Speaker 1Welcome back to South African Border Wars with me, your host, Des Latham. This is episode 53. Operation Protea has been underway for five days in the town of Anjiba, has just been bombed by the Air Force, then bombarded by artillery. As you heard last episode, Battle Group 10 managed to sort out the area immediately west of the town. Now 2-0 and 3-0 were going to bypass Anjiba between the airport and the CBD and strike at targets from the northwest. 3-0 was heading directly for the airport, which was going to prove a difficult target. It was D plus 4 and it was going to be eventful for the SA Air Force. The main feature would be the sustained air attacks on military installations and anti-aircraft sites surrounding both the airfield and the town at Anjiba. The aerial bombing was in support of the ground assault you heard about last episode. Task Force Alpha was well on its way to seizing Anjiba. But first, we'll hear about a series of events that befell Captain Rani Akit, leading the first strike in his Mirage 3, supported by a second Mirage 3D2 crewed by Major Ben Arnaldi and Lieutenant Frans Vermaak. Their target was one of the AAA sites on the north side of Anjiba runway. Each aircraft was armed with two pods of 68mm, and they were armed with 2,000mm rockets. The plan was to approach at 20,000 feet, then roll in from the east out of the sun. The air crews on that day were somewhat agitated. The night before the attack, a sky-shout light aircraft was sent over Anjiba to drop pamphlets warning citizens that an attack was imminent. The Air Force pilots believed the warning was going to be fatal because they relied on surprise to survive and the Angolans would be ready. And yet everyone in southern Angola at this point was fully aware that Anjiba was probably the next target, as the SATF had rolled over Zangongo, then turned southeast and hit Mongua, which was on the main route to Anjiba. You don't need a doctorate in navigation to figure out where the powerful South African force was headed next, or at least would eventually strike. FAPLA were not sure, however, where the South Africans would strike from, and as you've also heard, had buried some of their tanks hull down facing the wrong direction, believing it was possible. So Keat and his wingman, somewhat unhappily, took off at 0700, and as they flew eastwards, visibility was almost zero because of the angled sun, along with the usual winter haze. This meant using the old navigational trick of time and distance, factoring in wind, and that worked well on this morning. Nothing like heading into war to focus the grey matter. There was one snag he had to fly past Anjiba airfield to its north, first with the field on their right, in other words, which would then give the enemy time to prepare for an upcoming attack. From what we know, FAPLA was ready anyway. Keat concentrated on the target, which he spotted visually, then rolled into a dive. He waited until the release height and fired 36 rockets, then he pulled up and headed out of the SA-7 envelope as quickly as possible. The plane went through 6 Gs, then he lit the afterburner, and as he looked back to see where his rockets had landed, he spotted the target. He spotted the telltale red dot sign of an SA-7 in front of the airfield control tower. That dot got bigger, and he realized it was a missile, so Keat pulled back, hoping that it would be confused by his heat signature disappearing, and flew straight towards the missile at the same time he cut the afterburners. Too late! He felt a thump as the SA-7 hit his mirage. The panel lit up like a Christmas tree, and moments later his wingman popped up nearby and said that the missile had damaged the tailpipe. No more afterburners then, and the ATAR engine was also damaged. There was very little hydraulic pressure left, so he headed back to Ondongwa, managing to control the plane, then landed without brakes at over 250 km/h. If his drag chute had failed, he would have crashed through the security fence at the end of the runway, but fortunately, the chute deployed. He landed and stopped the expensive plane without incident. The ground crew replaced the Mirage's tail section and engine within three days. I wonder if SA Air Force crews can operate that quickly these days. Meanwhile on the ground, Battle Group 3-0 had started out well, heading south-easterly, then turning hard south. Combat Teams 1, 2 and 3 hit withering anti-aircraft fire near the airport and called for support, but the rattles were also kept away because FAPLA had learned to place troops with RPG-7s near the guns to make sure that the SAGF armoured vehicles kept their distance. Mortar teams were called