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,...
South African Border War
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
20 Nov 1981 – Langebaan
The two strike craft leave Langebaan enroute to Luanda with the Recce Teams aboard for Operation Kerslig. SAS Protea also sails from Simon’s Town on the afternoon of the 20th. Her cover story was that she would be conducting a hydrographic survey off Walvis Bay.
18 Nov 1981 – Langebaan
The strike craft SAS Oswald Pirow and Jim Fouche (JFE) arrived at Donkergat, Langebaan from Durban to commence the next level of training and rehearsals for the Special Forces Operation Kerslig
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...
28 Jul 1980 Oshakati
The Company Commander of Bravo Company of 1 Parachute Battalion, which was based at the paratrooper Fire Force encampment beside the runway inside Air Force Base Ondangwa, was called in for a briefing at the Sector 10 Headquarters, Oshakati - Operation Klipklop
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...
The Battle for South Africa
Undeclared War In the light of developments in Southern Africa during the last few months of 1978, it has been decided to add two new chapters to the second edition of this book. These are an Introduction, entitled The Third South African War, and a new Chapter 4,...
Counter Insurgency In SW Africa
South Africa vs SWAPO Terrorists The story may be apocryphal, but judging by the depth of sentiment expressed when it is recounted, I doubt it. The way it was told to me by a senior member. of SWAPO's external military command in Addis Ababa a few years ago, it...
Operation Revenge
A SWAPO operation / attack on the South African Defence Force (SADF) base at Katima Mulilo on August 23, 1978, in retaliation for the preceding South African Operation Reindeer. This response involved a bombardment of rockets launched from Zambia, which killed ten...
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...