211th Squadron: Difference between revisions
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The B-26s were owned by the USAF, on loan to the CIA, based in the Congo, and flown by Cubans. The squadron had several other planes. | The B-26s were owned by the USAF, on loan to the CIA, based in the Congo, and flown by Cubans. The squadron had several other planes. | ||
The squadron's insignia, a bull, was taken from a popular local brand of beer called Unibar. The name Makasi coming from the Cuban pilots, meaning "Strong" in Lingali, the native language of the Congo. | The squadron's insignia, a bull, was taken from a popular local brand of beer called Unibar. The name Makasi coming from the Cuban pilots, meaning "Strong" in Lingali, the native language of the Congo. <ref>http://kosubaawate.blogspot.com/2016/01/leopoldville-1957-battle-of-breweries.html</ref> | ||
The squadron itself was a composite squadron that operated out of Albertville. All of the planes in the unit bore the Makasi bull emblem on the nose. | The squadron itself was a composite squadron that operated out of Albertville. All of the planes in the unit bore the Makasi bull emblem on the nose. | ||
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|Dec 1967 | |Dec 1967 | ||
|1970 | |1970 | ||
|C-46A-35-CU. Purchased from Fairline Sweeden. Withdrawn from use and stored. | |C-46A-35-CU. Purchased from Fairline Sweeden. Withdrawn from use and stored. <ref>http://curtisscommando.e-monsite.com/pages/aircraft/s-n-42-3578-to-42-3683-curtiss-c-46a-35-cu-c-46a-36-cu-commando/commando-42-3580.html</ref> | ||
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|42-96281 | |42-96281 | ||
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|Jun 1968 | |Jun 1968 | ||
|1969 | |1969 | ||
|C-46A-50-CU. Sold to Aero Suppliers Establishment. | |C-46A-50-CU. Sold to Aero Suppliers Establishment. <ref>https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/9Q-CWN/772015</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
|colspan="5" style="text-align:left;"|Some sources suggest a fourth C-46 was used. | |colspan="5" style="text-align:left;"|Some sources suggest a fourth C-46 was used. | ||
Revision as of 22:42, 27 July 2020
| 211th Squadron | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Air Force: Congolese Air Force | |||
| Group: 2nd Group | |||
| Active: 1964- | |||
| Theater Congo | |||
| Motto: Makasi (Strong) | |||
| Aircraft: C-46, T-28, B-26 | |||
| COMMANDERS | |||
| Group CO: Joaquin "Pupy" Varela | |||
| MAIN BASES | |||
| Air fields: Leopoldville | |||
| Donate | |||
 | |||
| Even a small donation of a couple of dollars goes a long way in helping | |||
The Makasi Squadron was a composite squadron that operated out of the Congo as part of Operation Anstalt Wigmo. Formally, the unit was the 211th Squadron, 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force. [1] By June 1964 the Squadron had approximately 25 pilots, mostly Cubans. [2]
The B-26s were owned by the USAF, on loan to the CIA, based in the Congo, and flown by Cubans. The squadron had several other planes.
The squadron's insignia, a bull, was taken from a popular local brand of beer called Unibar. The name Makasi coming from the Cuban pilots, meaning "Strong" in Lingali, the native language of the Congo. [3]
The squadron itself was a composite squadron that operated out of Albertville. All of the planes in the unit bore the Makasi bull emblem on the nose.
List of Planes
| USAF S/N | Registry # | Start Date | End Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-26 Invaders | ||||
| 44-35890 | 35890 & FL-890 | Sep 1964 | 1966 | B-26B named "U3" used for recon. Scrapped at Kinshasa. |
| 64-17644 | RF644 & FR-644 | 18 Aug 1964 | Jan 1967 | Named "Shit House Mouse"/"Cachita" |
| 64-17645 | RF645 & FR-645 | 18 Aug 1964 | Dec 1966 | Named "Rum Dum" |
| 64-17646 | RF646 & FR-646 | 18 Aug 1964 | Mar 1967 | Named "The Boogie Bogey" |
| 64-17649 | FR-649 | Jan 1965 | Oct 1966 | |
| 64-17662 | FR-662 & FM-662 | Jan 1965 | Feb 1967 | |
| C-46 Commandos | ||||
| 42-3577 | 9T-PLJ | 1966 | 16 Apr 1969 | C-46A-30-CU. Purchased from Transair Sweeden as a wreck after it crashed doing UN transports in the region. Returned to service. Crashed in the Congo River due to fuel starvation killing all 46 souls aboard. [4] |
| 42-3580 | 9Q-CRP | Dec 1967 | 1970 | C-46A-35-CU. Purchased from Fairline Sweeden. Withdrawn from use and stored. [5] |
| 42-96281 | 9Q-CWN | Jun 1968 | 1969 | C-46A-50-CU. Sold to Aero Suppliers Establishment. [6] |
| Some sources suggest a fourth C-46 was used. | ||||
| T-28D Trojan | ||||
| I don't know exactly how many T-28s were with the unit. I will list the data here as I come across it. A lot the information on the T-28s comes from photos. | ||||
| FG-067 | ||||
| FG-282 | ||||
| FG-289 | ||||
| FG-516 | ||||
| FG-576 | ||||
| FB-809 | ||||
| FB-87? | ||||
List of Members
Garcia, Rene
Ponzoa, Gustavo
Peron, Juan C.
Varela, Joaquin "Pupy"
References
- ↑ http://www.t28trojanfoundation.com/congo.html
- ↑ Hagedorn, Dan and Hellstrom, Leif, (Midland Publishing, 1994), Foreign Invaders- The Douglas Invader in foreign military and US clandestine service. ISBN 1-85780-013-3. Pg. 149
- ↑ http://kosubaawate.blogspot.com/2016/01/leopoldville-1957-battle-of-breweries.html
- ↑ http://curtisscommando.e-monsite.com/pages/aircraft/s-n-42-3564-to-42-3577-curtiss-c-46a-30-cu-commando/commando-42-3577.html
- ↑ http://curtisscommando.e-monsite.com/pages/aircraft/s-n-42-3578-to-42-3683-curtiss-c-46a-35-cu-c-46a-36-cu-commando/commando-42-3580.html
- ↑ https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/9Q-CWN/772015