ETHIOPIA - UNITED

STATES MAPPING

MISSION

12 July 1965 NORTH

KEREN ATTACKED BY

ELF

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Jack Kalmbach

In November 1964 I received orders assigning me to the Iran Mapping Mission in Tehran, Iran.

I was to proceed to Charleston, S.C. for air transportation to Headquarters, 64th Engineer

Battalion, Wheelus AFB, Tripoli, Libya. In Charleston I ran into Major Joe Sites (then a

Captain) who was also enroute to Wheelus. I knew Joe from 1954 when he was a fixed wing

student and I was a flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. We both were enroute to Wheelus.

Upon our arrival we were told that a greater need existed in Ethiopia and we were being

reassigned to the Ethi-US Mapping Mission in Addis Ababa.

Arriving in Addis Ababa we were billeted in a small house that served as a BOQ for the officers

of the mission. I slept on the floor until a cot was available. Soon after my arrival we moved into

two new buildings, located just beyond the Leper Colony. They were quite satisfactory. The

Officers living in the BOQ contributed to a fund to purchase food for the BOQ and a local

Ethiopian couple was hired to maintain the buildings and to prepare our food.

View from the BOQ

Left to right-- Ron Dolecki and Jack Kalmbach

Burned out remains of the UH-1B

!

The B1-Mapping Mission UHthey were on 66 or 1965 ed by the ELF in captured and burn The crew and passenger were taken prisoner and then subsequently released or escaped This incident was one in which the local ELF'ers had clearly exceeded their orders, as Mapping Mission - as well as Kagnew - had (at that time) some pretty clear understandings with the PLF about security of US personnel and property.

My assignment involved piloting all assigned aircraft in support of field party and headquarters

operations. Missions included transportation and support of survey parties, classification flights,

resupply operations and other administrative flights. Assigned aircraft at that time included 1

leased Aero Commander 680E (U9C) , 2 U6A Beavers, 4 UH1Bs and 4 OH-23G's.

After several months I was appointed a member of the Battalion Flight Standardization Board

and designated as a Instructor Pilot in U6A and U9C aircraft and a Test Pilot for UH-1B, OH-

23G, U-6A and U-9C aircraft. Later I also assumed the duties of aircraft maintenance officer.

When operating away from Addis Ababa, the pilots were normally on TDY status. I believe the

only exception to this during my stay was for approximately one week when we stayed in a field

camp adjacent to the Mitchell Cotts plantation near Tendaho. During that week I flew an OH-

23G on classification missions in the area between Tendaho and Massawa (The Danakil

Depression area).

On the morning of July 12, 1965 I was piloting a UH 1B on a map classification mission in an

area north of Keren, Eritrea. The mission classification specialist was Spec 4 Ronald Dolecki and

Habte Mesmer who was our interpreter. On our second landing of the morning, while

interviewing several locals, we were attacked and taken prisoner by an armed group firing their

weapons in every direction but ours. They later identified themselves as members of the Eritrean

Liberation Front (ELF) and accused us of being Israeli spies. After searching us and the aircraft

we were marched away. After several minutes I looked back and saw the helicopter in flames.

The next 11 days were spent walking towards the Sudanese border and hiding from search

aircraft whenever they were heard or spotted approaching. Along the way we were joined by

other roving bands of ELF troops. By my count their numbers had grown to nearly 100 by the

time of my release in Sudan.

During this period we occasionally were allowed to ride on a camel. On one such occasion I went

to sleep and fell to the ground. It was a rude awakening.

On the 23rd of July (my 37th birthday), after crossing into Sudan, our capt

ors relaxed

Jack Kalmbach reunites with Dick Birk, Phil Pitts, "Pat" Patterson and Habte"Sam" Mesmer.

noticeably and stopped for the night. After a short discussion we decided that now was our best

opportunity to attempt an escape. We were lying behind some bushes only a short distance from

our captors shielded only by our jackets draped over the brush. It seemed highly unlikely that all

three of us could make it undetected but that one of us could make it as long as the others

remained in view. I instructed Dolecki to take our canteens and leave. If he were seen we would

tell them that he was going to the water hole to fill them. He left and his absence wasn’t

discovered for about an hour. After discovering his absence they roughed us up some and placed

us under armed guard while they commenced a search. After what seemed like 20 or 30 minutes

I heard several shots fired. A short time later I was told that he had been found and killed. I

didn’t believe it because they were very nervous and immediately began to march in a southerly

direction.

