South African Border Wars

This is episode 38 and its time to scrutinise the fall-out from Operation Reindeer, particularly the attack on Cassinga – during 1978. As you heard last episode, the SADF regarded the invasion of Angola as a success – however as we know, war is politics by other means and in this – the South African state had failed. It would also lead to SWAPO’s Operation Revenge which would kill far more SADF tr...

This is episode 37 and we’re dealing with a Cuban counter-attack targeting the South African paratroopers still being airlifted out of Cassinga. It was the afternoon of 4th May 1978 and more than half the paratroopers had still not been evacuated from the landing Zone to the east of the shattered town. Jan Breytenbach had requested urgent close air support and had also ordered the helicopters at W...

This is episode 36 and we’re at the tail end of Operation Reindeer – and we kick off this episode by viewing the SADF attack on Cassinga alongside Captain Joseph Kobo of the ANCs armed wing, Mkhonto we sizwe – the spear of the nation. On May 4th 1978 - the day of the airborne assault on Cassinga 250 kilometers into Angola, Captain Kobo was travelling back to the town having picked up provisions an...

This is episode 35 and we swing further north to pick up the story in Cassinga. Last episode I ended with the Battle Group Julient attacks on Chetequera to the south which was an overland assault using Ratels, Buffel troops carriers and Eland-90s. In Cassinga, the South African paratroopers had been dropped in by air and were on their way to finishing their task of overrunning SWAPOs base when the...

This is episode 34 and the SADF are inside Angola – it’s the 4th May 1978 and Operation Reindeer is under way – it’s the joint attacks on Cassing and Chetequera. As we heard last episode, both assaults are not going according to plan. We ended episode 33 alongside Battle Group Juliet as it began to move into Chetequera, one of SWAPOs main base networks just over the cutline or border. Juliet had a...

This is episode 33 and we’re inside Cassinga on the 4th May 1978 with the SADF paratroopers and SWAPO who are going toe-to-toe. Episode 32 outlined the detail of the jump – now we’re going to follow the action inside the town which was SWAPOs HQ in southern Angola. We’ll also hear about the mobilisation of the SADF mechanised battalions far to the south, just against the cutline – the border betwe...

This is episode 32 and we’re joining with the SADF paratroopers aboard 9 planes flying towards Cassinga for the start of Operation Reindeer. Its just before 8am on the 4th May 1978. Three hundred and 43 parachutists from 1,2 and 3 parachute battalions are about to jump from these planes in an airborne assault on SWAPOs HQ in southern Angola. The major punch in this operation was going to be delive...

This is episode 31 and it’s the start of Operation Reindeer – the twin assaults on Cassinga and Chetequera in Angola on May 4th 1978. Colonel Jan Breytenbach was the most important of these leading fighting forces on the ground at Cassinga code-named Alpha assisted by Commandant Deon Ferreira. SWAPOs code name for Cassinga was Moscow by the way so I will sometimes refer to it by that name. Sevente...

This is episode 30 and it’s the start of Operation Reindeer, one of the most important ops conducted by the SADF during the Border War. It involved two different attacks – one by air on Cassinga and the second a ground assault by a mechanised battle group targeting Chetequera and its satellite bases further south. Cassinga was 250 kilometers across the border – the cutline – so this was going to b...

This is episode 29 and we’re covering the period up to the start of Operation Reindeer which was to take place in early May 1978. First the planning phases – of which there were many. By early that year intelligence had convincingly proven that there were a number of SWAPO bases that were critical to the organisation’s operations in southern Angola and these had to be attacked. A...

This is episode 28 dealing with events in early 1978 – mainly operation Reindeer and the attack on Cassinga. As with Savannah, I’m going to spend some time and a few episodes drilling down into Ops Reindeer because it has left a legacy of recrimination and bitterness particularly between SWAPO and former SADF commanders. While most combatants have allowed by-gones to be bygones, the at...

This is episode 27 and we’re focusing on the end of 1977 through to early 1978. Later that year Operation Reindeer would once again shake southern African political leadership and cause more ripples in the global pond – and also leave a legacy which SWAPO continues to commemorate to this day. Just as an aside – this week I had a chance to discuss various tactics and matters with...

