Speaker 1Welcome back to South African Border Wars with me, your host, Des Latham. This is episode 70. It's Operation Ascari and 61MEC has fulfilled the first part of the plan, driving FAPLA out of Kotebe and they're now approaching Kahama, which is 96 kilometers northwest of Zangonga. This was going to be a tough nut to crack. FAPLA's 2nd Brigade was ensconced in strongly fortified positions to the north and the south of the town. The defenders also had become used to SAGF and SA Air Force attacks. If you remember during Operation Protea, the Air Force had hammered radar installations at Kahama and the Reiki spent a lot of time around the little town. So after years of battering, defenses had been beefed up, bunkers were deeper, heavier weapons abounded. This was going to be the first time that the SAGF would attack Kahama directly on the ground with the aim of seizing it. Morale in the town was high prior to Ascari. FAPLA and the SWAPO units there knew that the new T-5455 tanks were a real threat to the rattles and South Africa's mechanized troops and the Angolans had also installed updated missile systems around the town. Commandant Van Lille was about to take over command of Task Force X-Ray and had been briefed by Major General George Mayring. Part of the long-term mission, he was told, was to cut off Kahama's power and water. The top brass, as I said last episode, were obsessing about overpowering the Angolans, besieging them until they broke. However, the Angolans this time were determined not to break. So the two combat groups of Task Force X-Ray, which consisted of mechanized companies of 20mm rattles, one motorized company with buffles, an armored car squadron, five troops of 90mm rattles and a 20mm aircraft section, along with one Reiki regiment, engineers, four engineers, four SA medical service sections, or elements, as they were called, four 81mm motor groups of two each and four more sections of parabats and buffles that were ready to move against Kahama. I have to list the artillery here. The G4 155mm World War II era guns had been 61 mechs go-to but were already outdated. Their range was 24km. X-Ray also had a Romeo battery with its 127mm multiple rocket launchers and Sierra with eight 140mm G2 guns with a newly installed 61 mech artillery. Because of the more accurate spotting capabilities of the South Africans, they generally outperformed FAPLA and SWAPO's artillery, but not always. FAPLA had the D31 22mm howitzer, but its range was limited to just over 15km, while the BM-21 mounted on Ural trucks could strike targets at a maximum of around 21km away. The other guns that they would bring to bear against the South Africans, however, included the 130mm with a range of 27km outdistancing the SADF's 155mm. Their D30 cannons meant that every time the SADF fired off a salvo, they would have to withdraw in the face of a salvo from FAPLA. And the other Soviet weapons used by FAPLA included the D74 122mm which could strike targets 22km away and its 76mm gun with a range of 13km. The G4 guns the SADF were dragging around the roads in the main and this was not the usual SADF attack logic. FAPLA and the Cubans tended to use the roads around southern Angola. The South Africans preferred to bundubash to keep the Angolans guessing. This is not a reflection on the gunners, nor the men who kept the G4 firing. It was a fact of design weakness. The Israelis had converted a World War II and Korean War weapon to a useful device for desert or semi-desert warfare. Its wheels were woeful in tough African muddy conditions. Busy in the air through most of the day, it was difficult to get a good look at it. The SADF had been used as an anti-aircraft weapon for a long time. The first of November and December 1983 was the SAAF's Gada remote piloted vehicle, RPV, or drone. And it had discovered the location of enemy SAA missile systems. The photographs it produced were blurry, but the location was clear. They were in positions around the town. Brigadier Joep Jobe, who commanded all SADF forces during Ascari, expected these defenders to wilt as the pressure rose through December and into January 1984. He just needed time to do this, and that's when he was on his side. Another issue arose at this point, which is not that well known. The SADF forces attacking Quetevi, Mulondo, and Kahama, in other words, the 61 Mech Combat Group in the main, were the focus, along with a second attack planned on Kuvelai. However, in what turned out to be jaw-dropping miscommunication, the planners forgot to inform the Air Force about Combat Team Delta Foxtrot, which was around 45 kilometers southwest of Kahundo on the western bank of the Kubanga River. It was around 130 kilometers east of