We walked several hours after dark before stopping for the night. We resumed heading south

the next morning and traveled south for another day and a half before reaching an encampment

near the town of Kassala, Sudan. The next day, July the 26th I was escorted to another camp

where I was treated well, offered some fresh fruit and bread and interrogated by a uniformed

officer who I was told was “The General”. After an hour or two I was given a letter to deliver to

my commander upon my release. I was returned to the encampment and during the early

morning hours of the 27th Habte and I were put on camels and led across the border to an

Ethiopian police outpost. Later that day I was flown to the Kagnew Station hospital in Asmera

for a physical examination before being released for return to duty. During our captivity we had

eaten almost nothing, getting by on lots of a hot tea like drink full of unrefined sugar. As a result

I had lost 12 pounds but other than that suffered no ill effects. While in the hospital I received

and passed my annual flight physical.

Jack Kalmbach reunites with Dick Birk, Phil Pitts, "Pat" Patterson and Habte"Sam" Mesmer.

Shortly after returning to Addis Ababa I departed on ordinary leave to visit my family in the

CONUS. I flew space available to Fort Bragg, NC in a C130 along with a contingent of Special

Forces troops who had taken part in the search for us. After a shower and change of uniform I

took a commercial flight to Seattle and an emotional reunion with my family.

At the completion of my leave I was placed on TDY in Washington DC for 2 days (September 8-

9 1965) to discuss official business matters relative to the Ethiopia Project and to hand-carry

essential gravity meter components required in Iran. TDY ended on my return to Addis Ababa.

In early November 1965 I along with Majors John Patterson and Joseph Sites flew the leased

Aero Commander to Nairobi, Kenya for a weekend R&R. During our short stay we shopped for

souvenirs and visited the National Wildlife Preserve.

In January Joe Sites and I were sent to Khartoum, Sudan where we spent the final four months

of our African tour on TDY status flying our two U6A Beavers in logistical support of mapping

operations under way in Sudan. On 31 May we returned to Addis with our aircraft and on 2 Jun,

1966 I returned to Fort Lewis, Washington where I retired as a CW3 AUS and as a Captain USA on 31 October.

Delivering the U-6A.

View pictures of the Aircraft referred to in Jack Kalmbach's story.

Read Ron Dolecki's account of the capture by the ELF on his "Stories and Memories" page.

Jack Kalmbach and Ron Dolecki reunited in 2007 at a small reunion in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Below is a 'before and after' photo taken at that event. From left to right in both photos are Ron Dolecki and Jack Kalmbach. (Photo provided by Mrs.

Linda Dolecki).

e at KagnewHaile Selassi. Col. Hamer with Haile around '68 or '69. I like this one because there were so many faces in the background and because the CID ended up confiscating the negative. The CID warrant officer behind Col. Hamer was Jack Smith. (Thanks to Jim Hughes for the identifications

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Foreign Relations, 1969-1976, Volume E-5, Documents on Africa, 1969-1972

Released by the Office of the Historian

AIRGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF STATE A-30

TO: Department of State

INFO: ADDIS ABABA

PASS: CGUSASA, CINCSTRIKE, DOD

FROM AmConsul Asmara

DATE: April 10, 1969

SUBJECT: The Eritrean Liberation Front and Kagnew Station

REF A-174 of October 9, 1968

The reference airgram contained our assessment, as of six months ago, of the

potential ELF threat to Kagnew Station. At that time we concluded that the ELF

lacked both intent and capability to damage the U.S. presence in Eritrea, but that the

beginnings of a more militant policy plus a larger degree of anti-American influence

in the Front could be discerned.

INCREASED TEMPO OF ELF ACTIVITY

In view of recent events, we think it timely to take a further look at the possibility

for hostile action against Kagnew. After a midwinter lull, the ELF has in March and

April shown a high degree of activism and effectiveness against Ethiopian security

forces. March saw the destruction of three oil tankers and two buses on the vital

Asmara-Massawa highway, and the spectacular sabotage-bombing of an Ethiopian

Air Lines commercial jet in Frankfurt, Germany; while in the first week of April, the

ELF has staged a sophisticated attack on the main electric power and water supply

systems of the city of Asmara (ourtel 197).

Taken together, these recent incidents show a shift in ELF tactics and also a more

sophisticated capability, previously lacking, to conduct skilled sabotage operations

with modern explosive devices and weapons. They have also served to highlight the

inability of IEG security forces to protect important economic installations fully

against surprise attack.

