Episode 113 - More details about the fierce fighting when PLAN invaded Namibia in April 1989
This is episode 113, we’re wrapping up the series with the final days of South West Africa as the country became Namibia. I’ll talk about th...
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South African Border Wars
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 bat...
Episodes
20 of 113 episodesEpisode 112 - SWAPO's Sam Nujoma pulls a fast one and UNTAG struggles to cope
So here we are, the sound of peace settled over Ovamboland, it was the end of 1988. The South Africans were actually in a much better positi...
Episode 111 - Two Scorpions in a bottle and peace after 23 years
This is episode 111, in cricket the number is known as Nelson, it’s unlucky for the batting side, and players are expected to stand on one l...
Episode 110 - Cuban MiG-23s bomb Calueque Dam and 11 SADF troops pay the price
When we left off last episode, the Cubans and Angolans were gearing up to face another invasion by 61 Mech and 4SAI, Operation Excite as it...
Episode 109 - A Bosbok survives a missile near miss as both the SADF and the Cubans gear up
We left off last week hearing that the Cuban 50th Division had been moved towards the SWA Border, a clear message to Pretoria that Fidel Cas...
Episode 108 - Cubans start heading towards Calueque Dam and another South African POW
This is episode 108, it’s the 23rd June 1988 and the south Africans, Cubans, Angolans, Americans and Russians had gathered in Cairo for nego...
Episode 107 – Reagan, Gorbachev, Ulysses the Bull, Fidel Castro: Diplomacy Breaks Out
Operation Hooper had ended in failure for the SADF and back in Pretoria, it was time to reassess the political and military situation. What...
Episode 106 – Operation Packer/Tumpo 3 and Castro’s obsession
More than two decades of conflict in Ovamboland and southern Angola had worn down South African military domination - tactical superiority w...
Episode 105 – Citizen Force ou-manne train for the third Battle of Tumpo while Russians drink rice-vodka to forget
The Third Battle of the Tumpo Triangle was about to begin - the date - 23rd March 1988. The weary 61 Mechanised battalion had withdrawn, the...
Episode 104 – The SAAF raids Lubango and a tired 61 Mech launches the Battle of Tumpo II
Last episode we heard about the failed first battle of the Tumpo Triangle, officially known as Tumpo one which took place on February 25th 1...
Episode 103 – The First Battle of Tumpo Triangle where 61 Mech faced a fierce FAPLA bombardment
It was D-Day for the next attack across the open ground east of the Tumpo Triangle, just outside Cuito Cuanavale in southern Angola. The tow...
Episode 102 – 32 Battalion strikes Menongue Airfield and a Mirage is shot down
The South Africans were attacking FAPLA’s 59 Brigade, but had run into an ambush - Cubans operating Soviet tanks had laid up waiting for 4SA...
Episode 101 – The Valentines Day assault on 59 Brigade and a Cuban tank ambush
It’s the second week of January 1988 and FAPLAs 21st, 59th and 25th Brigades had taken up the front line in what was to be a three layered d...
Episode 100 – FAPLA pushed from their positions along the Chambinga High Ground on Friday 13th
D-Day for the renewed attack on FAPLA’s 21 Brigade was reset from January 5th to January 13th 1988 - a Friday, for those who suffered from t...
Episode 99 – The SAAF tests a top secret weapon while new recruits come to terms with giant moths and skulking MiGs
We’re approaching the date of Operation Hooper, but first a bit of bad news for the SADF regarding disease. The heavy rains through November...
Episode 98 – Hougaard goes marauding and a Russian commander dies as an ammunition bunker explodes
When we left off last episode it was the end of Operation Moduler, and Cuban Leader Fidel Castro had begun to consider a negotiated solution...
Episode 97 – Castro starts to talk peace but along the Cuito River all hell rains down
We’re wrapping up Operation Moduler this episode and throwing forward to the next assault on Cuito Cuanavale which was to fixate the South A...
Episode 96 – The Chambinga Gallop and the end of Operation Moduler
FAPLAs 21 and 25 Brigades were manoeuvring around the western edge of the 1370 meter high Viposto high ground which lay south of the Hube an...
Episode 95 – 21/25 Brigade makes a dash for the Chambinga Bridge amidst heroics by 32's Van Zyl
We’re into the final phase of Operation Moduler in November 1987, and the SADF was lining up FAPLAs 16 Brigade after giving them a bloody no...
Episode 94 – South African and Russian tanks go toe-to-toe at the Chambinga river in southern Angola
It’s early morning November 9th 1987 and the SADF was advancing towards FAPLAs 16th Brigade based at the source of the Chambinga River. The...