Katangese Air Force

The Katangese Air Force (French: Force aérienne katangaise, or FAK), also known as Katangese Military Aviation (French: Aviation militaire Katangaise, or Avikat), was a short-lived air force of the State of Katanga (1960–63) which seceded from the Republic of the Congo during the Congo Crisis. It was made up of mercenary personnel of Belgian, British, French, Polish and South African nationality.

Katangese Air Force
Force Aérienne Katangaise
Air Force roundel
Active1960 - 1963
Country Katanga
BranchAir force
RoleAir interdiction and transport
Garrison/HQLuano and Kolwezi airfields
Commanders
CommanderJan Zumbach (1962–63)
Aircraft flown
AttackFouga CM.170 Magister, North American AT-6G Texan

History

Katangese Air Force

In 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.[1] 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.[2]

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).[3] 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 Katangese Air Force purchased nine Fouga CM.170 Magister (pictured) in 1961

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 were delivered. 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.[4] 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. Battles raged on for over two years between the Katangese and UN contingent forces. Yet, on 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.[2] Those that remained in the Congo were reintegrated into the Congolese Air Force.[3]

Commanders

It was initially commanded by the Belgian Victor Volant.[5] 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.[6] In the aftermath of operation UNOKAT in December 1961, command first changed over to the South African Jeremiah Cornelius "Jerry" Puren,[7] then, in early 1962, to Jan Zumbach, who commanded Avikat until the end of the Katangese secession in January 1963.[2]

Alleged role in the death of Dag Hammarskjöld
Main article: 1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash

Dag 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 Katangese use of Fouga aircraft in skirmishes with United Nations forces which had been "blown out of all proportions" by the international press.[8] There had even been discussions about whether a fighter escort from the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force should be provided 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 this has not been widely accepted.[9] Another Belgian pilot known only as "de Beukels" was also reported to have claimed to have shot down the aircraft by accident during an attempted Katangese abduction of Hammarskjöld.[8]

Aircraft

The 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[10]
Piper PA-22 United States utility 5[2]
Fouga CM.170 France attack / fighter 3[10] nine purchased, but only three delivered[2]
Transport
Dornier Do 28 Germany utility / transport 5[2]
DH.104 Dove United Kingdom transport 5[2]
DH.114 Heron United Kingdom transport 1[2]
Helicopters
Alouette II France utility / liaison 1[2]
Sikorsky H-19 United States utility / transport 1[2]
Trainer Aircraft
Piper PA-18 United States trainer 1[10]
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See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. "Congo, Part 1; 1960-1963". acig.org. 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  3. "Congolese Republic". Interavia. 22. 1967. pp. 1305–1306.
  4. Gülstorff, Torben (Winter 2018). "German links to the Hammarskjöld case" (PDF). Lobster. 76.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Rosio, Bengt (1993). "The Ndola Crash and the Death of Dag Hammarskjold". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 31 (4): 662–3.
  9. Graham-Harrison,, Emma (12 Jan 2019). "RAF veteran 'admitted 1961 killing of UN secretary general'". The Observer. Retrieved 20 April 2020.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  10. "THE MAGISTER MYSTERY". Flightglobal Insight. 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
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