Operation Nickel

Operation Nickel
Part of the Rhodesian Bush War (or Second Chimurenga)
Operation Nickel is located in Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
Wankie
Wankie
Wankie Game Reserve
Wankie Game Reserve
Operation Nickel (Zimbabwe)
Date1 August-8 September 1967
Location
Victoria Falls, Wankie, Rhodesia
Result Rhodesian victory
Belligerents
 Rhodesia
 South Africa		 ZIPRA
ANC (Umkhonto we Sizwe)
Commanders and leaders
Rhodesia Lt-Col. Jack Caine
Rhodesia Lt. Charl Viljoen		 Dumiso Dabengwa
Lennox Lagu
Chris Hani
Units involved

Rhodesian Army

BSAP
RRAF		 Luthuli Detachment
Strength
unknown
2 Provost trainers
1 Alouette III
2 Hawker Hunters		 79–90
Casualties and losses
8 killed
14 wounded		 In Rhodesia:
29 killed
17 arrested
1 missing
In Botswana:
29 arrested (1 later died in custody)
In South Africa:
1 arrested
Total:
77

Operation Nickel or the Wankie Campaign or the Wankie Battles was a military operation launched by the Rhodesian Security Forces on 1 August 1967 in response to the group of ZIPRA and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) fighters crossing the Zambezi River, which marked the Rhodesian-Zambian border. The operation was a success with only one of the cadres out of a force of seventy-nine making it back to Zambia.