IAIN BOWEN'S STORY Part 4

Here is Part 4 Of Iain's Story

 The big DC7 Free Fall Operational jump

11^th October 1977, a day I will always remember, although the details start to become a little blurred. It was decided that 'C' squadron would go into the Gaza province of Mozambique and stir things up. Even though things were like an angry hornets nest there anyway.

We would free fall in, in the largest free fall operation to-date. We did 3 training jumps all at Kutsaga Seke DZ. The first jump was out of 7303 from 8000ft during the day. I was 23 of 24, and did a stand up landing. A free fall box was put out first.

We then kitted up and did one that night. It was very dark. Once again we followed a box out of the door. This time I was 24 of 25. Once open under canopy, I could clearly see 12 chutes in the night sky. It was a great jump.

The next day also at Kutsaga, we did a night jump out of the DC7. Same again, boxes first, and I was 24 of 25. The whole jump went off without a hitch. Everyone was happy that the jump side of the operation would go off just fine.

So on the night of the 11^th. We boarded the DC7 loaded for bear. Without doubt, as the previous days had progressed and more intelligence came in, we were loaded up with more and more equipment. My Burgin, which usually weighed about 25kgs, now weighed 45kgs. 11kgs of this was water. There were 6x1lt water bottles and one 5lt water bladder in the bottom of the Burgin.

I also had 2 extra 100 round drums of RPD ammo for my gunner, 1 RPG rocket, (although I can't remember who had the RPG now), a radio and small medic's kit, plus 13 magazines of my own, claymore mine, 2 frag, 2 phosphorus and 2 smoke grenades. Along with this, as I was one of the demolition guys, I had my dems. kit as well. This had my shrike exploder and detonators, plus other gear I would need. This box alone weighed about 5kgs and had the potential to explode if dropped from a height!

All this weight was not good, as you could hardly stand with the combined weight of your Bergin, webbing, rifle and parachutes being in the order of 70kgs. I wasn't even carrying a rocket launcher or RPD! At 12000ft this weight had consequences we hadn't thought about. After several minutes at 12 grand, even with the oxygen, you were very fatigued and light headed.

Major Wilson had me at the back as the most experienced free faller and wanted me to push hard to keep the stick tight. Some of the troops thought they would be cold, but I assured them they would be too tense to feel it. In fact I was sweating up the front. There were not enough oxygen masks for every paratrooper, so we were sharing about one between every 2 or 3 of us.

The three boxes contained mainly water and explosives. The water because that area is very dry and water was hard to find, and the explosives to blow up the railway line and any other targets that came our way. As we ran in we had been standing for several minutes and the guy in front of me just keeled over. He was unconscious. With the help of one of the PJIs we dragged him onto the seats out of the way and realised he was not going to make the jump. I grabbed his radio and just shoved it into my combat jacket, and hoped it would still be there when I landed.

When the green light came on the 3 boxes were rolled out the door, but the rollers couldn't be pulled all the way out of the way, so we just went out past them. Graham Wilson just jumped passed over them and out the door, determined to be as close to the boxes as he could. Whoever was about 18^th in the stick then tripped on the edge of one of the rollers and fell just in the door, where, quick as a flash, he was bodily lifted and just thrown out!

Iain Getting ready to join a stick of  HALO jumpers about to exit a Dakota. This photograph shows the improved seating in the Rhodesian Air Force Dakota's. In earlier times the seats were canvas contraptions which always collapsed.

Then I was in the door and launched myself out, I pivoted around and had a beautiful exit. I kept my lower legs tucked up behind me, and my arms up, this way I sat up in the slip stream and just watched the 8 huge exhausts as I fell off to the rear and below. It was a magnificent sight, just watching the huge aircraft roar away from me into the night sky. I then did a 90 left and picked up the strobe on one of the boxes, then the other two. Checked my altimeter. 10000ft, plenty of time to enjoy the night. Then I could see a dim glow just below me so back slipped away from the trooper. As Jan Greyling was the only person out after me, I knew I had clear sky above me.

I checked my alti again, 4000ft. I had a quick look around but could not see anything. Down to 3000ft. So left arm across, right hand in, grasp the handle, then a couple of seconds wait, and at 2500ft cranked it out of the bag. One thing about TA mark 2s, they always gave you a great opening. Once flying under my canopy, I checked around and against the starlit sky, could see 3 rigs above me. I thought you idiots, dumping out early puts the guys above you at risk of collision.

