Operation Protea
Encyclopedia
Operation Protea was a military operation
during the South African Border War
and Angolan Civil War
in which South African Defence Force
s (SADF) destroyed a number SWAPO bases in Angola
. During the operation, which took place from August 23 to September 4, 1981, up to 5,000 SADF soldiers occupied Cunene province, Angola
.
s (SWAPO) command and training center at Xangongo
as well as to destroy its logistic bases at Xangongo and Ongiva.
Xangongo
, located at 16.7491°N 14.9745°W was the headquarters of SWAPO's "north-western front" from where it directed SWAPO units operating primarily in the Kaokoland
and in western and central Ovamboland
. There were also other SWAPO bases, which were used as supply depots and training bases for SWAPO recruits, sited to the south and southeast of the town.
Ongiva, a town located less than fifty kilometers north of the Angola-South-West Africa border at 17.0682°N 15.7262°W, was an important SWAPO logistical and personnel centre which supported operations in central and eastern Ovamboland
and in the Kavangoland
.
Both Xangongo and Ongiva were key bases in supporting SWAPO's war effort in South-West Africa, because of their location close to its border. Their destruction would undermine SWAPO's ability to conduct operations in their “north-western front” and also have a psychological impact by reinforcing the message of Operation Reindeer
to SWAPO that it longer had the luxury of sanctuaries in southern Angola.
, SWAPO had moved its bases closer to those of FAPLA (the Angolan governing party MPLA’s military wing) to discourage attacks by the South African forces. By the time of Operation Protea, this strategy was so far advanced that SWAPO’s logistical system had become entwined with that of FAPLA, especially in the area of Angola west of Ongiva. Although SWAPO's base strategy did not stop South African attacks, the South African forces went out of their way not to involve FAPLA in the fight.
A three-pronged mechanized force of Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicles
, Buffel
Armoured Personnel Carriers and Eland Armoured Cars
advanced on Xangongo from Ruacana
, Oshakati
and Ondangwa. Part of their mission was to isolate the town to prevent possible Cuba
n and FAPLA reinforcements in Humbe and PeuPeu from coming to the aid of their compatriots in Xangongo. The rest of the force attacked the SWAPO complex in and around the town.
The mixed SWAPO-FAPLA force had applied some more lessons learned during Operation Reindeer
, and had established well-prepared defensive systems consisting of trenches, bunkers and even dug-in tanks. These were spread out, with satellite bases and bunkers and trenches with defensive weapons geared for defensive fire, and were extensively camouflaged with no permanent buildings, parade grounds, clear perimeters or visible lines of fortified trenches. The focus was on concealment. Several fierce battles were fought between the South African and the integrated SWAPO/FAPLA force which, given the mechanised forces and well prepared defensive systems, more resembled a conventional war than a small-unit counter-insurgency operation.
The South African forces achieved considerable surprise in two aspects. Firstly, the SWAPO/FAPLA forces did not expect a South African attack in such a heavily defended region particularly as, in addition to the SWAPO and FAPLA units in Xangongo, there were an estimated 23,000 FAPLA and 7,500 Cuban soldiers in the city of Lubango
capable of moving south to aid the defenders of Xangongo. Secondly, SWAPO estimated that any South African attack would come from the south and established their defences to face in that direction. However, the South Africans attacked from the flanks and rear while feinting a frontal assault, which enabled them to quickly overpower the SWAPO/FAPLA defenders of Xangongo. The South African assault was thus successful and the surviving SWAPO/FAPLA forces fled into the thick bush just outside the town. The victory was not without cost to the South Africans; in particular a helicopter which had been used to co-ordinate and direct the mechanised forces through the thick bush came within sight of a FAPLA 23-mm twin anti-aircraft gun and was shot down.
A propaganda
and intelligence coup was scored by the South African forces when they found the personal possessions and official documents left behind by a group of thirty Russia
n advisors along with seven women and a number of children. Charts and maps, still on the wall, were found which detailed command structures and strategy for SWAPO, all written in Russian. This incontrovertibly confirmed the growing involvement of the USSR in this conflict.