This is episode 26 and we’re covering events in 1977. The incursions into Ovamboland increased suddenly in early 1977 and the SADF was also concerned about reports that the four frontline states of Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Angola had agreed to support the new wave of insurgency. From early December 1976 SWAPOs armed wing PLAN had set its sights on traditional leaders, literally, who...

This is episode 25 and we’re focusing on the second half of 1976. Last episode we heard about the Cold War machinations which had led to Cuba and Russian coming to the assistance of the MPLA in Angola. We also heard about the deployment of black troops inside the SADF for the first time and how South Africa was rearming itself as its defence equipment was out of date. 32 Battalion had been d...

This is episode 24 and we’ll hear how Swapo insurgency into Ovamboland began increasing rapidly after the end of Operation Savannah in early 1976. The Angolan war was just getting going and its future would be determined to a large extent by Cold War politics. Despite strong competition, the Soviet Union managed to reassert it’s power and its decision to intervene drastically in Angola...

This is episode 23 and we’re dealing with the fallout from Operation Savannah which began in October 1975 and ended in March 1976. What started as the deepest and fastest invasion of any country by a mobile army since World War Two turned into a strategic blunder for the South Africans. The South African Defence Force battle groups had fought well and the opportunity had presented itself ear...

This is episode 22 and we’re looking at the end of Operation Savannah which was winding down by early January 1976. We have dealt with various Battle Groups setup by the South Africans as they sought to secure southern Angola – including Foxbat and last week, Orange which had experienced a major battle south of Quibala. A fourth battle group called X-Ray led by Commandant SWJ Kotze had...

This is episode 21 – the Battle for Bridge 14 Part II – and the trials and tribulations of a new outfit called Battle Group Orange. When we left off last episode Commandant Kruys’ men of Foxbat had succeeded in driving Fapla and their Cuban allies back from the important Bridge over the Nhia river south of Catofe. What happened now was a debate about whether or not the South Afri...

This is episode 20, the Battle at Bridge 14. Operation Savannah was supposed to be winding down but two of the most important clashes were to take place at the tail end of this op. I explained last week how the Bridge over the Nhia River near the town of Catofe was seen by both the MPLA and the SADF as a key position. It lay 250 kilometers away on the main road from Luanda to the capital’s S...

This is episode 19 and we’re dealing with the fallout after the Battle of Ebo, and the preamble to the next battle for Bridge 14. As the battle of Ebo ended, terrible news emerged about the shooting down of one of the crucial spotter planes. Remember last episode I mentioned Captain Williamson who helped locate the missing 5 South Africans mechanised troops who’d managed to survive the...

This is episode 18 and folks back home were in for a bit of a shock. The invasion of Angola by the SADF during Operation Savannah had been an exercise in support of both Unita and the FNLA – but the government had said that the South Africans were merely technical support. The reality was hundreds of SADF troops were directly involved in the fighting – and had fought all the way to sou...

This is episode 17 and we’re approaching the end of Operation Savannah which had started out so well but was rapidly turning into a strategic nightmare for the South Africans. One of the fastest mechanised invasions since World War Two had resulted in the SADF now deep into Angola – and in the case of Brigadier Roos who was a liaison officer based in Ambriz with the FNLA – he was...

This is episode 16 and we’re covering Operation Savannah which took place between October and December 1975. That was the invasion of southern Angola by the South African Defence Force in response to the outbreak of a civil war in the country involving the three main independence movements that had fought against Portuguese colonial rule. These were the MPLA, Unita and the FNLA. Our focus in...

On the 7th November 1975 Zulu’s Battle Group Alpha were on the road to the South African’s next goal, Lobito. It’s a bay just north of Benguela which had just been seized by the SADF and handed over to UNITA forces after a crucial fight for the airport. The MPLA military arm FAPLA had decided that Lobito would be too difficult to defend against a twin South African assault &ndash...

This is episode 14 – the assault on the port city of Benguela its airport which was not going to be easy as you’ll hear. As the South African Task Force Zulu approached the city they continued mopping up towns as they went. Near Caimbado a group of Portuguese police appeared who were part of the interim government. They warned Commandant Jan Breytenbach of Battle Group Bravo that there...