THE RHODESIAN AIR FORCE PARACHUTE TRAINING SCHOOL THE VERY BEST

Approximately a year ago with a hell of a lot of urging from my family I was finally bullied into putting fingers to keyboard and brain into overdrive and started to write the story of the Rhodesian Air Force Parachute Training School. My darling wife Chalice, and my wonderful daughter, Robyn Sherer promised to correct and edit my ramblings as I put together this weekly blog. I have tried to make these ramblings readable to the reader interested in the history of a small central African country which became a world leader in the use of paratroops.

These airborne soldiers were all students of the Rhodesian Air Force Parachute Training School and, after rigorous training, were deployed on Fire Force – a tactic we developed. Before jumping, they were checked and dispatched by a Parachute Jumping Instructor who was responsible for their safe delivery into battle onto a suitable Drop Zone. On occasion the same troops, many mere teenagers, were dispatched up to three times a day into battle. At RAF Abingdon we were told that more than two training parachute descents in day was considered dangerous.

In 1961 six Royal Rhodesian Air Force airmen were sent to The Royal Air Force Parachute Training School at RAF Abingdon – five of us were successful in qualifying for the RAF Parachute Jumping Instructor brevet. We were trained in exactly the same way the RAF trained their PJIs and became skilled in the use of the three ‘F’ principles of instruction: Firm Fair and Friendly. Initially students were astounded by this form of instruction – they couldn’t comprehend how pleasant we instructors were. We were not the usual yelling, snarling type of military teachers. The only time we raised our voices (in theory) was to shout the word “Go!” which was used for every order.

Unlike other military instructors, we also did not differentiate between rank, age, gender or race. Everyone was treated exactly the same, the only acknowledgement of higher rank was to say “Sir” to officers. Being an officer was no excuse for not doing push ups when an error was made either, and it can safely be said that more push ups were carried out in the PTS hangar than any other place in Rhodesia. This calm, respectful, even-handed teaching style was invaluable – it resulted in calm, confident paratroopers who had the utmost faith in the PJIs and would respond to their commands in even the most stressful circumstances.

 Whilst we continued to use this RAF teaching style, there were many other things we did improve upon. The biggest problem with the RAF parachute training methods was that nothing had changed, either in the training or the equipment used, since WW2, with the exception of the introduction of the 24ft Reserve parachute. The main parachute was still the 28ft X type which had been used on the ‘D’ Day Landings in Normandy, on Operation ‘Market Garden’ of a ‘Bridge Too Far’ fame, and in 1956 when the Parachute Regiment was dropped at Suez to secure the Canal.

Nearly 20 years after WW2, parachute training in the RAF had also changed very little. The main reason for this was nobody had bothered to ask the soldiers if what they were being taught was relevant. Nobody, for example, had asked the soldiers if the parachutes should be improved, or what could be done to make their weapons more accessible after landing, or if they would be prepared to jump at 500ft, or if it was safe, possibly safer, to jump into trees?

At the time, rifles, machine guns, Bren guns or rocket launchers were always carried in a suspended load and were 15ft away upon landing. In addition the suspended load was made from heavy duty canvas which took a very long time to pack and an equally long time to unpack. Just to get at the rifle was a major undertaking of undoing straps and unlacing yards of cord. Not ideal if the enemy was shooting at you.

 Not that we knew any different at the time of our course at RAF Abingdon. We were just airmen and nobody was even trying to change things. Because of this attitude we were also stuck with the “good old ways” because we’d been trained by the RAF and, it was expected, if the RAF did it that way we had to follow suit. This was the case until the end of the Federation on 31 Dec 1963. Suddenly there were only 31 SAS Other Ranks in the Army and six PJIs and we were very nearly folded up.

Fortunately somebody in the higher ranks of the Army and Air Force remembered the 1959 debacle in Fort Hill. So, almost as an after- thought, it was decided to keep the SAS.  And, if you had an SAS, you also needed Parachute Jumping Instructors and a Parachute Training School. They anticipated we PJIs would keep quiet, not rock the boat, and just train the SAS when they required training using the familiar old methods. It was also a great way to show visiting dignitaries how advanced we were, just drop a Dakota load of PJI's, or if handy, paratroops down the runway. Always impressive. 

However, once UDI was declared on 11th November 1965 we no longer felt compelled to stick to the old methods we’d inherited. In fact, due to sanctions (which resulted in no information and no supplies,) the nature of our Bush War, and our hot and high conditions, we were frequently forced to improvise and experiment. We were also fortunate to have a number of experienced soldiers join our ranks. They were always willing to give us practical advice from the soldiers’ perspective. Combined, these factors led to a great spirit of innovation which saw us develop new parachuting methods and equipment to become world leaders in military parachuting on a very tight budget.

We encouraged our staff to bring us their ideas and every idea was explored. It was either adopted or rejected only after thorough scrutiny. Sometimes these ideas were silly but even so they were still looked at. (Just remember the safety fuse we used to open the parachute on the free fall boxes silly in the modern context but it worked!)

Innovative we may have been, but safety was always our first concern. Troops needed to land in one piece in order to do their job – our training drills reinforced safety at all stages of the jump and were repeated until the soldiers could perform, under any circumstances, without even thinking. For this reason, our death and injury rate was extremely low – a fact of which we can be justifiably proud.

 In the Rhodesian Air Force Parachute Training School we made it our job to always find better ways to drop paratroops into action. We never stopped questioning the old methods. Was there a better and safer way to carry equipment into action? Could the soldier get hold of his weapon if he was stuck up a tree? Was it a good idea to give the paratrooper a pistol to use if he did get caught up in a tree?  Was it even sensible to jump into the bloody trees in the first place?

