Operation Coolidge was a covert military operation conducted by the South African 4 Reconnaissance Regiment in August 1987, where a team of 4 Recce Commandos was inserted by helicopter into an area north of Cuito Cuanavale in Angola to target infrastructure,...
South African Bush War
Operation Moduler
The southern element of the FAPLA offensive was launched from the area of Cuito Cuanavale on 14 August 1987. The brigades involved here were 25 Brigade, already deployed east of the Cuito River at Tumpo, and 16, 21, 47, 59, 66, 8, and 13 Brigades, which were deployed...
Operation Sea Warrior
Operation Sea Warrior was a South African Special Forces operation that took place from 20 June to 1 September 1985 to  sabotage and reconnaissance mission carried out by 4 Reconnaissance Commando into central Angola during the Bush War, targeting the Benguela railway...
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 Phoenix
SWAPO's military wing PLAN had created a specialised infiltration unit called Volcano. Members of this unit had spent the second half of 1982 receiving training from East German, Cuban and Russian instructors and were regarded as best PLAN soldiers.  By January 1983,...
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
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...