On 23 November 1977, an armada of helicopters and aero-planes took off from Rhodesian airbases and crossed the border into Mozambique. Their objective: to attack the headquarters of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, where thousands of enemy forces were concentrated. Codenamed Operation Dingo, the raid was planned to co-incide with a meeting of Robert Mugabe and his war council at the targeted HQ. It would be the biggest conflict of the Rhodesian Bush War.

In this fascinating account, Ian Pringle describes the political and military backdrop leading up to the operation, and he tells the story of the battle through the eyes of key person-alities who planned, led and participated in it. Using his own experience as a jet and helicopter pilot and skydiver, he rec-reates the battle in detail, explaining the performance of men and machines in the unfolding drama of events.

Dingo Firestorm is a fresh, gripping recreation of a major battle in southern African military history.

After national service in the South African Air Force, Ian Pringle migrated to Rhodesia to work as an industrial chemist and flew aircraft as a hobby. He was drafted into the Police Reserve Air Wing as a pilot, and was involved in numerous enemy contacts.

Pringle read his MBA in the UK and worked for Castrol International and BP plc at a senior executive level, spending much of his career in Asia and Europe. He learnt to fly heli-copters and ex-military jets in England. He retired to Cape Town in 2004, bringing two Cold War jets with him, and he teamed up with Thunder City, where he still flies the Hawker Hunter, Buccaneer and aerobatic aircraft.

Helion & company Helion9 7 8 1 9 0 9 3 8 4 1 2 5

ISBN 978-1-909384-12-5

Ian Pringle

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“I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book and found the story from the blue job perspective to be fascinating and enlightening.” Neill Jackson, former officer in the Rhodesia Light Infantry and co-author of The Search for Puma 164.

“Once I started reading it I did not want to put it down … As I read the build-up to the attack I could feel the tension in me rising and by the time of Rich Brand’s opening cannon fire it was almost as if I was there again.” Sergeant Kevin Milligan, parachute jump instructor RhAF, participant in the raids recounted in the book.