 We did not stop asking questions and sometimes sanctions worked in our favour.  For example in the beginning, we had trouble accessing parachutes and were forced to search out alternatives. The Royal Air Force, with their choice of X type parachute, were still restricted to a flax webbing harness that had to be adjusted to fit the individual with no body band to hold a weapon and they were happy to stay that way. But,we were not and when we received the 35 ft PT10 American parachute with a body band and Capwells, we were able to devise new ways of carrying the weapon so it was at hand on landing.  The body band allowed the soldier to strap the rifle or machine gun to his body so it was immediately accessible - a fantastic improvement as was the 35ft shaped canopy. No late swings on landing!!! Later we got the South African copy called the SAVIAC which was stronger and easier to repair therefore better.

 Once we discovered, through PJI experimentation, that landing in scrubby trees was not only possible, but soft and also had the added benefit of providing instant cover, we asked for parachutes fitted with Capewell canopy release systems so the soldiers could get out of trees easily.

 We always tried to maintain good and open relationships with the men we trained, and were especially great friends with the SAS. We listened to them, when they made suggestions about the equipment and the way the personal weapons were carried – after all they were the end- user and there was no point in dropping troops if they were too injured, or too disadvantaged by poor equipment to fight after landing.

 We personally trialled our innovations to ensure they were safe and practical. We practised with every parachute type, and every parachute modification before allowing the troops to use them. We parachuted into different DZs; into trees, into mud, onto ploughed fields, into maize fields before we allowed the troops to do these things. Likewise we experimented with weapon carrying and found the best method was to carry the rifle attached to the body, loaded with a round in the breach with the safety on. The MAG machine gun could be carried in the same way, with a 50 round belt of ammo wrapped around the breach.  Much better than scrambling around in the dark, up a tree, trying to find a weapon which, in the old days, could be dangling 15ft below you!

  The RAF gave us a fine grounding in the safe way to parachute and the safe way to get troops into a set battle plan – the type of battle which took a long time and many meetings to prepare.I remembered carrying out DZ Recce's before the SAS Operational drops in September 1962. What a farce!  We were able to successfully carry out this type of operation too, as described earlier in the blog under Operation Dingo and Operation Gatling where DZ's were chosen from aerial photographs.

However we broke new ground with our Fire Force techniques. We were never taught how to drop troops at very short notice into a fast moving battle. Due to the guerrilla-style tactics of our enemy we needed to develop methods to hit back hard and hit back fast. We could not allow bands of terrorists to simply cross the border to safety so we had to create a way to quickly drop troops, into variable terrain, to ambush the escaping enemy.  This was Fire Force – a unique style of attack developed and perfected by the Rhodesian Armed Forces.

Once the enemy was spotted from an observation point, within a very short time we attacked with helicopter borne troops and paratroops dropped in very close proximity – surrounded the bastards and killed them.  The first time we saw the DZ was when we were running in for the drop, which was at only 500ft AGL. The wind-speed on the ground was judged by the smoke from a smoke grenade dropped by the helicopter gunship marking the DZ position.  I can’t imagine the RAF, or for that matter, any  other Airborne Forces, carrying out the types of Fire Force operations we did in Rhodesia without first conducting reconnaissance, feasibility studies, health and safety assessments and finally talking themselves out of it altogether. But we found this method was deadly and efficient.

Our Bush War was probably the last time paratroops were used in such large numbers and with such devastating effect. I am very proud to have been a part of The Rhodesian Parachute Training School – we maintained an impressive safety record even in the most trying circumstances, and we developed training and tactics which revolutionised military parachuting. None of this would have been possible without the support of the dedicated PJIs, parachute packers, dispatchers, pilots and of course the troops.   

I feel that the time has come for me to bring this blog to a break but before I shut down, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people for contributing to this blog and for their unfailing enthusiasm, support and help.

Tony Hughes for his contribution “The Best Times”.

Trevor Smith “Early Days and Other Things”

Iain Bowen “His Story”

Dick Gledhill “His Story (P.T.S)”.

Kevin Milligan “Operation Cheese”.

Connie Wise “The Story Of The PTS Blue Bird”.

Denis Buchan ‘Charlie’ “His Story”

Mark Zambra “The story of the T.F. Dispatchers”.

Mike Cappuccitti, Ivan Holtshausen and Alan Bradnick “3 Squadron Pilots Stories”

Rex Taylor “His Story about The Parachute Evaluation Course”

John Pierson and Rod Murphy for their corrections to the types of parachutes and their construction.

My darling wife Chalice Beverly for her fantastic support and continued encouragement.

My Daughter Robyn for all the fantastic editing skills which has turned much of my ramblings into readable English and for encouraging me to continue when I thought of just chucking it into the bin. 

Last but not least to all the readers who have followed my ramblings in this Blog THANK YOU

THE RHODESIAN AIR FORCE PARACHUTE JUMPING INSTRUCTOR BREVET  THE RAREST COMBAT PARACHUTE BADGE IN THE WORLD.

THE RHODESIAN AIR FORCE PARACHUTE TRAINING SCHOOL PLAQUE WHICH REMAINED UNACKNOWLEDGED TO THE END OF OUR TERRORIST WAR.

