African Mercenary Loadout

[mikoyan99]

Howdy,

After several failed attempts at starting an African Mercenary Loadout thread, i've decided to try one more time.

My aim is to provide a definative list of equipment used and how it was worn. I know there are a few hardcore African merc fans out there (cybersoldier, i'm looking at you) so I hoped between us we could create such a list.

Note this is specifically about African mercenaries in the 50's, 60's and seventies, including such groups as 5 commando and the mercs in Angola in the 70's, and not about more modern groups like executive outcomes or pmc's.

To start off the basic kitlist i've worked out for 5 commando is as such:

Trousers: plain tan or green trousers (unknown origin), belgian moon and balls or denison trousers. Tan or green shorts were also worn, as high as possible. Lizard pattern trousers, probably portugese or French

Shirt: Plain green or tan shirt. For officers, green rank slides made from belgian embassy billiards table with belgian commando daggers and stars, depending on rank. 5 commando shoulder title (not always worn.) Lizard pattern shirt, probably portugese or French

Smock/jacket: British battledress smock, american ww2 smock (sorry, don't know name) or lizard, moon and balls or denison smock (this either belgian or british). Lizard pattern smock, probably portugese or French

Headgear: Slouch hat, American steel helmet (forgotten name again, used in ww2, vietnam, korea), green beret with Zaire cap badge or badge of owners choice, rag or bandana.

Webbing: Pattern 37 or 58, sometimes worn belt order. Chicom chest rigs may have been worn but I can't confirm this. Also, a plain belt in tan or white was often worn over the shirt or smock. I can't tell the colour as my photos are in black and white.

Weapons: Many, many different weapons were used. However, a basic list consists of:

Sterling smg

Uzi

Browning M1919A6 amongst others

Bren

Walther mpl/mpk

FN FAL, inc L1A1

FN MAG

Vickers gun

Browning .50cal

Pump action shotguns

Mauser KAR98K and G98 (usually captured from simba, probably used for sniping)

German WW2 weapons captured from simba. These would have come directly from Europe but also from the cubans leading the simba, who in turn got them from the Soviets.

I will upload more reference photos shortly, but for now:

 

 

[mikoyan99]

5 Commando: feel free to point out errors I've made in the kitlist; i'm no expert!

 

 

[Gliderrider]

Exelent, thanks for that, I was thinking of a Sierra Leone Merc, but Mad mikes lot will do for just as iconic yet rare.

[gunbunny]

nice guide i read col mike hoare's book congo mercenary a few years ago. gonna have to start saving for that l1a1.

[pjones]

Were there really mercs in Angola during the 1970's? I thought that was during the SA border war. I know that EO was in during the 1990's, though.

 

 

 

[mikoyan99]

Yes there were mercs fighting in the Angolan civil war during the 1970's. It didn't go quite as well for the mercs that time though; 14 were executed by a member of their own side (the fairly well known "Callan" or "Callaghn") for shooting at their own side. They were fighting in the north more or less unsuported while the South Africans were in the south. rebel forces were supported, again, by the cubans.

They ultimately had little effect on the war, eventually being wiped out, captured, or returning home. Those who were captured were tried by the Angolan government for war crimes and imprisoned.

I will sort out a kitlist soon, I need to do a bit more reseacrh first, but it's roughly the same as the 5 commando one but with more camouflage and slightly more up to date weapons.

[mikoyan99]

Kitlist Part 2: Angola, 1976

The civil war in Angola began shortly after it's independence from Portugal in 1975. Basically two groups were fighting each other; the Right wing FNLA unoficially backed by the west, and the communist MPLA backed by the warsaw pact and cuba. The FNLA, beginning to lose to better backed and equiped communists in the North, decided to hire mercenaries to help their cause. Their recruiter, SAS (security advisory service) with the aid of the British press recruited about 100 mercs, including ex paras and SAS but also non combatants like medics and mechanics. These were shipped off, via heathrow, to Angola in 1976.

Things very rapidly went wrong for the mercenaries. Although they won a few minor victories, they often found themselves outnumbered and outgunned, eventually being driven back to the border with Zaire. Early on during their actions there, a patrol returning to camp from combat was fired upon by the little trained auxillaries (doctors etc) occupying the camp. One of the Mercenary leaders, Callaghan responded by having 14 of them executed, which brought down the attention of the world's press upon them.

After their defeat, many fled back to London, some were captured, tried and imprisoned by the Angolan government for war crimes.

