Search results for ""Author Marius Scheepers""

Join 'The terrible ones' on clandestine operations, in conventional warfare during the harsh bush war that raged through Southern Angola in the 1980's. The conflict ended with the last major battle of the Cold War, one of the largest battles of the latter part of the 20th century. This title presents an eyewitness account by a South African Defense Force (SADF) Signals officer, Marius Scheepers, who served in arguably the most formidable battle unit that ever existed in the history of the South African Defense Force: 32 Battalion. It describes how members lived and fought in the bush during 1983 under the most difficult conditions. Being the Signals officer of 32 battalion, Scheepers was privy to all major command decisions of the time. Although he focuses primarily on operations during the year 1983, including Operation Snoek en Dolfyn, he includes concise descriptions of all other major operations that took place inside Angola between 1966 and 1988. This includes Operation Askari (1983/4) and the decisive battle at Cuito Cuanavale in 1987/88. Extensive appendices include 32 Battalion sitreps, radio-code cards, SADF radio equipment used by 32 Battalion and details on SADF, SAAF and SWAPO.

Read more less

An account which strives to place the war which South Africa fought in Angola in a historically meaningful perspective. Although the conflict initially centered on the opposing agendas of the SADF and People’s Liberation Army of Namibia of SWAPO, it was to escalate and take on an international Cold War character as Angolan, Cuban, and Soviet protagonists appeared on the stage of the unfolding drama. Apart from the political resolution which was subsequently achieved in South Africa, the war represented the last African liberation struggle for independence from colonial rule. The aim of this book is to present a concise history of the Angolan Border War from 1966 to 1989. It supplements previous books which have covered periods of the war by breaking the entire duration of the conflict down into six distinctive phases and meticulously reconstructing twenty specific military operations in Angola which changed the course of the war. The perspective which the strategy affords should enable readers to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the individual phases of the war and the context which they provide for its final outcome. Two highly significant events of the war, the battles of Cuvelai (1983/84) and the battle at Indungo (1987), are subjected to particular scrutiny in the overall narrative. The battle at Indungo has been relatively neglected by writers and historians prior to the publication of this book. The information included in some six chapters of this book forms part of a dissertation for the degree M SocSci at the University of Pretoria which the author completed under the supervision of the acclaimed historian, Professor Fransjohan Pretorius, at the end of 2019. The study carries the title: The Battle at Indungo, 31 October 1987: An SADF military venture against SWAPO in the Angolan Border War.

Read more less