OT: War in Angola

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by Silent Hunter UK

Personally, I'd give that title to Desert Storm...

I thought about this idea for the rest of the day yesterday. It's an idea that merits its own thread.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Webstral

I thought about this idea for the rest of the day yesterday. It's an idea that merits its own thread.

I remember a discussion of this topic in the forum but I don't recall whether it was part of a dedicated thread, or a tangent to a different topic. I'll scan the thread map again and see if there's a thread listed where we could revisit this discussion.

Personally, since Iraq was no longer a Soviet proxy, I don't really see Desert Storm as a Cold War battleground. Even before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Iraq was playing both sides of the fence. Iran, on the other hand, tried to distance itself from both the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.

On the other hand, even though South Africa was a bit of a global pariah, and technically non-aligned, it was seen by the West- and used- as a bulwark against communism in the southern quarter of the continent. Angola was most definitely a communist proxy, for both the U.S.S.R. and Cuba. So yes, I agree that the fighting there was a regional annex of the larger Cold War.

[Olefin]

I touched on the war in Angola in the East African sourcebook as part of the back history of Africa in general and how the South Africans got involved in the Twilight War after getting nuked by the Soviets attacking refineries

About all we know from canon is that the Cubans lost and withdrew leaving their heavy weapons behind (from Gateway to the Spanish Main) - you have to assume a South African involvement there

and the hint that the Constitution is picking up stranded Americans in Cape Town makes it likely they were there for a reason -i.e. possibly as liaison troops with the SA