CHAPTER 42 A PILOT REMEMBERS THE PARACHUTE EVALUATION COURSE 1959

A few years ago I asked for ex members of the Rhodesian Air Force to share their memories regarding the Rhodesian Air Force  Parachute Training School at New Sarum and was surprised to receive a contribution from Rex Taylor. I was previously unaware that Rex was on the parachute evaluation course in 1959 when the RAF sent a team to ascertain the possibility of utilising paratroops in the hot and high country of the Central African Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The team from the Royal Air Force No 1 Parachute Training School at RAF Abingdon consisted of one Officer Sqn/Ldr Errol Minter (born in Bulawayo) and two Sergent Parachute Jumping Instructors Sgt Red Summers and Sgt George Sizeland. This team was sent to train twelve black soldiers and twelve white soldiers - all were volunteers. The only regular regiment in the Federal Army at this time, was the Kings African Rifles, and the small number of Staff Corps used for training all the Territorial soldiers on national service. The all white units of  'C' Rhodesian Squadron of British 22 SAS Regiment and a Battalion Of The Rhodesian Light Infantry had yet to be formed. The result was a number of RRAF men were included in the mix - they included Chief Technician W.P.Maitland, Flying Officer Rex Taylor, Cpl/Tech Forbes, Flying Officer Basil Myburgh and W.O Wild. Chief/Technician Maitland was later sent over to RAF Abingdon with the original RRAF volunteers to be trained as PJIs and  became the Parachute Training School Warrant Officer. I have found a number of photographs of the 1959 Parachute Evaluation Experiment and have included them in the Rex Taylor Story below. Rex also recalled another name in his story - S/Sgt Bouch the man responsible for getting everybody physically fit before the actual parachute course started. W.O. Bouch later became a founding member of C Sqn Rhodesian SAS and was killed In action on 12 Oct 1966 at the start of the Rhodesian  Bush War. I remember W.O. Bouch teaching us unarmed combat in the very early days and his familiar shout to, "Grab your enemy by the Troat and squeeze t' life outta him." Everybody who had any dealings with Bob Bouch will never forget him. Thank you Rex for your contribution  of a time that is all but forgotten. Thanks to the experiments performed by Rex and his fellow guinea-pigs, the viability of parachuting in our particular conditions was confirmed and the dream of the Rhodesian Parachute Training School became reality. Derek de Kock

Hi Derek

I remember only one of the two RAF PJI’s, the name Sgt 'Red' Summers and he keeps pulling the slack on my memory cells! Sqn Ldr Minter was the third RAF member. I remember an RAF PJI trying a parachute with a blank gore onto runway 14, and I don’t recall us being impressed. I do recall “Butterworth”,a parachute-packer/Safety Equipment Worker, but until you wrote he was in the “delete” lobe of my brain! (Wasn’t the section and term “Safety Equipment” born post Federation?)

REX TAYLOR

Parachute Training School.  1959.

In 1959, I was on The Provost, No. 4 Squadron, based at Sarum. On returning from a short family trip to Beira I read in a discarded copy of the Station Routine Orders that volunteers were needed for a “Parachute Evaluation Course”. The following morning I submitted an application in a model “Formal Official Letter” to the station adjutant. (I seem to remember it was Flying Officer George Baverstock)

I never gave a thought to the staff work that brought a military parachute unit plan past Rhodesian  political compliance, then cooperation with the British authorities, and finally a plan with the RAF. 

The Rhodesian “C” Squadron of the Brit. Special Air Service had already been through parachute training in Malaysia and had carried out operational descents into the Malaysian jungle. Although the operational side of parachutists remained within the British army, the training was carried out by the RAF. At that time the parachutes in use were the “28ft X type”, which had  proved to be successful in European conditions. One of the objects of this evaluation course was to assess the effect our “hot and high” conditions upon the viability of parachute troops in “The Federation”. It had been accepted lore in the Air Force that the pilot “24ft canopy” was essentially a life-saver and that minor injuries on landing, such as an ankle strain were to be expected. The “28ft” would be a big improvement, - so we were told. The open or blank gore was in experimental use in Britain, we all knew about it but its value in military service was not yet fully accepted or appreciated.

The course consisted of about twenty volunteers, drawn from the Air Force (“RRAF”), Army Staff Corps, the “Kings African Rifles” and the ”Royal Rhodesian Air Force General Service Unit” . The latter two units were both black “African”.

In this photograph Sgt Red Summers RAF PJI is seen assisting an African Soldier of the Kings African Rifles (K.A.R.) to carry out a parachute landing roll. During the Federation there was a Regiment of K.A.R.which was the forerunner of the Rhodesian African Rifles (R.A.R.) In both instances these Regiments were White Officered with Black African Troops and this also applied to the Royal Rhodesian Air Force General Service Unit. At the break up of the Federation in 1963. The K.A.R.unit in Rhodesia became the Rhodesian African Rifles which served with absolute distinction in Rhodesia's War against Terror. Derek de Kock 

This photograph shows Sgt Sizeland RAF PJI assisting one of the European soldiers in carrying out a parachute landing roll.In 1959 during the Parachute Evaluation Course it appears that the Royal Air Force decided to separate the two sections into a Black African section trained by Sgt Summers and a White European section trained by Sgt Sizeland. In later Years when the Rhodesian Air Force Parachute Training School was training paratroopers there was NO DISCRIMINATION. All the sections were mixed and training was exactly the same for everybody. There was no Black or White as far as the staff were concerned they were all GREEN and this included officers. Derek de Kock

 There was a minimum of classroom stuff and all drill was conducted “at the double”. The physical training was initially gentle but the pace quickened as the week and weeks went by. At no time were we stationary, even between exercises we ran “on the spot”. I had not been as fit since leaving school boxing circuit! 

A mock Dakota fuselage was built about one-and-a-half meters off the hangar floor, and some two meters away from the “door’ was a landing mat. Trainees had to launch themselves straight and hard to land on the mat. When jumping into the slipstream of an aircraft at about 110 knots (200 kph), a parachutist’s body must punch through that slipstream to avoid being thrown back against the fuselage. Nor must he twist in flight, in either case the tethered straps would, or could, become twisted and tangled, resulting in a failed exit and worse!

