Here are some collected posts I have made about the subject (over the years)
Please post any information you may have on this war, including books or other good sources.
WPD
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Ill have to start digging... but here is what I can remember off the top of my head. Rolf Steiners book mentions getting weapons from the french (75mm and 105mm. I think these could have been German (WW2) also he talks about seeing armored personell carriers (Tracked). Rolf would have known what a German or American half track was and would have said so. This leads me to belive that the APCs were Loraine Schleplers (bad spelling) since the APCs were also provided by the french. Steiner trained a bunch of recruits and set up a uniform "factory" for them as well (not regular Biafran uniforms. Steiner only led a small contingent of Soldiers. He recruited and trained his own replacements to enlarge his force. Many of the weapons were older or captured from the Nigerian army.
As for the Lorraines, I know there were quite a few that were never modified... as well as the "forestry model" which was built by the french during occupation (it was smaller with two fewer wheels on each side. From what I remember of the passage, there was no mention of the Biafran APCs having any cannon armament. (aside from machineguns)
The cannons that Steiner talked about were not mounted on vehicles. They were on the side of the road and Steiner had to show the gun crews how to use them. It would have been possible for French, Spanish, or belgian arms dealers to have provided all of these weapons to the Biafrans. The APCs would have been smuggled in before the hostilities began (maybe by Hank Warton).
Here are some notes from Steiners book with page numbers.
I am not claiming any of that as true, but just relaying it on. I dont know about the raid on the airport... that would be easily verifiable since the nigerians only got a limited number of IL-28s. I did not find the reference to Biafran armor in this book, so its probably in another book i have read (or I passed it over again)
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p54-55 Merc centurians roamed about behind the lines (Biafran) like drunken warlords.
p55-56 Biafran command was ineffective and had no idea where their troops were (no real idea of how the war was playing out). Biafran troops dug 2' deep fox holes and trenches (no real military training)
p56 Nigerian bunkers along the front lines were often empty, but Biafran troops did not patrol and did not know this. (steiner did patrol/scout on his own and then began to train his own soldiers.
p57-58 when the Biafrans were made to fight the Nigerians, the nigerians often routed (in the face of resistance)
p59 Biafrans had AK-47s (19th Battalion). Platoons had 50 men and one officer.
p60 Steiner found 3x Krupp 105mm Cannons and lots of ammo, but nobody knew how to use them. He trained his troops how to use the cannons and how to service their rifles. He then showed them how to build proper defenses (3 lines deep)
p62 nigerian attack followed a 10 minute bombardment and was supported with 3 Ferrets
p63 Most of the fighting took place along roads "africans were afraid of the jungles" (according to steiner)
p69 Steiner ordered to form Legion (special legion) 180 volunteers + would have use of the Biafran "Special Brigade" if needed for an attack.
p69-70 Steiner and locals make homemade Anti-Tank mines from local explosives, batteries wires, detonators and wooden boxes. (I am guessing that these were command detonated mines... IEDs since they were using batteries). This also brings up the "Willey Bombs" made locally by a guy name Willey for use in the B-26s and in the ill fated Fokker F-27
p71 The mines had 100 kilos of explosives (would throw a Ferrett 50 meters upon detonation)
p74 Steiners group operated in 20 man units and raided behind the Nigerian lines.
p76-78 Because of his effectiveness, many Igbo Generals and Colonels hated him and plotted against him (hence the idea that Steiner was"Crazy". Many of them blamed him for their problems after the war.
His legion was decimated due to Ibo Generals trying to manuever for its demise during a battle
p79 Steiner give order to rebuild the "Black Legion" based in an old Catholic School
p79-80 The new Black legion would be called the 32nd Commando. 1,200 men, in 5 companies + support elements.
p81 They had few weapons, but had to deal with many calibers: AK-47, Beretta SMG (WW2), Thompson SMG, 12x 81mm Mortars, 12x 60mm Mortars, only 2,000 mortar shells.
p82 Victory over the Nigerian 1st Division (18,000 men)... 3,000 KIA in return for 200 dead biafran commandos.
p82 (Captured) Weapons traded between the commando and HQ 300 rifles traded for 4x 105mm cannons.
