Biafran Armed Forces

Military of the former Nigerian secessionist state

See also: Biafra Liberation Army

Biafran Armed Forces

Motto| The People's Army
Founded| 1967
Disbanded| 1970
Service branches|  Biafran Army
Biafran Navy

Biafran Air Force
Headquarters| Enugu
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief| Odumegwu Ojukwu
General Officer Commanding (GOC)| Alexander Madiebo
Personnel
Available for
military service| 150,000, age 15–49
Active personnel| 100,000
Reserve personnel| 50,000
Industry
Domestic suppliers| Biafra Research and Production (RAP)
Foreign suppliers|  Israel
France
China
Portugal
Related articles
History| Nigerian Civil War
Ranks| Military ranks of Biafra

The Biafran Armed Forces (BAF) were the military of the Republic of Biafra, which existed from 1967 until 1970.[1]

## History

[edit]

Disabled Biafran war veterans in 2017.

At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000.[2] No official support for the Biafran Army came from any other nation, although arms were clandestinely acquired.

Some Europeans served the Biafran cause: German-born Rolf Steiner was a lieutenant colonel assigned to the 4th Commando Brigade, and Welshman Taffy Williams served as a major throughout the conflict.[3] A special guerrilla unit, the Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighters, was established: designed to emulate the Viet Cong, they targeted Nigerian supply lines, forcing them to shift resources to internal security efforts.[4]

### Legacy

[edit]

In course of the insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria of 2021, a separatist group known as "Biafran National Guard" (BNG) organized the "Biafran Supreme Military Council of Administration". The latter posed as high command of the restored Biafran Armed Forces, including the "Biafran Army, Biafran Navy, Biafran Air-Force and Biafran Detective Force".[5]

## Branches

[edit]

### Army

[edit]

At the peak of Biafran military power, the Biafran Army was made of 5 divisions; numbered 11th, 12th, 13th (later renumbered 15th), 14th and 101st. It also had 2 separate brigades, the S Brigade, a Pretorian guard for General Ojukwu,[6] and the 4th Commando Brigade (trained and commanded by mercenaries).[7] It was commanded by Brigadier Hillary Njoku[8] and later Major General Alexander Madiebo.[9]

### Air Force

[edit]

Roundel of the Biafran Air Force

The Biafrans set up a small, yet effective air force. Biafran Air Force commanders were Chude Sokey and later Godwin Ezeilo Ezeilo,[10] who had trained with the Royal Canadian Air Force.[11] Its early inventory included two B-25 Mitchells, two B-26 Invaders, (one piloted by Polish World War II ace Jan Zumbach, known also as John Brown),[12] a converted DC-3 and one Dove. In 1968, Swedish pilot Carl Gustaf von Rosen suggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu.

By early 1969, Biafra had assembled five MFI-9Bs in Gabon, calling them "Biafra Babies". They were coloured green, were able to carry six 68 mm anti-armour rockets under each wing using simple sights. The five planes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. In September 1969, Biafra acquired four ex-Armee de l'Air North American T-6Gs, which were flown to Biafra the following month, with another T-6 lost on the ferry flight. These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots.[11]

During the war, Biafra tried to acquire jets. Two Fouga Magisters and several Gloster Meteors were bought but never arrived in Biafra, being abandoned on foreign African airbases.[13]

Aircraft  | Origin  | Number  | Notes

|
|
|

MFI-9B "Biafra Babies" | Sweden  | 5[13] |
Douglas B-26 Invader | USA  | 2[14] | Provided by Pierre Laureys[15][16]
North American B-25 Mitchell | USA  | 2[17] |
de Havilland Dove | UK  | 2[18] |
Fokker F27 Friendship | Netherlands  | 1[17] | Ex-Nigerian Airways, used as an improvised bomber
Douglas DC-3 | USA  | 1[17] | Improvised bomber
North American T-6 Texan | USA  | 4-6[13][11] | Ex-Armee de l'Air[11]

### Navy

[edit]

Biafra had a small improvised navy, but it never gained the success of the air force. It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt, and was commanded by Winifred Anuku. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armored civilian vessels armed with machine guns, or captured 6-pounder guns. It mainly operated in the Niger Delta and along the Niger River.[14]

Ships in service  Ship  | Origin  | commissioned  | Fate  | notes

|
|
|
|

BNS Vigilance | ex-NNS Ibadan | 30 May 1967  | Sunk on 10 September 1967[19] | Ford-class seaward defence boat
NSS Bonny | ex-HMS Gifford | 1968  | Preserved at the National Nigerian War Museum | Ford-class seaward defence boat
Ikwerre | ex-Nigerian port authority tugboat[20] | 1967[21] |  | Armed with a 105mm howitzer[20]
PC101 | ex-Nigerian port authority cutter[22] | 1968  | Lost in July 1968[21] | Armed with 6-pounder and Bofors gun[23]
PC202 | Nigerian tugboat[22] | 1968  | Lost in July 1968[21] | Armed with a 105mm howitzer[24]
PC203 | Nigerian tugboat[22] | 1968  | Sunk in September 1968[21] |
PC204 | Nigerian civilian craft  | 1969[21] |  |

## Weapons and equipment used by Army and militias

[edit]

