74:
526:) trekked about six miles to reach Altena. A list of white farmers in the Centenary district was drawn up and de Borchgrave was marked for elimination due to his poor reputation among black farmworkers. Farmers known for their popularity in the workforce were also identified and removed from the list of potential targets. Cadre leader
537:
Around three o'clock that morning, the guerrillas cut the telephone lines and laid a land mine in the driveway. Nhongo undertook a reconnaissance of the farmhouse before the attack commenced. Each insurgent then expended at least two magazines of ammunition apiece at the structure. Hand grenades were
573:
was also discharged at the window of the de
Borchgraves' bedroom. Several occupants, including de Borchgrave, were slightly wounded. ZANLA claimed that Rhodesian troops posted within shouting distance of the home responded to the scene and saved the lives of Dalgleish and his guests by engaging the
565:
Having been alerted to the de
Borchgraves' new location through sympathetic farmworkers, guerrillas from the original cadre requested permission from ZANLA to carry out another attack. After ZANLA's area commanders in Centenary had been consulted, a raid on the second target (Whistlefield Farm) was
489:
Rhodesian intelligence, which had been monitoring ZANLA's activity and preparations, grew curious when over a four-week period in
November 1972 sources of information suddenly began to "dry up", in the words of historian Alexandre Binda. "They sensed that something was afoot, but their superiors
490:
brushed off their fears," Binda says. "The senior
Rhodesian authorities had been lulled into a sense of arrogant self-confidence based on the security forces' past successes." This false veneer of security was smashed on 21 December 1972 when a group of ten ZANLA cadres led by
541:
Deducing that Nhongo may have mined the driveway, de
Borchgrave set off on foot to seek assistance. The insurgents retreated, burning down what they believed to be a white-owned store during the withdrawal. Rex Nhongo was later stopped and questioned by some members of the
505:
ZANLA had planned for four attacks to take place simultaneously but in the event only Nhongo's men did so. According to the historian Elaine
Windrich, Nhongo was a former employee of the tobacco farm's 37-year-old owner, Marc de Borchgrave, and held a grudge against him.
562:, reported to the police station in Centenary. The land mine in Altena's driveway was discovered, disarmed and removed. For their own safety, Marc de Borchgrave and his family were sent to another farm while their home was being repaired.
476:
landowner who was unpopular among the local civilians. Some sources have indicated that this marked the beginning of the conflict proper, despite the minor threat already represented by guerrilla movements in
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assailants. Six huts and a mosque in the farmworkers' compound were also torched during the skirmish, although accounts differ on who started the fire.
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At about one o'clock on the morning of 23 December, the insurgents reconnoitred
Whistlefield Farm and shelled the structure with mortar fire. An
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also thrown. Despite the damage caused to the structure, only de
Borchgrave's eight-year-old daughter Jane was injured.
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Having established a presence in the nearby
Chiweshe Tribal Trust Territory, a cadre of
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planned to carry out the attack and observe follow-up operations carried out by the
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occurred in the early hours of 21 December 1972, during the third phase of the
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43:
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attacked the white-owned Altena Farm near the north-eastern village of
783:. Cape Town: University of Western Cape (South African History Online)
101:
781:"Chapter Two: A Brief History Of The Context Of The ZAPU Guerrillas"
522:, hand grenades, and at least one light machine gun (most likely an
824:
Winds of
Destruction: the Autobiography of a Rhodesian Combat Pilot
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planned. The property was owned by an Archie Dalgleish.
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472:was a tobacco farm owned by Marc de Borchgrave, a
896:Battles and operations of the Rhodesian Bush War
864:Black Fire! Narratives of Rhodesian Guerrillas
662:
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117:
8:
798:"The 1972 spark that started the revolution"
498:, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of
822:Petter-Bowyer, P. J. H. (November 2005) .
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516:Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army
843:The Saints: The Rhodesian Light Infantry
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796:Chakamwe, Chakamwe (12 December 2013).
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845:. Johannesburg: 30° South Publishers.
826:. Johannesburg: 30° South Publishers.
554:Late on 22 December, a troop from the
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7:
14:
779:Van Driel, Nichole (June 2003).
72:
916:December 1972 events in Africa
518:(ZANLA) insurgents armed with
1:
841:Binda, Alexandre (May 2008).
556:Rhodesian Special Air Service
96:One occupant slightly wounded
88:Severe damage to Altena Farm
725:Solomon Tapfumaneyi Mutuswa
544:British South Africa Police
937:
868:. New York: Random House.
558:, followed shortly by the
860:Raeburn, Michael (1978).
731:is Shona for "male goat".
532:Rhodesian Security Forces
143:
23:
560:Rhodesian Light Infantry
444:Cashel Helicopter Crash
800:. Harare: The Patriot
713:"Rex Nhongo" was the
462:attack on Altena Farm
19:Attack on Altena Farm
303:Odzanu Junction Farm
481:in the late 1960s.
663:Petter-Bowyer 2003
623:Petter-Bowyer 2003
466:Rhodesian Bush War
298:Woolworths bombing
135:Rhodesian Bush War
26:Rhodesian Bush War
921:Conflicts in 1972
906:Guerrilla warfare
852:978-1-920143-07-7
833:978-0-9584890-3-4
743:, p. 133-136
457:
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433:Related incidents
248:St Alberts School
243:Whistlefield Farm
152:Oberholzer murder
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32:Operational scope
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911:1972 in Rhodesia
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68:Executed by
61:21 December 1972
35:Terrorist attack
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439:Nhari Rebellion
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412:Lancaster House
315:Montclair Hotel
218:Alcora Exercise
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40:Planned by
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772:Online sources
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675:Van Driel 2003
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815:Bibliography
802:. Retrieved
785:. Retrieved
762:Raeburn 1978
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728:
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709:
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640:Raeburn 1978
568:
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513:
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500:Mount Darwin
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449:Beira Patrol
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233:(1972–1979)
231:Second Phase
230:
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197:
190:
183:
176:
169:
162:
148:(1964–1972)
145:
238:Altena Farm
146:First Phase
53:Altena Farm
890:Categories
804:8 February
787:8 February
741:Binda 2008
715:chimurenga
702:Binda 2008
598:Binda 2008
578:References
528:Rex Nhongo
492:Rex Nhongo
485:Background
351:Flight 827
325:Flight 825
93:Casualties
44:Rex Nhongo
550:Aftermath
496:Centenary
345:Salisbury
266:Long John
510:The Raid
479:Rhodesia
280:Ignition
254:Overload
191:Flotilla
184:Cauldron
24:Part of
406:Miracle
378:Mineral
371:Chamber
338:Gatling
286:Hill 31
198:Griffin
85:Outcome
63:3:00 AM
872:
849:
830:
729:Nhongo
717:name (
520:AK-47s
470:Altena
425:Hectic
418:Quartz
385:Placid
357:Vanity
331:Snoopy
205:Excess
177:Nickel
163:Pagoda
157:Sinoia
50:Target
723:) of
571:RPG-7
392:Motel
364:Beira
309:Dingo
292:Aztec
273:Eland
224:Panga
212:Birch
170:Yodel
79:ZANLA
870:ISBN
847:ISBN
828:ISBN
806:2015
789:2015
460:The
399:Uric
58:Date
524:RPD
892::
748:^
682:^
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586:^
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855:.
836:.
808:.
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125:e
118:t
111:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.