in, and by 15:30, the defenders had been overcome. Then the airfield was assaulted by Combat Team 1-0 under Major J.A. Victor, who attacked from east to west along the runway. The enemy resistance was fierce, as it had been at other airports in Angola. FAPLA had lowered their anti-aircraft guns, which were a menace, and the paratroopers in particular were forced to take cover. The entire advance stopped as the troops kept their heads well and truly glued to the sandy soil. 1-0 was now in a straggly line. Some of the SAGF troops had dropped off the buffles and basically gone to ground immediately. The fire was so intense. As Paribat Granger-Korf explained to Leopold Scholtz later, they were pinned down. We could not move. We could not even look up. Never mind shoot back. Sand kicked up around us in terrifying sprays. One of the Elant 90s got off a shot and a T-34 tank was taken out, but this battle for the airfield was going to take place. It was going to take two more hours. I was nearby and aware things were not going well. As we moved forward in Battle Group 2-0, there were rounds bouncing off trees, sounds of intense fire constantly. As we crouched figuring out where to place our medical tent, what sounded like buzzing bees zipped around our heads. A FAPLA soldier buried up to his chest in a nearby trench could just see us and was saying hello. Troops managed to silence him with grenades. The FAPLA soldier was shot down and shot down. The FAPLA soldier was shot down and shot down. The FAPLA soldier was shot down and shot down. The FAPLA soldier was shot down and shot down. 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The SADF was going to hit Onjiva early the next day. The original plan for the assault on the strategic town had been to overcome Fapla and Swapa resistance by the 27th but by nightfall the town remained in their hands. The South Africans were going to have to fight a battle inside Onjiva, not a pleasant thought. House to house firefights are full of chaos and danger. Given how stiff the Fapla resistance had been in places, surely they'd fight for their town with even more gusto? It was an uneasy night and I must admit I didn't sleep a wink. We were all in foxholes taking turns to guard the battle group. Every bush or movement kept us on our toes. The sense of smell and hearing becomes crucial in these hours and we sniffed the air like foxes. If anyone had tried to light a cigarette we would have probably shot the offender on the spot. In the past five days I'd managed to grab only an hour or two of sleep in total per day. We hadn't shaved or washed and even normal toilet functions seemed to have ceased as our bodies learned to cope with the one meal a day regime. On the morning of the 28th the vehicles were started up and platoons prepared for the final push into the fairly large town. Most of the troops around me were moving like zombies. The SADF needn't have worried. Most of the civilians and Fapla as well as Swapo had fled during the hours of darkness. The battle group spent the day clearing up. The medical tent was moved south of the town and civilians began to appear. Some had shrapnel and other wounds and the medics began treating these. It was a bizarre sight. The medics tent was being used by the SADF to drop off hundreds of light arms so eventually a pile of AK-47s a few feet high grew outside the tent. Next to this pile was a long queue of civilians, many with babies, lining up for treatment as though we were a mobile clinic. There were malaria cases, flu, STDs, wounds while a few hundred others seemed to be milling about in the bush. They obviously felt safe around the ops medics. The medics took turns to stay on guard just in case. Then the medics handed out most of the boxes of tampons that were carried in order to stem bullet and small shrapnel wounds. Thus, the medics nickname, Tampax Tiffies, Tampax Engineers. That was obviously an insult. Of course, those insults dried up pretty quickly when a troopee was wounded. That's when they would scream for a medic, or their mother, or both. An intelligence officer arrived and began waving his arms around, pointing out that it was extremely dangerous to have all the firearms next to civilians and the AKs were removed. During these hours, medics treated hundreds of civilians. This was mostly for non-war wounds, and yet, FAPLA casualties were still stretched in, sometimes an SADF casualty, and the tarpaulin screen was then raised between the civilian side of the tent and the military. The medics always treated the SADF first, then the enemy. Sometimes angry troops would shout at the medics to let FAPLA die they had seen their brothers