de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Blue Motel Chipmunk AOP.3
a/d 21, Air Observation Squadron, Chad National Army (CNA)
Bardaï-Zougra Airport, Chad, 10 January 1961
Pilot: Patrick Leduc



The central African country of Chad gained its independence from the exiled Free French government in August 1960. Culturally divided between the mostly Christian south and the mostly Muslim north, independence brought to power a government dominated by southerners. As the Free French had been focused on controlling areas of Chad south of the Sahara, the new Chadian government faced an uphill struggle to extend its rule into the north. This endeavour had been made more urgent by the discovery of gold in Chad's northeast Tibesti region during the course of 1960. The resultant gold rush brought new levels of banditry and chaos to the region. As the Toubou people of the Tibesti region were hostile to both the new government and to the influx of gold prospectors; and were supported by neutral Libya (which laid claim to the Aouzou Strip region along the Chadian side of their mutual border and which included one of the new goldfields), the situation was ripe for conflict. After negotiations with Toubou leaders broke down, the Chadian government moved to exert central authority, control borders, "manage the gold trade" and collect taxes in the Tibesti region through a major military operation. In January 1961 and backed by the UN, the Chad National Army (CNA) launched Operation Unity, an attempt to enforce central sovereignty over the Tibesti region.




Bardaï-Zougra Airport (ICAO code FTTZ) was central to the mounting of Operation Unity. Controlled by the UN since 1958, the Airport served the regional capital of Bardaï and supported a series of UN radar, communications and intelligence gathering facilities located high in the Tibesti Mountains. The UN "paid for peace" with the Toubou, but were obliged to provide logistical support to the CNA as it attempted to secure the region. As FTTZ and its adjacent military Camp Bardaï became a hub for CNA operations (with troops, vehicles and supplies flown in on transports from UN member nations), the local security situation deteriorated. Inevitably, the UN was drawn into combat.




The first Chadian government aircraft based at Bardai-Zougra were 4 Chadian Air Force A-1H Skyraiders and 2 CNA de Havilland Chipmunk Blue Motel AOP.3s. Powered by a 180 hp Lycoming 0-360, the AOP.3s were ex-RCAF Chipmunk T.1s refurbished and modified by Kelowna Flightcraft and gifted to Chad by the Canadian government. The 10 Chipmunk AOP.3s supplied to Chad in 1960 were part of a batch of 48 that Kelowna prepared for several recently independent former French African countries, all of which were delivered in the same camouflage scheme. Chad's AOP.3 pilots usually flew alone and performed liaison, resupply, visual and (with hand-held cameras) photographic reconnaissance, convoy overwatch, artillery spotting, target marking, FAC and radio relay. A pair of Alcan Tin Angel AL-7-50 rocket pods could be carried, each armed with 7 Orenda Type 50 Green Bridge 50mm rockets with pyrotechnic orange smoke flare warheads for target marking. The pods were routinely equipped with orange coloured frangible paper nose caps (identifying flare smoke warheads, as per Orenda's colour coding system) to limit grit contamination. The two underwing hardpoints could also carry small parachute-retarded stores containers for resupply missions.




Bardaï-Zougra Airport was located on a valley plain between the towns of Bardai (to the south) and Zougra (to the north). A single unsealed road connected the airfield to the towns in each direction. As the route was vulnerable to ambushes, the CNA had a Chipmunk AOP. 3 in the air providing overwatch for its first convoy to Bardaï on 10 January 1961. Transiting through a mountain pass, the convoy came under heavy fire and was forced to stop when the lead vehicle was hit by a round from a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Although the Chipmunk pilot provided a running commentary for his colleagues on the ground, the CNA troops were pinned down and calls were made for assistance from the Skyraiders and UN troops stationed up the road at Bardaï-Zougra Airport and Camp Bardaï. The two A-1H Skyraiders on standby responded, strafing the Toubou resistance fighters and dropping Mk.81 bombs. Meanwhile, a relief convoy of Canadian Army soldiers raced to the scene, arriving in time to engage the attackers as they withdrew.



The Blue Motel Chipmunk AOP.3 modelled here was the plane involved in the events of 10 January 1961 on the road to Bardaï, as photographed on the day. The pilot was a French-speaking Canadian mercenary, Patrick Leduc. The Chipmunk carried two AL-7-50 pods. Patrick Leduc didn't spot the Toubou fighters until too late (he blamed the poor downward vision caused by the Chipmunk's low mounted wings), but then proceeded to conduct FAC in a manner that earned him praise from the Skyraider pilots and local UN commanders. The CNA commander of the convoy was less effusive in his report.



By 1965, only 4 of the 10 AOP.3s delivered to the CNA were still airworthy, the remainder having been lost in combat or operational crashes. From March 1965 they were replaced by Cessna 0-2A Skymasters, which in turn were replaced by the Summit Aviation 02-337 Sentry from 1976 (these being refurbished ex-USAF 0-2As upgraded with Pave Spot and STOL modifications). The Skyraiders were replaced by new Canadair Wyverns in 1965. Chad's other combat type at the time, a squadron of well-worn Canadair Sabre Mk.6s, was replaced by EMBRAER EMB.91R-3s in 1963.

Cool, I like that a lot, together with the story. 

Very nice, shades of the RAF's 'AOP' Chipmunks flying around over Berlin while based at Gatow. 

Where did you get the Lycoming from please?

 

Quote from: PR19_Kit on March 14, 2022, 03:59:08 AM
Very nice, shades of the RAF's 'AOP' Chipmunks flying around over Berlin while based at Gatow. 

Where did you get the Lycoming from please?

The Lycoming is a resin piece that comes with the AZ Model 1/72 scale kit: Chipmunk T.10/w/Lycoming. I normally don't do resin, but this just needed the base (crudely) trimmed and it slotted right in. I adhered the resin nose to the plastic fuselage via a slurry mix of Tamiya Putty (Basic Type) and Revell Contacta (a mix I've used before). The nose profile gives it a completely different look (and the power to carry a couple of rocket pods).

The camo scheme is based on the British Army scheme applied to the Chipmunk.

Quote from: comrade harps on March 14, 2022, 04:22:49 AM

The Lycoming is a resin piece that comes with the AZ Model 1/72 scale kit: Chipmunk T.10/w/Lycoming. I normally don't do resin, but this just needed the base (crudely) trimmed and it slotted right in. I adhered the resin nose to the plastic fuselage via a slurry mix of Tamiya Putty (Basic Type) and Revell Contacta (a mix I've used before). The nose profile gives it a completely different look (and the power to carry a couple of rocket pods).

The camo scheme is based on the RAF/British Army scheme applied to the Chipmunk.

Very interesting, thank you. Could be a good start for a Super Chipmunk aerobatic model.

I thought the camo pattern looked familiar, the RAF Berlin Chippies used to trundle right over my employers factory when I was there in 1978. 

IIRC, the Berlin Chipmunks were part of the BRIXMIS organization     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIXMIS    and pictures at  https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=brixmis&qpvt=brixmis&form=IGRE&first=1&tsc=ImageBasicHover

Cute little chippie! 

 

Now this is a well loved little plane and to this day pilots love to fly the Chipmunk.
Ive build a RC one many yrs ago and thr moment i saw yours it didnt look right..that engine made a massive change to the planes looks and it looks great Comarde.
I bet IRL it would fly rather better than it did with its old one