Much, much more happened during the civil war, but this was the only large scale mercenary involvement, except for a handful of South Africans and quite a few portugese who decided to stay and fight. I will try top cover these as well, but I have very little information on the South Africans and little more on the portugese.

Further, I have little pictorial evidence available so a lot of the following kitlist is based on common sense and what pictures I do have.

SAS (Security advisory service) Mercs:

Trousers: More camouflage was available at this point. Most common would have been portugese Lizard pattern. I assume that all of the other trouser types described in the 5 commando kitlist would have been available although less common. Rhodie trousers in rare cases

Shirt: Portugese Lizard pattern or as less commonly as described in 5 commando kitlist. Rhodie shirt in rare cases

Jacket/smock: Portugese Lizard pattern or as less commonly as described in 5 commando kitlist. Rhodie jacket in rare cases

Webbing: Pattern 58, a little pattern 37 or much more commonly captured chi-com chest rigs. South african and Rhodie webbing as well, although this is very similair to pattern 58. Belt order of above.

Headgear: British and american steel helmets, forage caps in varying camos, slouch hats, berets bonnies etc. Also colonial "bigard" hats in lizard with neck flaps.

Weapons: More modern this time:

Armailite AR-10

M16/M16A1 and early carbines

FN FAL

FN MAG

Uzi

Mac 10/11

Pump action shotguns

Grenade launcers (prob. M79)

Berreta M12

Captured from MPLA

WW2 german weapons (Through cubans again)

PPSh

PPS-43

Mosin Nagant

Ak-47/AKM

Other Soviet weapons

[obsessedwithairsoft]

how much do you know about modern african merc loadouts? do you think these are any good? (i still have a ton of stuff to buy. i'm currently working on getting together a mercenary demolition specialist loadout.) and i definatley need to get a new rig for the AK.

 

 

[mikoyan99]

how much do you know about modern african merc loadouts? do you think these are any good? (i still have a ton of stuff to buy. i'm currently working on getting together a mercenary demolition specialist loadout.) and i definatley need to get a new rig for the AK.

To be honest, i'm not really into the more modern stuff. I have a phobia of RIS rails for a start (theres no better way to ruin a gun, unless it's real steel, where I appreciate it's not about looks it's about not dying. Each to their own though.) and it's never really grabbed my imagination.

However, I doubt you can go far wrong with american woodland, some sort of tac vest, beard and kalashnikov. Your current impression looks good, although I suggest adjusting your webbing better and perhaps getting a Boonie rather than a rag. Perhaps Olive green combats as well, you look very Blackwater international.

cheers,

matt

[pjones]

Mikoyan-

 

Wow. Thanks for the info and pictures. That sure answered my question!

 

Obsessed-

 

Go watch Blood Diamond. What you're looking for is basically a woodland BDU and a LBV, possibly a South African M83. Weapons-wise, an AK or an AR-15 carbine would work. EO, which was formed mainly out of former 32 Battalion and Kovevoet members and operated in Angola, planned to use AK's and other ComBloc weapons in their abortive operation in Papua New Guinea. As these kinds of weapons are dime a dozen in Africa, using them would make sense.

 

Specifically to your loadout:

 

-Don't wear the head wrap. Most of Africa has two seasons: hot and dry, or not as hot and rainy. This means that it is either very hot, or very hot and humid. A head wrap would quickly become uncomfortable. Same could be said for the gloves, unless they're fingerless or something.

 

-The tan uniform is okay, but if you've got woodland cammies, wear them.

 

-You've got a rig for the AK on the way. That's good. The ALICE gear doesn't quite look the part. Remember that the concept of the load bearing vest underwent a lot of its development and "trial by fire" in southern Africa.

 

It's not bad, but, because of the overall tan color, it does look more like something you'd see worn in the Middle East.

[mikoyan99]

Heres a few of my team in the summer, just as we started to get historically accurate uniforms. It still needs work, but please bear in mind the real stuff is very rare and expenisive.

Myself, 5 commando, 60's:

(yes, I know I look silly)

Our W/O Alan, Again 5 Commando. He's now updated his M733 to an FN FAL and he wears the proper green rank slides:

there are more of us, but their kit is based more on the wild geese (as it's cheaper and simpler) and they don't go so much for the authentic loadout.

Hope you like, we're taking more soon,

Matt

 

[pjones]

Sir, your team has excellent kit. Where did you find that lizard smock?

