Angola

Operation Opsaal

According to official records Askari ended on 20 January, but in fact 32 Battalion’s contingent, referred to as Task Force EV, stayed in the area east of Tetchamutete to continue operating against SWAPO, and Opsaal (Saddle Up) was actually the third phase of Askari....

Operation Askari

Operation Askari, launched on 6 December 1983, was the SADF's sixth large-scale cross-border operation into Angola and was intended to disrupt the logistical support and command & control capabilities of People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) the military wing...

Operation Karton

Operation Karton (Operation Cardboard) was a secret military operation during August 1983 by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War. UNITA attacked on 1 August with between 3000 and 6000 soldiers with the SADF...

Operation Klipklop

Operation Klipklop was a retaliatory action following the standoff mortar bombardment on Ruacana. during the South African Border War between the Republic of South Africa and SWAPO. The operation began at first light on the 30 July 1980 when South African forces...

Operation Dolfyn

Operation Dolfyn (Operation Dolphin) was a military operation in Angola from May 1983 by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War. The aim of the operation locate and destroy the People's Liberation Army of...

Operation Snoek

By early 1983 the South African forces had established unrestricted mobility in central Angola for at least 100 km on either side of the road from Cuvelai–Ongiva to Santa Clara. Ongiva became the general operational base, and 32 Battalion’s operations were controlled...

Operation Fakkel

On 11 January 1983, 32Bn Sergeant Dave van der Merwe and the four members of his reconnaissance team were flown by helicopter to a point 20 km east of the Virulundo mountain, 65 km south of Varai. It took them four days to hike to the top of the mountain, which...

Operation Meebos

Operation Meebos

The aim of Operation Meebos was to prevent FAPLA from re-occupying the towns of Xangongo and Ongiva.The secondary aim was to pinpoint and destroy enemy headquarters and caches and to disrupt its logistical routes. As an added instruction the force had to keep the...

Operation Kerslig

Operation Kerslig (Operation Candle Light) was a South African Defence Force special forces raid on an oil refinery outside Luanda, Angola. The raid took place on 30 November 1981 by members of the 1 and 4 Reconnaissance Regiments

Operation Domino

Operation Domino was a combined military operation in May 1981 that involved the South African 32 Battalion, 44 Parachute Brigade, and 5 Recce. The operation's objective was to set up vehicle ambushes on the road between Xangongo and Lubango, and to destroy storm...

Operation Zulu

On 4 January 1981, 32 Battalion’s Alpha, Bravo and Charlie companies joined forces with a company from 1 Parachute Battalion to seek and destroy SWAPO’s Northern Front headquarters, believed to lie west of Ongiva. The parabats deployed south-east of Mongua in...

Operation Loodvoet

Intelligence had indicated that SWAPO’s Far Eastern detachment was operating from a base at Chana Namaudi, but Still’s platoon found no sign of enemy presence there, despite spending the whole of 1 April in stopper group positions on the edge of the chana, while 32...

Operation Makalani

On 20 February, Sector 10 HQ issued Operational Order 2/80, authorising 52 Battalion and 32 Battalion to conduct an operation to clear the area north of Beacon 6 to Beacon 13 of SWAPO. From his tactical headquarters at Ogongo, Deon "Falcon" Ferreira would command six...

Operation Driehoek

When radio intercepts indicated that SWAPO was stockpiling supplies for a possible attack on Eenhana or Elundu, it became necessary to disrupt the so-called Far Eastern Front. Measured against the frequency of contact with the enemy, Operation Driehoek (triangle) was...

Operation Reindeer

On 22 April 1978, a group of SWAPO hijacked a bus travelling between Oshakati and Ruacana and drove the 73 passengers aboard across the border into Angola. Three days later, the South African government formally accepted proposals for a negotiated settlement to the...

Operation Kropduif

Six months earlier, during Operation Bucksaw, it had been determined that there was a major SWAPO base some six kilometres north-west of Chana Golf. Aerial reconnaissance photographs of the base had been taken, and documents captured at Tofima during Seiljag 3...