Main article: List of equipment of the Biafran Army

Rocket launchers  Type  | Origin  | notes

|
|

Pancerovka P-27  | Czech-made  | [25]
Type 56 RPG | Chinese-made[26] |
SARPAC | French-made  | Some from 1968[25]
Ogbunigwe Launcher  | Biafra Research and Production | [27]
Mortars  Type  | Origin  | notes

|
|

2-in mortar | ex-Nigerian Army  | [25]
Ordnance ML 3 inch mortar
L-N 81mm mortar | Spanish-made  | At least 6[25]
MO-120 AM-50 | French-made  | [25]
Guns  Type  | Origin  | notes

|
|

Canon de 75 modèle 1897 |  | Never used in combat (unable to fire)[28]
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon | Hispano-Suiza (Spain)  | [28]
M18/49 105mm howitzer (upgraded 10.5 cm leFH 18/40)  | Czech-made
Ordnance QF 6-pounder | ex-Nigerian Army
Bofors 40 mm gun
OTO Melara Mod 56
Armoured vehicles  Type  | Origin  | Number  | notes

|
|
|

AML-60 | ex-Nigerian Army  | At least 1  | [28]
AML-90 | At least 1
Ferret armoured car | At least 1
Alvis Saladin | At least 2
Alvis Saracen | 1
Universal Carrier | French trader  | A small number
Red Devils | Biafra  | 4  | Many designs[28]
Armoured Scorpion Bazooka  | Biafra  | 1  | Only one design made
Biafra Armoured Car  | Biafra  | 1  | Only one design made
|  |  |

## Ranks

[edit]

Main article: Military ranks of Biafra

## See also

[edit]

* Mercenaries in Biafra [ru]
* Biafra Liberation Army

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Jowett 2016.
2. ^ "Operation Biafra Babies". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
3. ^ "The Last Adventurer" by Steiner, Rolf (Boston:, Little, Brown 1978)
4. ^ Jowett 2016, p. 16.
5. ^ John Owen Nwachukwu (24 May 2021). "We are taking over Biafran territories starting from Anambra on May 30 – BNG claims". Daily Post. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
6. ^ Jowett 2016, p. 13.
7. ^ Jowett 2016, p. 15.
8. ^ Baxter, Peter (2015). Biafra : the Nigerian Civil War, 1967-1970. Helion and Company. p. 23\. ISBN 978-1909982369.
9. ^ Iliffe, John (2011). Obasanjo, Nigeria and the World. Boydell & Brewer. p. 108\. ISBN 978-1847010278.
10. ^ Okpe, August (2009). The last flight : a pilot remembers the Air Force and the Biafran air attacks. Aeromax. ISBN 9789789004140.
11. ^ a b c d Air Enthusiast No. 65 September–October 1996 pp 40–47 article by Vidal, Joao M. Texans in Biafra T-6Gs in use in the Nigerian Civil War
12. ^ Michael Robson. "The Douglas A/B-26 Invader - Biafran Invaders". Vectaris.net. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
13. ^ a b c Jowett 2016, p. 19.
14. ^ a b Jowett 2016, p. 17.
15. ^ Dan Hagedorn; Leif Hellström (1994). Foreign Invaders: The Douglas Invader in Foreign Military and US Clandestine Service. Midland Pub. p. 108\. ISBN 978-1-85780-013-5.
16. ^ Griffin, Christopher (2014). "French military policy in the Nigerian Civil War, 1967–1970". Small Wars & Insurgencies. 26 (1): 119. doi:10.1080/09592318.2014.959766. ISSN 0959-2318. S2CID 143967690.
17. ^ a b c Jowett 2016, p. 18.
18. ^ "All-Time Aircraft Used Listing | Biafran Air Force".
19. ^ Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. p. 219\. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
20. ^ a b Odu 2009, p. 111.
21. ^ a b c d e "Biafra Navy, 1967-70". www.marinavasca.eu. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
22. ^ a b c Odu 2009, p. 154.
23. ^ Odu 2009, p. 153.
24. ^ Odu 2009, pp. 158, 166–167.
25. ^ a b c d e Jowett 2016, p. 23.
26. ^ Chinese-made weapons may have come from Zambia or Tanzania (Jowett 2016, p. 23)
27. ^ Jowett 2016, p. 33.
28. ^ a b c d Jowett 2016, p. 24.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Daly, Samuel Fury Childs. A History of the Republic of Biafra: Law, Crime, and the Nigerian Civil War, (Cambridge University Press, 2020) online review
* Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. ISBN 978-1472816092.
* Odu, P.J. (2009). The Future That Vanished: A Biafra Story. Xlibris (self-published). ISBN 9781441539724.
* Vidal, João M. (September–October 1996). "Texans in Biafra: T-6Gs in Use in the Nigerian Civil War". Air Enthusiast (65): 40–47\. ISSN 0143-5450.
* Venter, Al J. (2015). Biafra's War 1967-1970: A Tribal Conflict in Nigeria That Left a Million Dead. Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1-910294-69-7.

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Biafra articles

History|

* 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom
* Nigeria-Biafra War
* Ahiara Declaration
* Aburi Accord
* Republic of Benin
* Blockade of Biafra
* Biafran airlift
* Ogbunigwe
* 2016 Niger Delta conflict
* Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria

Geography|

* Enugu (first capital)
* Umuahia (second capital)
* Eastern Nigeria

Politics|

* Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
* Philip Effiong
* Military
* Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)

Ethnic groups|

* Igbo
* Efik
* Ibibio
* Annang
* Ijaw
* Ikwerre
* Andoni
* Egbema

Culture|

* Biafran pound (currency)
* Flag
* "Land of the Rising Sun" (national anthem)
* Postage stamps and postal history

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