211th Squadron

From Invader Historical Foundation
Revision as of 22:49, 27 July 2020 by WikiSysop (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
211th Squadron
Makasi.jpg
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
Donate.png
Even a small donation of a couple

of dollars goes a long way in helping
us achieve our mission. If you appreciate
the work we are doing, throw $5 our way to
help us keep doing it. You don't need a
PayPal account to donate. If you have
questions, you check out our Donate FAQ.


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.

The first 3 B-26Ks arrived the night of 17 Aug 1964, having been flown in by US pilots from the 602nd Fighter Squadron. The Cuban pilots learned quickly, having some experience on the B-26 already, and flew the first combat mission on 21 Aug 1964.[4]


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. [5]
42-3580 9Q-CRP Dec 1967 1970 C-46A-35-CU. Purchased from Fairline Sweeden. Withdrawn from use and stored. [6]
42-96281 9Q-CWN Jun 1968 1969 C-46A-50-CU. Sold to Aero Suppliers Establishment. [7]
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

  1. ↑ http://www.t28trojanfoundation.com/congo.html
  2. ↑ 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. 149-150
  3. ↑ http://kosubaawate.blogspot.com/2016/01/leopoldville-1957-battle-of-breweries.html
  4. ↑ 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. 149-150
  5. ↑ http://curtisscommando.e-monsite.com/pages/aircraft/s-n-42-3564-to-42-3577-curtiss-c-46a-30-cu-commando/commando-42-3577.html
  6. ↑ 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
  7. ↑ https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/9Q-CWN/772015
Retrieved from "http://claybornglobal.com/IHF/index.php?title=211th_Squadron&oldid=5701"