South African Border Wars

WE pick up the seaborne operations story in early 1979, and much of this episode is based on the book Iron Fist from the Sea by ex-Recce Douw Steyn and his navy colleague, Arne Soderlund. By 1979 the writing was on the wall for Rhodesia, if not before. The shock wave that had rattled Salisbury in 1975 as Portugal pulled out of Mozambique weakened the state, after this all it had was South Africa a...

I’m spending some time focusing on seaborne operations and the Recces – most of their ops were top secret and some are mind-boggling. Like the attempt at assassinating ZANU leader Robert Mugabe in Maputo for example. For some time the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation or CIO had kept Mugabe under close scrutiny in Maputo. The Rhodesian bush War had become a bitter struggle and civilians...

Much of this week’s episode has been culled from a fantastic book called Iron Fist from the Sea, top secrete Seaborne Recce Operations 1978-1988 by Arne Soderlund and Douw Steyn. The South African Navy’s reach in those years included all the way up to Cabinda in northern Angola on the west coast, to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on the East. These days we’re lucky if the patrols can stretch along our...

We left off last episode with SWAPOs Operation Typhoon under way inside the Triangle of Death, that area between Tsumeb, Otavi and Grootfontein. Forty two members of this operation had hidden at Effense Chana and taken out a Ratel, three were killed by Alouette gunships in the follow up action, but the others got away, heading northwards to safety in Angola. Eleven members of the security forces w...

In Episode 58 we heard how two SWAPO platoon had created an obvious trail near Tsumeb, it was bait for a trap they were planning – an ambush that would surprise the trailing 61 Mech follow up. This was a change in tactics by the SWAPOs commander Danger Ashapalo who’d sent 150 men to attack the white farming areas in the Triangle of Death. The South Africans were aware of a series of tracks – this...

As you heard last episode, groups of SWAPO insurgents were about to head southwards from various points north of Etosha Pan – aiming at the farming area in the Triangle of Death, Tsumeb and Oshakati. As Napoleon Bonaparte said – you must not fight too often with one enemy or you will teach him all your art of war. By now, SWAPO and the SADF had fought each other since 1966, and both sides had lear...

As you heard last episode, from February 1982 SWAPO activity had increased in the normally quiet western sector of Angola north of Kaokaland. Remember the Red Cross flight which had been tracked by a SWAPO unit in that area at a place they called Point Zero. It was decided that this unit had to be confronted as quickly as possible as it threatened to bring the war to an area that had been virtuall...

December 1981 brought the usual debriefings and analysis about how the border war was progressing, particularly after a year that saw such highs and lows for the SADF. However, before the end of the year, The SADF ordered another small operation called Vlinder to hit the area near Evale over the cutline. In one of the final acts of the year, troops were in contact with SWAPO armed with SA-7 missil...

The sound of gunfire from Operation Protea and the SADF were already planning their next invasion of Angola. The intelligence gathered during Protea was going to lead to the second 1981 op, which was launched in November 1981 targeting Ionde initially, 120km inside Angola, then onwards to Bambi and Chetequera, much deeper inside Angola. But first, the air Force was going to get busy. The aircraft...

Operation Protea was had wrapped up by 2nd September 1981 – Battle Group 10 had reverted to being 61 Mech, while Battle Group 20 was disbanded. As the SADF began to debrief, it was clear that this operation had been a tactical success, and operationally there was much to satisfy the purists who’d dreamed up the new mobile warfare doctrine. The final figure once all the counting was complete was 83...

Operation Protea has entered its fifth day and the town of Ongiva had been bombed by the Air Force, and bombarded by artillery. Battle Group 10 had managed to sort out the area immediately west of the town, now 20 and 30 were going to bypass the town between the airport and the CBD, and strike at targets from the north West. 30 was heading directly for the airport which was going to prove a diffic...

As we heard last episode, By 6pm on the 24th August 1981, Battle Group 20 was in control of its objectives, having destroyed at least four tanks and capturing vehicles, guns and ammunition. The fort and water tower, key targets in the town, were eventually reached and taken. The bridge was reached by the combat teams by 17h30 and was immediately prepared with demolition charges by the engineers. I...