COMMUNIST SUPPORT

Based on the scant intelligence available, we conclude that the latest round of ELF

attacks has been carried out by well-trained ELF "Commando" units schooled in Syria

during the past year. In retrospect, small attacks against power pylons in Eritrea in the

fall of 1968 were probably training missions preparatory to the more recent major

attacks. There may also be some degree of participation by smaller groups who have

been trained recently in Communist China. German police believe that the Frankfurt

airport attack of March 11 was carried out by two Syrians and one Ethiopian, using a

highly sophisticated explosive device manufactured in Hungary, which had never

been previously observed in the West (Frankfurt's 1765). The April 4 attack on power

installations included use of explosives as well as firing of bazooka shells, and the

weapons supply of the ELF - which has seemed to include more modern arms over

the past six months - is believed to be largely from Communist sources.

This circumstantial evidence leads us to believe that the ELF has significant

improved its capability for sabotage and terrorism over the past six months, relying on

Communist help, often channeled through Syria. Reflecting these changes, there have

also been some alterations in the military organization of the movement, although the

structure of the ELF's political arm, its "Revolutionary Council," is not known to have

changed. [Text not declassified]

KAGNEW

Throughout the past six month period, there has been no clear indication of a

change in the traditional ELF policy of friendliness to Americans, although the US

presence at Kagnew has been verbally attacked in occasional Radio Damascus

broadcasts. However, in view of the recent rebel onslaught against major Ethiopian

economic targets, Kagnew Station is continuing to maintain an alert security posture.

Under the US-Ethiopian Agreement on Defense Installations of May 22, 1953, the

IEG is wholly responsible for the external security of Kagnew, while the USG

assumes responsibility for internal security. Kagnew is not a fortress, but a highly

complex and far-flung communications facility, operated on separate parts of land

mostly in and near Asmara, though several isolated substations are as much as thirty

miles out of town. Its open antenna fields include substantial "shared-use" land used

by local farmers. Thus, as has been noted in all previous USG studies of the security

of the installations, there is no mean by which absolute security can he guaranteed in

the face of a determined and effective group of saboteurs.

INCREASED US SECURITY ALERTNESS

A number of specific steps have been taken since last October to enhance the

security alertness of Kagnew Station. We have had periodic meetings with the

Governor General of Eritrea and local security officials to improve joint Ethiopian-US

security plans. On all occasions, the Governor General has stressed Ethiopian

Government responsibility for the external security of Kagnew, and has been most

cooperative. It should be noted that none of the recent ELF attacks on Ethiopian

economic installations have occurred within the Asmara city defense perimeter, where

most Kagnew installations are located.

Kagnew's own security improvements during the past six months include: (1) an

increase in night Security patrols; (2) improved night-lighting at some tracts; (3) use

of night-viewing scopes and anti-intrusion devices.

Recommendations

Our analysis suggests that the ELF capability for sabotage against Kagnew has

increased since the submission of Asmara A-174 of last October 9. However, we

would emphasize that there is no indication that the ELF desires or intends to damage

Kagnew. One of the conclusions of A-174 bears repeating at this time:

"... we should scrupulously avoid any change in our traditional stance towards the

ELF, our view that the insurgency is strictly an internal matter for Ethiopians and

Eritreans to decide. While maintaining our close relationship with the IEG, we should

continue to avoid actions which directly link us to IEG security forces in prosecuting

the war against the ELF. To become directly involved in military field operations

against the ELF would be, in effect, to invite ELF retaliation upon Kagnew and the

US presence here. The USG 'hands off' policy towards the insurgency over the years

has complemented the ELF `hands off' policy towards Kagnew."

A recent [text not declassified] report [text not declassified] in which ELF officials

are quoted as stating that in their contacts with American officials they have found the

Americans more "flexible" than their contacts with the Soviets would seem to

underline this point. We conclude that it behooves us to maintain our "correct'"

attitude in any further approaches by ELF representatives to the USG, and to avoid

any appearance of intervention in the Eritrean insurgency.

The latest ELF public statement directed to Americans is a newspaper interview

granted by ELF Secretary General OSMAN SALEH SABBE to the Christian Science

Monitor in Amman, Jordan, published in the March 28 edition of that paper. Mr.