 

 

[mikoyan99]

Thankyou, we're just pleased to be doing something fairly unique.

The lizard shirt was from the war and peace show, I got it off of a guy dressed as a cowboy who dealt in odd camo's. I forgot to get their details though. We got a second one off of ebay as well, but it's too big for alan so he dos'nt wear it so much.

I was wondering, would people like me to publish a kitlist for the simba, cubans and MPLA involved in these conflicts? And if I do should I start a new thread?

Cheers,

matt

[mikoyan99]

A quick update on my previous kitlists. For 5 Commando, I can now say the white or tan belts seen in the black and white photos are pattern 37 webbing belts.

Also, I found this link which gives in depth details of the history of the whole conflict:

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M1 Carbines appear to have been available, as do G3's, thompsons and Vignerons (Belgian submachine gun)

And 3 more pics:

For Angola, I can now tell you that most of the south african and portugese mercs fought individually or in small groups in the south of the country assisting UNITA (on the same side as the FNLA) forces in combat and training.

The portugese FBP submachine gun would have been around, and possible CETME rifles.

 

[obsessedwithairsoft]

as for the tan and not woodland BDUs, i have two sets of woodland. however, at ops, teams are determined by camo color. and green based camo is ALWAYs american. and i didn't think it would be fun to have mercs on the good guys team. (nor would it be realistic. while we do hire PMCs, they are mostly only for escort and not combat.) but yeah my team is probably shifting towards a more pmc sort of look. i prefer african merc, but i think thats just me. as for the tac vest, i'm soon getting a MOLLE set-up for my g3 and maybe the ak (the problem with normal tac vests for me is that i have 15 G3 realcaps, and a normal tac vest wont hold that many. but i'm probablyt gona pic up a six pocket riflemans vest for my MP5.)

[pjones]

as for the tan and not woodland BDUs, i have two sets of woodland. however, at ops, teams are determined by camo color. and green based camo is ALWAYs american. and i didn't think it would be fun to have mercs on the good guys team. (nor would it be realistic. while we do hire PMCs, they are mostly only for escort and not combat.) but yeah my team is probably shifting towards a more pmc sort of look. i prefer african merc, but i think thats just me. as for the tac vest, i'm soon getting a MOLLE set-up for my g3 and maybe the ak (the problem with normal tac vests for me is that i have 15 G3 realcaps, and a normal tac vest wont hold that many. but i'm probablyt gona pic up a six pocket riflemans vest for my MP5.)

 

Why can't mercs be good guys? EO kicked the RUF, who are notorious for their mass amputations, out of Sierra Leone.

 

What kind of LBV are you looking at?

 

 

 

[Hobbles]

Best bet for this kind of kit is real surplus...if you have any good shops around- there are hundreds of random old faded/beaten OD type pants from various nations...and Rhodesian is a gem you'll find buried in the DPM section every now and then. I've been wanting to do a similar set-up for quite some time...had my eye on some specific gear.

 

I was thinking about the STAR L1A1...but its semi-only, and every now and then I'd want to lay some serious fire down. :-)

[mikoyan99]

Unfortunately none of the surplus shops i've used have anything like that. The most exotic stuff my local one stocks is probably flecktarn, which is a sad state of affairs. What i'm really looking for at the moment is portugese lizard pattern trousers, which are like gold eggs- finding a shirt was hard enough.

For my loadout I use a king arms FN Fal carbine (these, along with their full length brothers would have been much more common than the L1A1, as most Fal rifles in the area were of Belgian origin), a TM UZI, a minimi (anachronistic I know but we need the firepower) or a custom sterling.

Sorry to repeat the question, would you like me to do the kitlist for the various merc's enemies?

cheers for your interest,

matt

[pjones]

Please do.

[Cyber Soldier]

While the Minimi is anachronistic the FN MAG isn't, while the only one out at the moment is that m240 mostrosity I undersand that Inokatsu are bringing out an original MAG 58.

[mikoyan99]

Once I get my first paycheck (all going well) from the RAF i'll be investing in a Bren gun. And a lot of beer.

-matt

[Gliderrider]

Are you going for A Bren or an L4A1 LMG? if its a shoot and scoot Bren they are bloody amazing.

[mikoyan99]

Definately the shoot and scoot bren mk.1

[Gliderrider]

Are you going for a positive feed from the King arms midcap or the inverted hi cap?

[mikoyan99]

Positive feed, i'm going to use the spare cash to hire a loader