the main target of Kubelai. And even in a puma or a mirage, that's a long way to go to offer support. Air Force Commander Dick Lord was told about this combat team at the last minute after Operation Ascari had begun. He was told merely that they were the "Deception Force" from Section 2-0 back in Southwest Africa. This was not part of the main assault. The Air Force, meanwhile, had drawn up no plans to support these men, as the DF was going to pay for their haphazard attention to detail. Delta Foxtrot included a company of four infantry platoons from 202 Battalion, a company from 7 SAI, one armored car troop, one 81mm mortar troop, a section of engineers and a 20mm anti-aircraft troop, as well as four SA-7 teams. Later, a company from one Parachute Battalion and another from 32 Battalion joined in, along with a battery of one 20mm mortars. Colonel Dion Ferreira, AKA Delta Foxtrot, commanded the force. He was Sector 2-0 Commander back in SW Africa and a former commander of 32 Battalion. So, this force of around 360 soldiers on 35 buffles, along with a couple of hundred soldiers from SW Africa's Sector 2-0, were sent in as a diversion. The problem with the whole idea is that the force ended up acting less as a single unit and more like a splintered group. Let me explain. On the 18th of December, two SA-7 teams riding in three buffles from Delta Foxtrot were outside the main defensive perimeter. It's not clear how they ended up getting themselves in this pickle. Apparently, on the night of 19th and 20th December, FAPLA reconnaissance units detected the force, then observed this isolated platoon. FAPLA command sent at least a company, but some say more like two companies of soldiers, to attack the missing platoon and killed five members, capturing one SW African Territorial Force unit. There were also four soldiers, as well as 13 light machine guns, and an assortment of other weapons, three of the vital radios with codes, a 60mm mortar and three buffles. The SAGF claimed later it was only one, but that's because their Angolans displayed only one of the three for the world media. This was the first time that FAPLA had captured any of the South African's vital armoured cars intact, and they wasted no time in showing off their new prize. The plans then changed. The SAF switched their main ops further east to Kaundo instead of concentrating on Kahama and Belondo, and this was in order to recover the fallen soldiers' bodies. These were recovered a day later during a follow-up operation with Air Force impalas and mirages assisting. However, the sudden departure from the blueprint meant less air cover for X-ray and other combat groups, and things unraveled to a certain extent for the South Africans. Kaundo remained intact despite being pounded for three weeks by Air Force Canberras and Mirages, as well as intermittent SAGF ground attacks. FAPLA's 53rd Brigade was holding fast, and this turned into a major propaganda coup for the Angolans. While this poorly planned diversion continued to play out further east, in the center of operations around Kahama, X-ray's artillery took up positions on the 21st of December. They were laying a trap for FAPLA, with the 142 and Q batteries in positions east of the town, while the rest of 61 Mech lined up to attack. Unlike Ops Protea, the defenders were now fully aware that the South Africans were probably going to assault their town from the north. As General Constant Fulun had been warning, "When you fight an enemy for long enough without a clear victory, the enemy learns all your tricks." Still, there was some hope. The SA artillery was going to use a new piece of advanced electronic equipment called the INVALS Mk I, a strange device that measured sound and distance, also known as the Q-CLOS. This was used by the South Africans to detect the enemy's attack. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. It was used by the South Africans to target the enemy. 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The idea was to carry out air and artillery strikes on various positions around the town, then try to draw the SAM-8 operators into the open and lay their hands on this weapon. The main part of that op kicked off on Christmas Eve, 24th of December 1983, with one of X-ray's combat groups wheeling off to the left, then heading south of Kahama. Spotter planes picked up that half a dozen or so FAPLA T-54-55 tanks began to move close to this group. Sierra batteries supporting 61 MEX ground forces began opening fire on the tanks, or where they thought they were, but then were ordered to break contact, but not before one of the tanks was hit. Waves of BM-21 rockets were now flying into the South African positions, and two of the