Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Uric

Operation Uric was a campaign fought in 1979 in what is now Mozambique. It was part of the Rhodesian Bush War, which ran from 1964 to 1979. The recorded result: ZANLA/Mozambican victory.

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Fought1979
WhereMozambique22.848S, 31.961E
OutcomeZANLA/Mozambican victory
BelligerentsZimbabwe Rhodesia; South AfricaagainstZANLA (ZANU); Mozambique
Part ofRhodesian Bush War1964 to 1979

Where it sits in the Rhodesian Bush War

Battle of Sinoia, 1966Operation Yodel, 1966Operation Flotilla, 1968Operation Griffin, 1968Operation Excess (Rhodesia), 1968Operation Eland, 1976Battle of Hill 31, 1976Operation Dingo, 1977Operation Snoopy, 1978Operation Uric, 1979Operation Miracle, 197919661979Operation Uric, 1979
12 placed engagements of the Rhodesian Bush War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1979 (year precision)
to 1979
PlaceMozambique
22.848S, 31.961E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Strength200 soldiers; 8 Hawker Hunters; 1 "Warthog" Dakota (ELINT); 6 Lynxes; 6 Canberras operated by both Rhodesia and South Africa.; 11 Dakotas operated by both Rhodesia and South Africa.; Total 28 helicopters, mostly South Africans, including : Alouette helicopters; Huey aka Cheetah helicopters; Alouette helicopters; Several Super Frelon helicopters; Several Puma helicopters1500 (Rhodesian claim)
Casualties and losses15 killed; 1 wounded; 1 Bell UH-1 destroyed; : 3 killed; 1 SA 330 Puma destroyed300+ killed (Rhodesian claim); : None (Mozambican claim); four bridges dropped; one dam heavily breached
Commanders
  • Peter Walls
  • Josiah Tongogara
Operation UricOperation UricOperation FlotillaOperation FlotillaThohoyandou100 km22.848S, 31.961E
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 1979

Operation Uric is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 24 in present-day Mozambique.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7097683, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Uric, revision 1370700601, 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.