Sabbe stated in the interview:

"We have said before, and we repeat, that we are not against Americans or their

interests in Eritrea. The United States assists the Ethiopian Government in many

fields, including military aid. But whenever we meet American officials, they justify

this by saying it is simply part of their worldwide aid program. And they have

diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.

"We have never damaged American interests in Eritrea. We never intend to do so,

as long as United States forces in Eritrea remain neutral."

This statement can be interpreted both as a reassurance and a warning (see Asmara

telegrams 202, 205). It is a reiteration of what ELF representatives have told us in

private meetings over the years, but with the added hint that the rebels might

"damage" US interests in Eritrea if the US alters its consistent policy of leaving the

insurgency alone.

Beyond recommending that we rigorously adhere to a policy of non-interference in

the insurgency, prudence compels us to make two further recommendations, which

we trust will receive the prompt attention and action of the Department and other

Washington agencies.

Recommendation #1

We recommend that the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) commence

regular monitoring, translation and publication of ELF broadcasts over Radio

Damascus ("Voice of the Eritrean Revolution.") These Damascus broadcasts are the

main propaganda effort of the ELF, and they are not currently covered on a systematic

basis by FBIS. Until these broadcasts are more regularly covered, with the results sent

by rapid means to end-users including this Consulate General, we are somewhat in the

dark as to changing elements in ELF propaganda and attitudes toward Kagnew

Station. To be sure, the ELF's public propaganda, geared as it is to radical Arab

consumption, is no certain guide to ELF intentions toward our presence in Eritrea. But

a careful analysis of the Damascus broadcasts may give us some hints of vital security

importance to Kagnew Station.

Recommendation #2

We recommend that the USG intelligence community determine that collection of

accurate information on future meetings and congresses of the ELF political

leadership receive a high priority. We believe that the decisions taken at such

meetings are the key indicator of ELF intentions towards Kagnew; and further that the

present ELF non-interference policy towards Kagnew could only be altered after

serious discussion among the ELF leaders followed by a conscious decision to harass

Kagnew. There are reports [text not declassified] of a major ELF congress to be held

in June or July of this year, and we feel that US intelligence coverage of such events

has an important bearing on the continued security of Kagnew Station.

Action Requested

We would appreciate having the Department's prompt response to the above

recommendations.

JACKSON

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Kagnew personal E-mails From Michael Austing:

While looking through your site, I noticed I am not listed on the roster. I was a

SP5 assigned to the Motor Pool from November 69 to April 70 when I transferred

to Vietnam. My wife (at the time) was Janet who worked as a volunteer at the

hospital. Evidently, she was volunteering more than she should have (!!!) as I

found out later from an MP SSG named Mike Heintz that she and I were both

under investigation by CID due to her actions/associations with someone with the

E.L.F. Please search out anyone who may know anything concerning this and

have them contact me at: 1035-A Jefferson Street S.E., New Philadelphia, OH

44663-2346.

John Hallahan has just sent in a couple of questions which I've always wondered

about myself. We want to see what everyone else thinks and we'll post the

answers here.

and origin of the term used for pronunciation, What is the correct spelling. 1

those great cartswe used to ride downtown and back .) rry gharry jerry etcghe (

for about 50 cents?

2. I remember the term "shifta" being the correct name for what we all called

shifties, but can anyone confirm what the term was and where it originated?

Guess we have our answers - thanks guys!!!

rAnswe The According to the World Book: Gharry or gharrie; pl gharries; in India a cart or carriage, especially one for hire; pronounced gar'i. We GIs

Americanized the word. This really the most accepted spelling of the

word, but I also have seen it many ways.

The Shifta or Shifties was once fighting for a cause for the Eritreans to be

united with Ethiopia, but when the UN treaty assigned a federation of

Eritrea with Ethiopia in 1952, the Shifties definitely were bandits. I

supect that the definition already listed is correct. As far as I was

concerned, they were bandits and they killed a buddy of mine.

Jerry Pry

Dictionary confirms that my first guess on "gharry" is correct: it's a

Hindu word for cart. Almost surely imported during the British

occupation -- both by Brits used to India and by actual Commonwealth

troops from India. The Italian word was "carozza" I believe. I don't think

there's any one "correct" way to spell it but I found gharry used in two

dictionaries.

On the shifta question: My guess, which I cannot confirm, is that it is

straight from Amharic/Tigrinya and translates best as "bandit".

Larry Bucher

If I remember correctly Edgar Rice Borroughs refers to shifta in his

Tarzan novels. I believe his references are to bandits when using this

term.