combat groups moved back to avoid being targets. Then two Impala jets attacked targets around Mulondo using 68mm rockets. The weather was bad, and cumulonimbus clouds abounded, which caused issues with accuracy, and one of the Impalas, flown by Lieutenant Niels Menkes, was hit by a shoulder-fired SAM missile. He managed to make it back to Ndangwa with a damaged tail. Things were going badly on the International Diplomatic Front. An SADF chief, Konstantin Filyun, showed up at the front on the 24th of December, warning that South Africa was under pressure. He said the fighting may have to stop by the 31st of December, and OPS headquarters officers immediately said that the entire nature of Ascari would have to change. Kuvalai had always been on the list of targets, but now it was that because of FAPLA's determination to hold the town, it must be a key location in SWAPO's armed wing plan's infiltration offensive. You heard last episode how PLAN was putting together a major infiltration project for 1984, so it's natural that the strategic aim should be amended. What was not going to be acceptable was the shoddy intelligence provided to the commanding officers of the task force. The artillery duels continued around Kahama on the 29th of December as these two armies fought tit-for-tat when a rifle received a direct hit from a Soviet D-30-122 mil howitzer killing a soldier. This attritional style of fighting was not what the SAJF was good at, but the South Africans weren't going to give up so easily and then swung around to attack from the southeast. They were still after the SA-8s, but the task force once again found itself under extremely heavy artillery fire. 142 battery responded in kind. By now, the artillery duels had been going on for almost two weeks with neither side giving an inch, nor succeeding in dislodging the other. Joubert and his planners were trying to cope with the situation as they attempted to "winkle" out the SA-8s. But to no avail. There was something else that was frustrating the SAJF commanders. Unlike previous invasions, this time the Angolan foray had not led to an obvious victory. There's speculation by the veterans that this was the main reason why the campers, the "o-mana" as they were called, citizen force men, were going to be thrown into an attack repeatedly that left many dead. New orders were issued by the 28th of December. Everything had to speed up. No more probing attacks and artillery duels at distance. It was time to attack Kahama head on. X-rays commander Van Lille received his new orders on the 29th of December. He was told to attack Kahama from the south and capture the elusive SA-8. Van Lille watched his sappers complete a bailey bridge over the Kineni river on the 31st and then 61 Mek crossed the river, the first river crossing of this type by the SAJF since the Second World War. Later, they entered a fierce engagement and Van Lille told Leopold that they were going to attack Kahama. "The enemy's warning system was good, and they waited for us. When we came within range of their artillery, we drew heavy fire. My mortar platoon was in biffles, and a mortar bomb fell inside one biffle. Three were killed, four were wounded. Fapler's 82mm mortar bomb had hit a tree over the biffle, and the shrapnel had peppered everyone inside. There was little cover for the South Africans approaching Kahama, and the SAJF attack stalled well before the enemy's defense line. Meanwhile, the SAJF bombarded the town again, but Fapler had designed deep bunkers that were used to being hit by the 1,000 pound fused bombs dropped by the cameras. Then, to the South Africans' surprise, Fapler launched a counterattack. This was the first time in the entire border war. Their artillery barrage was significant, and then they forced the South Africans to retreat. It wasn't long before things got very hot indeed. At 1600 hours, the combat group was attacked by six T-54/55s. The T-54/55s were the only tanks that were used by the T-55/55s, and at least two companies of Fapler infantry. Apart from the biffle, however, this assault went very badly for the Angolans. SA vets say they destroyed at least two of the tanks at a range of 1,200 meters. Others say it could have been six. The official report says two. The terrain was suitable for tank warfare. It was open and undulating, and instead of digging their tanks in as stationary gun platforms, Fapler was now using their armored weapons in the manner designed. The rifle 9mm was used by the SAJF, and it was used by the T-55/55s. The rifle 9mm was used by the T-55/55s. The rifle 9mm was used by the T-55/55s. The rifle 9mm was used by the T-55/55s. The rifle 90s which faced these tanks had come up against a serious