SAAF's Border War: The South African Air Force in Combat 1966-89

At midnight on Christmas Day the Canberras bombed Cahama. To ease their night bombing problem we fired white phos shells in a line leading to their target. Using my MAOT radio, I was able to exchange Christmas greetings with Dave Knoesen, the leader of the Canberra formation. We had flown together as a Buccaneer crew; now he was at 24,000 feet and I was getting ‘stonked’ on the ground. The lesson we learned that night was when you fire artillery you give away your position to the enemy and Cahama retaliated very accurately.

^{The bridge at Xangongo.}

Our vehicles took a severe pounding as we bundu-bashed through the veld. Here I have to give praise to the army echelon support crews and the tiffies (mechanics) who maintained our vehicles and kept our logistic supply going. Our ‘Asterix’ required their attention after we hit a low-hanging branch over the road and our turret went through a snap 90-degree turn. Fortunately, we were all out of the turret or it would have cut us in half. While our Ratel was being repaired by a tiffie, 61 Mech was on the move, so we were towed by another Ratel.

61 Mech was then tasked to return in great haste through Xangongo to Cuvelai to lend support to our other battle group engaged there. During this long drive the armoured column stopped in line astern to celebrate New Year’s Day. We did this by firing a burst of tracer simultaneously from all the Ratels toward the north, a very different fireworks display from the ones we all grew up with. We moved north toward Cuvelai and positioned ourselves southeast of the town. The weather was low cloud and rain. The battle for Cuvelai took place on 4 January. Our approach to the town was hindered by a defensive minefield. Some of our Ratels detonated mines and one was hit by a 76mm shell from the side, our single biggest loss as ten guys were killed.

^{Knoesen and Wroth.}

We learned from our experience at Cuvelai that all Angolan towns were surrounded by minefields. What the enemy did was clear the area of bush after cutting the trunks about a metre off the ground then plant the field with muhango (sorghum). This hid the stumps which were the right height to sever the hydraulics and brake lines underneath our vehicles.

Once we took the town, we appropriately made ourselves comfortable in the blue house which until a few hours before had been the home of the Soviet commissar. We parked our Ratel in the dining room and set up our communications. We could see the previous occupants had left in a hurry as suitcases had been packed but not taken. The flag which we took off the flagpole is still in my possession as my memento of Askari.

To the west of the runway we found a complete SA-9 missile system, a boeretroos, or sop, for not getting the SA-8, our main prize. After the town was secured, many people, including members of the press, were flown in for a media briefing. For us it was the end of the operation. I had spent two months in Angola and travelled 3,500 kilometres in a Ratel. As MAOT I had sent back 21 body bags and 54 serious casevacs.

Colour Plate Section

^{Alouette III, serial 629, with the emblem of 87 Helicopter Flying School, on the ramp at AFB Bloemspruit, Bloemfontein. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Buccaneer S. Mk 50, 24 Squadron, Waterkloof, gloss Dark Sea Grey and PRU Blue undersides. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Aermacchi AM.3C Bosbok, serial 595, painted in overall Light Grey, later camouflaged in Dark Earth and Dark Green. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{C160BZ Hercules, serial 405, in typical bush war colours, with few markings other than the required safety markings and single fuselage National Castle emblems. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{EE Canberra T. Mk IV, serial 458, one of the SAAF’s training aircraft, on the apron at AFB Waterkloof during the 1980s, painted in overall PRU Blue. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Douglas DC-4, in the bush war colours of Dark Earth and Dark Green with Azure Blue under surfaces, no topside national markings. Note the faded control surfaces, a good example of why these colours were used in southern Africa. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{EE Canberra T Mk IV, serial 458, in the earlier Silver, Black and Dayglo colours, early 1970s. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Cessna C-185, serial 730, in natural metal. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{NA Harvard, serial 7475, in the SAAF’s official training scheme of Silver and Dayglo. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{NA Harvard camouflaged in Dark Earth and Dark Green, used during the 1975/6 period of Operation Savannah in Angola. These aircraft appeared in a variety of different patterns. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Aermacchi MB326 Impala Mk II, serial 1012, in an interesting scheme of Deep Buff and Olive Drab where the Deep Buff is the dominant colour, later replaced by Dark Earth; white undersides with the interior of the wheel wells in Light Admiralty Grey. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Aermacchi MB326 Impala Mk II, serial 1066, in Dark Earth and Dark Green, Light Admiralty Grey under surfaces with Red/Yellow safety markings. This was the final scheme these aircraft flew in until retirement. Note the power burn marks from the machine gun on the forward fuselage. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Atlas C-4M Kudu, serial 970, 41 Squadron, in overall Dark Earth and Dark Green wraparound camouflage. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Mirage IIIEZ, serial 842, gloss Buff and Dark Green top surface camouflage with Light Admiralty Grey under surfaces, Silver and Black nose cone. This aircraft was later converted to a Cheetah. Photo courtesy William Marshall}

^{Mirage IIIBZ, 2 Squadron, serial 816, possibly from the late 1960s, in the Silver and Red delivery colours with a Black nose cone; 2 Squadron emblem on the tail fin. Photo courtesy William Marshall}