The air strikes on the targets for Operation Protea have ended, and now the mechanised units will begin their move on the targets, Xangongo and Peu Peu. 32 Battalion has already cleared the bunkers and trench positions in the north of Xangongo as you heard last episode. Attacking westward on the northern flank of Battle Group 20 was 40 under command of Commandant Deon Ferreira. They were to fight...

Last episode we heard how the South Africans had travelled overnight to reach the first target planned for Operation Protea, Xangongo. So we’ll return to the next moves later in this podcast, but we need to delve into what had happened in the air war first. There was an interesting moment – and a first for the Air Force on 20th August 1981. That was four days before the attack proper. Pilot Rynier...

It’s the first half of 1981 and more hit and run raids were being carried out by SWAPO – particularly around Okalonga and Mahanene. Some of the frustrations concerning the quality of intel were proving difficult to explain away by the SADF. The early months of 1981 were characterized by a series of operations inside Angola of various sizes. 32 Battalion and 1 Parachute Battalion were busy most of...

The Russians were increasing their support for the MPLA in Luanda and one of those who arrived was Vladimir Vasilievich Kostrachenkov. He helped establish the Pechora Anti-Aircraft system between 1979 and 1981 in the south of Angola and published some of his thoughts in a book called Bush War, the Road to Cuito Cuanavale. While most of this book is about the major battles that took place later aro...

We heard about Ops Smokeshell over the past few episodes, the next major incursion into Angola will be Operation Protea. There’s quite a bit to cover before then. Ops Sceptic and particularly the battle for the SWAPO complex code-named Smokeshell had been a valuable learning curve for the SADF. At the same time, a new round of political negotiations were under way in June 1980, and General Magnus...

This is episode 46 and its June 10th 1980 and Commandant Dippenaar’s Combat Group 61, that huge convoy of 151 vehicles, had drawn up to the East of the main target of Operation Sceptic. That was a group of more than a dozen facilities grouped together and the codenamed Smokeshell. Last episode we heard how Dippenaar had broken up his assault force into six combined armed combat teams for the comin...

This is episode 45 and its 1980. Everything will accelerate from now on – as wars generally do when neither side has complete control over the battlefield. And one of the biggest events over the Border War was about to take place – Operation Sceptic or Smokeshell as most call it. SWAPO by now had pulled back from the shallow areas – those parts of southern Angola closest to the cutline – the borde...

This is episode 44 – it’s the run up to Operation Sceptic in 1980 – or what many folks call Ops Smokeshell. That’s because the main target – Chifufua was code-named Smokeshell or QFL depending on what report you read, but there were other targets too. Before that operation there were a few other incidents across the fighting front. One involved a formation of Impala’s armed with rockets that ended...

This is episode 43 and we’re into 1980. Last episode we met Tannie Pompie van der Westhuysen and touched on a growing sign of PLAN action through late 1979. 1980 was going to be a momentous year in Border War history and from now on, the combat ramps up along with the casualties on all sites. Up until now the SADF had been winging it – using a pastiche of military techniques backed up by a somewha...

This is episode 42 – it’s 1979 and all hell is breaking loose as the Rhodesian Bush war reaches it apogee and SWAPO increases its incursions into OVamboland and into the Death triangle further south. In this episode we’ll meet an extraordinary woman called Tannie Pompie, real name Pompie van der Westhuizen. She has been lauded and memorialised by retired members of the SADF for good reason. It’s n...

This is episode 41 and we’re dealing with events in 1979. One of these as you’re about to hear involve a Rhodesian Airlines Vickers Viscount that was shot down – and the SAAF was involved in the response. That was to target a ZIPRA base in eastern Angola. While the new year of 1979 began relatively peacefully, that changed in February when 250 SWAPO soldiers crossed the cutline into South West Afr...

This is episode 40 and it’s a special edition focusing on one of the most successful military organisations in African military history. That’s the 61 Mechanised Battalion Group which first saw action during Operation Reindeer as Battle Group Juliet which was targeting SWAPOs western front at Chetequera. As you know from previous episodes, one of the takeaways from the entire operation was the nee...

This is episode 39 and SWAPO has just mortared Katimo Mulilo as revenge for the airborne assault on Cassinga. Ten SADF troops died in the bombardment as you’ve heard – a single Redeye rocket accounted for the deaths as the men huddled in a prefabricated building in the early hours of 23rd August 1978. Combat Team Bravo had set off about an hour after the bombing of Katima and as we’ve heard, found...