In retaliation for the downing of a Air Rhodesia Flight 827 , the Rhodesian Air Force ( RhAF ) planned a bombing raid against a ZIPRA training camp situated nearby the town of Luso in Angola . The Rhodesians estimated that there were 3000 ZIPRA soldiers , as well as Cuban and East German advisors , based there . The Rhodesians were only able to provide four Canberra bombers for the raid and required three additional aircraft which would be provided clandestinely by the South African Air Force ( SAAF ) . Three SAAF Canberra bombers of 12 Squadron , under the command of Major Hannes Bekker , were armed with Alpha cluster bombs and took off around 18h15 from Air Force Base Waterkloof , South Africa on 25 February 1979 . From there they flew northwards to the Victoria Falls airfield in Rhodesia and landed after dark . There the navigators planned the raid for the following morning . The strike leader was Squadron Leader Chris Dixon , 5 Squadron Rhodesian Air Force , call-sign Green Leader . Three SAAF and three RhAF were armed with 5 Alpha bombs each while the last Rhodesian Canberra bomber was armed with six 1000 lb bombs
Air Rhodesia Flight 827
Air Rhodesia Flight 827
Operation Vanity