OT: War in Angola

[Webstral]

I’m learning something new about post-WW2 conflict in Subsaharan Africa. I’ve started a new book on the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale I’m not sure yet what application this will have to Twilight. My 3-pages-at-a-time modality hasn’t permitted me to get far enough to say.

Cuito Cuanavale is a village at the confluence of two rivers in southern Angola. The town became the focus of a contest between Communist Angola, Cuba, and the Soviet Union on one side and UNITA and South Africa on the other. In late 1987, the Reds launched an offensive intended to defeat UNITA in southeastern Angola. South Africa had been supporting UNITA as a means of keeping communists from supporting SWAPO in Namibia and to keep SWAPO from gaining safe havens in southern Angola.

I knew that the South Africans had fought in support of UNITA. What I didn’t know was that the South Africans struggled with many of the same problems in Angola as US forces did in Vietnam—namely, the politicians. I also didn’t know that the South Africans did not prevail overwhelmingly. I suppose that makes me a typical Westerner in that I think the South Africans always carried the day on the battlefield. I also did not know that the Soviets and the Cubans often were at odds about how to get things done on the battlefield. All very interesting so far…

[swaghauler]

Most of the expert soldiers of Executive Outcomes were veterans of this conflict. A great many Mercs were used in this little "border skirmish," with Challenger Oilfield Services footing the bill for several Merc ops. This would be a good historic MERC campaign.

[Silent Hunter UK]

The South Africans had intense problems dealing with the ANC's armed wing; also you have to remember they were under heavy international sanctions because of apartheid.

[Webstral]

I've made a bit more progress. The author refers to EW a bit, which is a welcome change. EW seems like the redheaded stepchild of military history. I find it fascinating. I'm glad the author compares the EW capabilities of the opposing sides, albeit briefly.

I had no idea that SADF conscripts were being used during the operations in Angola. How interesting! I knew that South Africa had manpower issues. I did not know they were this deep.

The author places limits on the effectiveness of the SAAF over Angola. This is new to me. Everything I have read to this point suggests that the South Africans penetrated Angolan airspace at will. The author goes on to discuss the material and morale impacts of Cuban MiG-23 operations against the South Africans in southern Angola. Fascinating! This is in stark contrast to other reading I've done that takes a broader view of the fighting in Angola, in which the technical superiority of the South Africans in all aspects is matched against the clumsy numerical superiority of the communist forces. While the author gives some credence to the idea of clumsiness and mass on the part of the communists, he differentiates between Cuban, Angolan, and Soviet forces in many specific ways. He also claims that in some areas the Cubans were at least the equals of the South Africans. So far, this has been a very interesting learning experience.

[Raellus]

Cuito Cuanavale makes for a good framework for late Twilight War battles involving armor. BTW, what's the book called, Web?

[Webstral]

Yeah, the title would be a nice thing to include, right? The Last Hot Battle of the Cold War by Peter Polack.

As I get further in, I see some strong points and some weak points. The author has done his homework. He names a lot of names. He lists leaders on both sides down to a fairly low level, and he names many of the casualties. There are enough copy editing errors for them to be an ongoing distraction. The author's sentence structure reminds me of my own. Unfortunately, this is not working out for my comprehension. I'm obliged to ask myself if my writing style needs an overhaul.