Speaker 1Welcome back to South African Border Wars with me your host Des Latham. This is episode 12 and we're covering the first weeks of Operation Savannah which began in October 1975. Battle group Zulu had entered Angola and then turned east first then west and finally south to attack the major town of Anjiva from the north. After taking Anjiva Zulu would turn back northwesterly towards Zangongo and then head onwards to the port of Namibia. As we heard last episode however there was chaos in southern Angola. The MPLA held Anjiva along with the armed wing FAPLA while the area featured patches of both UNITA and MPLA units along with FNLA towards central Angola. Some elements of the Portuguese army remained in places such as in the port of Lobito which was an additional challenge. Furthermore Cubans were on the ground along with Russian advisors. We heard how last episode Zulu had been confronted on the road south to Anjiva by elements of UNITA who probably confused the South Africans with Portuguese troops or were just in a mood to start shooting at anything. After they were sent packing from the town of Kuvalai the battle group continued on its way. On Sunday 19th October 1975 Zulu swung from the north and Hangcha a short distance from Anjiva then formed a defensive position about five kilometers outside the settlement. Battle group Bravo was based to the north alongside the road and battle group Alpha to the south. A machine gun section was sent further south of the village to cut off the main road to the town of Zangongo. The attack on Anjiva started at 1.15 on the 19th October with a mortar barrage aimed at MPLA troops who were stationed at the old Portuguese troop barracks. The MPLA fired back killing one member of the group and the rest of the troops. The MPLA were attacked by Alpha group wounding five. Meanwhile the machine gun section ran headlong into an MPLA company which was lying in wait along the road into town. Alpha group's bushman or sand troops laid down heavy fire from their freight truck that were behind sandbags set up on the back. In the rush to move the truck into a better position it became bogged down in a nearby plowed field. Still the battle did not last long. Instead of the 300 or 400 MPLA troops expected in Anjiva there were actually only four. The MPLA troops were sent to Anjiva to fight against the army but only 150. They were overcome rapidly and retreated leaving the town, which the SADF radio operators called Papadez, in South African hands. That's because its name came from the colonial name which was Pereira de Eixo. So the SADF units set up another position west of Anjiva on the main road through to Zangongo, their next target. The idea was to hand over Anjiva to UNITA or FNLA soldiers who were on their way. They were also waiting for a flight from Rundu to land carrying supplies for the SA Defence Force before they were able to get to Anjiva. The SADF units were supposed to be on their way to Anjiva before they would head off to Zangongo. This town was important for the MPLA as it was their headquarters in the Kaneni district and it was decided that Noddy Cars or Elant 90s should join the coming battle to take the town. The intelligence report suggested that Zangongo was defended by around 200 MPLA troops. Another SADF unit was approaching from the northwest along with elements of the Exorcito Le Bortacao de Portugal or ELP group. Remember I mentioned they were the small breakaway unit that were a form of Portuguese soldiers who joined those fighting for the liberation of Angola. They were part of a motorized attack force, also comprised of an infantry battalion commanded by Major Chris Prinzler and they were bolstered by 81mm mortars. The big problem for Prinzler is he had no idea where battle group Zulu had ended up. It so happened that they were now on the road towards him with the strategic town of Zangongo between them. Also on their way were Noddy Cars, the Elant 90s sent from Pretoria. Unfortunately they had been painted with Viva Unitas signs on the side which did not go down well with the ELP soldiers such as the reality of sectarian warfare. So on the 20th of October this little motorized force attacked Humbe, a small town a few kilometers northwest of Zangongo on the main road. Zulu was still on its way from the south from Anjiba. Commandant de Toys Elant swung south of Zangongo opening fire with cannon and mortars and took the defenders completely. They had been fixated on the south east side where battle group Zulu had been drawn up and they did not expect this flanking maneuver. Commandant de Toys Elant were then ordered to turn around and attack Piu Piu, 23 kilometers north on the main road towards the port of Namabe because it was a major training base for the MPLA. Unfortunately the ELP company decided they'd rather loot Humbe and its single bottle store instead of fighting onwards immediately. They were supposed to set up a bridgehead on the road to the west