WAR IN ANGOLA Volume 3, Issue 4 27 January 2012 www.warinangola.com THE NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTING EVENTS, INFORMATION AND FACTS RELATING TO THE CONFLICT IN ANGOLA AND SOUTH-WEST AFRICA (NAMIBIA) FROM 1975 TO 1989 Operation Packer: 82 Mechanised Brigade March 1988: Cuito Cuanavale, Angola • Supporting elements included: The force for the third attack on the Tumpo area • two troops of 7 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, consisted of 82 SA Brigade and four Unita battal- ions. • six troops of 13 Field Engineer Regiment, and 82 SA Brigade comprised of • five reconnaissance teams of 4 Recce. • two squadrons of tanks from Regiment Presi- dent Steyn, Unita deployed as follows: • an armoured car squadron of Regiment • On the east bank of the Cuito River: Mooirivier, • the 3rd, 4th and 5th Regular Battalions; and • two mechanised infantry battalions - Regiment De La Rey and Regiment Groot Karoo. • the 18th and 118th Semi-Regular Battalions • Two batteries of Regiment Potchefstroom Uni- • On the west bank: versity, one each with G-5s and G-2s; • The 66th and 75th Semi-Regular Battalions • a 120 mm mortar battery of 44 Parachute Brig- Of UNITA’s forces on the east bank, the regular ade; battalions and the 18th Semi-Regular Battalion • a multiple rocket launcher troop of 19 Rocket would work with 82 SA Brigade. The 118th Semi- Regiment. (Continued on page 2) Featured Gallery: The bridge over the River Cuito... Cuban soldier control a Sagger anti- UNITA soldiers on parade—a testi- tank missile mony to their training Inside this issue: Next Week’s Features: • Prelude to the SADF’s participation in the Angolan Training Base Mpupa 2 Civil War: Training base: Serpa Pinto Featured Equipment:The R2M1 anti-personnel mine 3 • Featured Equipment: The POMZ-2 anti-personnel mine Memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel I.A. Zhdarkin Part 28 4 • Operation Packer: The 3rd attack on Operation Packer: The 1st attack on Tumpo Part 1 5 Tumpo Part 2 "WE'VE GOT A RUSSIAN!" Part 3, by Jim Hooper 6 www.sashowcase.com • The English-Afrikaans thing in the CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ARTILLERY SOLDIERS 7 SADF This past week: “Somewhere on the Border…” 9 • Memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel I.A. Zhdarkin Part 29 Last week’s latest topics on the Forums 12 www.warinangola.com Page 2 WAR IN ANGOLA Training Base Mpupa The eighteenth article on Henry Kissinger to inves- about the American af- the prelude to the partici- tigate the requirements terwards at Serpa Pinto. pation of the South Afri- of the FNLA. He was Nothing came of his can Defence Force in the impressed (so he said) promised aid… Angolan Civil War: with the standard of training of the FNLA after Commandant Knoetze On 15 September 1975, only one week. He would had learned that a flood Commandant Breyten- report back favourably. of people were expected bach started training at He explained that the to arrive at the camp UNITA guerillas being trained Mpupa with four instruc- USA was indeed willing during his visit to Mpupa tors. There were 250 to provide weapons, on 15 September 1975. men, and as planned, ammunition, and logisti- This indeed started to divided into a mortar cal support, but not any happen. Within two platoon, a machine gun soldiers because the weeks there were 400 platoon and three rifle USA did not wish to get men at Mpupa, and it platoons. This group involved in another Viet- was foreseen, as included trained and nam-situation. Pedro planned, that a militia Link to this story: half-trained FNLA- promised a lot, amongst and holding forces could http://www.warinangola.com/ supporters, ex-flechas be trained as well. A total Default.aspx?tabid=1272 other things: a thousand and Portuguese. They man-pack weapons com- of 2 000 could be trained were underfed and prising of machineguns, for this purpose, armed poorly equipped with 15 mortars, rocket launch- with Sten sub- rifles of which only two ers as well as logistical machineguns. were serviceable. They supplies for 180 days. “...the USA were therefore com- About half of the FNLA He was well pleased with soldiers at Mpupa were pletely dependent on the the fact that the RSA was indeed RSA for weapons, am- sent on to Serpa Pinto was providing training during the beginning of munition and general and operational planning willing to equipment. October 1975 where to the FNLA, and he another training base provide Some days after the suggested that an Air had been established. A training at Mpupa had Zaire cargo plane be group of 270 remained at weapons, started, Chipenda, Kam- stationed at Rundu, Mpupa. Their machine- buta, and an American, a which could be used for gun and mortar training ammunition, so-called João Pedro, logistical replenishment had reached a satisfac- arrived. The last men- during operations. tory level