opponent, but once again the fact that the rifle could turn quicker and move faster in the bush was its saving grace. Also, the excellent SADF training began to tell in the midst of this full frontal attack. Remember, the difference was all about initiative. Where the Soviet-trained Fapler commanders followed strict policies imbued with lashings of political correctness, the South Africans could respond far more creatively to every situation, and they had a long history of doing so. It could lead to chaos, but the advantage of having NCOs and officers who think out of the box is that the enemy doesn't know what you're going to do next. The Angolans were wooden by comparison. And yet, looking at the armaments, you'd have to bet on the Angolans. The T-54/55 was a real threat to the Reitels. It had better armor and a more powerful gun. They should have destroyed the Reitels, but they just couldn't hit them. Van Lille then apparently offered to conduct what would have been a suicide assault, and could have easily led to the loss of one company of men. Folks, some of these reports are difficult to verify, but a senior signals officer claims Van Lille's suggestion was rejected by Brigadier Joubert, who ordered an immediate withdrawal from Gahama instead. X-Ray's Combat Team 1 evacuated the area and then regrouped back at Sangongo for the next mission. And that was Kuvalai, where they were going to join Task Force Victor. It was now New Year's Eve 1983, and Task Force Victor had been fighting at Kuvalai since the 16th of December. Canberras and other aircraft had dropped hundreds of bombs on the town by the 31st of December. The ground assault was ready. It was D-Day for Commandant Piet Grijling, Task Force Victor's officer commanding. His combat teams drove towards their jump-off point, which was set for midday, and they headed off early that morning and extended column formation to the northwest of Kuvalai. The official report seems to indicate it was north-east, but let's say it was not, where they launched their attack. One of the strategic points was a narrow bridge over the Kuvalai River, which was dry for much of the year. But the riverbank is undercut and steep, making it difficult for vehicles to traverse, and at this time it was muddy and virtually inaccessible because of heavy rains. According to 3-2 vet Marius Schiefers, Grijling wanted to change the plan of attack, but HQ wouldn't let him. His other problem was that there was a low hanging cloud, so no top cover for his formation. This was not a normal situation. The SAD of Ground Troops and Air Force operated as one and had developed a very high level of cooperation since those earlier ops in the 1970s. No, said HQ, he had to attack immediately. So Grijling ordered the 127mm multiple rocket launchers to be set up 15km west of Kuvalai and then sent a reserve force of a couple of hundred men south of the town. Two other combat teams were to assault the town from the northwest, crossing the Kuvalai River. The third group of 90mm Irland armoured cars drew the short straw, so to speak. They were sent to oppose the T-54/55s. This, of course, was not a fair fight. The noddy cars had done their share of fighting for 10 years in the bush, but the latest Soviet equipment was far superior. What HQ didn't know back in southwest Africa was that the Kuvalai River was flowing. During the dry season the riverbed is dry, but during summer season it's another matter altogether. A number of things now began to go wrong. The wet weather caused this Irland's problems and the biffles and even the much vaunted rattles bogged down. Still, Combat Team 1 formed up in their extended line to the left of the command vehicle and Combat Team 2 in an extended line to the right, both facing southeast. The idea was to drive the Foplar force out of town and up to the Kuvalai River. Once again, this looked very good to the top brass on their maps, but the T-54/55 tanks could just cross the river. Whereas the rattles couldn't. And Foplar, of course, could just wade across. Another problem was the Kalonga River, the smallest stream nearby, to the right of the combat teams, to the west, in other words. That was also, apparently, impassable. So while Foplar was being driven into a confined space, so were the South Africans. Combat Team 1 took the lead at this time, Combat 2 behind. That was 20 rattles, along with 8 more behind, followed by 81mm mortar teams heading through the river. And that was the end of the battle of Kalonga River. Combat Team 2 was also being driven into a confined space, to the west, in other words. That was 20 rattles, along with 8 more behind, followed by 81mm mortar teams heading through the river. Combat Team 2 was