In September 1978 , the guerrillas again took the offensive by shooting down a Rhodesian airliner Air Rhodesia Flight 825 with a SAM-7 missile . Ten civilians who survived the crash were subsequently massacred at the crash site by ZIPRA guerrillas , increasing calls for massive retaliation by the Rhodesian security forces . On October of that same year , the Rhodesian Air Force launched the daring " Green Leader " attack on a ZIPRA camp outside Lusaka , the Rhodesian fighters completely taking over Zambian air space for the duration of the raid . On 12 February 1979 as the war increased even more in intensity , another civilian airliner Air Rhodesia Flight 827 was hit by another shoulder-fired missile ; all 59 passengers and crew were killed when the aircraft turned into a huge fireball
Air Rhodesia Flight 825
Air Rhodesia Flight 825
Military history of Zimbabwe