Mick McCombs From Yohannes Berhane: I am very happy to join your discussion. We had a villa in Tiravollo area and it was rented to Americans, I was a child and don't

remember the name of the tenant, I know only that he worked at Kagnew

Station. The address is Dej. Gebremariam Street 121. Currently, my family is

please , if anybody knows about him, living in this placemail me-eI would love ,

to meet him and invite him back to Eritrea.

Marge PerryMarge had a child that died after birth . has another special request

while at Kagnew and is buried outside the main gate. If anyone has any photos of

that area, please contact Marge and try to get her a copy. For anyone planning to

make the trip to Asmara, please contact Marge and see if you can help her out.

I'm sure she would be eternally grateful. Allen Peacock

Sends in this note asking for info on the "strike" at Kagnew:

There was a STRIKE! at Kagnew Station during the 57-59 era. I would like to

know more about it, but some where some body knows what happened. There

was a post commander, ?, who was under the impression that this was a Citadel,

or a spit & polish mission, rather than a military mission of gathering information

off the airwaves of the entire middle east region. Maybe it is still classified and

should not be discussed but I find it interesting and would like to know more

about it. Over a period of several weeks, the troops were being harrassed! There

was PT and Police Call every morning, every afternoon and maybe every evening.

I recall PT & PC at least twice a day, before going to work and after work, and

maybe it was after each trick or shift. There was inspection every Sat., and I just

believe the troops got to a point where they could not hear the signals!

It trickled down to every section at the site. There were no packages coming into

"a" section to send by courier to the states, there were no groups for "e" section

to re- encipher and PLT and rtty back to analysis in the states and eventually, it

began to backfire. There were questions asked by the authorities to the

administration of the post and some IG folks came in and asked questions of the

troops and of course the story came out. Any way, we had a change of

administration on the post and word leaked that alcoholism played a part.

Changes came about and we were able to abolish the BS and get back to the

mission of the post. I would like to know the whole story and I bet there are folks

around that could shed some light.

(4/10/1999)

John Kelch

69-'70

Finding that site was an incredible trip in nostalgia that I could not get away from for hours. As I was there in '69 and '70 my recollection of events was similar to that of several of the authors. And I found the addresses of a couple of guys I 'grew up with'.

I was there during the severe water shortage, the MP's killed on the Massawa road, the ELF firefights and sabotage of the roads and bridges, and the alerts where it was reported that we were immenent to be overrun (thank God it never happened as we'd have had a hellova time defending that place).

And a buddy and I may have been the last to visit Karem as we departed on cycles during an hour-long opening of the road before it shut down for the rest of our tour. Hope the article on "...the last days" gets finished!

To most of the world, Kagnew was non-existent, and even to me it was a seemingly vague footnote that I thought had long faded into obscurity, along with ASA. Yet, the bonds that we formed with the folks we shared that experience with are indellible, lifelong. Thanks so much for making the site available and taking the time to maintain it; as a Senior Business Consultant for Compaq, I know what kind of work

and resources that entails. Best regards

Eric Akers

'72-'73

When I got to Asmara, Eritrea (Ethiopia)it was a swing place. I had lead a sheltered life up until then. My father and mother were devout Christians and never let me go out at night. I was between 18 and going on 19 years old at the time I lived at Kagnew Station. I tried to date young women back in Ohio while attending high school but, I had no success. When the US Army sent me to Asmara, Ethiopia it was like heaven to me. I started getting dates from all sorts of women and, I had a great time. Women of Ethiopia, Italy, and American was suddenly starting to take notice of me. I treated the base like it was a great vacation that I was on instead of a military post. I took pictures of people and historical sites around Asmara. I got to meet Selassie, well at least see him from 5 feet away. I would go to the Top5 Club every chance I got to date the women I met there. The bowling alley was still a place to me young women and I visited there too. As in everyone's life there is always their finest hours. Well, mine was at Kagnew Station in Asmara. I have been going down hill every since then. I haved had four children in my lifetime since then. They are all Ethiopian/American children. Yes, I ended up marring three different Eritrean/Ethiopian Women since, Kagnew Station. Yes Rick, your website is a place to bring back the old memories of Kagnew Station and how our lives have changed since then. My picture of what I looked like back then is in the scrapbook on this website. Maybe someone will remember me back then after viewing my old photo. Private Carl O. Akers Post Telephone Exchange Stratcom Facility