| Operation Nickel | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Rhodesian Bush War (or Second Chimurenga) | |||||||
  Victoria Falls Wankie Wankie Game Reserve Operation Nickel (Zimbabwe) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Rhodesia South Africa |
 ZIPRA ANC (Umkhonto we Sizwe) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Lt-Col. Jack Caine Lt. Charl Viljoen |
Dumiso Dabengwa Lennox Lagu Chris Hani | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 BSAP RRAF |
Luthuli Detachment | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
unknown 2 Provost trainers 1 Alouette III 2 Hawker Hunters | 79–90 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
8 killed 14 wounded |
In Rhodesia: 29 killed 17 arrested 1 missing In Botswana: 29 arrested (1 later died in custody) In South Africa: 1 arrested Total: 77 | ||||||
Operation Nickel or the Wankie Campaign or the Wankie Battles was a military operation launched by the Rhodesian Security Forces on 1 August 1967 in response to the group of ZIPRA and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) fighters crossing the Zambezi River, which marked the Rhodesian-Zambian border. The operation was a success with only one of the cadres out of a force of seventy-nine making it back to Zambia.