of the port of Namabe but they were not able to do so. They were supposed to set up a bridgehead on the road to the west of the port of Namabe but they were too drunk to set up the defensive position. The MPLA were mobilizing further north and sent a number of tanks from the Kaneni district towards Zangongo. It's now time for the SADF to take both Piu Piu and Zangongo thought Zulu task group commander Colonel Van Heerden but before doing so he decided he'd better check out the MPLA defenses for himself. He climbed aboard a spotter plane and flew at low level towards Zangongo but suddenly realized that the armored vehicles he saw below were actually SA Defense Force Elans. The town had already fallen and the MPLA troops base there had run away. At this point the state security agency back in South Africa gave the formal go-ahead for the armored vehicles to merge with Zulu. As you'll recall there's a great deal of secrecy about the involvement of the South African Defense Force in the conflict but it was thought the time had come to bolster the force heading towards Namabe just in case they came across heavy weapons. This motley crew then drove onwards on the road northwesterly resting 120 kilometers later near Chebembe. And here is an irony more than 100 years earlier a group of trek boers had made the same trip ostensibly to settle in the highlands to farm invited by the Portuguese. Remember I mentioned this in an earlier podcast where we probed the early colonial period. Now the descendants of some of these boers were driving along the same road towards Namabe. The town of Humpata is around 20 kilometers south of Lubongo which was the first place to see the SADF. The SADF was the first place to see the SADF. The SADF was the first place to see the SADF. was the capital of the Huila district. One of the characteristics of this region was its large number of white inhabitants as it was high-lying and generally cooler than the lowlands to the south. There were a host of small towns on the roads approaching Lubongo which could also be a problem as the South Africans planned their attack. Intelligence reports indicated there were around 1,000 MPLA troops stationed in Lubongo reinforced by heavy weapons including armored vehicles mortars and machine guns. This battalion had fought off at least one unitter attack and they were regarded as a serious threat to any force trying to take the town. There was more bad news. A number of Cuban advisors were also based in Lubongo as well as Frelimo soldiers from Mozambique just to give a sharp edge to the coming battle. One thing stood in the SADF's favor and that was the speed at which they were moving. The fact that they'd managed to scoot 120 kilometers in one day and get quite close to Lubongo had stymied the MPLA plan to send tanks from Luanda to help defend the town. By 3 o'clock of the 22nd October 1975, the SADF had already overrun another small town called Jarao de Almeida, catching the MPLA units there by surprise. When they entered the houses, many still had uneaten plates of food on the tables and still warm. A group of FNLA troops were left behind as the SADF pressed on. These FNLA were led by a much feared Portuguese special forces officer known as Danny Roxa. Streams of refugees were passed along the southern coast of Lubongo, heading southwards towards the South West African border, and some of these provided useful information about the MPLA positions. The task force took cover overnight at Chibembe, around 43 kilometers south of Lubongo. Some of the refugees had seen FAPLA troops taking cover on the main road not far away, so Commandant Delville Linford led Battle Group Alpha as they set off to attack MPLA. Here they came across a determined company of FAPLA soldiers at Umpata at about 5 o'clock in the evening and an intense firefight developed which continued through the early evening until eventually Alpha overran the defenders. Two sand soldiers of Alpha were wounded in that firefight and evacuated back to Rundu. Apparently it was going to be a challenge to take Lubongo. Firstly, there was thick vegetation and secondly, the road wound through hilly territory, ideal places to set up an ambush or two. Battle Group Bravo cleared out the MPLA as they moved towards Lubongo. The first ambush was easily overcome but it was not easy. In the middle of the night, RPG-7 rocket attacks followed heavy fire from mortars. Again, the MPLA wilted in the face of the SA Defence Force's aggressive tactics, leaving behind two recoilless 82mm cannon and a 122mm rocket launcher, as well as piles of ammunition. It was the SA Defence Force's first sight of the Russian 122mm rocket, or the "Red Eye" as troops nicknamed it, a weapon that would become feared in upcoming battles. On the main road to Lubongo is a point known as Kilometre 16, 16 clicks to the town in other words. The MPLA had set up another ambush there but once more, the defenders fired a few desultory shots before running