Episode 69 – Operation Askari begins with a reconnaissance drone

By November 1983 the SADF was prepping for the significant operation called Askari, and the Air Force was playing its part. The original plan was for the op to start on the 9th November but political negotiations had led to a postponement to the 9th December. Meanwhile, the SA Air Force had sent up their remotely piloted vehicle or RPV– in Xangongo under Major Jinx Botes. The aim was to monitor the Cahama area initially as part of a sub-Askari operation called Fox . The RPV was code-named Gharra and was trying to detect the location of SA-8 missile systems sent to the South by the Angolans – courtesy of the Russians. It proved a rather hit and miss process, these were early days in the use of what we now know as drones. Time to take a closer look at Operation Askari which was broken into four phases. First, the Special Forces would recce deep into Angola, then the SA Air Force would bomb the Typhoon and Volcano base near Lubango. Phase 2 would see offensive reconnaissance around Cahama, Mulondo and Cuvelai and the SADF estimated this could take as long as two months, starting at least a week after phase 1 had kicked off. The main aim was to cut off SWAPO and FAPLAs communication and logistics lines, and to demoralize the SWAPO sections leading to their withdrawal north. However, the SADF missed a crucial bit of information when assessing their options in phase two – they presumed both FAPLA and SWAPO morale was low, but that was not the case. It was higher than it had been for years. SWAPO’s PLAN armed wing had been withdrawn into Angola for retraining. And These fighters were briefed about the new heavy weapons sent by the Russian sponsors - including T54/55 tanks – as well as the new missile systems. Demoralizing them this time was not going to be as easy as in 1981. Phase three which was to begin after the invasion was to reinforce the gaps supposedly created by Askari west of the Cunene River, through Quiteve, Mupa, Vinticette and then to Ionde. The last phase was to reinforce the empty bases once SWAPO and FAPLA left, and thus stop this year’s incursions into SWA.

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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.