Born To War Episode 6:Cutting FAPLA's supply line

After the horrendous losses suffered during the Battle of the Lomba, FAPLA and the Cubans believe they face total defeat at Cuito Cuanavale and dig in to defend the town. Meanwhile the conscripts who fought during Operation Moduler are sent home and Operation Hooper begins, but before they can get to grips with the enemy the supply line between Cuito Cuananavale will need to be cut.

[@tonyaughney8945]

Without a doubt, this series is the best visual history of the operations I've seen.

[@josephnakale7343]

1987 was the year o finished my training as PLAN guerilla and shipped straight to the front line,a young king of 17 years at the time,lucky for me when 8th battalion was disbanded some of us were send to work with FAPLA soldiers and fought at Onanghwe,many other places and finally I was injured on 8th February 1989 in east Angola,it is a memory that will always remain with me as I did not wanted to be there in the first place,but forced by the situation of the time.Let the.permant peace prevails in the whole southern Africa.

[@borntowar5581]

Thanks for your comment Joseph, I am glad veterans from all sides can watch this and come together to work for peace.

[@danielbtwd]

Interesting that most of the combatants were forced men.

[@useryggfdcc]

Joseph , politicians just use us.

[@danielbtwd]

@@useryggfdcc yes, I do not think that there would have been as much interest in the area if it were not for the diamonds. Interesting that Zaire was supporting SA but then one learns that they were making money legitimizing the diamonds before being shipped off to Europe. Zaire doesn't have diamonds.

[@78XT500]

@@danielbtwd The Cabinda oil, which the Americans received as a reward for throwing SA out of Angola was what it was all about. Halliburton, protected by US marines still occupy the Cabinda oil exploitation. We were used to threaten the Angolan government that they will be beaten and replaced with a friendly government if they did not allow US oil exploitation. Halliburton, with the help of the US State Department came to agreement with Dos Santos, which enriched both Halliburton and the Dos Santos oligarchy, which lasted a good 35 years. We, on all sides were just war pawns, believing we were fighting for God, Volk en Vaderland. In reality we were one of the combatants in an economic war for resources.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

We used to laugh at the SABC TV news reports of our politicians denying SA's involvement in Angola at this time. My brother Lance was serving with Log Command (I think), ferrying 105mm and 155mm ammo up to Mavinga. They were also caught driving by day on those rough sand roads by the Migs who fortunately only had cannon ammo on board. They pulled off into the bush and dived for cover as the Mig strafed the column. No one was killed, and while checking the loads for tracer rounds, my brother found a 105mm wooden case damaged by a round which had damaged one round of tank ammo. The convoy was made up of Kwevoel trucks. (Samil 100 with a mine resistant armoured cab) That was Ops Modular and Hooper.

[@johnsmith-ht3sy]

At this same time the USSR was bogged down in Afghanistan, how big their arms industry must have been to supply two war fronts. USSR in Afghanistan is seen by historians as the catalyst that ended the old USSR, yet the SADF are never mentioned for also playing a vital role in the USSR demise. The West never thanked the SADF for their role, but threw them under the bus.

[@raoulrossouw3789]

Makes one wonder... did we not perhaps fight on the wrong side. The USSR were here trying to liberate Africa. Just as they sent volunteers to assist the Boers during the Anglo Boer war.

[@vvr881]

@@raoulrossouw3789 ...very good point. If u look at whats happening today I would agree

[@Rasmajnoon]

Russia is no longer controlled by the commies,,,,,work it out,,

[@roysteele135]

@@Rasmajnoon same people different name.

[@whawha9016]

@@raoulrossouw3789 Your fought to preserve an illegitimate pariah regime of a minority of ultra-bigot Afrikaaner nationalists. You mass murdered freedom loving Namibians and Angolans to maintain a corrupt system. You committed war crimes and mass atrocities.

[@danielbtwd]

I can still remember being flown into mavinga at night, we were told to sleep were we were. In the morning it was like waking up in a different world, lush green jungle. After the fire belt action against the 21st bgd on new years eve the next morning the sky was swarming with migs. Those bombs that hit the water bunker landed so close to us that I remember thinking he was shooting his cannon at us because while lying flat on the ground there was vegetation flying everywhere, what it was ,was the vegetation falling from the trees from the blast. Luckily for us those two bombs landed slightly high of us, otherwise we would surely have all been killed. It was I think at that moment for us we realized that what was going on was very serious. We had crossed the lomba river on Christmas day. Even though the guys that we had taken over from warned us to keep our heads down and even not having our Charlie vehicle because it had been shot out. I remember looking up through the trees from my fox hole looking at the migs, realising that they were trying to kill us. It was a strange thought that I think all the rest were thinking also. I actually still have the photo of what those two bombs did to the thick bush next to us. Christ we were so green and very lucky. I went on to spend a total of 8 months at Quito Cannavale, first with 4sai and then as the ratel gunner for the co of displace. When I came home and started telling the stories to my family, they thought that I was full of shit. Thank you for such an excellent documentary many people don't know that what we did up there was key to a peaceful transition of power because if not you would have had every military agency in SA doing what ever they wanted. However what happened at Quito was enough to discourage any military from coming in and trying to take over like we see in Iraq and Libya etc.

[@TOMTOM-nh3nl]

Cheers Daniel

[@useryggfdcc]

My brother was on those G5 cannons. Willy Peter was raining down on the terrorist camps. Good old days.

[@matthewkeaneone]

Thank you for your personal input. Blessings for USA

[@miel1074]

Please, you MUST know that there was a young kid (me) who appreciated what you did!! I wish we had known more about what was going on!! I just know that us back at home would have tried to help!!

