As Cuban and Angola fighter pilots honed their skills over the
skies of Northern Angola, David Mannall, a normal 17-year old kid
completing High School, was preparing for two years of compulsory
military service before beginning Tertiary education. Through a
series of fateful twists he found himself leading soldiers in a
number of full-scale armoured clashes including the largest and
most decisive battle on African soil since World War II. The
climactic death-throes of Soviet Communism during the 1980s
included a last-gasp attempt at strategic franchise expansion in
Southern Africa. Channelled through Castro's Cuba, oil-rich Angolan
armed forces (FAPLA) received billions of dollars of advanced
weaponry and intended to eradicate the US-backed Angolan opposition
(UNITA), then push southwards into South Africa's protectorate
SWA/Namibia, ostensibly as liberators. This is the David and
Goliath story that, due to seismic political changes in the region,
has never been truthfully told. The author lifts the hatch on his
story of how Charlie Squadron, comprising just twelve 90mm AFVs
crewed by 36 national servicemen, as part of the elite 61
Mechanised Battalion, engaged and effectively annihilated the giant
FAPLA 47th Armoured Brigade in one day - 3 October 1987. Their 90mm
cannons were never designed as tank-killers but any assurances that
it would never be used against heavy armour were left in the
classroom during the three-month operation and never more starkly
than the decisive 'Battle on The Lomba River'. The Communist-backed
offensive died that day along with hundreds of opposition fighters.
47th Brigade survivors abandoned their remaining equipment, fleeing
north across the Lomba, eventually joining the 59th Brigade in what
became a full-scale retreat of over ten thousand soldiers to Cuito
Cuanevale. The myth perpetuated by post-apartheid politicians goes
something like this""...the SADF force that destroyed 47th Brigade
on 3 October numbered 6,000 men and that all the hard yards were
run by the long suffering UNITA!"" The inconvenient truth is that
there were just 36 South African boys on the frontline that day,
but it is also true to say they would never have achieved such a
stunning victory without the support of many more. This is their
story.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
My review
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 | Review
by: wilhelm R.
When the going gets tuff,the tuff gets going!This fight stands out as one of the greatest in SA military history.Proud of you guys.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes (0) |
No (0)
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(4)
(2)
