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“Operation 53” 5 – 22 March 2015 Page 1 of 36 “Operation 53” 5 – 22 March 2015 “Operation 53” In setting the scene, cognisance is taken of those who were there, by those who were not there, and in particular, in memory of those who never returned. 1 The Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War (Portuguese: Guerra Civil Angolana) was a major civil conflict in the African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict, the Angolan War of Independence (1961–74), had taken place. The following civil war was essentially a power struggle between two former liberation movements, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). At the same time, the war served as a surrogate battleground for the Cold War and large-scale direct and indirect international involvement by opposing powers such as the Soviet Union, Cuba, South Africa and the United States was a major feature of the conflict. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_Civil_War) 2 Operation Moduler Operation Moduler was a military operation by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War. It formed part of what has come to be called the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The Angolan objective was to advance south-east to attack the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) at Mavinga. The SADF objective was to protect UNITA by stopping that advance. The advance was halted with heavy Angolan casualties. In August 1987, four brigades of the Soviet-backed People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) (the 47th, 59th, 16th and 21st brigades), departed from the Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale with the aim of capturing the UNITA stronghold at Mavinga, which was the gateway to UNITA's capital of Jamba. Filename: Operation 53 - The Planning v1.01.docx Page 2 of 36 “Operation 53” 5 – 22 March 2015 The presence of an armoured formation in the form of FAPLA's 47th Brigade was a threat that the relatively lightly armed UNITA could not counter, so it requested assistance from the SADF. South Africa responded by sending a mechanized force, led by a veteran unit of Operation Askari - 61 Mechanized Battalion. This force left the South-West African town of Rundu, crossed the border and headed north-west to intercept the 47th Brigade. The directive given to the SADF by the South African high command was to “support UNITA to stop an offensive against Mavinga”. The FAPLA forces did not expect the South Africans to attack directly from the south, resulting in the virtual destruction of the 47th Brigade when the two forces encountered each other near the junction of the Lomba and Cuzizi rivers. This left the FAPLA forces without a screening element south of the Lomba River. At the same time, there was also heavy fighting north of the Lomba River when UNITA forces (composed of the 3rd Regular, 5th Regular, 13th Semi-Regular and 275th Special Forces Battalions repulsed an attempt by FAPLA's 16th Brigade to capture Cunjamba. In a series of bitter fights 6 between 9 September and 7 October, SADF and UNITA achieved their primary objective of preventing the FAPLA from crossing the river. The Soviets withdrew their advisors and left the FAPLA without senior leadership, and FAPLA crumbled and ran. FAPLA suffered heavy losses, with all four brigades losing about 60-70% of their strength. Throughout the battle, FAPLA had lost 1059 dead and 2118 wounded, along with 61 tanks, 83 armoured vehicles and 20 rocket launchers. The SADF lost 17 killed and 41 wounded, plus 5 armoured vehicles and a spotter plane. The SADF also captured a highly sophisticated SA-8 anti-aircraft missile system – the first time the weapon had fallen into western hands. On 29 September, South African and UNITA forces, having gained the upper-hand, launched a counter-attack. The objective was to inflict a crushing blow to the FAPLA, so that they would not consider another offensive in the following year. The restrictions previously placed on the SADF by their political masters were lightened, and the SADF committed tanks for the first time. The 4th SA Infantry Battalion was added to the mix, bringing the SADF strength up to about 3000 men – the biggest of the entire campaign. During this phase the SADF units were supported by heavy artillery and air-strikes. The airstrip at Cuito Cuanavale was extensively bombarded, causing the Cubans to withdraw their aircraft to Menongue and to abandon the Cuanavale airstrip. The SADF tactics were based closely on the tactics used by the German commander Erwin Rommel in World War 2, when he crushed the British at Gazala. On 9 November the SADF attacked the FAPLA 16th