South African Border Wars
Een podcast door Desmond Latham
Categorieën:
113 Afleveringen
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Episode 93 – Russians claim chemical weapon attack as the SADF pounds FAPLA
Gepubliceerd: 19-2-2023 -
Episode 92 – An indebted Pretoria fixates on Cuito Cuanavale
Gepubliceerd: 12-2-2023 -
Episode 91 – Russians on the Lomba and the Olifant Battle Tank
Gepubliceerd: 6-2-2023 -
Episode 90 – FAPLAs 47th Brigade shattered as Operation Moduler continues
Gepubliceerd: 29-1-2023 -
Episode 89 – Mirages, MiGs, missiles & the Lomba River tango to the death
Gepubliceerd: 23-1-2023 -
Episode 88 – Operation Moduler begins with T54/55s taking on Ratels at the Lomba
Gepubliceerd: 15-1-2023 -
Episode 87 –Crocodiles attack Recces and the Lomba River heavy metal clash looms
Gepubliceerd: 8-1-2023 -
Episode 86 – The SAAF harried in Angola and Soviets import arms from Afghanistan
Gepubliceerd: 2-1-2023 -
Episode 85 – Small teams missions behind enemy lines and the courage of 7 Med
Gepubliceerd: 25-12-2022 -
Episode 84 - FAPLA renew their offensive against UNITA at Mavinga
Gepubliceerd: 18-12-2022 -
Episode 83 – The most ambitious Op involving SADF special Forces hits Namibe
Gepubliceerd: 11-12-2022 -
Episode 82 – More Russian choppers down and 32 learns how to use SATNAV
Gepubliceerd: 4-12-2022 -
Episode 81 – The MPLA attacks UNITA and the SAAF shoots down Russian choppers
Gepubliceerd: 27-11-2022 -
Episode 80 – An SA Navy sub damaged at the end of the failed Cabinda raid
Gepubliceerd: 20-11-2022 -
Episode 79 – A shootout on a Cabinda beach and the capture of Cpt Wynand du Toit
Gepubliceerd: 13-11-2022 -
Episode 78 – Operation “foreskin” and 32 runs into a SWAPO firestorm
Gepubliceerd: 6-11-2022 -
Episode 77 – The Recces blow up locomotives and 32 Battalion dresses like UNITA
Gepubliceerd: 30-10-2022 -
Episode 76 – Turned SWAPO cadres, Recce pseudo-operations & Soviet air strategy
Gepubliceerd: 23-10-2022 -
Episode 75 – Russian OSA2 missile boats targeted in 1984’s Operation Nobilis
Gepubliceerd: 16-10-2022 -
Episode 74 – FAPLA/SADF joint patrols hit a wobble & Recce Op Bouganvilia
Gepubliceerd: 9-10-2022
Much has been written about the South African Border war which is also known as the Namibian War of Independence. While the fighting was ostensibly about Namibia, most of the significant battles were fought inside Namibia’s northern neighbour, Angola. South Africa’s 23 year border war has been almost forgotten as the Cold War ebbed away and bygones were swept under the political carpet. South African politicians, particularly the ANC and the National Party, decided during negotiations to end years of conflict that the Truth and Reconciliation commission would focus on the internal struggle inside South Africa. For most conscripts in the South African Defence Force, the SADF, they completed matric and then were drafted into the military. For SWAPO or UNITA or the MPLA army FAPLA it was a similar experience but defined largely by a political awakening and usually linked to information spread through villages and in towns. This was a young person’s war which most wars are – after all the most disposable members of society are its young men. Nor was it simply a war between white and black. IT was more a conflict on the ground between red and green. Communism and Capitalism. The other reality was despite being a low-key war, it was high intensity and at times featured unconventional warfare as well as conventional. SADF soldiers would often fight on foot, walking patrols, contacts would take place between these troops and SWAPO. There were many conventional battles involving motorised heavy vehicles, tanks, artillery, air bombardments and mechanised units rolling into attack each other. The combatants included Russians, American former Vietnam vets, Cubans, East Germans and Portuguese.