and the plan and logistical tioned were probably a Although Chipenda did was to deploy them op- member of the CIA oper- erationally early in Octo- support...” not seem to doubt the ating under a nom-de- legitimacy of João ber 1975. They still ur- guerre. He claimed, that Pedro, he could not con- gently needed uniforms he, on the initiative of firm that he truly was CIA and boots though, but President Ford himself, when he was asked this was supplied shortly had been ordered by Dr. afterwards. Operation Packer: 82 Mechanised Brigade www.sashowcase.com (Continued from page 1) the east bank by that to confuse Fapla as to date. the direction of the main Regular Battalion was attack. The tank-heavy deployed on the high The intention was to force centred on Gerhard ground at the Cuito- begin with a first light Louw's two squadrons of Cuanavale confluence to attack by 32 Battalion on Regiment President protect the artillery ob- the Fapla elements Steyn, would then attack server there. south of the Tumpo. 32 the main positions using Battalion would be rein- a north-ern approach 82 SA Brigade's mission forced with elements of route. Unita would simul- was to operate in con- Regiment Groot Karoo. taneously launch probing junction with Unita to This attack and a attacks against the Fapla Training of the FNLA had laid the destroy the Fapla forces 'groundshout' operation positions at Cuito Cua- foundation of the future 32 Battal- east of the Cuito by 20 south of the Anhara ion navale from the north March or drive them off Lipanda were intended and south. Images from “Grensoorlog” series, by Linda de Jager, reproduced with kind permission by MNET www.warinangola.com VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 Page 3 Featured Equipment: The R2M1 anti-personnel mine The South African R2M1 waterproof booster were SADF's Border War, SA- anti-personnel mine was a available for this purpose. truth.Co.Za, copyright modern, high explosive non- ©Omutumua Oshili - text metallic mine developed to Forty mines and eight con- available under the terms of be safely handled but not tainers, each holding five the Creative Commons easily detectable once laid. boosters, were packed in Licence 2.0 Its low metal content made the standard plastic box. it difficult to detect with nor- mal mine detectors, and its The boosters, which were nutria colouring made it packed separately, were A piece of open ground could difficult to see. inserted when the mine was easily have been sown with anti- laid, and the safety clip was personnel mines, virtually un- It was fired by a pressure- removed immediately be- seen, below the surface, waiting for an unwary victim sensitive direct-acting fore it was finally placed. striker fitted with a 6.5g LZY waterproof detonator and designed primarily for use in anti-personnel minefields. From “South African Arma & It was possible to lay this Armour”, by Helmoed- mine in water streams and Römer Heitman; and rivers up to a depth of 1m. A Specifications “Its Country of Origin: South Africa Diameter: - nutria Weight: 90g (oz) colouring Body Material: Plastic made it Charge: 57gm (oz) RDX/TNT 88:12 difficult Fuse: 3 to 7 kg pressure to see.” The R2M1 anti-personnel mine Downloaded from the SADF's Border War, SAtruth.Co.Za, copyright © Omutumua Oshili - image available under the terms of the Crea- tive Commons Licence 3.0 www.sashowcase.com www.warinangola.com Page 4 WAR IN ANGOLA Memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel I.A. Zhdarkin, Part 28 This is the twenty-eighth turbing you? It is possi- mal and I shouldn’t worry part of a 52-part series ble that they may kill the – that I was, after all, taken from “We did not others (he meant the Geronimo. Despite such see it even in Afghanistan. advisors), but not you, reassurances, my balls Memoirs of a participant Geronimo”, he said. My dropped in terror. of the Angolan war (1986- mouth immediately 1988)”, by Lieutenant opened wide. “And what else?” I ex- Colonel Igor Anatolevich claimed. “Nothing. They Zhdarkin “You understand”, I said, know you after all, you that it is in fact not nec- speak Portuguese, you Russian advisors assisting with the planning of operations 1987 essary to kill them”. behave normally with the (photo: © Igor Ignatovich) They simply knew me locals” – and, in fact, I here, they had already “Its fine, if you say they was able somehow to seen me more than won’t kill them, but in any get along with them. once, and they knew that case the fact remains I spoke Portuguese and that you have only 20 That is how to explain: that I was an interpreter. minutes to get out of “Here I am, a so-called “Ah, this is “Geronimo”, here,” was the answer.” so-and-so, I would tell let him go! In principle, them, but you will be- “Well”, I exclaimed, have courteously with “Despite they treated most of the “does that mean that interpreters this way and me”.