brigade. Air strikes and artillery were used, and tanks went into battle alongside the armoured vehicles. UNITA infantry also participated. The 16th brigade was mauled, and withdrew in disarray back across the river. The battle ended after half a day, when the SADF vehicles ran low on ammunition and broke off the attack. FAPLA had 10 tanks destroyed and 3 captured, various artillery pieces destroyed or captured, and 75 men killed. The SADF had 7 killed and 9 wounded, plus one armoured vehicle destroyed, one damaged and a tank damaged. The second attack, on 11 November, again targeted the 16th brigade. Again 16th brigade escaped annihilation by crossing the river, but this time they lost 14 tanks and 394 men. The SADF had 5 men killed and 19 more wounded, with 2 armoured vehicles destroyed and one tank damaged. The recovery, under fire, of a crippled tank and the subsequent re-entry of a minefield where the tank was extracted from to rescue a wounded soldier, earned Captain Filename: Operation 53 - The Planning v1.01.docx Page 3 of 36 “Operation 53” 5 – 22 March 2015 Petrus van Zyl and Lieutenant de Villiers Vosloo of 32 Battalion both Honoris Crux decorations. The FAPLA 21st brigade withdrew rapidly across the river, and was pursued. On 17 November they were engaged again, and suffered 131 men killed, along with 9 tanks destroyed and about 300 other vehicles. The SADF lost 6 dead and 19 wounded, plus 4 armoured vehicles. A final attack on 25 November bogged down in heavy bush, and was eventually abandoned. Operation Moduler achieved the objective of halting the FAPLA advance against UNITA, and inflicted heavy losses on FAPLA. After the FAPLA offensive had been stopped, the South African/UNITA force went over to the offensive, thus ending Operation Moduler and beginning Operation Hooper. (Adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moduler) 3 Operation Hooper Operation Hooper formed part of what has come to be called the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The Cubans' objective was securing the town of Cuito Cuanavale on the west of the river from capture. The SADF objective was to drive the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) west across the river or to destroy them, so as to ensure that FAPLA was no longer a threat to the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in the south-east. The FAPLA advance was permanently halted. UNITA lived to fight on for another 15 years. The SADF never attempted to capture the town. (Adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hooper) 4 Operation Packer Operation Packer (Mar – Apr 1988) was a continuation of Operation Hooper, using fresh troops and equipment. The Cuban's objective was still to secure the town of Cuito Cuanavale to the west of the river from capture. The SADF objective was once again to eliminate the remaining Angolan forces on the east side of the river, so as to ensure that the Angolans were no longer a threat to UNITA in the south-east. Although at the conclusion some Angolan units remained in positions east of the river, the Angolan advance against UNITA was permanently halted, and UNITA lived to fight on. The SADF never attempted to cross the river or to capture the town of Cuito. (Adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Packer) 5 The Third Attack on Tumpo This took place on 23 March 1988 starting at 05:00. By 10am the attack was in full swing, and T-55s tanks joined in returning fire on the then stuck South African force. The attack was stalling in the minefields. G-5’s fired on the positions of the enemy tanks and a tank was reportedly knocked out with a direct hit. The T-55’a fire was sustained on the South African force for a number of hours, increasing in intensity every time the force tried to enter the minefields. Eventually, by about 14h00, there was a backwards movement when the tanks started pulling back. At that point in time it was not known that three Olifant tanks (12A, 52, 53) that were damaged in the minefields and were left behind. Commandant Gerhard Louw tried to recover the immobilised tanks, unsuccessfully. (Adapted from http://blogs.warinangola.com/Home/tabid/167/EntryId/2/-Trying-to-destroy-the- Olifants.aspx – Johan Schoeman) 6 “Operation 53” The tank with call sign 53 was taken to the Cuito river by the Angolans, where an attempt was made to get the tank across the river on a GSP55 (a tracked self-propelled amphibious ferry) to be taken back to Moscow. This was however not possible due to the Olifant being Filename: Operation 53 - The Planning v1.01.docx Page 4 of 36 “Operation 53” 5 – 22 March 2015 heavier than that that which the GSP55 could carry.
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