off, leaving weapons and vehicles behind. It was now that the fleeing MPLA soldiers began to spread the narrative that the South Africans were not only involved, they were using helicopter gunships along with tanks and artillery. This was not true, but the effect was to galvanize the Cubans and Russians into action. Whispers began of a mystery of the South Africans pushing northwards out of South West Africa. A combination of mercenaries and Portuguese soldiers who were rushing. supposedly towards Luanda the capital. A panicked MPLA leadership ordered Lubongo defended to the last man and then sent an armored column from Namibia on the coast to the inland strategic town. They were reinforced with RPGs 60 millimeter 82 millimeter and 120 millimeter mortars as well as armored vehicles. Lubongo is a picturesque town based 1,500 meters up in the highlands of Angola and lies at the foot of a range of hills. Surveying the limited maps he had task force Zulu commander Colonel van Heerden ordered the airfield taken first. So Commandant Breitenbach and his Chependa units were sent to seize the important airfield. This was not going to be easy. There were 200 FAPLA troops based there well dug in and in excellent positions. It was decided to launch the attack in the late afternoon so that any FAPLA counter-attack would have to be at night far more difficult to manage than during the day. As the attack began at 3 p.m. a large four-engine transport plane suddenly appeared overhead. Apparently it was carrying the extra mortars and ammunition requested by the MPLA in Lubongo but flew off when it was clear that a battle had developed. The armored vehicles overran their positions leaving around 30 FAPLA dead including the commander Quintinho. Also wounded was a head of propaganda in the region a man by the name of de Oliveira. He was Portuguese but had decided to join the MPLA. He was the first FAPLA to join the MPLA. He was the first FAPLA to join the MPLA. He was the first FAPLA to join the MPLA. He was the first FAPLA to join the MPLA. He was the first FAPLA to join the MPLA. He was the first FAPLA to join the MPLA. He was the first FAPLA to join the MPLA and was now caught by the S.A.D. Defense Force fire. His car was peppered with bullets and his wife was killed but he was captured with a hand wound. De Oliveira's capture was a propaganda coup for the S.A.D. Defense Force who almost let him go. It was the FNLA troops and Task Force Zulu who refused to release him and during interrogation his real identity emerged after he initially claimed he was just a civilian. Ninety prisoners were taken and the head of intelligence Major Dries van Koele wanted to hold these men, particularly de Oliveira, and use their power to fight. The task force then turned its attention to taking Lubongo itself. They knew that an artillery unit was stationed at a high point called Monte Cristo. That was one target, the second was the downtown area itself and the third was the military base on the east side of town. While some troops were detached to monitor the road south to Humpata, the rest of Alpha Battle Group launched an attack on Monte Cristo at dawn the next day, 24th of October, along with ELP soldiers. Bravo Battle Group entered the town from the south at the same time and began clearing defensive positions including an artillery battery. It was also raining and the altitude meant the men were extremely cold. They had not been issued with raincoats when they set off weeks earlier and now the lack of clothing was hampering their advance. While they were trying to stay warm, Battle Group Bravo targeted the old Portuguese barracks now held by MPLA. They mortared the barracks but the rounds fell short. Still, the troops inside the barracks turned tail and disappeared into the gloom of the night. Alpha then failed to take Monte Cristo as the rain intensified. The men were told to huddle in place and await further orders. The next day dawned. It was found that all FAPLA and MPLA units had retreated from the high ground, leaving the large town to the South Africans. It was when they began searching the area they discovered a trove of weapons left behind. These included 1,000 PPSH 7.62mm submachine guns, a pile of RPG-2 anti-tank weapons, 8mm mortars, 2 unused 82mm recoilless guns, 45 tons of AK-47 ammunition as well as 7.62mm rounds for the FN automatic rifles, a large amount of hand grenades and 122mm Red Eye rockets. There was also a few thousand kilograms of explosives. Equally useful was the discovery of a cache of clothing including ponchos and raincoats. The Americans now mounted the 82mm recoilless cannon on their vehicles. This was an excellent weapon, accurate over 1,400 meters but could fire fairly accurately up to 4 kilometers. This was going to be extremely useful in some of their upcoming battles as we will hear. However, the SADF attempt at keeping their involvement in the civil war in Angola secret had failed. By 23rd and 24th