Speaker 1Welcome back to South African Border Wars with me, your host, Deas Latham. This is episode 81. By mid-1985, air traffic between Lubangu on the Atlantic coast and Kuitukwanavali in southern Angola had grown exponentially. Since the railway line running east had been rendered useless by UNITA, the MPLA was relying heavily on transport planes to get their logistics to the front. Daily flights of the Soviet Antonovs could be seen carrying troops and materiel to Menang in support of the MPLA's war effort. This turned into a veritable flood of planes by late August when the MPLA launched their offensive against UNITA. As you heard last episode, the Russians and Cubans had also tired of being forced into defensive positions by the South Africans and UNITA and had decided to launch a two-pronged assault as part of Operation Second Congress. The initial thrust began to the east into the Kazombo salient while a second thrust turned to the southeast. The SA Air Force was called in to help ferry UNITA troops as well as their own materiel in something the South Africans called Operation Magneto. SA Air Force Mobile Air Operations teams, or MAOTs, were based at Cajo Coutinho in Kazombo and they guarded the Hercules and Pumas Inn at night. That was to avoid being shot down by the MiGs which operated only during the day. Between August 23rd and September 10th SA Air Force Hercules, C-130s and C-160s flew 220 hours of delivery flights, the Pumas another 30 hours. SWAPO's Eastern Front had benefited from all this action. Their logistics were being ferried into the same region, into Menang, and then carried on to their base southwest of the town and soon the Reckies would be targeting the region for special attention. UNITA was now fighting on two lines, and Soviet and Cuban advisers were very much at the forefront of the new offensive. But SWAPO and the ANC joined this offensive, adding to the weight of troops arraigned against UNITA and the South Africans. As this assault began back in South Africa, President P.W. Berta now began talking of a total onslaught facing the country, finger-waving follow. The SAD of Top Ross were growing more concerned about the instability inside South Africa itself. By now, a series of uprisings, had begun, and in the KwaZulu-Natal region, a newly formed union was beginning to flex its muscles against the Encarta Freedom Party. It was thought that the final phase of the battle for South Africa had begun. At least, that's how the hawks inside Cabinet regarded this part of the border war. The mobilization of vast amounts of mechanized equipment targeting their ally UNITA was worrying the tactical thinkers inside the SADF. All their training was based on semi-conventional, assaults towards a fairly static enemy. Now, everything changed. Their enemy was becoming more mobile. Some senior officers began to voice concern that the existing SADF conscript-based training regimen was not going to cope with what appeared to be an approaching conventional war. First things first, the Requis were to move into Angola in support of UNITA, and their mission was to shoot down Antonov and other MPLA transport aircraft using captured Russian SA-9 missile systems. First things first, the Requis were to move into Angola in support of UNITA, and their mission was to shoot down Antonov and other MPLA transport aircraft using captured Russian SA-9 missile systems. First things first, the Requis were to move into Angola in support of UNITA, and their mission was to shoot down Antonov and other MPLA transport aircraft using captured Russian SA-9 missile systems. These were being pulled around by the BRDM-2 armoured vehicles. The idea was to set them up as close as possible to FAPLA bases, and if any Russian aircraft were shot down, UNITA would claim responsibility. The Requis, who spent time on this mission, talk about being astonished by how much UNITA could do with almost nothing. They improvised all the time and persevered. In one incident, a BRDM-2 which weighed 8 tons bogged down in the dense bush somewhere near the Kwanawari River. In one incident, a BRDM-2 which weighed 8 tons bogged down in the dense bush somewhere near the Kwanawari River. In one incident, a BRDM-2 which weighed 8 tons bogged down in the dense bush somewhere near the Kwanawari River. In one incident, a BRDM-2 which weighed 8 tons bogged down in the dense bush somewhere near the Kwanawari River. Requis were operating alongside the UNITA group who were escorting the South Africans through FAPLA bases, and they explained that they'd dig this large vehicle out with shovels. The Requis were not convinced. A queer fool was dispatched, and the next day it arrived with young boys, all