Page 609 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

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freeing about 400 existing prisoners. Teams INDIA and MIKE came ashore directly
from the landing craft, that came alongside in the Yacht Club pier. Team INDIA man-
aged to control the power plant, after neutralizing the guards. The power outage that
followed plunged the city into darkness, contributing to the disorientation of the local
forces.
Team MIKE marched for a kilometre and occupied, without resistance, Camp Samo-
ry, facing, subsequently, a motorized force that showed up at the site.
Team ZULU left the patrol boats Dragão and Cassiopeia in ten rubber boats, manag-
ing to reach land only at 02H15. Split into three groups, the first one headed to La Mon-
taigne prison, where all the 26 Portuguese soldiers were held in captivity. After a short
but violent combat with the local garrison, all the POW were released. The second group
attacked the PAIGC headquarters, destroying buildings and vehicles and shooting down
some fighters. Amílcar Cabral, leader of the PAIGC, was absent abroad, which was not
known. The third group stormed the militia camp and Villa Silly, alternative residence
of Sekou Touré, but he was not there either.
Finally, when team SIERRA came ashore, with the mission to occupy Conakry air-
port and to destroy the existing Mig-17 fighters planes, heavy gunfire was in progress in
the city. The team went on a forced march up to the airport, which was seized without
resistance. However, no Migs were there to be found.
It was during this march to the airport that Commando 1st Lieutenant Januário, a
native of Portuguese Guinea and previously highly decorated by the Portuguese authori-
ties, defected with twenty of his men.
The absence of the Migs caused a great deal of concern to the leadership of the opera-
tion, as it could give the enemy aerial supremacy. In such circumstances, an air attack
against the fleet, at first light, was a likely prospect. This led Alpoim Calvão to terminate
the operation at approximately 04H30, ordering the reembark of all forces. Finding out
that the FLNG influence in Conakry was much less significant than what their leaders
had promised was another factor contributing to this decision. Even so, some of the
FLNG militants who took part in the operation chose to remain in Conakry, where, in
the following days, engaged in fighting against Touré’s troops, although without any
success.
The reembark took longer than desirable until the break of dawn.
According to the Portuguese military reports, the teams retrieval vessel manoeuvres
were observed by a crowd of Guineans, who applauded enthusiastically the Portuguese
military, believing they were witnessing the fall of Sékou Touré’s regime. As soon as all
the teams were back on board, TG 27-2 sailed to the island of Soga, where it arrived by
16H25 the following day, November 23rd. The Portuguese suffered three dead and nine
wounded (military), and inflicted to the enemy casualties estimated to be at about 500
killings (military and civilian).

Final remarks
From a strategic point of view, Operation “Mar Verde” was a complete failure. Tou-
ré’s regime trembled but did not fall and the position of the PAIGC in Guinea was not