 The landing had been evolved to minimise injuries. Legs hard together to absorb the landing jolt up all the leg bones; trunk curled into a roll position to dissipate the shock of landing up the entire body and arms folded tightly across the chest. The technique sounds easy, but the split second between exiting the “aircraft” and hitting the landing mat gives no more than nano secs to jump hard, wrap arms together, lock legs and land without any residual twist! The student was required to do all this and still be clear of the next jumper’s hobnailed boots! This aspect of training seemed to go on interminably, and very few of us ever earned a “well done” from our eagle-eyed instructors!

The acme of the training schedule was “the fan”, better than any Zambezi Gorge “foofy slide!”
( Flying Fox in Australia)!  “The Fan” was just a series of paddles on an axle, -no more complicated than a paddle-steamer’s water wheels.  A long rope wrapped itself around the hub of a fan, and as the rope unwound it spun the fan which acted as an air brake. The weight to spin the fan was a trainee parachutist, who was required to leap hard off the platform in the approved fashion, arms folded, legs outstretched and firmly together. At first the rope offered little resistance to the trainee’s descent and there were always several moments (minutes?) of apprehension as it seemed that one’s high speed descent was only slowed as one’s boots touched the landing mat for the approved landing roll! Terrifying, and exhilarating! Apparently it was an evil aptitude assessment device, a student who hesitated and baulked at the jump could conceivably refuse to jump out of an aircraft. I don’t remember any of our course not wanting to play on this delightful apparatus!

Much of our physical training was disguised as play and we enjoyed playing hard. Rugby was one game played almost every day either before tea or lunch. The black troops had never played rugby before, but took to the spirit of the game rather than the rules. This suited the instructors anyway whose aim was exercise rather than exhibition rugby! One of our Air Force GSU members gravitated to fly half and would have displaced many first league half-backs!

Some of the black soldiers were unable to swim, but nevertheless had to jump off the 3-meter diving board into the water. Two or more of our able swimmers were on hand to assist the non-swimmers to the side after their jumps off the platform. Tea and delicious sandwiches were delivered from the Sergeants Mess, and this usually coincided with the pool drill. At tea time it was perfectly natural for white and black soldiers to join their own racial groups for laughter and banter. On one occasion the black guys were literally rolling on the grass, holding their sides and screaming in giggles and unconstrained loud mirth! It was difficult to get any of them to explain the reason for their joviality! Eventually, between peals of laughter, we learnt that the guy who always had to be rescued gasping and spluttering after his jump was the butt of their laughter. It was a few more minutes before the rest of the story emerged. This non swimmer did not know that he had to hold his breath in water, he had never held his breath in his life, at the age of twenty he still was unable to do so! So, on each jump he still carried on breathing under water! His courage in continuing to jump in spite of near drowning each time was amazing, and demonstrated the typical bravery and discipline of KAR soldiers!

The morning of the first jump eventually arrived, crisp, bright and with only a slight breeze.  The landing site was an open grassy field on a tobacco farm near Lake MacIlwaine. (Now “Chivero”). The Dak flew at 1000ft and the dispatch procedure went without a hitch. My own jump has left distinctly engraved memory cells! It seemed that in rapid sequence I jumped, looked up to see the parachute canopy billowing above, I hit the ground, -hard! I likened it to a brutal high speed tackle from a burly front-row prop! The second jump seemed to go more slowly. I distinctly felt and recognised the strop breaking free, and as I felt myself floating down I was able to admire the scene below over the “vee” of my boots. With regular timing the strings holding the shrouds in the pack behind me made a plucking noise and the parachute opened with a “woosh” and was a perfect rounded shape above me! I could get quite fanatic about this sort of flying! This, my second landing, gave me time to assess my drift direction and I executed what I thought was a perfect leg, thigh and shoulder roll! Nobody else even noticed it!

The morning for the third jump broke as clear as the first two. We were all as eager as beavers to jump again, and chattered among ourselves like a bunch of schoolgirls! Shoulders drooped and the chatter stopped when we were told that the wind was too strong and the jump was cancelled! We probably pouted like thwarted schoolgirls too! However, we had no time to grumble for we were back in the mock Dakota to practice our shuffle-step the exit and leap into well co-ordinated leg-thigh and shoulder landings, before running round and joining the shuffle queue again! I had previously sustained a torn cartilage from a nasty rugby tackle, and although this only ached from time to time, it had not fully recovered and was just waiting for the right twist and pull to break away! On my second landing from our hangar Dakota my right knee inverted and with indescribable pain my right leg bent up and my instep hung there looking at me! I avoided the plummeting boots behind me and looked at the RAF instructor. (Flight sergeant Sizeland) I may have been expecting a look of concern and sympathy, - some hope! I believe that it is part of the training credo to show complete disdain to a fallen trainee, - after all to offer help on a battlefield would be suicidal, a disabled soldier must be prepared to help himself!

The injury proved to be far more serious than it appeared. I was able to hobble onto the real Dakota to watch the course on their final jump, but my disappointment was real and, I’m sure the tears were visible too! I was scheduled for a major repair job to my knee for an hour or two under surgeons’ knives and spent the next 8 or 9 months on crutches! Being so fit at the time of the surgery I recovered quickly, but my whole leg had to be immobilised in a plaster cast for the rest of the year! My girls at that time were four and five, and my physiotherapy was to give them rocking-horse rides on my stiff plaster-of-paris lower limb! Our giggles and screams added to the cure! The mal-alignment of the limb led to a hip replacement and a walking stick 50 years later, but this inconvenience is small price to pay for that permanent memory of bird-like freedom! It beats any erotic experience!

Thank you Rex Taylor for your contribution to the Story Of The Parachute Training School you guys proved that Military Parachuting could be done in our Hot and High Country. We at a later time greatly improved on the initial training provided by the RAF PJI's and subsequently we became the World leaders in Military Parachuting.