carrying picks and shovels. They leapt off the back of this vehicle, then a few minutes later a Mercedes-Benz truck rolled up. The UNITA tiffies, Akai teenagers, then dug a large pit in front of the stuck BRDM-2 and long enough so that a queer fool could back into it. It took an entire day of constant digging, but eventually the BRDM could run into the back of the queer fool with the help of a long winch cable that was wrapped around the Mercedes-Benz. Then the queer fool was inched forward out of the pit, with the Mercedes still pulling the BRDM on its back. Then another problem presented itself. The queer fool now had a large missile system on its back, and the BRDM would never be able to pass through the thick bush it would hit the tree canopy. Two UNITA tiffies sat on the queer fool's roof and chopped branches with an axe as the slow-moving convoy continued on its way. Then a day later the Mercedes came to a halt. It had a flat tyre. The problem was, this truck was loaded to the hilt with food and ammunition, and there was no jack. About twenty strong teenagers then leapt on the back of the Merc and offloaded everything, while the two with axes chopped down a Y-shaped tree with the trunk about a meter long. Then they dug a hole two meters in front of the truck and stuck the Y-shaped trunk into the hole and buried it half way. I'm sure folks have experienced the wonders of Archimedes' manner of lifting heavy objects with a long lever know where this is going. Then they cut down and trimmed a long tree and inserted one side under the Mercedes and lay it across the Y fulcrum. Then about twenty youths gathered around the other end and hung off it. Suddenly the ten-ton Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes lifted, and the other Unita Tiffys whipped off the tyre and changed it. Chris Stadler writes about this in his great book "Recce's Small Team Missions Behind Enemy Lines", and he was amazed, as this entire tyre change system took three hours. BRDM eventually arrived at the Gymbie River, and South African engineers who'd been flown in changed its gearbox. It was operational once more. Then the two missile systems were set up in a clearing and camouflaged; the recces had dug a small HQ inside the treeline and on the side of a sandy dune overlooking the river. They didn't have long to wait. A few days later two MiG-21 fighter jets thundered through the river valley, flying at treetop level with their wings swept back, breaking the sound barrier as they screamed past. Some of the Unita troops wanted to open fire, but they were convinced to hold off. That would have given the game away, and the South Africans wanted to shoot down slower moving aircraft. They leapt overhead once more. Now their wings were extended to stabilize the craft as they flew past slowly, heading to land. The recces and Unita hesitated, not knowing at first if they were spotted, but it was clear that the MiGs had not seen them. Then over the next few weeks they waited like a spider on a web. They say Antonovs were flying overhead and at times directly over their position, around half a dozen a day. The MPLA was being reinforced and resupplied as part of this attack. It was vital to slow down the material. The missile operators were becoming more and more frustrated because despite around 140 flights that went past, they couldn't lock onto the Antonovs. It was almost rainy season and the clouds were building up which made it difficult for heat-seeking infrared missiles to lock onto aircraft engines. Six weeks later they were ordered to withdraw, but Recce Commando Didis-Diedrichs asked for an extension, saying they hadn't been spotted and needed a correction. He did a couple more weeks in situ. Like all patient soldiers, he knew he needed just one moment, and it was coming. As the Recces stood one morning for their dedication, a few days later, someone shouted "Antonov!" The missile operators jumped into the BODM. It was a clear day and the AN-12s lumbered straight towards them. For this to work, a few very specific measurements had to be taken. Binoculars had to fix on the approaching aircraft. If its wings fit into an 18mm reticule on the binoculars, it was within striking distance of the SAM-9s. This time it did, unlike the dozens of previous attempts. The missile was fired from the launcher, blowing most of the camouflage off the back of the BODM, and it veered towards the Antonov. The missile appeared to explode behind the aircraft, and for a few moments it was unclear what had happened. Diedrichs ordered the camouflage pulled back over the BODM, and the men waited to see what happened. Moments later, the Antonov started to change course, leaving a