Biafran Armed Forces

The Biafran Armed Forces (BAF) were the military of the secessionist state of Biafra which existed from 1967 until 1970.[1]

Biafran Armed Forces
Founded	1967
Disbanded	1970
Service branches	Army Navy Air Force
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	C. Odumegwu Ojukwu
Chief of General Staff	Philip Effiong
Related articles
History	Nigerian Civil War
Ranks	Military ranks of Biafra

History

At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000.[2] No official support for the Biafran Army came from any other nation, although arms were clandestinely acquired. Because of this, the Biafrans manufactured many of their weapons locally.

Some Europeans served the Biafran cause: German-born Rolf Steiner was a lieutenant colonel assigned to the 4th Commando Brigade, and Welshman Taffy Williams served as a major throughout the conflict.[3] A special guerrilla unit, the Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighters, was established: designed to emulate the Viet Cong, they targeted Nigerian supply lines, forcing them to shift resources to internal security efforts.[4]

Branches

Army

At the peak of Biafran military power, the Biafran Army was made of 5 divisions; numbered 11th, 12th, 13th (later renumbered 15th), 14th and 101st. It also had 2 separate brigades, the S Brigade, a Pretorian guard for General Ojukwu[5], and the 4th Commando Brigade (trained and commanded by mercenaries).[6] It was commanded by Brigadier Hillary Njoku[7] and later Major General Alexander Madiebo.[8]

Air wing

Roundel of the Biafran Air Force

The Biafrans set up a small, yet effective air force. Biafran Air Force commanders were Chude Sokey and later Godwin Ezeilo,[9] who had trained with the Royal Canadian Air Force.[10] Its early inventory included two B-25 Mitchells, two B-26 Invaders, (one piloted by Polish World War II ace Jan Zumbach, known also as John Brown)[11], a converted DC-3 and one Dove. In 1968, Swedish pilot Carl Gustaf von Rosen suggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu.

By early 1969, Biafra had assembled five MFI-9Bs in Gabon, calling them "Biafra Babies". They were coloured green, were able to carry six 68 mm anti-armour rockets under each wing using simple sights. The five planes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. In September 1969, Biafra acquired four ex-Armee de l'Air North American T-6Gs, which were flown to Biafra the following month, with another T-6 lost on the ferry flight. These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots.[10]

During the war, Biafra tried to acquire jets. Two Fouga Magisters and several Gloster Meteors were bought but never arrived in Biafra, being abandoned on foreign African airbases.[12]

Aircraft	Origin	Number	Notes
MFI-9B "Biafra Babies"	Sweden	5[12]
Douglas B-26 Invader	USA	2[13]
North American B-25 Mitchell	USA	2[14]
de Havilland Dove	UK	1[15]
Fokker F27 Friendship	Netherlands	1[14]	Ex Nigerian Airways and used as an Improvised Bomber.
Douglas DC-3	USA	1[14]	Improvised Bomber.
North American T-6 Texan	USA	4-6[12][10]	ex-Armee de l'Air.[10]

Navy

Biafra had a small improvised navy, but it never gained the success of the air force. It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt, and was commanded by Winifred Anuku. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armored civilian vessels armed with machine guns, or captured 6-pounder guns. It mainly operated in the Niger Delta and along the Niger River.[13]

Ships in service

Ship	Origin	commissioned	Fate	notes
BNS Vigilance	ex-NNS Ibadan	30 May 1967	Sunk on 10 September 1967[16]	Ford-class seaward defence boat
NSS Bonny	ex-HMS Gifford	1968	Preserved at the National Nigerian War Museum	Ford-class seaward defence boat
Ikwerre	ex-Nigerian port authority tugboat[17]	1967[18]		Armed with a 105mm howitzer[17]
PC101	ex-Nigerian port authority cutter[19]	1968	Lost in July 1968[18]	Armed with 6-pounder and Bofors gun[20]
PC202	Nigerian tugboat[19]	1968	Lost in July 1968[18]	Armed with a 105mm howitzer[21]
PC203	Nigerian tugboat[19]	1968	Sunk in September 1968[18]
PC204	Nigerian civilian craft	1969[18]

Weapons and equipment used by Army and militias

Rifles

Type	Origin	notes
Dane gun	home-made	In service with militias[22]
Lee–Enfield No.4	ex-Nigerian Army	120 to 150 in January 1967[23]
Beretta BM 59	ex-Nigerian Army (captured)	[23]
Vz. 24 rifle	Czechoslovakia (officially denied)	1,860 bought at the beginning of 1967[24]
Vz. 52 rifle		820 bought at the beginning of 1967[24]
Vz. 58 rifle		732 bought at the beginning of 1967[24]
MAS 36	Gabon, Ivory Coast, Haiti	300 from Haiti as a gift in 1968[25]
FN FAL/SLR	Parker-Hale (United Kingdom); ex-Nigerian Army (captured)	930 delivered in 1967;[25] some FN FALs captured from the Nigerian Army[23]
CETME rifle	ex-Nigerian Army (captured)	[26]
Spanish and German 98-type Mausers	?	[27]
AK-47	China (Black market)	In service with militias

