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THIS week, CDE ELIAS CHIRAMBAI, whose Chimurenga name was Jikinya Masendeke, continues narrating to our Features and Arts Editor PRINCE MUSHAWEVATO the gripping account of his wartime exploits, particularly some of his most memorable experiences.
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Q: Last week, we ended our discussion when one of your colleagues had been injured during an encounter with enemy fighters at a homestead. What happened next?
A: The young man who carried him in a cart was supposed to notify villagers that he was injured and needed help. He duly did so. Meanwhile, we went back to join others who continued engaging the enemy.
This was one battle that impressed me. We successfully thwarted the enemy.
After the combat, we met our overall commander and debriefed him.
I had taken the injured comrade’s weapons.
When villagers got the news about our injured comrade, they organised transport for him to be transferred to a faraway and safe place.
We called those areas “liberated zones” because the white man never went there. The Rhodesian government was only interested in areas where we were based.
Q: You can carry on.
A: A few days later, I was involved in yet another fierce battle that still lingers in my mind.
It all started when we decided to travel to a nearby farm in the area (Macheke). The farm belonged to a troublesome white man.
We went there and destroyed his tobacco and burnt his wheat.
The mission was a success.
However, when we tried to get inside his home, to capture him and his family, we noticed he had a gun with him.
Resultantly, we had to change strategy. We did not want to exchange fire with him, so we decided to ambush his househelp. The plan was to capture her when she went out to dispose of garbage, then find our way into the house.
When she came out, we captured her. After some time, the farmer became suspicious and tried to check on what was happening.
When he realised we were there, he tried to reach for his gun, but we shot and killed him before he could do so.
We fired a Mortar 60 into his home and retreated to Dohwa.
The initial plan was to go back to our base at the ranch, but we could no longer do so because it was late.
As we rested for the night, the enemy soldiers heard about our attack at the farm. They visited the scene and decided to track us down.
Q: Had you anticipated this follow-up?
A: Not really! However, anything was possible during the struggle.
While resting, I had a light machine gun (LMG), but later changed to a medium machine gun (MMG) after we had swapped with a comrade who used to operate in the Chendambuya area.
Information got to us that the Rhodesian soldiers were trailing us.
We took positions in preparation for an attack. Those with big guns had a special task of defending others within the group.
I had my cigarettes and a small radio transmitter that we used to monitor the situation in other areas around the country and outside our borders.
Time passed, but the enemy did not come. We became hungry, as we had not eaten for most of the day.
Around 12pm, we fell asleep and that was also the time the Rhodesian forces reached our base.
They noticed some of our weapons.
There was the LMG and MMG with supporting stands, which were mounted in different corners.
As they observed this, we were fast asleep, heads resting on the butts of our guns.
Q: Did you not have someone on guard?
A: We often did, but this time around, we were caught off-guard.
Remember, we had anticipated the attack earlier on, but it appeared they were not coming. Upon spotting the weapons, they thought they had walked into an ambush and immediately retreated.
The noise they made in the process woke us up. Cde Kasikai was the first to react by firing towards them.
The enemy soldiers fired back, a hail of bullets coming from their positions.
One whizzed past my ear, close enough to singe the hair on my hat.
It struck the brim of my headgear, sending it tumbling to the ground.
The guy next to me was unlucky.
He was hit on the head and his brains spattered all over. Deep down, I told myself this was the end of the road.
Glancing down, I saw my radio destroyed. The plastic casing had been fragmented by a bullet.
I lay on the ground pondering my next move. The Rhodesian soldiers assumed the guy next to me and I were dead. I gently moved my hand towards the deceased comrade to take the LMG he was holding.
I took the weapon and when they stopped firing, I rose up and ran towards an anthill that was close by.
Other comrades had long escaped.
Using the anthill for cover, I sat and started to fire both the LMG and the MMG.
Q: What was the strategy behind engaging in battle alone considering that your colleagues had strategically retreated?
A: The whole idea was to stop the enemy from advancing.
Also, by firing the weapons, I was preparing for my escape.
Mabara akapera, zvaizoita nyore kutiza (it was easy to escape without any ammo) because the weapons would no longer be heavy.
However, the MMG had a similar sound like the one that was being used by the enemy. So, Cde Tess Takawira — he is still alive — identified the position the gun was firing from.
He assumed it was the enemy and started firing some mortars at me.
I stopped firing and seized the opportunity to run towards them.
I knew that the mortar attacks would hold back the enemy.
It was now around 4pm.
I ran through a field and managed to join them in the mountain.
I first identified myself before joining them. We waited for night cover to join our colleagues at the base, where comrade Phillip Gumusikuranda was the detachment commander.
We debriefed him.
Since the group had left a fellow comrade behind, he chose me to be part of the rescue mission.
The powerful weapon I operated influenced his decision.
I tried explaining to him that I was tired and had survived by a whisker and his response was: “Comrade haaneti, zvakare chombo chako basa racho nderekuchengetedza vamwe (A comrade does not tire, and your weapon is supposed to defend others).”
We travelled back and when he got there, he ordered recon by fire.
This was a method of reconnaissance in which fire is directed close to a suspected enemy position in order to cause the enemy to reveal his presence by moving or returning fire.
There was no return fire or movement, thus we went to check if our fellow comrade was still there.
When we got there, we realised the enemy had taken him.
That is how we lost Cde Kasikai.
Next week, Cde Chirambai concludes his narration by detailing the climax of his wartime experiences and talks about his life after independence.
Online Reporter