trail of smoke behind it. It had been hit. The plane slowly disappeared over the treeline, travelling in a wide loop to the north. Then it dropped out of sight, and moments later, a massive cloud of smoke appeared over the trees. They had shot it down. Not long afterwards, MiG-21s appeared, searching for the SAM-9 site. But they were too well hidden, and the jets turned and flew away. That night, the Reckies packed up and moved, driving around 20km south, where they set up their missiles once more. Later, they found out that the Antonov had been carrying a Russian crew and 11 senior Russian advisers who had been helping to direct operations against UNITA on that eastern front, and were heading back from Minang to Lubangu for a break. UNITA did not have the capability to withstand the Angolan government's mechanized forces, which were now on the move towards the BODM. They had to move towards their positions across the southeast, so the SAF launched Operation wallpaper on the 11th of September 1985 flying C-130, 160s, L-100s and DC-4s in and out of Mavinga at night. The runways had been hacked out of the bush. They were sandy and had no navigation aids whatsoever. The Air Force Mobile Air Operations team used VHF radio to direct them in and out and the runway lighting was a beer or cold drink can half filled with sand that was then doused in paraffin. On the command they were lit to illuminate the runway and the heavily loaded planes would land. The transport planes would reach the turning circle at the end of the runway and lower their ramps, their engines running for two reasons. One was in case of emergency they could be back up in the air quickly and the second was to reduce the possibility of engine trouble on startup. The Angolans apart from their all-important transport aircraft had now begun to use the MR-25 helicopters. Four of them, two Mi-8s and four Mi-17s all based at Cueto Cuanavale. They also had at least eight Alouettes in the region. Southeastern Angola is flat although some trees can grow to around 100 feet in height. Navigation is difficult. There are no mountains or obvious features except sandy roads and the rivers. PAPLA was now advancing towards Mavinga in a two-axis pincer movement, their brigades having crossed the Cuito River. Their southernmost route took the mechanized units close to the source of the Lomba River, west of Mavinga. This meant they could then swing towards Unita Hill town south of the Lomba River which flows east to west in this area. The Angolans were flying aggressive missions every day, resupplying PAPLA on the ground and conducting CASAVACs. The Mi-25 gunship helicopters provided flashing fire and air-to-ground support, firing their 57 millimeter rockets at possible Unita targets and sometimes using their cannons. These chopper formations used between 3,000 and 600 feet as their transit heights and flew around 2,000 meters behind the landing transport planes. They were also utilizing their transport helicopters which generally came along in a line and these were around 500 meters apart. The Russians believed the greatest danger to these aircraft was from the ground missiles and small arms fire but it did mean that they were vulnerable to air attack flying like this. That was something the US Air Force had spotted and was going to be fatal for a number of the Russian pilots. The MiG-21 fighters seemed to remain at 15,000 feet overhead orbiting to the rear of these missions and of course as I said they never flew at night. Watching all of these flights were the reccees and members of 3-2 battalions seconded to Unita. The SAEF was monitoring the Angolan Army radio and picked up that many of the helicopter flights were used to ferry the all-important Soviet troops around the war zone. The Angolan push called the Second Congress now presented the opportunity for some score settling. Pretoria had always regarded the Soviet presence as a perversion warning the Russians that playing around in Africa would have consequences. The enemy airfield at Menong was of particular interest. Members of 3-2 were involved in a dangerous mission and soon they had provided enough intel for the SAEF to play their role. After the mission was completed, they were sent to the Air Force to plan a significant series of actions. The Mirage FRCZ fighters were based at Air Force Base Rundu along with Impalas. The Air Force top brass decided that instead of sending in the Mirages, they'd use the slower Impalas to target these helicopters. They'd out-turn the Mirages when flying low and slow, which was what was required to shoot down choppers. The Special Force team was then asked to move much closer to Menong Air Base. A difficult