Operation Shed
Encyclopedia
Operation Shed was a British
plan for military intervention in Zanzibar
following the 1964 Zanzibar revolution
. It was one of a series of operations devised by the British to be implemented in the case of an attempt to seize power from President Abeid Karume
by the radical left-wing Umma Party
. Shed succeeded the earlier Operations Parthenon
and Boris
and was an alternative to Operation Finery
. Shed would have involved an airlift of a battalion of troops to Unguja to provide support to Karume and to protect European citizens. The risk of a coup passed by 29 April 1964 and it was determined that any intervention would be opposed by Karume's forces and a Soviet
training team. With this in mind Shed was modified on 9 June to an airborne assault by Royal Marine commandos from HMS Centaur
, which would then be supported by the landing of a battalion and armoured cars from Kenya. The continuing presence of British and friendly nationals in Zanzibar complicated the matter and, around 23 September 1964, Shed was replaced by Plan Giralda
.
staged a coup to overthrow President Abeid Karume
's moderate Afro-Shirazi Party
which controlled the governing Revolutionary Council. Operation Shed was the fourth British plan for this eventuality, following Operations Parthenon
, Boris
and Finery
. Parthenon and Boris had been cancelled by the time that Shed was designed and Shed was to act as a supporting operation to Finery. Finery would have involved a helicopter assault by Royal Marines
from the commando carrier HMS Bulwark
. However, Bulwark was required for operations in the Middle East and so Finery could only be launched following 14 days notice. In addition, the merger of Zanzibar and Tanganyika to form Tanzania on 23 April had raised concerns in the British commanders that the Umma Party would launch a coup to prevent the merger which would limit their power. Shed was designed as a contingency plan to provide a quicker response if it seemed likely that the Umma Party could stage a coup quicker than Finery could be launched or if British citizens were in immediate danger.
By 29 April the danger of a coup had passed so Operation Finery was scrapped and Shed stepped down to 24 hours readiness. On May 21 the Chiefs of Staff acknowledged that Karume's agreement probably would not be gained and that a landing may be opposed. Intelligence sources also stated that Karume's 300-strong police force were now outnumbered by other security forces of unknown loyalties and that elements of the Zanzibari Army and a Soviet training team guarded the airfield by night. The Zanzibari army was known to be in possession of light anti-aircraft guns, heavy machine guns, 120 mm mortars and 57 mm anti-tank guns. Karume's police were also expected to side with the army against any foreign intervention unless specifically ordered not to by Karume. A 300 strong Tanganyikan police unit was already on the island to keep the peace and was expected to support the British intervention, however it was of negligible use as a fighting unit. In light of this information Shed was modified on 9 June to an airborne assault by Royal Marine commandos from HMS Centaur
which would then be supported by the landing of the battalion and cars from Kenya. Despite these modifications the Minister of Defence, Peter Thorneycroft
, stated that losses amongst British and Zanzibari forces would likely be high if the plan went ahead. The continuing presence of 87 British citizens and 40 "friendly nationals" in the country also complicated matters as British troops would be expected to protect these civilians from violence. Thus Shed was replaced by Plan Giralda
around 23 September 1964.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
plan for military intervention in Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
following the 1964 Zanzibar revolution
Zanzibar Revolution
The Zanzibar Revolution by local African revolutionaries in 1964 overthrew the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government. An ethnically diverse state consisting of a number of islands off the east coast of Tanganyika, Zanzibar had been granted independence by Britain in 1963...
. It was one of a series of operations devised by the British to be implemented in the case of an attempt to seize power from President Abeid Karume
Abeid Karume
Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume , was the first President of Zanzibar. He obtained this title as a result of a popular revolution which lead to the deposing of the last Sultan in Zanzibar during...
by the radical left-wing Umma Party
Umma Party (Zanzibar)
The Umma Party was a political party in Zanzibar. It was founded in 1963 from disaffected socialist Arabs from the ruling Zanzibar Nationalist Party. It was led by Abdulrahman Muhammad Babu and supported the Afro-Shirazi Party during the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution. Babu was made Minister of...
. Shed succeeded the earlier Operations Parthenon
Operation Parthenon
Operation Parthenon was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. The operation was authorised by the British Commanders Committee East Africa on 30 January. The main objectives were to restore law and order in Zanzibar and to prevent the radical...
and Boris
Operation Boris
Operation Boris was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. It was devised around 20 February to be used of the radical left-wing Umma Party attempted to take power. It replaced the earlier sea-based Operation Parthenon with a parachute assault launched...
and was an alternative to Operation Finery
Operation Finery
Operation Finery was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. It was a replacement for the earlier operations Parthenon and Boris, amphibious and airborne assaults. Finery circumvented the reliance of the earlier plans on bases in Kenya, where government...
