I do have a question about Portuguese Noratlases in Africa. I have an image of one with a Mozambiquan flag on the front fuselage; see attached. Was this aircraft actually used by Mozambique, or was the Mozambiquan flag part of the markings on Portuguese aircraft stationed in Mozambique? If it was indeed used by Mozambique, do you have any info concerning the overall markings of the aircraft?

Portugal offered several ex-PoAF Noratlas N2501D (possibly N2502F too) to Mozambique and Angola after the end of the war. If I’m not mistaken, six to each Air Force. The photo in question shows a Mozambique Air Force machine (not a PoAF still in theatre), that I can absolutely guarantee you, but let me search my stuff and see if I can come up with a bit more info. Someone told me once they were all withdrawn around 1988, but I’m going to see in the next few days if I can tell you more about it. 😉

An often repeated myth, but it’s not true.

Firstly because Portugal never had the G.91Y, only the G.91R/3 and T/3. Secondly, all Portugese Ginas are accounted for, none of them having dissappeared somewhere in Africa. Besides, the Portugese G.91s served only for a few weeks in Angola (late 1974 -> jan 1975) and never were officially stationed there.

They were permanently based in Guinea (Esq121, 1966-1974) and Mozambique (Esq502 and later also 702, 1968-1974) though. But these were also nearly withdrawn after these countries gained independence.

An often repeated myth indeed. The Portuguese Air Force G.91R/4s (we only began to receive the DEFA cannon-equipped R/3s and biplace T/3s after the end of the Colonial War, in 1976) came solely from Esq. 702 “Escorpiões” (Scorpions). The aircraft from Esq. 502 “Jaguares” (Jaguars) were dismantled and left Mozambique by boat in August 1974.

The Esq. 702 Fiats were stationed at Air Base 9, in Luanda, as part of Esq. 93 “Magníficos” (Magnificent). They arrived in Angola in late October 1974 and started to depart in late January, early February 1975. All the eight G.91R/4s returned to Lisbon by boat and/or aboard PoAF’s Boeings 707s, and all were accounted for when they joined the other G.91s at Air Base 6, Montijo (near Lisbon). For the record, their PoAF tail numbers were: 5415, 5421, 5426, 5430, 5432, 5433, 5436 and finally 5438.

Meanwhile, at Montijo Air Base, all the G.91s that came from the former colonies started to concentrate there from August 1974 onwards: first Guinea-Bissau based Esq. 121 “Tigres”, then from Mozambique (Esq. 502 “Jaguares”) and finally the eight airframes that were in Angola as part of Esq. 93. There they formed Esq. 62, a Squadron that in 1978 would change its designation to the one still used today, Esq. 301 “Jaguares”. The Fiats, or Ginas as sometimes we called them, served until June 1993 when they were retired in favour of ex-Luftwaffe Alpha-Jet As, moving also to another air base, in this case Beja AB. Today, Esq. 301 operates F-16 MLUs in Monte Real AB.

A thing not often said here is that the G.91s also served in the Azores, stationed at Lajes AB. Due to the need to protect that airfield from possible soviet incursions from air and sea, Esq. 301 began detachments there in 1980. Due to the constant delivery from West Germany of R/3 (and T/3) airframes, it was possible to send all the available R/4s and two biplaces – later three – to Lajes AB (Air Base 4) where they would form, in January 1981, Esq. 303 “Tigres” (Tigers). This Squadron operated from Air Base 4 until mid-1989 when it was disbanded and all the Ginas returned to Montijo and to the Jaguars, but few if any R/4 was operational when the G.91s where withdrawn in June 1993. 😉