[@whawha9016]

@@useryggfdcc "Terrorist camps", the apartheid regime's propaganda term for refugee camps inhabited by Namibian civilians fleeing from apartheid. You can be glad that we did not put war criminals like your brother in front of a firing squad once we abolished your illegitimate minority regime.

[@BallisticCoefficient]

What brilliant narration and fantastic footage. As someone who searches for SADF footage often, this stuff is amazing, especially the 24 Guided bomb footage. Wow!!!

[@smeggerssmeghead3100]

Thank you for this series,1987/88.

[@useryggfdcc]

Right at the end of the video, two crew members I knew. One is Major De Beer and other guy is a navigator...can't member him name. My brother was part of the G5 crew at that time. Bring back many memories.

[@markmerifield412]

Well worth the wait, hopefully more to follow

[@borntowar5581]

Thank you, two in February and last one in March

[@jactoit6641]

Really a great documentary, the detail is amazing! Good work!

[@luckydubeinrc5165]

yeah , we got to demob, recieved a (dankie tannie knipmes) t shirts and a medal. then the long drive home...

[@michaelhardman7788]

Yup, called up on the 6th Jan 1975 klaared out on the 6th March 1976. It should have been the 6th Jan 1976.

[@Cross-Country-Biker]

The sound of those mrls still hits a nerve after being revved with near misses

[@miel1074]

But why didn't the SA Government at the time tell us about this!? Why didn't they send more troops to finally crush the FAPLA/Cuban forces!? Why didn't they attempt to ask for citizen help from us at home!? Why was everything dealt with like a dark secret!? Cuba had absolutely no business being in Angola! And what legitimacy did the MPLA have?! What election had they won!? Why did we not commit more aircraft to destroy FAPLA positions!? Because of no replacements!? But what did we have to lose!? Look at the mess we're in now!!! It is humiliating being challenged by Cubans!! If the Government had been honest with us and told us what was at stake, we would have risen to the challenge as we had so often in our history!!

[@goodbarbenie5477]

Ahem... Victory Belongs to The Persevering...The war is not over...! As there only 2 Forces in the World. The Sword and The Spirit. In the long run The Sword will Always Be Conquered By The Spirit... Believe me, you guys and your actions shall never be forgotten. As your fight was never in vain. The Spirit of Rhodesia still lives on... As U see in Africa today, especially in Zimbabwe and South Africa. It is said, " Fools have only one advantage over Men with sense. And that is, They are always sooo selfsatisfied with themselves... That invariably, becomes their Achilles Heel... their demise. Period...!!!

[@hentiecraig7749]

Well done ,glad i descovered this channel

[@lianvandenheever6387]

Was there really a stalemate or were there opportunistic politicians involved ?

[@MatthysLeiding]

Very good was there 83 to87

[@AmenYeshua]

Where were the Stingers to take out those MIGs?

[@bernard8793]

Love this series a new Africa was born from this war

[@smeggerssmeghead3100]

No, it was not, Africa just changed from western influence to Chinese

[@bernard8793]

@@smeggerssmeghead3100 tell me kid where do you see Chinese starting wars and getting their asses kicked in Africa.

[@useryggfdcc]

@@bernard8793 The Chinese actually help Africa must better then western countries .

[@bernard8793]

@@useryggfdcc no shit i was being sarcastic China is not the US or British they have a good way of development and seek partnership but tend to over use that term.

[@smeggerssmeghead3100]

@@bernard8793 voetsack

[@zimba11kv]

What is a "shona" ? Its mentioned at 1 min 49 seconds......." to pin the retreating FAPLA brigades against a SHONA(?) on the bank of the Hube River." Well put together video. Thanks.

[@borntowar5581]

Its a grassland next to a wooded area normally close to a river. Kind of like a vlei or swamp but less wet

[@zimba11kv]

@@borntowar5581 Thanks very much for your reply. Can you confirm the spelling and language origin please?

[@Rasmajnoon]

Gen patton,,WE FOUGHT THE WRONG ENEMY,,,read his diaries

[@craigbritz8298]

Excellent work. Now how about the battles between the cubans and sadf after cuito cuanavale, on Castros western front, or is that still to follow?

[@borntowar5581]

That will indeed be dealt with in Episode 9

[@jasonroach6209]

Thank you!

[@petero7937]

Did the SADF not deploy any Cactus SAM systems into this battle

[@MatthysLeiding]

Don't show much of our 7lla regement

[@Metoo3232-pu2wc]

They caught de Fapla in de trapla.

[@seanmullen439]

Some day.

[@pieterwillembotha6719]

Why did some SADF soldiers use the AK-47(AKM)?

[@borntowar5581]

They may have been Recces or 32 Battallion so they would often dress as either the MPLA or Unita in order to gather intelligence or remain undetected. So they used the same weapons and equipment as Angolans.

[@seanmullen439]

Was there.

[@lloydbeckett4778]

When is the next episode?

[@borntowar5581]

February 14th

[@adamsellane8783]

Salute to the Cubans who came forward and volunteered to stop these nonsense.

[@struiswaai]

And died in the process.

[@adamsellane8783]

We feel sorry for you and for your audience because all they can about is war war and war. Why did they not challenge the US? The US has armies all over to contest people such as your audience. Please challenge the US army and come back to tell us how you succeeded! We will be waiting to hear from from after making a successful contact with the US army.

[@smeggerssmeghead3100]

You are thick, the USA supported SA.

[@useryggfdcc]

The USA did support SA through the CIA.