Submachine guns

Type	Origin	notes
CZ-247	Czechoslovakia (officially denied)	300 bought at the beginning of 1967[24]
CZ-23 and CZ-25
Lanchester Mk I	?	Some used by mercenaries[26]

Machine guns

Type	Origin	notes
Vz. 26 machine gun	Czechoslovakia (officially denied)	55 bought at the beginning of 1967[24]
Vz. 30 machine gun
Vz. 52 machine gun
Vz.59 machine gun
Vz. 37 heavy machine gun		20 bought at the beginning of 1967[24]
MG34		[24]
Bren	ex-Nigerian Army	~12 in January 1967[23]

Rocket launchers

Type	Origin	notes
Pancerovka P-27	Czech-made	[25]
Type 56 RPG	Chinese-made[28]
SARPAC	French-made	Some from 1968[25]
Ogbunigwe Launcher	Biafran Research and Production	[29]

Mortars

Type	Origin	notes
2-in mortar	ex-Nigerian Army	[25]
Ordnance ML 3 inch mortar
L-N 81mm mortar	Spanish-made	At least 6[25]
MO-120 AM-50	French-made	[25]

Guns

Type	Origin	notes
Canon de 75 modèle 1897		Never used in combat (unable to fire)[30]
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon	Hispano-Suiza (Spain)	[30]
M18/49 105mm howitzer (upgraded 10.5 cm leFH 18/40)	Czech-made
Ordnance QF 6-pounder	ex-Nigerian Army
Bofors 40 mm gun
OTO Melara Mod 56

Armoured vehicles

Type	Origin	Number	notes
AML-60	ex-Nigerian Army	At least 1	[30]
AML-90		At least 1
Ferret armoured car		At least 1
Alvis Saladin		At least 2
Alvis Saracen		1
Universal Carrier	French trader	A small number
Homemade armored vehicles	Biafra	?	A lot of designs[30]

Ranks

Main article: Military ranks of Biafra

References

1. Jowett 2016.
2. "Operation Biafra Babies". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
3. "The Last Adventurer" by Steiner, Rolf (Boston:, Little, Brown 1978)
4. Jowett 2016, p. 16.
5. Jowett 2016, p. 13.
6. Jowett 2016, p. 15.
7. Baxter, Peter (2015). Biafra : the Nigerian Civil War, 1967-1970. Helion and Company. p. 23. ISBN 1909982369.
8. Iliffe, John (2011). Obasanjo, Nigeria and the World. Boydell & Brewer. p. 108. ISBN 184701027X.
9. Okpe, August (2009). The last flight : a pilot remembers the Air Force and the Biafran air attacks. Aeromax. ISBN 9789789004140.
10. Air Enthusiast No. 65 September–October 1996 pp 40–47 article by Vidal, Joao M. Texans in Biafra T-6Gs in use in the Nigerian Civil War
11. Michael Robson. "The Douglas A/B-26 Invader - Biafran Invaders". Vectaris.net. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
12. Jowett 2016, p. 19.
13. Jowett 2016, p. 17.
14. Jowett 2016, p. 18.
15. Venter 2015, p. 137.
16. Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
17. Odu 2009, p. 111.
18. "Biafra Navy, 1967-70". www.marinavasca.eu. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
19. Odu 2009, p. 154.
20. Odu 2009, p. 153.
21. Odu 2009, pp. 158, 166-167.
22. Jowett 2016, p. 14.
23. Jowett 2016, p. 21.
24. Jowett 2016, p. 22.
25. Jowett 2016, p. 23.
26. Jowett 2016, p. 46.
27. Scarlata, Paul (October 2012). "The military rifle cartridges of Nigeria". Shotgun News.
28. Chinese-made weapons may have come from Zambia or Tanzania (Jowett 2016, p. 23)
29. Jowett 2016, p. 33.
30. Jowett 2016, p. 24.

Bibliography

• Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. ISBN 978-1472816092.
• Odu, P.J. (2009). The Future That Vanished: A Biafra Story. Xlibris (self-published). ISBN 9781441539724.
• Venter, Al J. (2015). Biafra's War 1967-1970: A Tribal Conflict in Nigeria That Left a Million Dead. Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1-910294-69-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)