We heard about Ops Smokeshell over the past few episodes, the next major incursion into Angola will be Operation Protea. There’s quite a bit to cover before then. Ops Sceptic and particularly the battle for the SWAPO complex code-named Smokeshell had been a valuable learning curve for the SADF. At the same time, a new round of political negotiations were under way in June 1980, and General Magnus Malan had been appointed Minister of Defence in October. General Viljoen was now chief of the Defence Force and Lt General Jannie Geldenhuys took over as chief of the army in November. Taking a closer look at the attempt at restarting negotiations - when it came to the Namibian settlement talks, Foreign Affairs Minister Pik Botha had offered to reduce operational bases in the proposed DMZ from 40 to 20 on certain conditions. The diplomatic shouting match had barely died down before the SADF launched another invasion into Angola called Operation Klipklop. This began at dawn on the 30th July 1980 when SADF forces launched an attack on a SWAPO logistics base near Chitado, which was only 5 kilometers from the cutline and around 35 kilometers east of Ruacana. in Ovamboland, 32 Battalion was planning a special event. By mid-January 1981 Colonel Deon Ferreira was ordered to take personal command of further deployment inside Angola to find this missing SWAPO HQ. That would lead to something known as Ops Klipklop.

Desmond Latham

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 by unconventional warfare as well as conventional. At times SADF soldiers would be on foot, walking patrols or SWAPO on foot, launching attacks across the border. But there were motorised heavy vehicles, tanks, artillery, air bombardments and mechanised units rolling into attack each other. For some that was a nightmare, for others, freedom. At times youngsters from the suburbs of Pretoria or Durban were fighting experienced soldiers from Russia and Cuba. For veterans the territory would come to be known as “Nam” as the experience replicated the American experience in Vietnam to some extent.

Episode Summary

Clips