Cover Story Black History Month
On the matter of the bullets in some of the victims’ bodies,
which are visible in x-rays, Mr Franks does not share Westrell’s view that explosions in the fire cannot cause bullets to penetrate the body. Under normal conditions when cartridges are placed on or in a
fire, he said, it is usually the cartridge case that will move at high velocity when the cartridge explodes; but there are circumstances when the cartridge case is restricted, so that the bullet will be propelled out of the case at some speed. He is satisfied with the verdict of the Rhodesian police report
that the penetration of bullets was the result of the explosions in the fire, since the bullets have no “stria” – that is, rifling marks showing that they went through the barrel of a gun. But he had a number of concerns. One of these related to the
injuries suffered by Serge Barrau, a bodyguard, who was severely burnt in the crash. Te x-rays reveal that there were one or two cartridge percussion caps in the soft tissue of his right upper arm; a number of fragments of cartridge case in his abdomen; and a number of cartridge percussion caps in the soft tissue around the right hip. Mr Franks was at a loss to find an explanation for these injuries,
since neither firearms nor ammunition were discovered in his im- mediate vicinity. Yet all the firearms-related projectiles in his body were percussion caps or fragments of cartridge cases – and for these small items to have enough energy to enter his body, even over a small distance, they would have had to travel at high velocity. Tis means that the weapons must have been nearby at the time
the ammunition exploded, otherwise the objects would not have been able to penetrate the body. Since Barrau was a bodyguard, commented Mr Franks, he would
be expected to have had a firearm in close proximity – “indeed with spare ammunition – so a holster and spare rounds on his person. Tis would make it possible for him to have the wounds/injuries he has.” But, he added, “there were no weapons or ammunition or cartridge cases or fragments.” Te only explanation he could offer was that maybe Barrau’s
body was moved prior to the crash site being investigated by the Rhodesian police. In the case of Per Persson, a Swedish soldier, the picture is again
complicated, since the bullets recovered from his body were all 9mm – not 0.38, the ammunition used by the revolver he is likely to have worn in a shoulder holster. However, the bullets could have come from other weapons found close to the soldier, which used 9mm ammunition. Mr Franks examined the plan of the wreckage and plotted the
approximate location of firearms and ammunition. Generally, they were distributed throughout the length of the wreckage in an ex- plicable manner, but with two puzzling exceptions. One of these was that the two sub-machine guns at the site,
with appropriate magazines and ammunition, were discovered near the two pilots – but at some distance from the two soldiers on the aircraft, Stig Hjelte and Per Persson. Tis was odd, since the sub- machine guns and ammunition would almost certainly have been issued to the two soldiers on board. A Smith & Wesson 0.38 revolver also caused Mr Franks some
concern. Looking at the photograph of the revolver, showing the cylinder swung out in an open position, he noticed that there was a firing pin indent in one of the cartridges. Tis meant that the
62 | October 2011 | New African
weapon must have been discharged and a shot fired. Franks rejected the possibility that it had been accidentally
discharged since Smith & Wesson revolvers have an in-built safety feature and cannot be fired without the trigger being pulled. “Not even an air crash would cause such a discharge,” commented Mr Franks, who is an expert on the construction, components and safety mechanisms of Smith & Wesson (and also Colt). Te photograph of this weapon reveals, too, that at least one
of the cartridge cases was removed from its original chamber and replaced after the gun was discharged. Tis is evident from an indent across the primer, caused by heat forcing the cartridge case back against the recoil shield of the weapon as it discharged. Te fact that this indent can no longer be matched to the shape
of the recoil shield indicates its removal and replacement. Te only possible explanation, concluded Mr Franks, was that it was removed and replaced “following initial inspection but prior to the photograph being taken”. Tere is reason to suspect similar tampering before the pho-
tograph of an official police Colt 0.38 special was taken. Te ini- tial explosion appeared to have opened the weapon, exposing its cylinder, so that all the cartridges in the revolver appear to have exploded from heat. Yet Mr Franks could determine that one cartridge had been moved prior to being photographed and then replaced for the photograph. In the case of another Smith & Wesson revolver, one of the car-
tridge chambers is empty and there is no evidence in the chamber that a cartridge was blown out in the crash or the fire. Mr Franks was puzzled by this. He noted that it was common practice in the 1960s for bodyguards to leave empty the chamber
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