CHAPTER 41 MORE PILOT STORIES IVAN HOLSHAUSEN and ALAN BRADNICK

A few years ago I asked 3 Squadron Rhodesian Air Force Pilots to tell me their stories about the Parachute Training School.The following stories are from two of the most experienced Dakota Pilots in the World. Both these men have many thousands of hours flying time in the Dakota aircraft of the Rhodesian Air Force and both always had a steady hand when it came to dropping paratroops or supplies. This  made it much easier for the PJI in the back to concentrate on the safe delivery of his troops, especially when he knew the best and most careful pilots were flying the aircraft. Most of the 3 Squadron Pilots were of the more mature vintage, but as the Rhodesian Bush War progressed, younger pilots were posted into the squadron. These younger pilots were partnered with more experienced pilots, many of whom were from the Rhodesian Air Force Volunteer Reserve. They included men like Professor Dick Christie from the University of Rhodesia, and David Barbour who owned a large department store in Salisbury (Harare). In addition 3 Squadron also had a number of the most experienced aircraft engineers in the world. Many of these technicians received their training at various airlines and overseas facilities such as RAF Halton which gave them a very broad understanding of the aircraft they maintained. In addition the 3 Squadron work ethic was the work was only done when every aircraft was back on line. We in the Parachute Training School, could and always did, count on having our aircraft on line and ready to fly. Even when every aircraft in the Squadron was needed for an operation or for training we were never let down - a truly amazing statistic. 


IVAN HOLSHAUSEN'S STORY

A couple of memories come to mind.

 The final early morning drop at New Sarum for their wings - all the families,

girlfriends etc watching - we run in, all is fine - red light, green light -

out they go, but a sudden gust of wind decided to get involved and everything

went wheels up - they landed all over the place, one even on the hangar

roof.

Thinking of all the HALO drops into Mozambique. Late afternoon, early evening -

Ground becoming shadowy, but us staggering along at 20,000/21,000 feet

still in sunlight. Everybody on oxygen. Out the SAS stick goes for their

long patrol in Moz. Gosh, we took our hats off to those guys.

Then of course we had to resupply them regularly. Another story.

Also some of the night drops into Moz. like up near The Train. Some of them

were quite hairy, just as well pax didn't know.

Then of course all the heroic pilots being thrown out over MacIlwaine.

On the second such drop I was in one of the boats. Keith Kemsley came down

near us and somehow he left getting out of his harness a bit late,

Consequently he was trapped & was being dragged along on his back with a bow

wave coming over his head preventing him from breathing. Our boat wasn't

that fast & we had a job catching up to rescue him. There was nearly an

opening for a Flt. Lt to be promoted.

ALAN BRADNICK'S STORY

Some memories I hope will help.

Playing bridge at lunch time in 3 Sqdn crew room one lunch time, our foursome was Pete Barnett, Mike Gedye, Boet Swart and myself. We were discussing various issues that were of interest to PTS and 3 Sqdn when Pete said it would be a good thing for the aircrew to experience a water jump so that we could be more sympathetic to those troopies who were jumping out onto mother earth. A couple of days later Boet walked into our offices and said: “OK, it is all arranged.” “What has been arranged?” we asked. “The water jump and training will be starting within the next couple of weeks.”

A deathly hush fell over the crew room. Well our training day finally arrived and we had a lot of stiff muscles from all this jumping out the dummy and climbing back in again. And then the fateful day arrived. We were all briefed at PTS and there was a lot of joshing one another and a lot of hilarity. We then marched out to the aircraft, Jim Weir standing at the door to welcome us aboard. Ossie Penton was very vocal in all this hilarity. We climbed in to the aircraft and got seated. Ossie was seated facing the open exit door. Engines started and Ossie was now absolutely speechless. I have never seen him so quiet as he concentrated on chewing his teeth. I could hear this gnawing sound from where I sat. The next thing we were over Lake McIllwaine and ordered into action stations. All our parachutes inspected and then we were hooked up to the static line by the dispatchers. I am now standing in the door, wandering what the hell am I doing here, thinking I had better have second thoughts when just then I had such a belt from the dispatcher on my back which propelled me out the door. The first thing I saw was the Dak’s tailplane passing over head, and thinking I had never seen the tailplane from this angle, and then I felt the jerk of the chute opening. I looked up and saw the chute collapse and had a moment of panic before I had a full canopy. It was great from there on.

When we got back to the crew room I told Pete that I had not told my wife Eria that I was going to do a para jump today. I decided to phone her and tell her what I had done and told Pete to listen for the explosion. He called for some of the sqdn to come and listen. I phoned her and I said: “My dear, I have got to tell you something. I did a parachute jump into lake McIllwaine this morning.” “Oh,” she said, “On your way home can you pop into the canteen and get the following.”

The next incident you were involved in. We were to do an early morning drop. I came to the briefing and went to the aircraft where all the paratoops were already seated. As I climbed in General Peter Walls, who was going to be the drifter, says: Good morning Alan. If I had known you were flying this morning I would have stayed in bed for another hour.” I said: “ I don’t worry sir, we will be off on time.” I had known The General for many years. He had married a girl that I knew very well from my baseball days. We got airborne and as I was climbing to height I looked over to the fertiliser factory and saw that the smoke coming out of their chimney was about 180 degrees opposite to what I had been briefed. I called the DZ and suggested that my dropping point be altered as the wind I had been given was different to that which I could see from the smoke. The wind I was given was from the North, and the smoke told me that it was from the South. You answered me and I was told to drop as briefed. Being a good Air Force Officer I always did what I was told to do.

So with the drifter in position, General Peter Walls, I did the run in and gave the green light at the briefed dropping point. As I turned to go downwind I saw the drifter drifting towards the Viscounts on the CAA hardstanding. The General landed about 10 feet in front of one of the Viscounts. I saw one of the CAA techs later, who was doing his call up in the Air Force, and he told me that all he could see were some very large black hobnailed boots coming straight for his aircraft. He used some very strong language telling this paratrooper what an idiot he was to land on tarmac when just a couple of hundred yards away was soft grass to land on. He then recognised the General and he could not apologise enough for the language used. I was then told to alter my dropping point , to use my own judgement.

