Episode 39 – Both the SADF and SWAPO reorganise and 61 Mech is born

[Music] Welcome back to South African Border Wars with me, your host, Des Leifin. This is episode 39 and Swampo is just mortared Katima Murilo as revenge for the airborne assault on the casingot. Ten S.A.D. of troops died in the bombardment as you've heard. A single red eye rocket accounted for the deaths as the men huddled in a prefabricated building in the early hours of 2030 August 1978. Combat team Bravo had set off about an hour after the bombing of Katima and as we've heard they found that Swampo had retreated from the forward bases. However, Combat Team Alpha was going to find things a little hotter. They set out a dawn on the 24th and crossed the cut line at 0700-05 and half an hour later caught up with Swampo's rear guard. Fire was exchanged without any losses and then just before 8am the Combat Team ran into an ambush. A high volume of small arms fire was set loose in Alpha's direction and their return fire killing five Swampo troops but around 50 others made it off into the bush. Just after 8am Alpha discovered a Swampo base but it had already been hastily evacuated. Helicopter support was called in and at 0925 another group of Swampo was discovered a short distance away, six more were killed and that sharp exchange. Meanwhile the parent troopers had arrived from South Africa and were chopped into be used as a stopper group north of another base. Combat team Alpha moved in and over and that base killing another seven Swampo soldiers. One of the SEDF troops was also wounded. Nothing more was reported and then Alpha Bibbao act in the bush close to the parent troopers who also settled in for the night west of their position. The next morning they were on the move early and found a Mercedes-Benz lorry near their Ingrési Pools area which was loaded with 82mm mortar bombs, three cases of 14.5mm ammunition and 25 RPG7 missiles as well as other equipment. While Swampo was on the run the Zambians were a completely different kettle of fish. They had begun to mortar Katimumulilo once more and artillery was also now involved. Because the Zambians had moved their SA7 anti-aircraft missile positions the SADIF had completely missed these in their follow up operations. Starting before dawn they had been peppering the base once more after holding fire for a few hours. Because the SAF was likely to deploy aircraft overhead and bombing raids, Katimumulilo 140mm battery began homing in on the Zambian SA7s eventually silencing all of it. The SADIF believed they had been hit but it's not true. All that happened was the Zambians decided it was safer to hold their fire. Then, at 0730 the Zambians at Sasheki opened fire with their mortars once again and the SADIF responded with their own mortar fire. This was a long distance duel which continued until past 10 that morning. The meeting was taking place in La Saka at around the same time involving the Zambian National Defence Force High Command, who decided to send reinforcements to the Sananga Front. They also planned to dispatch a battalion for deployment on the Zambian West in front to prevent the SADIF from crossing the Zambisi River. The SADIF was also busy clearing small villages of any vehicles they could find and equipment. While they found nothing of significance for some reason the raid has seized muskets and 375 caliber big game weapons along with medical supplies. They took away two buses and a CD's lorry, a Ford 3-ton truck, a Land Rover and Zambian flags. That of course was rather punitive the flag but later they tried to return the looted goods with Zambians prefer to ignore the SADIF calls for people to come and retrieve their personal belongings. Anyway at 1414 another long-range duel was logged when Zambians had sasheki fired an anti-aircraft shell and two mortar bombs at a super-frile helicopter which had just landed at Katima Mali-Li-Lu. It was carrying generals Fulyun or Rodgers Gleason and Haldeneis as well as the South-West African Namibian Administrator General Judge Martina Stain. This later the SADIF 140 mil guns dropped six shells on the Zambians positions, silencing them once more. The SADIF though was only just getting started. While most civilians in the south of Zambia abutting their Caprivi had now fled, General Milan back in Petrovia gave a new order at 1800 hours that night. He wanted another follow-up operation to drive at least 100 km north of the Katlan into Zambia between the Zambizi and Kwondo rivers. But the troops had only until midnight on the 25th of August to complete that assignment. There was a bit of too-en-fro, eventually the date was extended to the 28th, but Petrovia was growing more nervous about a security council debate in the UN following the clashes of the last 24 hours. In the end the South Africans didn't extend as far as 100 km north of the Katlan and most of the follow-up operation was conducted into empty bases. Swapo had disappeared into the bush. A bit like the boors used to do against the British during the Anglo-Bural War living to fight another day. Still, the SADIF was bombed a few of these empty bases for good measure. By August 26th only one base had shown any inclination to fight, and that was a Zambian defense force base at Sinsenbeller. An anti-aircraft gun base they opened up on the SADIF was helicopters and after they used the large loudspeakers to warn the Zambians this was a fight against Swapo, Bravo Group's gunners knocked out the weapon, although no Zambian soldier was actually killed or wounded as they had sought shelter when the return fire began. Some of the bases the SADIF rated had been empty for longer than a fortnight, so it was with some frustration that the battle groups headed back south of the Katlan, which they crossed, just after 2am on August 27th. Sixteen Swapo were confirmed dead, but remember the SADIF had lost ten themselves in the Katima Moulula Barrage. This incident had shaken the South African citizens' belief in the political leadership, despite what the SABC propaganda machine was pumping out at the time. The events had set in motion a process that was to cause Swapo some grief as well. As they launched their bombing