task. Creeping into position, Impala pilots were put through a series of training flights, prepping them for the upcoming mission. The main challenge was the fact that they had to fly at 50 feet above ground. That was to hide them from enemy radar and also to prevent the MiG-23 and 21 escort fighters from being forewarned about the SAEF's intention. After some discussion, it was decided that the best way to attack the Russian choppers was from the rear and slightly above. The Impalas were heavily loaded with missiles and cannons, and if they pitched up during the attack, their speed would bleed off too fast to ensure a safe getaway, so the pitch needed to be flat or they needed to attack slightly downwards. So the Impalas would fly in pairs and in a kind of scissors pattern. The lead Impala would attack the chopper first, then the wingman would attack the second chopper, and four pairs of Impalas were going to be used in each sortie. Three pairs would go in for the kill, the fourth would be held back for search and rescue, and two Pumas would also be airborne during the missions for search and rescue as well. It was a 35 minute flight from Rundu to the attack zone near Manang, and the Impalas would be launched at 4 minute intervals. They would have an 8 minute window along the anticipated chopper routes, and they were allowed only one pass over that route. There was to be strict radio silence, and then they were to leave immediately if no choppers were spotted. Flying at the same time as the Impalas would be held back for search and rescue, and two Pumas would fly in pairs for search and rescue as well. Flying at extremely high altitude above Rundu was a special ops plane that could send code words to the Impalas about the status of the Russian helicopters and their escorts. By now, the Russians were flying their missions according to a strict schedule, and always at the same time. This was their second big mistake. Their first was believing that the SA Air Force was not capable of striking them, that the South Africans were afraid of the MiGs and would stay away. After a few aborted missions, it was on the afternoon of 27th September 1600 hours that the first successful scramble took place. 3-2 near Manang reported that two Mi-25 attack helicopters had got airborne and were heading towards the war zone west of Mavinga. They were flying in a south-easterly direction, and the Impalas scrambled once more. Soon the Russian choppers were spotted flying at 2000 feet above ground level. It so happened that the Impala wingman was in the better position for an attack, and he banged and pitched up to gain altitude so he could rise behind the helicopter formation. He attacked the rearmost chopper from above and behind the Mi-25 as practiced, hitting the machine along the rear fuselage with cannon fire. It burst into flame, and the Russian pilot began to descend as quickly as he could. Meanwhile, the Impala leader headed towards the lead Mi-25, which was also descending rapidly and fired at least 19 rounds. This was the first time the Impala began to descend as quickly as he could. This is the first time the Impala has done this. The side panel of the Mi-25 detached, the chopper pitched up, the rotor blades blew off, and the helicopter went into a tail slide, hitting the ground nose high and exploding. By now, the wingman had lined up the rearmost chopper once more, hitting it repeatedly with his cannon, and in the second burst of his 30mm, the rotors also sheared off and it plowed into the ground and exploded on impact. The MiGs were nowhere to be seen, so the Impalas made good their escape. But that wasn't the end of the Russian losses over southern Angola. As you'll hear next episode, it was only two days later that 3-2 battalion ground team tipped off the SA air force about another helicopter formation bound for the same battle zone. This mixed formation had two Mi-817 transport choppers escorted by two Mi-25 gunships. There would be another air fight over the Lomba river, this time at 3000 feet. And things were not going to end well for the Russians once more. What happened there is for episode 82. And just a quick filthy Luca update, I have a PayPal button on my website abwarpodcast.com to help pay for the podcast hosting fees. I have refrained from mentioning this for more than a year, but my bean counter/partner says I have to grow up and start paying the rent, so any small donation will help. Thank you. If you want to take an issue with my grovelling, then please head over to the website abwarpodcast.com and email me from there, or direct message me on Twitter @DesLatham. Until next, goodbye. you
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