After securing their first objective, the main body of the South African force then moved southeast towards their second target – the town of Ongiva.
First hand account from an SAI member: The first attack was to secure the airport just outside the town of Ongiva. However the SWAPO/FAPLA forces were entrenched in well situated defensive positions and, in addition to infantry fire, anti-aircraft weapons including SAM fire were directed against the SAI infantry from the NE bunkers of the airport. SA Mirages were called in to support the SAI infantry and bomb those positions. Thereafter three platoons of SAI riflemen were deployed to take the positions. The SAI infantry entered the airport perimeter unchallenged from the east, then swung NW along the runway. However at the NE corner, they came under fire from approximately 300 FAPLA soldiers, many in dug-in positions, and including heavy automatic weapon fire. Two of the SAI platoons were pinned down in crossfire from the east and north, and two SAI riflemen were killed. The third SAI platoon was however relatively clear on the west side of the road that runs west of the runway and deployed as a "stopper" group. Ratels of the 61 Mechanised Infantry Battalion Group, with their mechanised infantry were called in, and the two SAI platoons disengaged under heavy fire from the SWAPO/FAPLA positions suffering casualties in the process. With the 20mm cannon and 7.62mm machine gun of the Ratels, and the mortar fire of the support groups, the mechanised infantry were able to suppress and then eliminate the fortified positions, and the SWAPO/FAPLA soldiers fled over the road towards the west and the 'free' SAI platoon. As the road was raised above the level of the surrounding ground those crossing made for clear targets. The 'free' SAI platoon provided enfilading fire
with the SAI mechanised infantry pursuing, and many SWAPO/FAPLA were killed. The Ratels and the mechanised infantry then moved swiftly through the remaining SWAPO/FAPLA positions clearing out all opposition.
The Ratels and other mechanised forces then moved on from the airport to join the attack on the town of Ongiva. However there was open ground around the town and the combined SWAPO/FAPLA forces had well constructed bunkers, trenches and fortified positions in which they had deployed heavy automatic weapons including anti-aircraft guns (such as 23-mm twin ZU-23) as anti-armour weapons. There were also numerous RPGs distributed along the lines as anti-personnel and anti-armour weapons, and the risk of minefields. The attack of the SAI forces was brought to a standstill and the Ratels were forced to take up hull-down positions, and deploy mortar groups. The SAI forces probed along the SWAPO/FAPLA lines and there was intense fighting well into the night. The following day the SAI infantry, supported by the mechanised forces, attacked again only to find that overnight most of the SWAPO/FAPLA forces had abandoned their positions and fled. Ongiva was overrun with relatively little opposition.
There were a number of Russian military advisors present at Ongiva. However, unlike their compatriots at Xangongo, a number of Soviet officers were killed and Warrant Officer
Second Class Nikolai Feodorovich Pestretsov was captured. Pestretsov was a Russian military advisor attached to FAPLA's 11th Brigade at Ongiva,
s of military hardware valued at over USD 200 million. In addition to enormous quantities of small arms and ammunition, it also included such items as tanks, armoured vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, trucks and other logistical vehicles. At least 1,000 members of SWAPO and FAPLA were killed during the operation. Thirty-eight prisoners were captured, including ten SWAPO members. In contrast, the South Africans lost only ten men.
The presence of tanks and armoured personnel carriers proved conclusively that SWAPO intended to progress from the guerrilla to the mobile warfare stage in its war in South-West Africa and South Africa thus felt that its operation was fully justified.
It is thought that SWAPO's military timetable was severely set back by Operation Protea and that it took the organisation at least a year to recover from it. In addition, the defeats had driven the organisation even further north away from the South-West African border.
Photographs of the huge captured cache of Soviet military weaponry can be obtained from Adriana Oosthuysen, widow of Sunday Times photographer Pierre Oosthuysen, who took a large number of pictures of these arms caches and also of the captured Soviet and Cuban military personnel.