in arms killed or wounded. There wasn't enough time to debate the Geneva Convention with these fighters. At one point, I recall, there was a discussion that we were stemming the bleeding of a serious casualty, while adjacent, a baby was being born in the civilian area of the partitioned tent. The medics and some of the troops gathered around the child born in the medics' tent. Blood that flowed on one side of the partition was death, and on the other, life. Caked with gore, I do believe, some of us smiled. Ten South Africans had died taking on GIVA, more than 30 were wounded, but FAPLA and SWAPO had a catastrophic loss. Hundreds of the enemy lay wherever you looked, scattered across the bush and parts of the town. It was now time to bury them after removing documents, and then deciding what to do about the civilians. There were thousands of people emerging from the bush where they had taken shelter. Vast quantities of supplies were discovered, including tins of fruit and meat from European countries. These were supposed to be issued as relief to civilians, but FAPLA appeared to have co-opted these supplies. The SADF and the GIVA were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. The SADF and SWAPO were forced to move out of the town. Tons of these tins and other supplies were handed out to civilians. Then the trucks and armoured vehicles were refuelled with FAPLA fuel before the tankers were destroyed. The troops took some of the food for themselves too. Days of rat packs had left everyone famished. Some of the cash that FAPLA had tried to hide away from the banks was found and redistributed to the citizens. There were rumours at that stage about Russians. The SADF had already captured or killed many Cubans during the combat. I'd seen at least two treated when the intelligence officers began running about. Because they often spent time with the medics as they extracted information from the wounded enemy, we had got to know when something was afoot. And something was now definitely afoot. . During the morning of 28 August, a number of Soviet advisers who had survived the initial assault on Anjiba tried to make a run for it north. This was a very bad mistake. The SADF was ready for any northern movement, expecting that FAPLA would flee towards their lines, so to speak. A 3-2 battalion company under command of Major Tinnus van Staden was in position as the convoy was spotted leaving Anjiba. There were around a dozen vehicles and van Staden called in air support. Mirages and empowers were found to be in place. The SADF was forced to retreat. The SADF was forced to retreat. The soldiers responded, rolling in and bombing the convoy, and at least two Alouette gunships also added to the general chatter of automatic weapons. The Russian armoured cars and tanks exploded. The trucks were on fire. The convoy had been destroyed. 3-2 soldiers moved forward to secure the area and found the bodies of half a dozen Soviet personnel. Nearby was a Kral, a small settlement, and the 3-2 company came under fire. They immediately went on the offensive and the shooting stopped. When the South Africans investigated, they discovered two more dead Soviet officers and two dead Russian women. There was also a PLAN or SWAPO armed wing officer nearby who had been hit and he was also dead. Sitting on his haunches, staring at his dead wife Galina, was Sergeant Major Nikolai Fedorovich Pestritsov. Shocked, the Russian was taken prisoner. 13 Russians died on the 28th of August. All had tried to escape using the convoy instead of departing at night in small groups. Driving off in such a large force was the worst way to try and leave a town that had been attacked by conventional forces. Three of the Russians were lieutenant colonels, three were majors, one was a captain, another a senior lieutenant, and one a sergeant major. All the others were civilians and, according to documents on their bodies, were advisers to both PLAN and FAPLA. There was a political commissar and a translator among them. There was also a number of Russian officers who were trained and trained to be translators among these unfortunate souls. Battle Group 2-0 moved on leaving the core medical team behind and attacked Santa Clara and captured 30 tons of food and 20 tons of medical supplies at Namakunde. Onjiva remained a dangerous place. There were thousands of mines laid around it, along with booby-tramp trenches which were being cleared, and bunkers and dozens of buildings. At times the medics were called in as volunteers to stretch a wounded enemy out when they were found in possibly booby-trapped cells. They were called in as volunteers to stretch a wounded enemy out when they