Operation Dingo was a major raid conducted by the Rhodesian Security Forces against the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army headquarters at Chimoio and a smaller camp at Tembue in Mozambique from 23–25 November 1977. Chimoio was a large ZANLA encampment and training facility, and a launchpad for insurgents infiltrating into Rhodesia. It was located at New Farm, known locally as Adriano's Farm. The old farmhouse, and a number of related monuments and graves, are located some 18 kilometres north-northeast of Chimoio Municipality. The positions of the fallen are marked by at least twelve mass graves which are clustered around the main New Farm complex. While only one Rhodesian SAS soldier died in the operation, more than 3,000 ZANLA fighters were reported as killed. 5,000 ZANLA were wounded, compared to only six SAS..
The Target
New Farm was a farm acquired by the Frelimo Government in 1975 from its Portuguese owner, known as 'Adriano'. It was leased to the ZANU/ZANLA organisation of Zimbabwe which made it their forward, or main, operating headquarters for war against Rhodesia. New Farm was a political and military hub rolled into one and would have included some family members of the camp's military and political occupants. Writing in the Zimbabwe government-owned Sunday Mail Garikai Mazara mentioned the existence of 20 mass graves related to the battles of 2325 November 1977 and detailed the constituent parts of this camp. Namely:
Adriano's farm house, or the 'White House'–Zanu Party HQ ;
Parirenyatwa camp hospital;
Takawira Camp 1 for general military training;
Takawira Camp 2 for engineering and anti-aircraft training ;
Chitepo College of Ideology, for political indoctrination, propaganda, etc.;
Mbuya Nehanda B–a gynaecology and obstetrics clinic for female cadres;
Pecy Ntini camp–a rehabilitation unit for disabled and wounded cadres;
Chaminuka Camp–an internal security and intelligence unit doubling up as a prison;
Zvede Zvevanhu camp–the military stores: ordnance, supply and vehicle pool, inclusive of Mudzingadzi piggery;
Pasichigare Camp–a camp for the accommodation of 'in-house' ngangas, mediums, predictors of the future and traditional healers;
Sekuru Kaguvi Camp–a care-home for pensioned cadres or their older relatives.
The Operation
At 0745 in the morning, directly after a strike by the Rhodesian Air Force's ageing Canberra and Hunterstrike aircraft, the camps were attacked. 96 Rhodesian SAS, 48 Rhodesian Light Infantry paratroopers, and an additional 40 helicopter-borne RLI troops took part. The intent was to exploit the concentration of forces on the parade ground for morning parade. In order to strike as many ground targets as possible, six mothballed Vampire jets dating from the 1940s were brought back into use for the operation. As part of a deception plan, a Douglas DC-8 airliner was flown over the Chimoio camps 10 minutes before the airstrike; the assembled ZANLA forces assumed a second false alarm, and did not disperse or try to take cover when the bombers subsequently approached. In the first pass, four Canberra bombers dropped 1200 Alpha bombs over an area long and wide. Following the initial air strikes by the Canberras, Hunters and Vampire FB9's, ten Alouette IIIhelicopter gunships engaged opportunity targets in allocated areas that together inflicted the majority of the casualties, while two Vampire T11's flew top cover. The paratroopers and heliborne troops were deployed on three sides of the objective into various stop groups and sweep lines, and were also effective in killing large numbers of fleeing ZANLA cadres. Nevertheless, the small size of the ground force and the lack of a complete envelopment allowed a number of fleeing ZANLA cadres to escape. Two important targets of the attack, ZANLA commanders Josiah Tongogara and Rex Nhongo escaped. A "stay-behind" force of Rhodesian SAS remained in ambush positions around the area overnight, to wait for any ZANLA who might return; these SAS were then extracted by helicopter in the morning. The Rhodesian force withdrew, having lost one SAS member, Tpr. F.J. Nel, being shot and killed at Chimoio, and one Vampire pilot, Flt Lt Phillip Haigh, killed trying to crashland his jet in a field after his aircraft was damaged by ground fire. The pilot chose to attempt a forced landing rather than execute the dangerous act of bailing out of the Vampire which was not fitted with an ejection seat. Several tons of equipment were captured. The captured equipment was either destroyed where it was found or taken back to Rhodesia.
Aftermath
A similar attack was repeated two days later at Tembue.. On that occasion, the morning parade had been cancelled, making the cluster bomb strike on the parade ground assembly ineffective. Though there was a Mozambique Liberation Front base nearby they did not interfere in the Rhodesian force's activities. A new base was later built in the Chimoio area. The Rhodesians attacked it in 1978 under Operation Snoopy. Operation Dingo was to be followed by a further thirty cross-border raids before the end of the war.