October, media reports circulated internationally that there were white South Africans fighting in a column and this was now confirmed by members of their allies, the ELP. They had radioed each other saying the South Africans were liberating the region which did not go down well in Pretoria and the MPLA had picked up the radio calls. Before this it could have been plausibly denied until of course the first bodies or prisoners appeared and so far the South Africans had been able to cazevac their wounded to the south. No one had shown up as prisoners but the SADF had been rumbled. Taking stock of the situation by late October, Task Force Zulu had succeeded over the previous 9 days in pushing far into Angola while to the north east Task Force Foxbat in central Angola was facing an MPLA counter offensive. Zulu was still on its way to the coast. The next target was Namibia while in central Angola Foxbat under the command of Eddie Webb and Van der Waals were trying to coordinate their next moves. Initially they were told to head towards Lobito directly westwards but this had become more difficult as UNITA and MPLA forces were locked in combat along the route. In the meantime the South Africans had been sent back to the south east of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of the KwaZulu-Hawaii border. The South Africans had been sent back to the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. The South Africans had been sent back to the south east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii in the north east direction of KwaZulu-Hawaii. kinds of mutual support which was duly noted by the South Africans. While task force Zulu took up positions ready for the night a captain of the Portuguese paratroop regiment 150 strong stationed in Namibia appeared suddenly with a white flag. He announced he did not want to fight but also told Vanierden that there were three freighters at anchor in the port, a Greek, Italian and Portuguese but there was also a heavily armed Portuguese frigate or corvette protecting these freighters. Colonel Vanierden knew that the guns on this ship would have destroyed task force Zulu and he had to find a way to take the port without the dangerous Portuguese vessel taking potshots at them. In the morning when we attack I will blast your ship out of the water with my artillery warned Vanierden lying through his teeth. He had no artillery and the next morning on the 28th of October the task force began to move and then they saw that the frigate had gone and the streets were blocked. As they approached the harbour area a company of FAPLA troops opened fire. The officers who had flown in the previous day were leading this unit including Cubans. They were overcome fairly rapidly without further SAD of casualties. Tons of military equipment was seized and food and uniforms as well. By 0900 the port town of Namibia was in SA Defence Force hands. All senior officers and the rest of the MPLA units had fled northwards on the coastal road towards Benguela or Lobito and Vanierden was suddenly aware that as he progressed from here on he had faced far more potent resistance. The Portuguese paratroop company was allowed to fly out that day to Luanda. They were on their way back to Europe anyway and wanted no further part of this African war. On the 29th of October UNICEF's Jonas Savimbi addressed a press conference in Lusaka where he said his men had taken the port but a day later the MPLA released their own press report saying Namibia had fallen to South Africans. Strategically Pretoria had a big problem. The international repercussions were going to be swift but for now Task Force Zulu could bask in their military success with many more to come along with a few defeats. The disconnect between what the politicians wanted and what the army was doing was going to become more of a problem shortly. But the amount of FAPLA ammunition and weapons they'd seized could arm a battalion of men while Alpha Battle Group secured the area around the port. Bravo was left to ensure no looting broke out as they waited for either UNITA or the FNLA to take over. During taking of the port one South African had been shot in the arm possibly by a sniper. He was airlifted back to Rundu for treatment. Otherwise it had been a miraculous few days of warfare for the Defence Force. Casualties about a dozen and yet they had seized well over two dozen towns and villages and seized Angola's southern port of Namibia. We must halt right now and secure the perimeter. Next episode we'll hear more of this. about the Central Angolan battlefront and a political decision in the United States that would have major repercussions for the South Africans. Please rate the podcast on iTunes if you have the inclination. You can also send me an email through the website abwarpodcast.com or direct message me on Twitter at Des Lathan. Until next, goodbye. Subtitles by the Amara.org community
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