were found in possibly booby-trapped cells. positions. I was reversing my truck near one of these trenches and our sergeant major was screaming and waving his hands. I was thinking shut up I'm doing all I can when the co-driver whacked the door. There's an unexploded shell there you idiot he shouted. Just a few inches behind my right rear tire was an unexploded 82 millimeter mortar almost totally buried in the soft sand. In the town's outskirts as the mopping up continued we were about to enter a hut when the commanding officer yelled moment later an alouette gunship hovered directly above us and opened fire with a machine gun into the building which popped and burst into flame. Better safe than sorry. We remained in the area mopping up for the next few days. Nights would be spent heating up the remarkably tasty tins of Dutch hams followed by a Spanish fruit salad although having not eaten properly for weeks caused a fairly intense heartburn. The medics were now bivouacking at Anjiba airport and continuing to cazevac the wounded. The runway was out of action pitted with holes from both FAPLA and SADF rounds but choppers could land. This is where the operators would show up in their converted jeeps with the twin machine guns attached to the back. Years later this idea was deployed by Al Shabaab in Somalia. Land cruisers with machine guns mounted on the rear. The operators were coming to pick up their beers then they'd scoot back to the north to pick up their beers and then they'd go back to the north to pick up their beers. They'd wait in line to lay in wait for FAPLA's tanks ready to blow a major bridge. One threatened to shoot us if we touched their alcohol but eventually they shared a six-pack with the grunts that is us. An officer arrived with a soccer ball and the medics played a game on Anjiba's blasted airfield with some engineers dribbling around the blast holes. We were a mess by then bearded unwashed. That is when the international press corps pitched up. We were in the middle of a game late in the afternoon. We were in the middle of a game late in the afternoon. We were in the middle of a game late in the afternoon when two pumas circled overhead. Then they dropped and landed. A large group of journalists carrying video cameras and other reported paraphernalia ran towards the grubby troops trailed by SADF top brass without insignia. There were two things no one wore. One was sunglasses. The other was insignia. both on invitation to be shot by a sniper. One of the journalists who appeared to be German asked if we'd killed civilians and blown up the airfield. We said the airfield was sabotaged before we arrived which was true but they clearly didn't believe that. We didn't reply when it came to civilians because there were many killed or wounded we just didn't know how many. Then the intelligence blokes hustled them away glaring at us. Later our commanding officer lined us up on the blasted runway gave us a tongue lashing and said we should prepare for an inspection. I never forget the look he got from exhausted medics bloodied arms and uniforms gaunt from a lack of food and sleep. He was in real danger of being fragged I reckon. We shaved that night in cold water no fires of course but ignored the inspection order which never carried out. The SADF artillery continued bombarding the area north of Anjiva at night. The shells flying over the heads of the soldiers in the foxholes. Then we'd count the seconds as the rounds arced through the air to the northwest. One second, two seconds, up to 13 seconds or so. These were long distance shots keeping FAPLA well and truly far away but affecting our already ram-shackled sleep cycle. The intermittent fighting continued around the town. A company from Battle Group 6-0 made contact with the rearguard of a 50-strong SWAPO force near Mupa about 50 km away. 20 SWAPO were killed and almost two dozen 122mm rockets were seized. Further up that road lay Kasinga the site of the massive SA invasion in 1978. The South Africans' main aim was to move the captured material back south across the border although much of it ended up being redistributed to UNITA forces. So the next day, 29th of August reports began filtering in that the refugees from Zangongo had reached Kovango around the town of Mupa. The next day, 29th of August, reports began filtering in that the refugees from Zangongo had reached Kovango around the town of Mupa. The next day, 29th of August, reports began filtering in that the refugees from Zangongo had reached Kovango around the town of Mupa. 18 km south of Kahama on the road to Lubongo in the northwest. SADF intel also found out that SWAPO was heading south on