However, the end of Operation Protea did not signal the end the South African activity against SWAPO in southern Angola as Operation Protea was quickly followed up by another attack, Operation Daisy
.
Military operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
during the South African Border War
South African Border War
The South African Border War, commonly referred to as the Angolan Bush War in South Africa, was a conflict that took place from 1966 to 1989 in South-West Africa and Angola between South Africa and its allied forces on the one side and the Angolan government, South-West Africa People's...
and Angolan Civil War
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
in which South African Defence Force
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
s (SADF) destroyed a number SWAPO bases in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. During the operation, which took place from August 23 to September 4, 1981, up to 5,000 SADF soldiers occupied Cunene province, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
Targets
Operation Protea was launched on 23 August 1981. Its objectives were to destroy the South-West Africa People's OrganisationSouth-West Africa People's Organisation
The South West Africa People's Organization is a political party and former liberation movement in Namibia. It has been the governing party in Namibia since achieving independence in 1990...
s (SWAPO) command and training center at Xangongo
Xangongo
Xangongo is a town in Cunene Province, Angola. It is located at around . It was also the site of considerable fighting in the war for the independence of Namibia and the Angolan Civil War.-Xangongo and SWAPO:...
as well as to destroy its logistic bases at Xangongo and Ongiva.
Xangongo
Xangongo
Xangongo is a town in Cunene Province, Angola. It is located at around . It was also the site of considerable fighting in the war for the independence of Namibia and the Angolan Civil War.-Xangongo and SWAPO:...
, located at 16.7491°N 14.9745°W was the headquarters of SWAPO's "north-western front" from where it directed SWAPO units operating primarily in the Kaokoland
Kaokoland
Kaokoland is an area in Northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region. It is one of the wildest and less populated areas in Namibia, with a population density of one person every 2 km², that is 1/4 of the national average. The most represented ethnic group is the Himba people, that accounts for...
and in western and central Ovamboland
Ovamboland
Ovamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...
. There were also other SWAPO bases, which were used as supply depots and training bases for SWAPO recruits, sited to the south and southeast of the town.
Ongiva, a town located less than fifty kilometers north of the Angola-South-West Africa border at 17.0682°N 15.7262°W, was an important SWAPO logistical and personnel centre which supported operations in central and eastern Ovamboland
Ovamboland
Ovamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...
and in the Kavangoland
Kavangoland
Kavangoland was a bantustan in South West Africa , intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Kavango people...
.
Both Xangongo and Ongiva were key bases in supporting SWAPO's war effort in South-West Africa, because of their location close to its border. Their destruction would undermine SWAPO's ability to conduct operations in their “north-western front” and also have a psychological impact by reinforcing the message of Operation Reindeer
Operation Reindeer
Operation Reindeer, which took place on 4 May 1978, was South Africa's second major military operation in Angola, the first being Operation Savannah....
to SWAPO that it longer had the luxury of sanctuaries in southern Angola.
Xangongo
As a result of the lessons learned from Operation ReindeerOperation Reindeer
Operation Reindeer, which took place on 4 May 1978, was South Africa's second major military operation in Angola, the first being Operation Savannah....
, SWAPO had moved its bases closer to those of FAPLA (the Angolan governing party MPLA’s military wing) to discourage attacks by the South African forces. By the time of Operation Protea, this strategy was so far advanced that SWAPO’s logistical system had become entwined with that of FAPLA, especially in the area of Angola west of Ongiva. Although SWAPO's base strategy did not stop South African attacks, the South African forces went out of their way not to involve FAPLA in the fight.
A three-pronged mechanized force of Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicles
Ratel IFV
The Ratel is the basic Infantry Fighting Vehicle of the South African National Defence Force's mechanized infantry battalions. Ratel is the Afrikaans name for the honey badger, which has a reputation as a ferocious fighter.-History:...
, Buffel
Buffel
The Buffel is a mine-protected APC used by the South African Army during the South African Border War. The Buffel was also used as an armoured fighting vehicle and proved itself in this role...