attack, Austrian General Hannes Philipp was in South Africa and he was the designated commander of a proposed UN peacekeeping force. He was supposed to be coordinating the force and supervising upcoming elections in accordance with UN Resolution 435. The general was being kept abreast of the latest Swapo attack and the Katima Moulula bombing was not good news for Swapo in the broader scheme of things. They were also now regarded as loose cannons by some neutral observers. From a tactical point of view, the entire Operation Randia and the follow-ups including Swapo's revenge operation had been watched with much interest by the airborne community around the world. The United States, UK, Soviet Union, France, Germany and Israel all had significant airborne forces at the time. Most of these were airlifted in and out of operations using helicopters while some were still parachute trained. So the decision by the SADF to drop over 340 paratroopers onto a town 250 kilometres behind enemy lines was studied closely. Kasinga and Randia's tactical and operational effect on the border war itself was not considerable. I know that some I've spoken to will take issue with this. However, we really have to analyse war as part of politics. Anything else is just boys with bayonets, letting of steam or the act of mercenaries you kill for the love of killing and a fast buck. That may be a professional's motivation, but in the end there has to be an end. Your means create that end and that end has to be political. And because of this, Pretoria had failed. But now the military hawks in the National Party were ascendant, PW Butter, Magnus Malin and the heir to the army Constantine for you. All were deeply influenced by military solution which they believed would defeat both Swapu and the ANC and PSC back home in a kind of warped political logic. Warped because all these men really cared about was remaining in political power by a grandstanding to their folk. So I wanted a few hundred white males died for their skewed political strategy. I interviewed PW Butter years later at his home in George after he'd been booted from power by FW Declank in a cabinet rebellion and PW was very clear about what he expected. If white's wanted power he said they should fight and the young men die for this apartheid principle. He of course could make this grandiose statement because he was too old to jump out of a pumer and would never personally be called onto face in AK-47 or RPG at close range. There's always some decaying politician somewhere enjoying the luxurious trappings of power who calls for violence or war from the safety of their bulletproof limousine. Butter's own life though had been deeply influenced by a war although he had no direct military experience. His mother was a survivor of the British concentration camps during the Anglo-Wore war and Butter himself joined the militarised Osaba-Branfakh which supported the Nazis during the Second World War. Butter fell out with the movement when they supported the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941 and from then on Butter committed himself to Christian nationalism instead of nationals socialism. Well, back to the SADF which needed an upgrade in 1979 including more bulletproofing. So it was then that 44 parachute brigade was created consisting of three parachute battalions up later to fall. There would be supported by a 120mm mortar battery and support troops all parachute trained. This entire brigade could be dropped behind enemy lines except for one logistic reactor. The SADF did not have enough air force airlifting capacity, not in a plane or choppers. So for the remainder of the war, paratroopers would be driven around as motorized infantry or dropped behind swabs or insurgents as stopper groups. The fact that Kassinger had been on the brink of disaster, unnerved the high command and enthusiastic paratrooper commanders like Kunul-Yun Braytenbach, Frank Besbier, Archimur and Mac Alexander could not convince the SADF otherwise. What was regarded as a clear case of success was the overland attack by motorized units that had focused on Chittikweta. The Rathl had been baptized during the SADF and it was much more meaningful in its overall effect on future planning, and the Rathl design itself was to change slightly based on the Chittikweta leg of Operation Rania. The SADF also realised that the radio system was to funked. The General Troopy on the ground found it difficult to maintain contact with their air support and they found it even more difficult communicating with each other. New radio equipment would be needed to solve this, but it was not immediately available. Swapo had learned a few lessons too. They had been static in Kassinger at a base laid out with bunkers and trenches and buildings easily identifiable by air, not exactly the clearest way to create a non-conventional defendable position. After this, Swapo would make things more difficult for the SADF by spreading their bases out over a much larger area with covered bunkers replacing buildings and everything was not camouflaged. Swapo also began moving their bases around so that SADF intelligence became outdated quickly. By early 1979 General Heldon has admitted that the plan and Swapo decision to atomise their bases, moving them about in a way from each other, had totally disturbed the intelligence picture we had built up. General Yanny Heldon is wrote later that the entire episode had a wider impact than merely bringing an end to insurgency in Caprivi. It had an impact on the war in the Angola itself. He was now fully supportive of the concept of a permanent mechanised unit in Northern South Africa that could be used in future cross-border ops. Battle group Juliet had been an ad hoc outfit as it headed towards Chatequetta in May 1978. So now the heavy equipment would be stored in Krutvantain to be used by another ad hoc unit when the opportunity arose. In October 1978 General Konstant Vilyunov pointed the first commander of a permanent mechanised warfare unit in the operational area and of course Komodant Johann or Dippie Stupinar was the man deleted. And so 61 mechanised battalion group came into being on January 1st 1979 consisting of two mechanised infantry companies in Rathall 20s and Armoured Car Troop in the Irland 90s later they'd be travelling in the powerful Rathall 90s. Also embedded a 140mm G2 battery from 4 artillery field regiment, a support company and a combat engineer troop from 16 maintenance unit. Later on a tank squadron was also added but that's for later. 