Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Royal Amethyst

Operation Royal Amethyst was a campaign fought in 1973 in what is now Guinea-Bissau. It was part of the Portuguese Colonial War, which ran from 1961 to 1974. The recorded result: Portuguese victory. Recorded strength: 450 soldiers; 1 LDG; 2 LFDs against Unknown.

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Fought1973
WhereGuinea-Bissau12.531N, 15.436W
OutcomePortuguese victory
BelligerentsPortugalagainstPAIGC
Casualties and losses10 killed; 22 wounded; 3 missingand67 guerrillas killed (2 Cubans and 4 Mauritanians)
Part ofPortuguese Colonial War1961 to 1974

Where it sits in the Portuguese Colonial War

Operation Esmeralda, 1961Annexation of Goa, 1961Operation Trident (1963), 1963Portuguese incursions in Zambia, 1966Operation Zeta, 1969Operation Royal Amethyst, 197319611973Operation Royal Amethyst, 1973
6 placed engagements of the Portuguese Colonial War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1973 (year precision)
PlaceGuinea-Bissau
12.531N, 15.436W
KindCampaign, Cold War
Strength450 soldiers; 1 LDG; 2 LFDsUnknown
Casualties and losses10 killed; 22 wounded; 3 missing67 guerrillas killed (2 Cubans and 4 Mauritanians)
Commanders
  • João de Almeida Bruno
  • António Ramos (officer)
  • Matos Gomes
  • Raúl Folques
Operation Royal AmethystOperation Royal AmethystBissauBanjulZiguinchorBrikamaKoldaBafatáBolamaBansang100 km12.531N, 15.436W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1973

Operation Royal Amethyst is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 2 in present-day Guinea-Bissau.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q10341115, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Royal Amethyst, revision 1372116308, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.