I turned in the direction of the strobes and watched them disappear one by one. I figured I was some distance away from them. I kept facing that direction, all the while looking around for other rigs in the sky. I released my quick release hooks and dropped my kit onto my toes and held it there. Watching my alti, when I reached about 400ft I started to notice ground shadows.

Then a stroke of luck, I knew the DZ was a sandalwood forest and we were all prepared for trees, but in the very dim light, I could just make out a clearing just to my right. I figured I was at about 100ft so dropped my kit to the end of its rope. Nearly there so buttoned up for the landing as we had been told we were going into trees and you never know, and then felt the kit hit the ground. I brought my elbows right in to protect my face and felt my right foot touch the ground, then my left as I immediately fell away to the left. The clearing I had spotted in the dark, turned out to be an ant hill the size of a house and I had landed on the steep side of it. I rolled down the side breaking my left leg in the process.

I felt immediate intense pain, so knew I had broken my leg. I lay there for a few seconds, then got my rifle out and pulled my Burgin over to me. I then got onto the uhf radio and called Ken Roberts. I gave him a bearing and approximate distance from the boxes. About 20 minutes later he found me, so we hopped and piggy backed our way to where Graham Wilson was. It turned out 3 others were also injured and Jan was missing altogether.

We waited throughout the next day, then at about 1600hrs Graham Wilson made the decision to fire 3 shots into the air. This in itself was not that much of a problem as many of the Frelimo would go out hunting for buck to supplement their meagre rations. Several times during the day we heard shots mainly to the west and south. As we had jumped about 15ks south east of Mapai, one of our escape plans was to walk west to the South African border.

Jan Greyling had gone unconscious just as he left the aircraft, and his automatic opener had deployed his parachute. Jan woke up under canopy but was very groggy. The next thing he remembers he was on the ground and has very little knowledge of the jump at all. After searching for us all day, and not even knowing what direction to start looking, he was about to set off for South Africa when he heard the shots. He had seen some Frelimo earlier on in the day and knew they were shooting, but this was 3 shots, so made the decision to have a last look. Two hours later he showed up.

An LZ (landing zone) had been located about 500metres from where we were, so the 4 of us, with all the parachutes were carted over there and stashed in the bush. Initially, all the chutes were to be buried and lost, but as some of us were going to be uplifted, the decision was made to save the chutes.

Having a broken leg was grounds for immediate casevac, but that was not going to happen until the ambush was sprung. The ambush party moved off at last light and the 4 of us just lay there for the next 5 days. In the early afternoon of day 5, I heard a heavy but distant dull thud. Obviously a very heavy explosion going off.

I got on the radio and called 'zero' giving that info, and was told to standby for later uplift. About an hour later I heard the moan of hunter jets going over and the distinct sound of bombs. Then about an hour later, just that faint thump, thump, thump that fades away on the wind. I knew it was helicopters.

I got on the radio and called 'cyclone 7' but was told to wait out as they were picking up other casualties. Not a good sign I thought. Then about two hours later, that same familiar sound drifting on the wind. This time I was told to stand by for uplift and asked if there was a suitable LZ nearby. I gave them the directions and a 5 sec burst on the pressel switch.

About 10 minutes later a 'K' car zoomed overhead and went into a left hand orbit, then 2 'G' cars landed and the tech ran over and said, 'can you walk'. No you idiot, I've got a broken leg! We were duly all loaded in and got airborne. We headed North West until we came over the railway line, and then followed that back into Rhodesia.

Looking down I could see the Scouts had been busy in the area. There were numerous craters where the rail line had been cut, and the road alongside had literally dozens of destroyed vehicles scattered in the bush all along it. We crossed the border and landed at Mabalahuta in the evening.

Brian Robinson came over to the helicopter and said, 'do you think it's broken' 'definitely' I replied. With that I was loaded into a Dak along with Vern Conchei who had been shot in the foot, and we flew off to Buffalo range. There I was x-rayed and plastered. I was then asked if I would be in charge of the parachute store for the fire force that was stationed there. So for the next 6 weeks that is what I did until I was healed.