Rhodesia - Intaf
Callsign - Lighthouse
Intaf weapons
From the very beginning of the history of Rhodesia Intaf has had armed men in the field. In the early days the Matabeleland Native Police (the forerunner of the modern District Assistant) were armed with Martin Henry breech loading single shot rifles. 303 rifles replaced these later on.
As the war in Rhodesia progressed more modern firearms were issued to the members of Intaf to defend themselves. When the ARUs were established they were issued with SLRs and FN assault rifles as well as German G3s. Section weapons were also issued. These consisted of 7,62 and 303 Bren guns and 303 Browning machine guns that had been removed from Rhodesian Air Force aircraft. A few MAG general purpose machine guns were made available to Intaf. A number of old Sten Guns and newer Uzis were also issued. Various privately purchased hand guns were carried.
The diagrams below indicate the variety of weaponry used over the years.
Rifles
Martini Henry
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – .577/450, Operation – Falling block single shot, Effective range - 370m
Lee Metford
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – .303, Operation – Bolt action, Magazine capacity – 10 rds, Effective range - 730m
No 1 Lee Enfield
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – .303, Operation – bolt action, Magazine capacity – 10 rds, Effective range - 500m (SMLE)
No 4 Lee Enfield
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – .303, Operation – bolt action, Magazine capacity – 10 rds, Effective range - 500m
President Du Pont on a visit to Charewa Keep in the early days when many DAs were still issued with a variety of weapons including FNs, No1 and No 4 .303s.
SLR L1A1
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – 7,62 x 51mm, Operation – gas, Magazine capacity – 20 rds, Effective range - 600m
FN FAL
Country of origin – Belgium, Calibre – 7,62 x 51mm, Operation – gas, Magazine capacity – 20 rds, Effective range - 600m
Old version FN rifles used at Mrewa Battle Camp by B Echelon Vedettes
DA George Muzinda armed with FN FAL, Mtoko District
G3
Country of origin – Germany (under licence in Portugal), Calibre – 7,62 x 51mm, Operation – roller delay blowback, Magazine capacity – 20 rds, Effective range - 500m
DAs undergoing G3 rifle training at Goromonzi District Battle Camp - "blindfold strip and assemble."
Machine guns
303 Bren Gun
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – .303, Operation – gas, Magazine capacity – 30 rds, Effective range - 550m
A Troop ARU. Two 303 Bren guns in the foreground.
7,62 x 51 Bren Gun
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – 7,62 x 51mm, Operation – gas, Magazine capacity – 20 rds, Effective range - 550m
7,62 x 51 MAG
Country of origin – Belgium, Calibre – 7,62 x 51mm, Operation – gas (open bolt), Belt fed – 650 / 1000 rds per minute, Effective range - 800m
DA using MAG on the range
DAs learning the intricacies of the MAG. Note the mix of FNs (some are camouflaged) and G3s
Shotguns
FN Browning
Country of origin – Belgium, Calibre – 12 bore, Operation – long recoil spring, Magazine capacity – 5 rds, Effective range - 100m
Sub Machine Guns
9mm Parabellum Sten Gun
Country of origin – Great Britain, Calibre – 9 x 19mm, Operation – blow back open bolt, Magazine capacity – 32 rds, Effective range - 100m
9mm Parabellum Uzi
Country of origin – Israel (under licence Belgium), Calibre – 9 x 19mm, Operation – blow back, Magazine capacity – 25 rds, Effective range - 100m
DC John Saunders carrying his Uzi, Marandellas. The DA is armed with a G3. Note cloth bandolier around his waist.
Pistols
9mm Parabellum Star pistol
Country of origin – Spain, Calibre – 9 x 19mm, Operation – blow back, Magazine capacity – 8 rds, Effective range - 75m
Photos of other weapons used by Intaf
2 inch Mortar
Modified Browning .303 MG
DA cleaning 303 Browning MG and locally made black powder cannons known as "Garden Boys" at DCs Station Mudzi. The cannons were used in static positions at keeps in many of the districts and were devastatingly effective at very short ranges. A variety of nuts, bolts and any other scrap metal was used as ammunition.
303 Browning gunner Mashonaland East ARU. Browning MG was mounted in a stand on a Puma troop carrier as a defence weapon during vehicle movement.