p84 Brigade creates own factories to supply itself. Also runs smuggling ring from europe to get items they needed (uses own pay for this)
p85 unit made its own uniforms and flags
p87 A Biafran Marine Commando created by Italian Merc (former Italian Marine)
p89 Steiner plans raid on Enugu Airport (infantry raid)
p95 60km through the jungle. 25 men to be in the attack.
p98 firing positions 300m from the parked aircraft. Nigerian guards had no magazines for their AK-47s. Steiners men had 5 LMGs, 10 automatic rifles
p99 Steiners men had 10 rockets (RPGs, Bazookas LAWs? no further info give) 6 rockets missed. 1 hit on an Il-28 blew up all 4 Il-28s in area (2 Migs there too) The migs were further away and rockets missed them so they were hit by the LMGs.
p117 Airlift flights: 90% food, 10% weapons and ammo
p117-118 France provided "tens of thousands of WW2 German Rifles"
p119 6 months losses for the Commando: 8400 KIA, WIA, MIA
p119-120 Commandos sent behind Nigerian lines to gather supplies (food and ammo)
p121-123 Nigerians bribed commandos with food, beer, uniforms, to not fight them for period of about two weeks.
Any clue about the date of that raid on airfield?
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Steiner wrote in his book that he returned to 14 Commando (laager or temporary HQ) on May 24 1968. They left the next day (25 May) and had to travel 60 or 70km north through the jungle to the airfield. He does not specifically state what day it was when they got to the airfield. I would say the trip had to be at least 2 days which would place no earlier than 28 may or 29 may.
So my best guess would be the end of May 1968 or early June 1968.
Did the nigerians loose any MiG-17s or Il-28s during that time? I wonder if the nigerians would have claimed that they were bombed rather than admit that they had been destroyed on the ground in a raid behind the lines. (Steiner goes to great length to talk about long range raids and patrols behind the lines during this conflict)
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Re Nigerian Army Units:
- 1 Division; the original 1 Brigade, later reorganized as the 1 Area Command, became the 1 Division in summer 1967; it has had a white horse as a mascot; it included the 31 Brigade in 1970, and 22 "Jet" Battalion.
- 2 Division was established as 2 Infantry Division in August 1967 in response to the Biafran 101 Division's attack in mid-west Nigeria, by hurriedly gathered cooks, batmen, clerks etc. in Lagos area; it later operated as 2 Mechanized Division; unit insignia was "one finger" (standing for "one Nigeria");
- 3 Marine Commando Division was established under Lt.Col. Benjamin "Black Scorpion" Adekunle; this unit later became the 3 Armoured Division; unit insingia was the octopus; it should have consisted of 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 Brigades
- 4 Division: I'm not sure if this unit was established already during the war, but know that it was redesignated as the 82nd Division in the early 1980s, approximately at the time the 81 Division should have been established as well. Unit insignia had two crossed swords, later a scorpion.
- Guards Brigade; former Federal Guards, based in Dodan Barracks, reorganized in 1970 through addition of four infantry battalions (1 Guards Btl Ikeja, 2 Guards Btl Owode, 3 Guards Btl Bonny Camp and 4 Guards Btl Epe); unit insignia was a black scorpion. Apparently, quite a number of "standard" army battalions served under command of this brigade later during the war.
- Boys' Brigade: I've only once heard about this unit, but know nothing about it (nor can recall the source of reference).
I do not have any other really specific details about the Nigerian Army at the time, but know that there was a mechanized unit - possibly the 60 Brigade - operating Saladin armoured cars. These were marked by a black and red square on the right front fender, with figure "2". On the left front fender there was a black square with white spear.
Except for Saladins, the Nigerian Army operated also Ferret scout cars, M-3 halftracks, and US-made 105mm howitzers at the time.
Known Biafran units are 3 and 4 Brigade, the "S" Brigade (special unit organized of Mercenary infantry, which fell appart soon after; apparently, there was also an S Division) and Umuhaia Brigade (actually a Btl of 500 men), 15 Brigade (wipped out near Pt. Harcourt, in spring 1968), 52 Brigade (incl. 8 and 9 Btls.), 53 Brigade, 11 Division (incl. 63 Brigade), 13 Division (re-designated as 15 after defeat by Federal 1 Division in October 1968), 14 and the 101 Division.
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Tom Cooper
Editor, ACIG.org