After I  had done our training in the flying area after the drop, I  came into my office and there was a letter of apology from the General for the remarks he had passed when I was getting into the aircraft. He thought I had dropped him amongst the Viscounts on purpose. Wow, an apology from a General. However, I phoned his Secretary to explain that it was not on purpose.

I have done this all from memory, and it might not be entirely accurate, but I think that all the facts are there as I remember them.

Number 3 Squadron, 1960

Back Row: U/K, Alan Dewsbury, Frank Reeves, Alex Scott, Rusty Theobald, Ron Simmonds, Les Grace, U/K, Brian Ditcham,Les Johnston, U/K. 

2nd Row: U/K, Jim Waterman, Don Esterhuizen, Pete Haddon, Doug Smith, U/K, U/K, Rod Hall, U/K, Ian Davidson, Keith Stewart, U/K 

3rd Row: Pat Parmenter, Rex Ovington, U/K , Derek De Kock, Bill Savage, U/K, Peter Ruile, Jim Badger, Bill Rundle, Dave Johnson,
Cyril Jones
4th Row: Kas Edwards, Chris Hudson, Peter Barnett, Harry Coleman, John Van Ryneveld, Bill Jelly, Doc Holliday
Front Row: Gerry Dunn, Mick Grier, Peter Knobel, Johnny Johnson, Mike Reynolds, George Alexander, John Rogers, Gordon Nettleton, Brian Horney, John Aldridge

No 3 Squadron Annual Photograph circa 1972

(Top Row):
?,?.?,?,?,Dave ?,Jock Bain, ?,?,Frank Robinson
(Middle Row):
?, David Barber (VR), ?, John Matthews (VR), Willie Armitage, Willie McMurdo, John Boresjzo, ?, Dave ?, George Walker Smith (VR), Ed Paintin, Frank Wingrove (VR)
(Front Row):
Tony Smit, Galloway, Mac Geering, Ivan Holtshausen, George Alexander (Sqn Cdr) Bob de Hotman, Mike Russell, Derek Nightingale, Gerry Lynch (VR)'
(Photograph RRAF) 

This photograph was copied from the 3 Squadron Photo gallery on the WWW.

CHAPTER 41 A PILOT FROM 3 SQUADRON HIS STORY

MIKE CAPPUCCITTI 3 SQUADRON RhAF PILOT

A few years ago I asked 3 Squadron RhAF Pilots for some information regarding the max take off weight for our Dakota Aircraft. I was just a silly PJI and as far as I was concerned,if you could get it into the aircraft it would fly. Mike was good enough to let me have the details as far as he could remember. This photograph shows Mike Cappuccitti on the left with his personal weapon slung over his shoulder talking to the Dakota Engineer (who was on call up) and is also armed with a pistol. I forget how young we were and #3 Squadron was supposed to be the old mans Squadron.

 The following stories were sent to me by  Mike Cappuccitti of 3 Sqn Rhodesian Air Force to include in my blog about the PTS

Following is a story from one of those magnificent men who flew our flying machines, Mike Cappuccitti. Of course, without these guys parachuting would have been impossible, and the pilots from 3 Squadron were, without exception, cool under pressure, and very highly skilled.   

Hi Derek

Thanks for the email and great to be in comms with you.

I agree wholeheartedly – we never got any recognition for the fun stuff.  You had to get shot down to get noticed.

Anyway, we still had fun.

My memory is not so good about the detail although I certainly remember a few hairy incidents.  I’ve referred to my log book, so I’m hoping I’ve properly attached incident to date – but maybe not.

Before I relay the incidents, here are some aircraft facts:

MTOW: (Maximum take off weight) It was actually 31,000lbs but I think the Rhodesians decided to up it to 32,000lbs.  I looked to check and could find no official record of the manufacturer increasing the weights.

Payload:  It was officially 6,000lbs – but we regularly exceeded this on Ops.

Time to Climb:  To 10,000 ft was approximately 9 minutes but that’s with a sea level take off.  We rarely did that so you need to add some.  As you know, we were limited to FL120 (12,000ft  amsl) without oxygen – so most of the time that meant about 6-7,000 above ground level.

Over MTOW Incident:  Rutenga circa early ’78 (I think):  Rutenga runway was 14/32 and about 1,000mtrs.  Positioned south west of town and parallel to the railway.  Large copse of trees not too far from the North Western threshold.  We were there is support of Andre Dennison and his RAR Fire Force.  Jerry Lynch was Captain and I was Co-Pilot.  Orders came to move the FF from Rutenga to another location (I think FAF7/Buffalo Range).  We had done several movements and this was the last lift so we crammed as much as we could on board including 24 paras, Andre and his No. 2, two PJI’s and a whole load of equipment (ammo boxes, mortar tubes, etc).  No idea what the weight was but we were very heavy indeed.  Jerry put me in the left seat so I was piloting and Jerry acting as co-pilot.  We took off on runway 14 – so towards the trees.  Knowing we were heavy, we stood on the brakes and went to max T/O power. Off we went and just before rotate I took my hands off the throttles and onto the wheel.  Jerry should have had his hands following up on the throttles (SOP) but he didn’t and the left throttle friction nut was loose.  The left engine throttled back and it was like an immediate engine failure on the port engine.  Jerry thought I was messing about and said “What the F*** are you doing?” I said “Nothing – we’ve lost port engine.” I thought I said it calmly but apparently not.  He then saw the port throttle back and slammed it forward but in the meantime we had yawed dramatically to the left – so much so that Andre later said he could see down the runway through the door.  Anyway, with the power restored and the wheels coming up we missed the trees by feet if not inches.  That could have ruined our day.