61 Mech as it was known was established in a remote area of Ambulant called Amutia where their maneuvers were out of sight. And 61 Mech was a totally new idea in the SEDF instead of an orthodox battalion or Armoured regiment being brought together along with artillery it was a single unit on a battalion and regimental level. This unit's first action would take place in June 1980 during Operation Skeptic and after that every single operation across the border would see 61 Mech taking part. Furthermore, three other units including two side, four side and eight side would be molded on the 61 Mech template. Back to politics and by now the United Nations regarded Swapper as the sole representative of the people of Namibia. South West Africa commander Yani Keldnase was at pains to point out to you in officials on the ground that their people's liberation army of Namibia Swappers armed wing was behind the bombardment of Ketimumulilu and as we know the only building hit in the town was a school. However, the residents of Ketimumulilu blamed the South Africans, saying the bombing of this school only took place because they'd set up a military base there. For Swapper there were now serious questions about its strategy. The Zambians were less than happy about being put in harm's way. In the meantime the political process had ground to a halt. There was no way that you in Resolution 435 could be implemented and the hope for negotiated settlement had reached an on pass so it was decided to call for elections in 1978 anyway. South Africans of course knew that Swapper would not be involved so it was safe to go ahead. Swapper, Julian Unst, it would not participate and furthermore it would launch a plan to wreck the elections. Given the violence already taking place across of Umbuland and southern Angola, this did not bode well. While the SAD of trying to increase security it was not possible. It taxed mining of roads and the killing of South African linked officials dragged on through the rest of the year. As PW Butter wanted, the military option in South African Amiria had not yet played out. More blood and tears would flow. Thousands more would die. Turning to the political effect, PW Butter had now replaced John Foster as par minister and Butter was all for bloodletting. He immediately authorized two more cross-border raids at Ex-Stok into Angola and Safran into Zambia which was set for March 1979. The buffeting of this region was eventually going to prove too much for Zambian president Kenneth Kaundra who was embarrassed by Swapper's presence in his country. Consequently he halted all plan and military action in his territory. And a pattern had begun to develop. During the rainy season, insurgency would increase as Swapper used the thicker bush and easy access to water. It was extremely difficult to find their bases during the summer. Tracks would wash away, vegetation would hide movement. The S.A.D.F figured out that their conventional cross-border raids would have to take place in the dry winter months when it was easier to move vehicles around. And it was easier to spot danger by air and ground. Plan forces used the winter to regroup and retrain which was therefore an attractive time to aim for their bases. While all of this was going on, the S.A.D.F had managed to build an advanced capability in radio communication interception. Swapper the Cubans and Fappler never fully realised this but the majority of the radio messages were being intercepted and some decrypted. The technique employed to monitor the decryption was interesting. It was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. The S.A.D.F never managed an entire interception. It was always small chunks that would build a pattern. And from there the S.A.D.F would build intelligence. Of course the Cubans, Fappler and Swapper were doing the same in reverse. Most S.A.D.F vets in the signaling core deny this was of any significance. However, it cannot be denied that the enemy was receiving state of the art support from the Soviets and Eastern Germans amongst others. Swapper and plans deployment also shifted at this time. The headquarters of Swapper's armed force was at Lubango, the town we heard about during Operation Savannah. That was where the Tobias Hanyeko training centre could be found. Swapper had also divvied up the three fronts, Western, Central and Eastern. In the west, units were headquartered at Kahama. The central forces were organised from Kubeleye and the Eastern Front was managed from Gloomir and Putturonanga. In addition Swapper had a small mechanised brigade of its own which was based far behind the cutline to the north, about 2500 men strong and this spent most of its time fighting Unita. Swapper had four semi-conventional battalions of between 100 and 350 men around Kasinger as well. Clan was mostly stationed in Kunei province in southwestern Angola and that's where the S.A.D.F were to attack regularly over the next few years. And now Swapper launched its next important strategic tactic which was to send trained men and women through a vambaland in order to target the areas further south, the rich farming areas. These were the lands around Krutfontein, Tsunip and Ottavi and the idea was to terrorise white farmers and politicise their workers. The first attack of significance was coming up in the next year, the 8th of May 1979, when 30 insurgents crossed the cutline and attacked two farmhouses and killed a grandfather, a grandmother and two young children. That would be answered by an attack by 61 mech as we'll hear. Once again Swapper held the initiative and in February 1979 they made their move. That's for next episode. If you'd like to make contact send me an email by my side, abwoolpodcross.com where you can direct message me on Twitter @dearslavin. Until next, BospateAnne Totsin. [Music]