Armoured Personnel Carriers and Eland Armoured Cars
Eland Mk7
The Eland is a South African light armoured car based on the Panhard AML. Its permanent 4x4 drive gives it its mobility, and it can carry either a 90 mm quick firing low pressure gun, or a 60 mm breech loading mortar as main weapons...
advanced on Xangongo from Ruacana
Ruacana
Ruacana is a town in Omusati Region, northern Namibia and the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency. It is located on the border with Angola on the river Kunene. The town is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls nearby....
, Oshakati
Oshakati
Oshakati is a town of 30,000 inhabitants in the Oshana Region of Namibia. It is the regional capital and was officially founded in July 1966. The city was used as a base of operations by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Namibian War of Independence...
and Ondangwa. Part of their mission was to isolate the town to prevent possible Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n and FAPLA reinforcements in Humbe and PeuPeu from coming to the aid of their compatriots in Xangongo. The rest of the force attacked the SWAPO complex in and around the town.
The mixed SWAPO-FAPLA force had applied some more lessons learned during Operation Reindeer
Operation Reindeer
Operation Reindeer, which took place on 4 May 1978, was South Africa's second major military operation in Angola, the first being Operation Savannah....
, and had established well-prepared defensive systems consisting of trenches, bunkers and even dug-in tanks. These were spread out, with satellite bases and bunkers and trenches with defensive weapons geared for defensive fire, and were extensively camouflaged with no permanent buildings, parade grounds, clear perimeters or visible lines of fortified trenches. The focus was on concealment. Several fierce battles were fought between the South African and the integrated SWAPO/FAPLA force which, given the mechanised forces and well prepared defensive systems, more resembled a conventional war than a small-unit counter-insurgency operation.
The South African forces achieved considerable surprise in two aspects. Firstly, the SWAPO/FAPLA forces did not expect a South African attack in such a heavily defended region particularly as, in addition to the SWAPO and FAPLA units in Xangongo, there were an estimated 23,000 FAPLA and 7,500 Cuban soldiers in the city of Lubango
Lubango
Lubango is the capital city of the Angolan province of Huíla. Its last known population was 100,757. Until 1975, the city's official name was Sá da Bandeira.-Portuguese rule:...
capable of moving south to aid the defenders of Xangongo. Secondly, SWAPO estimated that any South African attack would come from the south and established their defences to face in that direction. However, the South Africans attacked from the flanks and rear while feinting a frontal assault, which enabled them to quickly overpower the SWAPO/FAPLA defenders of Xangongo. The South African assault was thus successful and the surviving SWAPO/FAPLA forces fled into the thick bush just outside the town. The victory was not without cost to the South Africans; in particular a helicopter which had been used to co-ordinate and direct the mechanised forces through the thick bush came within sight of a FAPLA 23-mm twin anti-aircraft gun and was shot down.
A propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
and intelligence coup was scored by the South African forces when they found the personal possessions and official documents left behind by a group of thirty Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n advisors along with seven women and a number of children. Charts and maps, still on the wall, were found which detailed command structures and strategy for SWAPO, all written in Russian. This incontrovertibly confirmed the growing involvement of the USSR in this conflict.
After securing their first objective, the main body of the South African force then moved southeast towards their second target – the town of Ongiva.
