Operation Reindeer
The Operation Reindeer was a military action of the South African Army (SADF) in the course of it the attack on Cassinga came. Operation Reindeer took place on May 4, 1978 and was the first major military action by the South African Army on Angolan soil after Angola's independence on November 11, 1975.
General
The aim of the military operation was to destroy the SWAPO bases at Cassinga , Chetequera and Dombondola, from where guerrilla actions against the South African foreign administration in South West Africa / Namibia were coordinated and carried out. For this purpose, the South African armed forces deployed ground troops, helicopters and aircraft.
The commander in chief of Operation Reindeer was Maj. Gen. Ian Gleeson ( 101st Task Force ). Other operational leaders and those responsible for planning were Colonel 'Blackie' de Swardt ( SAAF ) and Colonel 'Giep' Booysen ( South African Medical Services ). Colonel Jan Breytenbach ( 32 Battalion ) and Commandant Deon Ferreira were responsible for the ground operation . For the assignment in Chetequera it was Major Frank Bestbier. The air forces deployed were under Brigadier General MJ du Plessis.
course
The military action began at 8 a.m. with the approach of four Canberra bombers , which dropped 300 bombs with cluster munitions over the camp . About a minute after this mission, four Buccaneer S. 50 followed and released seven 400-kilogram fragmentation bombs over the target area. At 8:04 am, 370 paratroopers were dropped over the SWAPO camp, many of which were driven off because of the prevailing wind situation. It took about an hour to assemble this group on the ground ready for action. In the meantime, many of the survivors were able to flee from the camp.
From 10.30 a.m. onwards, South African intelligence soldiers sent their first assessments of the situation with the news of large numbers of casualties and significant weapons finds. The first repatriation of South African troops by helicopter began at around 12 noon. At that time, a Puma helicopter with the then army chief Constand Viljoen was on board near the target.
At 1:45 p.m., between 20 and 30 armed vehicles with Cuban soldiers set off from the Angolan military post near Techumutete in the direction of Cassinga. This convoy was fought by the South African Air Force and largely destroyed. According to Cuban information, 150 soldiers died.
On the evening of May 4, 1978, the South African troops had withdrawn from the attack site, with the exception of 5 missing soldiers. Concerned about critical reactions to this military operation, the SADF leadership asked the operations command at 7.30 p.m. whether women or children had been killed. It wasn't until 8:50 p.m. that they asked about possible Cuban prisoners. Upon first request, the SWA Tactical Headquarters released encrypted information during the night that many women and children had been at Target Alpha and that a large number of them had been killed. Many of the women killed were in uniform and had died in the trenches. Another message reported an estimated 500 deaths.
According to the Angolan government, the official death toll was 159 men, of whom only twelve are said to have been soldiers, 167 women and 298 young people and children, for a total of 624 people. They were buried in two mass graves. Foreign journalists saw the bodies before the grave was closed and confirmed the large number of women and young people killed. However, it could not be ruled out that they were all civilians in the SWAPO camp.
Composition of the armed forces deployed
Ground troops:
- 2 infantry battalions
- 1 paratrooper battalion
Airplanes:
- 4 C-130 Hercules (transport aircraft)
- 5 C-160 Transall (transport aircraft)
- 4 English Electric Canberra ( bombers with 300 alpha anti-personnel bombs each )
- 6 Blackburn B-103 Buccaneers ( bombers : in five cases with 8 bombs each and in one case with 72 missiles (68 mm))
- 4 Mirage III ( combat aircraft with Sidewinder - air-to-air missiles and 30 mm cannons)
- 1 Cessna 185 ( reconnaissance aircraft )
- 1 DC-4 ( reconnaissance aircraft )
Helicopter:
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ During the decolonization conflict in Angola, 1974/75, the South African army intervened there to prevent the MPLA from seizing power , which had close ties to SWAPO. See Franz-Wilhelm Heimer : The decolonization conflict in Angola. Weltforum Verlag, Munich 1979.
- ↑ a b TRC Report: Chapter 2: The State outside South Africa between 1960 and 1990 . at www.nelsonmandela.org (English), from the report of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission