No. 3 Squadron: 24 Supermarine Swifts (RKAF Eastleigh)
No. 4 Squadron: 12 English Electric Canberras (RKAF Eastleigh)
No. 5 Squadron: 12 Vickers Victorias (RKAF Kisumu)
No. 6 Squadron: 16 de Havilland Chipmunks (RKAF Eldoret)
No. 7 Squadron: 16 de Havilland Canada Beavers (RKAF Kisumu)
No. 8 Squadron: 16 Bristol Bulldogs (RKAF Mombasa)
No. 9 Squadron: 12 de Havilland Canada Caribous (RKAF Eldoret)
No. 10 Squadron: 12 Fairey Rotodynes (RKAF Eastleigh)
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 13, 2020 15:47:22 GMT
A further point of note is the Rhodesian Army’s heavy artillery units grouped separately from the field divisions. Initially, this might seem either a strange duplication of the South African corps artillery or simply Commonwealth profligacy. However, in Rhodesia’s case, they are deployed in Katanga alongside the 3rd Division, allowing very heavy firepower to be focussed on cross border raids. The 1st Division is based at Salisbury, the 2nd Division at Livingstone and the 4th Division at Ndola. The rockets and 9.2” guns can hit targets up to 60 miles away. You mean border raids by Congo forces into Katanga who i presume they claim as being part of Congo. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Feb 13, 2020 16:03:04 GMT
No, the Congolese government would not be so suicidal; additionally, given that ‘Katanga’ was never under the Belgian crown, the Congolese don’t have a claim.
The raids are from various rebel groups based in the Congo as well as the Simbas.
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