. Shed would have involved an airlift of a battalion of troops to Unguja to provide support to Karume and to protect European citizens. The risk of a coup passed by 29 April 1964 and it was determined that any intervention would be opposed by Karume's forces and a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
training team. With this in mind Shed was modified on 9 June to an airborne assault by Royal Marine commandos from HMS Centaur
HMS Centaur (R06)
HMS Centaur was the first of the four Centaur-class light fleet carriers of the Royal Navy. She was the only ship of her class to retain the original configuration with a straight axial flight deck rather than the angled flight decks of her three sister ships...
, which would then be supported by the landing of a battalion and armoured cars from Kenya. The continuing presence of British and friendly nationals in Zanzibar complicated the matter and, around 23 September 1964, Shed was replaced by Plan Giralda
Plan Giralda
Plan Giralda was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. Giralda was intended to be launched if the radical left-wing Umma Party attempted to launch a coup against the government of President Julius Nyerere's newly formed Tanzania...
.
Background
The Zanzibar Revolution had occurred on the 12 January 1964 and since then British forces had kept a presence in the area to safeguard European citizens. Since 30 January British forces had also been kept on standby to launch a military intervention in the event that the radical left-wing Umma PartyUmma Party (Zanzibar)
The Umma Party was a political party in Zanzibar. It was founded in 1963 from disaffected socialist Arabs from the ruling Zanzibar Nationalist Party. It was led by Abdulrahman Muhammad Babu and supported the Afro-Shirazi Party during the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution. Babu was made Minister of...
staged a coup to overthrow President Abeid Karume
Abeid Karume
Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume , was the first President of Zanzibar. He obtained this title as a result of a popular revolution which lead to the deposing of the last Sultan in Zanzibar during...
's moderate Afro-Shirazi Party
Afro-Shirazi Party
The Afro-Shirazi Party was the union between the mostly Shiraz Party and the mostly African Afro Party in the island of Zanzibar. The formation of ASP led to the ouster of the Arabs from power with the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964. The party joined with the Tanganyika African National Union to...
which controlled the governing Revolutionary Council. Operation Shed was the fourth British plan for this eventuality, following Operations Parthenon
Operation Parthenon
Operation Parthenon was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. The operation was authorised by the British Commanders Committee East Africa on 30 January. The main objectives were to restore law and order in Zanzibar and to prevent the radical...
, Boris
Operation Boris
Operation Boris was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. It was devised around 20 February to be used of the radical left-wing Umma Party attempted to take power. It replaced the earlier sea-based Operation Parthenon with a parachute assault launched...
and Finery
Operation Finery
Operation Finery was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. It was a replacement for the earlier operations Parthenon and Boris, amphibious and airborne assaults. Finery circumvented the reliance of the earlier plans on bases in Kenya, where government...
. Parthenon and Boris had been cancelled by the time that Shed was designed and Shed was to act as a supporting operation to Finery. Finery would have involved a helicopter assault by Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
from the commando carrier HMS Bulwark
HMS Bulwark (R08)
The sixth HMS Bulwark of the Royal Navy was a 22,000 tonne Centaur-class light fleet aircraft carrier.-Construction:Bulwark was laid down by the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast on 10 May 1945...
. However, Bulwark was required for operations in the Middle East and so Finery could only be launched following 14 days notice. In addition, the merger of Zanzibar and Tanganyika to form Tanzania on 23 April had raised concerns in the British commanders that the Umma Party would launch a coup to prevent the merger which would limit their power. Shed was designed as a contingency plan to provide a quicker response if it seemed likely that the Umma Party could stage a coup quicker than Finery could be launched or if British citizens were in immediate danger.
Operation
Shed would have entailed the airlift of a battalion of British troops to Unguja, the main base of revolutionary power, to provide support to Karume and any forces loyal to him. The primary objectives were to seize the airfield and other strategic locations, protect Karume and his government, protect British and European citizens and to disarm any forces which were a threat to Karume. The operation was planned on the basis that troops would only be sent with the agreement of Karume and that their disembarkation would be unopposed. The Commonwealth Relations Office had sought to persuade the Nigerian government to support Shed with additional troops but had been turned down.Aftermath
HMS Centaur (R06)
HMS Centaur was the first of the four Centaur-class light fleet carriers of the Royal Navy. She was the only ship of her class to retain the original configuration with a straight axial flight deck rather than the angled flight decks of her three sister ships...
which would then be supported by the landing of the battalion and cars from Kenya. Despite these modifications the Minister of Defence, Peter Thorneycroft
Peter Thorneycroft
George Edward Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft CH, PC , was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1957 and 1958.-Biography:...
, stated that losses amongst British and Zanzibari forces would likely be high if the plan went ahead. The continuing presence of 87 British citizens and 40 "friendly nationals" in the country also complicated matters as British troops would be expected to protect these civilians from violence. Thus Shed was replaced by Plan Giralda
Plan Giralda
Plan Giralda was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. Giralda was intended to be launched if the radical left-wing Umma Party attempted to launch a coup against the government of President Julius Nyerere's newly formed Tanzania...
around 23 September 1964.