Ongiva
After brushing aside an attempt by FAPLA to stop their advance at Mongua, the South African forces reached Ongiva on 26 August 1981 and attacked the combined SWAPO/FAPLA forces dug in around the town. While the South Africans did not again have the element of surprise due to their earlier attack on Xangongo, they nevertheless attacked this complex from the rear as well and after two days of fighting, Ongiva also fell to them.First hand account from an SAI member: The first attack was to secure the airport just outside the town of Ongiva. However the SWAPO/FAPLA forces were entrenched in well situated defensive positions and, in addition to infantry fire, anti-aircraft weapons including SAM fire were directed against the SAI infantry from the NE bunkers of the airport. SA Mirages were called in to support the SAI infantry and bomb those positions. Thereafter three platoons of SAI riflemen were deployed to take the positions. The SAI infantry entered the airport perimeter unchallenged from the east, then swung NW along the runway. However at the NE corner, they came under fire from approximately 300 FAPLA soldiers, many in dug-in positions, and including heavy automatic weapon fire. Two of the SAI platoons were pinned down in crossfire from the east and north, and two SAI riflemen were killed. The third SAI platoon was however relatively clear on the west side of the road that runs west of the runway and deployed as a "stopper" group. Ratels of the 61 Mechanised Infantry Battalion Group, with their mechanised infantry were called in, and the two SAI platoons disengaged under heavy fire from the SWAPO/FAPLA positions suffering casualties in the process. With the 20mm cannon and 7.62mm machine gun of the Ratels, and the mortar fire of the support groups, the mechanised infantry were able to suppress and then eliminate the fortified positions, and the SWAPO/FAPLA soldiers fled over the road towards the west and the 'free' SAI platoon. As the road was raised above the level of the surrounding ground those crossing made for clear targets. The 'free' SAI platoon provided enfilading fire
Enfilade and defilade
Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in defilade" if it uses natural or artificial obstacles to...
with the SAI mechanised infantry pursuing, and many SWAPO/FAPLA were killed. The Ratels and the mechanised infantry then moved swiftly through the remaining SWAPO/FAPLA positions clearing out all opposition.
The Ratels and other mechanised forces then moved on from the airport to join the attack on the town of Ongiva. However there was open ground around the town and the combined SWAPO/FAPLA forces had well constructed bunkers, trenches and fortified positions in which they had deployed heavy automatic weapons including anti-aircraft guns (such as 23-mm twin ZU-23) as anti-armour weapons. There were also numerous RPGs distributed along the lines as anti-personnel and anti-armour weapons, and the risk of minefields. The attack of the SAI forces was brought to a standstill and the Ratels were forced to take up hull-down positions, and deploy mortar groups. The SAI forces probed along the SWAPO/FAPLA lines and there was intense fighting well into the night. The following day the SAI infantry, supported by the mechanised forces, attacked again only to find that overnight most of the SWAPO/FAPLA forces had abandoned their positions and fled. Ongiva was overrun with relatively little opposition.
There were a number of Russian military advisors present at Ongiva. However, unlike their compatriots at Xangongo, a number of Soviet officers were killed and Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
Second Class Nikolai Feodorovich Pestretsov was captured. Pestretsov was a Russian military advisor attached to FAPLA's 11th Brigade at Ongiva,
Aftermath
Not only did Operation Protea provide proof of direct Soviet involvement with SWAPO, but it also enabled the South African forces to seize about 4,000 tonTon
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s of military hardware valued at over USD 200 million. In addition to enormous quantities of small arms and ammunition, it also included such items as tanks, armoured vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, trucks and other logistical vehicles. At least 1,000 members of SWAPO and FAPLA were killed during the operation. Thirty-eight prisoners were captured, including ten SWAPO members. In contrast, the South Africans lost only ten men.
The presence of tanks and armoured personnel carriers proved conclusively that SWAPO intended to progress from the guerrilla to the mobile warfare stage in its war in South-West Africa and South Africa thus felt that its operation was fully justified.
It is thought that SWAPO's military timetable was severely set back by Operation Protea and that it took the organisation at least a year to recover from it. In addition, the defeats had driven the organisation even further north away from the South-West African border.
Photographs of the huge captured cache of Soviet military weaponry can be obtained from Adriana Oosthuysen, widow of Sunday Times photographer Pierre Oosthuysen, who took a large number of pictures of these arms caches and also of the captured Soviet and Cuban military personnel.
However, the end of Operation Protea did not signal the end the South African activity against SWAPO in southern Angola as Operation Protea was quickly followed up by another attack, Operation Daisy
Operation Daisy
Operation Daisy was a military operation by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War.After the conclusion of Operation Protea, a South-West Africa People's Organisation regional headquarters at Chitequeta, located at in south-eastern Angola was...
.