the road to Ediva and that was to assist FAPLA units. Perhaps the Angolans and SWAPO were preparing to move south. Meanwhile, Battle Group 2-0 continued sweeping mines between Onjiva and Santa Clara. That was the last town on the main road south which was the route to be taken by most of the SADF vehicles as Task Force Alpha withdrew from Angola. Battle Group 3-0 moved up the road out of Onjiva towards Mongua picking up captured equipment and donating food and clothing to the local population. The end of Protea was in sight. Most of the men involved were beyond exhausted after more than a week of battles and movement and lack of sleep. On the 31st of August, elements of 44 Parachute Brigade deployed around 20 km west of Zangongo and that was to provide flanking cover for Battle Group 1-0's withdrawal. Later that afternoon, UNITA began arriving to take control of Zangongo and the Parabats pulled out. We saw UNITA pass, tough looking troops travelling in a mixture of Soviet and non-Soviet vehicles. Just before leaving Onjiva on the 31st of August 1981, a depot of more than 400,000 litres of fuel was discovered on the outskirts of town. All the vehicles were refuelled which took hours, then the depot was destroyed. This sent thick black plumes of smoke thousands of feet into the air. It looked like the entire town was on fire. Sporadic fighting continued. Just before sunset at 16:50, Battle Group 6-0 made contact with Swapo around 45 km north-west of Mbundu, which was far to the east of Onjiva. At least 15 of the enemy perished in the firefight. Battle Group 4-0 began a drive from Mupa heading south and Battle Group 5-0, commanded by Franz Burtus, pushed south from Nehune. By 17:30 on the 1st of September, Battle Group 1-0 crossed back into south-west Africa at Santa Clara, and over the next five days, all battle groups crossed the border. Swapo's command and control structures had been dealt a significant blow on the north-eastern front. Vast quantities of equipment had been seized or destroyed. Amongst the vehicles taken back to Oshikati in Novemberland were nine T-34 tanks. One is now parked at the Military Museum in Johannesburg. Four PT-76 amphibious vehicles were seized, along with 240 cargo trucks, 13 mobile workshops, more than a dozen fuel tankers, armoured cars, ambulances, trailers, generators, 250 tonnes of ammunition, 1,800 small arms, mainly AK-47s. Vapo had lost 46 anti-aircraft guns, 94 SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles, 43 field guns of various sizes, and two multiple rocket launchers. The South Africans had lost one Alouette gunship, while a Mirage III, an Impala, and a Dakota were damaged, but managed to fly back to base. One Rattle had been destroyed, and several Biffles were damaged by mines. More than 430 Swapo and Faipala had died, and 46 were captured. The South Africans lost 14 men dead, 61 wounded. General Jonny Heldenhuis addressed a media conference later and said Plan's command structure had been disrupted for the meantime. The logistics system had been upended, and was now ineffective. But he knew what the other senior officers knew, and what we all knew. Like water flowing downhill, Swapo would be back. For the tactical thinkers, Protia was a success. The new mobile warfare doctrine had proven effective. The SA-DF had moved quickly by military standards. They kept the enemy hopping, and always had the initiative, while Swapo and Faipala seemed happy to stay static behind their minefields, burying their tanks. But Operation Protia had been destroyed. The SA-DF had burned the last bridge with Faipala and the MPLA government. Up until then, they had preferred to keep out of the way when the SA-DF rolled into southern Angola. The blatant full frontal attack by South Africans meant Luanda was going to back Swapo to the hilt. On the other hand, there was now incontrovertible proof that the Russians were fighting deep inside Angola, which they had denied. Their bodies and the prisoner proved this. How far, though, would the Kremlin go in their response? Now that their citizens had died? And what would the Cubans do? These were very serious and threatening questions back in 1981. Right now, it's time to head to the mess hall and then swig a couple of beers, and sleep like there is no tomorrow. Please head over to my website, abwarpodcast.com. There's a link to send emails if you want to chat, or you can direct message me on Twitter, @desleif. Until next, adios. Copyright © 2020 Mooji Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved. No part of this recording may be reproduced without Mooji Media Ltd.'s express consent.
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