South African Border Wars

A podcast by Desmond Latham

Categories:

Society & Culture History

113 Episodes

  1. Episode 93 – Russians claim chemical weapon attack as the SADF pounds FAPLA

    Published: 2/19/2023

  2. Episode 92 – An indebted Pretoria fixates on Cuito Cuanavale

    Published: 2/12/2023

  3. Episode 91 – Russians on the Lomba and the Olifant Battle Tank

    Published: 2/6/2023

  4. Episode 90 – FAPLAs 47th Brigade shattered as Operation Moduler continues

    Published: 1/29/2023

  5. Episode 89 – Mirages, MiGs, missiles & the Lomba River tango to the death

    Published: 1/23/2023

  6. Episode 88 – Operation Moduler begins with T54/55s taking on Ratels at the Lomba

    Published: 1/15/2023

  7. Episode 87 –Crocodiles attack Recces and the Lomba River heavy metal clash looms

    Published: 1/8/2023

  8. Episode 86 – The SAAF harried in Angola and Soviets import arms from Afghanistan

    Published: 1/2/2023

  9. Episode 85 – Small teams missions behind enemy lines and the courage of 7 Med

    Published: 12/25/2022

  10. Episode 84 - FAPLA renew their offensive against UNITA at Mavinga

    Published: 12/18/2022

  11. Episode 83 – The most ambitious Op involving SADF special Forces hits Namibe

    Published: 12/11/2022

  12. Episode 82 – More Russian choppers down and 32 learns how to use SATNAV

    Published: 12/4/2022

  13. Episode 81 – The MPLA attacks UNITA and the SAAF shoots down Russian choppers

    Published: 11/27/2022

  14. Episode 80 – An SA Navy sub damaged at the end of the failed Cabinda raid

    Published: 11/20/2022

  15. Episode 79 – A shootout on a Cabinda beach and the capture of Cpt Wynand du Toit

    Published: 11/13/2022

  16. Episode 78 – Operation “foreskin” and 32 runs into a SWAPO firestorm

    Published: 11/6/2022

  17. Episode 77 – The Recces blow up locomotives and 32 Battalion dresses like UNITA

    Published: 10/30/2022

  18. Episode 76 – Turned SWAPO cadres, Recce pseudo-operations & Soviet air strategy

    Published: 10/23/2022

  19. Episode 75 – Russian OSA2 missile boats targeted in 1984’s Operation Nobilis

    Published: 10/16/2022

  20. Episode 74 – FAPLA/SADF joint patrols hit a wobble & Recce Op Bouganvilia

    Published: 10/9/2022

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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.