Dakota with Browning MG in door:  Between 2-9 November, ’77:  You, Kevin or Frank Hales might have been on this one.  Captain was Wally Galloway and again I was co-pilot.  I remember this one well as it’s the first time I knew we were being shot at.  Night re-supply mission in northern Mozambique for SAS (or maybe Scouts but I think SAS).  Wally was a VR, not regular any more.  We had finished the drop (which included vehicles wheels) and we exiting at low level.  There was good moonlight and clear skies so we had no problem flying back down the valley although the ground was pretty dark.  We were about 200-300ft agl. We were fired at by something big – probably a 12.7 or 13.5mm – on the port side.  There was lots of tracer but nowhere near us.  However, after the drop the PJI’s had rigged a browning .303 in the door and let loose without letting us know first.  The noise was horrendous.  Up until then we had no lights on and they could probably hear us but not see us – dark camo against the dark valley.  But our Browning let them know where we were so the firing started getting accurate.  Wally started to descend further but I reckoned this was a bad idea.  He forgave me afterwards but I shouted “I have control” and I pulled up and almost rolled the aircraft over the valley ridge on the right.  They obviously lost sight of us and we flew on home.  I remember wondering later in the pub why on earth would someone want to shoot at me!!!!!

More coming – let me check some more in the log book.

I attached a few photos.

Best Regards, MIKE

 A note from the author of the blog,  Derek de Kock  - I am sure  the incident mentioned above was Mike Wiltshire and his Puff the Dakota Dragon which was four MAG .762mm machine guns. Very noisy

This photograph was taken by Mike Cappuccitti from the co-pilot seat in the Dakota and it clearly shows the anti SAM7 (Strella) engine exhaust fit. The aircraft is also painted in the anti surface to air paint scheme which must have worked as we were not shot down.















































1980 The last  SAS Parachute Jump Six Dakota loads from 1000ft AGL. A truly sad day to wind up a famous Regiment in Rhodesian History.

This  photograph shows a Fire Force sitting in the Shade of the Dakota Wing and Tailplane waiting for the siren to sound and the shooting to start. They were probably smokeing to calm their nerves and who can blame them (Health and Safety would go nuts now days)

Occasionally we would have an escourt in this photo a Lynx is formating on our stbd wing and he is armed with Rocket Pods, Bombs and Machine Guns. Nice to have him along

THE PJI"s WHERE ARE THEY NOW Part 5

MIKE DUFFY

The above photograph is of Basic Static Line course number 72 with the PJI's seated in front with a very young looking Sgt Mike Duffy seated on the left. This was a large RLI course with a few Selous Souts mixed in with them. 

Mike Duffy applied for PJI training and was attached to No. 1 PTS in July 1977, from C. SQN. SAS. He trained basic static line and HALO courses, as well as air, dispatchers and under-studied the UT/PJI training course. Along with the other PJIs, between training of courses, Mike was routinely involved in Fire Force deployments, numerous Special Force operations by the SAS and Selous Scouts, and also combined forces ops which included the RLI and RAR. He remained attached to PTS from SAS until 1979, when he transferred to the Rh AF, before retiring in early 1981.

Mike and his wife Lesley decided the future in Zimbabwe was too uncertain for a young family, and moved with their young daughter, Lara, to South Africa. (It should be mentioned here, that Paul Hogan and his trucking business helped greatly in their move). Mike had previously met a South African whilst on a fishing trip, who offered him employment as an apprentice refrigeration mechanic. Mike qualified as a commercial refrigeration mechanic in 1983 and worked in the trade for a few years before he accepted a position with a mechanical engineering firm and eventually controlled the fixed mechanical maintenance programme for the client, the then KwaZulu Government. During this period, Mike and Lesley had two sons.  All three children have completed tertiary education and gone on to do well, the two eldest moved to the UK and become naturalised.

In 2004, Mike was attracted to the Private Security Industry or “Circuit” as it is sometimes referred to. He met, and was employed by, an old SAS colleague, John Gartner.Through, Johns buisness he worked in Baghdad and Afghanistan for a USAID Contractor, and then, still with John’s business, moved to a new theatre in West Africa, where he worked in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Mali.

Mike and Lesley attended the PJI reunion in Busselton WA, 2008, where he jumped towing a Rhodesian flag. Until his rig time-expired a couple of years ago, Mike maintained his enjoyment of parachuting with occasional jumps. Mike’s other great interests always included hunting, fishing, target shooting and firearms. He has had a number of articles on guns, ammo and hunting published by local magazines.

 Mike and Lesley still reside in Pietermaritzburg RSA and now have their first grandson in the UK.

The year 2008. The occasion Rhodesian Air Force PJI reunion. The place Paul Hogans back yard Bussilton Western Australia. In attendance L to R Derek de Kock, Paul Hogan, Mike Duffy, Ian Douglas, Tony Hughes. What a party!!! Thanks Paul.

Mike Duffy showing the flag at the 2008 RhAF  PJI reunion in Bussilton Western Australia 

The Bussilton PJI reunion. The years just flew by at this wonderful reunion and it was especially good when Dick Gledhill arrived from Townsville Nth Queensland. LtoR  Mike Duffy from South Africa, Derek de Kock from Melbourne Victoria, Tricky Dick Gledhill from Townsville Nth Queensland, Ian Douglas from South Africa, Paul Hogan the host from Bussilton Western Australia. Paul had the biggest stack of crates of Margret River wine I have ever seen in a private collection. We sampled many of these bottles and told a lot of stories which became more and more unbelievable as more and more wine was consumed

THE PJI's WHERE ARE THEY NOW Part 4

Richard Gledhill. (Dick)

This photograph is of # 26 basic Free Fall course and it shows the two PJI's responsible for teaching them the intracies of military HALO parachuting. The two PJI's are seated in the middle and Dick Gledhill is on the left with Carlos Gomez on the right. Unfortunately I do not have the names of the SAS soldiers on this course

This photograph of a much more mature Dick Gledhill was taken in 2008 at the PJI reunion in Bussilton Western Australia. Dick is shown here having just completed a jump from 14000ft  carrying his parachute back to the Bussilton Sky Dive club where he will repack it for the next jump. A great time was had by all at this wonderful get together.

