Operations from Thumier in 1964
NB Apparently Thumier was renamed Habilayn in 1966.
According to my very brief internet fumblings, because I am occupied elsewhere, Operation Nutcracker commenced on 4th Jan 1964 and ran for a couple of weeks. There was a pause then another op began right at the end of Jan. So the
outstanding medal-deserving (including for Master Navigator Lee - is he still around ?) subject sortie probably took place in the ‘quiet period’ between the two specific ops.
Apparently British units did two month rotations at Thumier from Aden, and much of the campaigning was done by three battalions of the FRA based at Thumier. There were six FRA Infantry Battalions in all, plus other FRA specialist units formed from the earlier Aden Levies.
There’s a lot on the excellent ‘Radfan Hunters’ website
Radfan and the Hawker Hunter
Below is a description of the early 1964 events -
ROUTINE ADVENTURE | colonialfilm
‘Nutcracker’, launched from the forward airstrip at Thumier, aimed to put down the Qutaybis using a combination of Federal and British troops. It was initially conceived of as a ground operation. Under Brigadier J. D. Lunt, Commander of the Federal Regular Army, the initial aims were to assert Government control of Radfan, cow the Qutaybis, and open a road into the area at Wadi Rabwa. These aims appeared to be mostly achieved by the end of January 1964, at which point the Federal army partially withdrew to Thumier, and the clearly uncowed Qutaybi/NLF guerrillas immediately reoccupied all the vacated positions, renewed their attacks on the Dhala road and the remaining Federal forces, and destroyed the newly made road at Rabwa (Paget 1969:38-50)
A further ground attack was attempted in April, and a hastily assembled force (‘Radforce’) was tasked to ‘end the operations of dissidents in the defined area’ – a vague aim, given the largely unknown forces at work and the poorly defined ‘area’ in question (ibid.: 55). The political directive that accompanied this military instruction was clearer, but could have been issued in identical form a hundred years previously:
'To bring sufficient pressure to bear on the Radfan tribes:
a) to prevent the tribal revolt from spreading
b) to reassert our authority
c) to stop attacks on the Dhala road' (ibid.).
These ground operations were also of dubious success, and suffered from poor logistical planning. They also included several notable disasters, including the decapitation of two SAS men (and possibly the display of their heads in the Yemen; ibid: 62-75). The British quickly fell back on air power, deployed from the Khormaksar airfield at Aden – helicopters to shuttle men and equipment back and forth from forward positions, and Hawker Hunter jets in support of ground troops.
See also - Brigadier Lunt -
https://www.google.co.uk/search?clie....0.hfI-yPR8K5M
Two further points -
I have a copy of the 78 Sqn book on order. If there's anything relevant, I will put it up asap.
LFH-pere was doing ‘Radfan Hunters’ stuff with his 8 Squadron Ninak in 1927 or so.
Respect to all involved.
LFH
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