also being driven into a confined space, to the west, in other words. That was 20 rattles, along with 8 more behind, followed by 81mm mortar teams heading through the river. a start, the two platoons in Combat Team 2 under Lotta were fully sized. He had been ordered to send another full-sized platoon ahead to Combat Team 1. This is where the good news ended. The rest of Combat Team 1 were Citizen Force O-Munner, part-timers, and they were not full strength. Each section climbing out of these 28 rattles was supposed to be comprised of a section leader, a 2RC, at least four riflemen, and a machine gunner. The smaller sections could be half the size. Now in Combat 2, leader Lotta was trying to find the Irland 90s, which were supposed to be traveling through the bush on his left flank. It was a tense 12 kilometers of slashing through the bush before the actual fighting was to start. The insurers caused the vehicles to bog down and they had to be pulled out by the recovery vehicles, the mud causing more havoc. As these stop-starts increased, the mortar team waltzed past the armored protection, seemingly unaware that they now had turned into the advance force, the strike unit, so to speak, whereas they obviously usually operate behind attacking infantry. It was in this shoddy formation that the task force approached the first FAPLA trenches, which were well hidden and heavily defended. All hell broke loose. Inside the rattles, the hatches were all open and the troops were standing upright, looking through the bush. The standard SADF approach was to string out two combat teams and a single line of rattles across the area to be attacked, with the third team and a second line behind, if you can imagine in your mind's eye how this looks. FAPLA opened fire on the straggly group with 23 millimeter anti-aircraft guns, no one is quite sure how many, before Combat Team 1 beat a hasty retreat. 14.5 mil AA guns also began opening up on the rattles. The sound of these, particularly the 23 mil, is described as similar to a 500 cc motorcycle being kick-started. Grelings men were also firing at once and then they were shocked to see T-54/55 tanks approaching through the bush. A furious gunfight at close range developed and the SADF 81 millimeter mortar teams managed to let off a few bombs. This all took place in an amazing five minutes. Most of the troops on board the rattles did not have time to disembark. The usual technique in an attack was to leap out and take up defensive positions. It was now 1300 hours and a rattle sent forward to spot for the mortar team was hit in the turret by an armor-piercing round. Its commander, 2nd Lieutenant Piet Liebenbach, was killed. He was the first soldier to die in the attack on Kuvelij 1, as this battle became known. Later transpired, although the SADF deny this, that he was killed by a friendly fire. It's a very long story so I'll keep it short. Lotter, who was in a nearby rattle, later tested the hole in the rattle with a 20 millimeter round and found it fitted perfectly. Fapler were using 23 millimeter AA weapons. This is the story of war and not a finger-pointing exercise. You can imagine the carnage of that battle, the chaos these things happen. The important thing to note right now for the SADF attacking Kuvelij was Liebenbach's death meant the mortars no longer had any idea where to fire. They were still operating in the front of their combat team and were trying to avoid being casualties themselves. Then raffleman Kalifuri died as he jumped from his buffle that had come under heavy fire from one of Fapler's 23 mil or 14.5 millimeter AA guns. The fighting became more and more bitter. Two more SADF soldiers died when an RPG-7 hit the turret of their rattle. Then four more were wounded as they jumped down from a buffle. A Cuban force with Russian advisors ambushed another section close by and in another friendly fire incident, one of the rafflemen fired his R4 inside a rattle, wounding Fapler. Four of his colleagues. Greling meanwhile was told by Joubert to press home the attack. The commander of task force Victor knew this was suicide for his men so he ignored the order and withdrew about two kilometers back northwest. Combat team two under Lotter formed a defensive perimeter and combat team one managed to extricate themselves from a very serious situation. But the pain was not over for task force Victor, not by a long shot. What happened next is for our next episode. Please rate the podcast on iTunes, it makes the series more visible. Or you can head off to abwarpodcast.com, email me from there. Or direct message me on Twitter @deslatham. Until next, Fuzzbait. Thanks for watching!
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