Dick was born in Kenya and, as was usual in those days, went to school in the UK. Tricky Dick, as I called him, had a unique trick when teaching the soldiers of the Rhodesian African Rifles. When instructing on landing technique, he’d stick a piece of paper between each soldier’s knees. If the soldier dropped the note Dick would demand $5 every time they dropped it but if they kept the note stuck between their knees Tricky Dick would not give them $5. This was all done in jest and the troops enjoyed the banter created between the PJI and his men. After completing his schooling in the UK, Dick trained as a commercial diver and worked off the English coast. After a trip to Australia, Dick joined the Australian Army where he served for three years in 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. He later joined the Queensland Fire Service and trained as a regular firefighter. But Africa kept calling, and in the mid 1970s he joined the Rhodesian Light Infantry. During his fire-fighting days, before joining the RLI, Dick joined a skydive club and was a keen parachutist. The call went out to the Army for volunteers to become PJIs and Dick put his hand up. After training he joined the staff of the Rhodesian Air Force Parachute Training School as a Sergeant Parachute Jumping Instructor where he served until 1980. After the Zimbabwe independence Dick returned to Australia where he rejoined the Queensland Fire Service and continued his career as a professional fire fighter. He also continued skydiving and joined the PJI reunion in 2008 at Busselton in Western Australia. Dick is married to Heidi and they live in Townsville, North Queensland. Dick has written a number of books one of which is titled One Commando and is a novel based on his experience as a RLI Soldier and as a PJI.

John Early






















This is a photograph of number 62 basic static line course and shows the course instructors seated in front from LtoR Sgt John Early (wearing dark glasses), Flt/Lt frank Hales Training Officer/Chief Instructor, Sgt Mike Wiltshire, Sgt Paul Hogan.

This is a photograph of SAS Free Fall HALO course number 18 and Sgt John Early PJI wearing his trademark dark glasses is seen standing next to Flt/Lt Frank Hales DMM PJI the Training Officer/Chief Instructor.


We had the good fortune to have two Americans join the Parachute Training School at the height of the Bush War. John Early just came into the PTS hangar one day and asked if we were looking for jump masters. I did not know how to take that remark. Did he want to advise us on parachuting, or did he want to join us to learn our techniques? As it turned out John claimed to be a jump master and thought we’d just accept his qualification and welcome him into our Parachute Training School. I think he was a little taken aback when we told him he’d have to complete both a basic static line course and a PJI course before we would let him loose on our soldiers. As he subsequently proved, John was very much up to the task, soon qualified as a PJI, and was presented with the Rhodesian Air Force PJI Brevet. He was also an above average HALO parachutist. Once his parachute deployed with malfunction, ( not a packing error). I was impressed as he coolly checked his canopy, then decided to cut away and operate his reserve parachute which he rode down to the DZ as if this was a daily occurrence. John stayed with the PTS for a short time and always showed great interest in our many operational parachute drops. He also always volunteered to fly on our HALO drops. There was a strict ‘need-to-know’ policy in PTS when it came to operations and his persistent questioning raised suspicions. Before it became a serious issue John transferred to the Selous Scouts. He was a Sgt PJI in the Parachute Training School but was soon commissioned as a Captain in the Selous Scouts. I later found out he was also a pilot, and after our conflict, flew for the United Nations into various war torn and famine affected countries around the world. I think he may have been a member of the CIA but who knows, or, at this time, even cares? Either way he was a good bloke and a fine PJI. Another curious thing about John Early was that he always wore dark glasses in every photograph he was in, day or night. A little suspicious don’t you think? John is still flying at age 73, and is now the Chief Pilot/Captain for Pen Turbo Aviation Inc and a pilot at Leading Edge Aviation. He lives with his wife in Placitas, New Mexico. It just proves, most people stop at 60 or so, but PJIs just keep on going. Well done John keep flying.



Chris Pessara

This photograph is of Basic Static Line course numbewr 66 with the PTS staff kneeling in front and Sgt Chris Pessara
seated in front of Frank Hales with his feet crossed. Chris is obviously about to jump as the drifter for number 66 Basic static line course because he is wearing a static line SAVIAC parachute and is holding his Bone Dome.


 Our other American PJI Chris Pessara was a big man who had been a Cop in Houston Texas. He also came to the Parachute Training School asking if he could join our staff. Chris had seen service, not only with the Police in Houston but he had done a stint with the French Foreign Leigon and was fluent in French. Whenever a big operation was taking place the troops involved would gather in the Parachute Training School for briefing and general pre jump training. Chris would be seen with an SAS soldier who had also been in the Legion by the name of Wolfgang Huck talking away in French. They were great buddies when they discovered they had both served in the Legion. Some of the stories Chris had about his time in the Houston Police made our war seem to be a mild back yard brawl. He mentioned an occasion when a motor cycle Policeman was just riding down a main street in the middle of Houston when a van pulled up along side  the cop. The van door was slid open and a shotgun fired at point blank range killing the policeman instantly. The van door was closed and the van carried on as if nothing had happened. The perpetrator of this crime was never caught. Chris stated that in many ways being a cop in Houston was more dangerous than being a soldier in Rhodesia.