Page 612 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

612 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

are references to the SAN’s role; i.e. open sources that are freely available. The paper fo-
cuses on the military events. Whether it was a just war, and who were right and who were
wrong in this protracted and traumatic conflict, falls outside the parameters of the study.

2. Operation Savannah, 1975-1976
After the then Union of South Africa’s Union Defence Forces conquered German
South-West Africa in 1915, the territory – henceforth merely known as South-West Af-
rica (SWA) – was classified as a Class C Mandate by the League of Nations, and South
Africa was asked to administer the territory; albeit that in due course it was unoffi-
cially regarded by many white South Africans as a fifth province of the Union (and,
since 1961, Republic) of South Africa. In 1959 the resistance organisations South West
Africa National Union (SWANU) and the Ovamboland People’s Organization (OPO)
were founded. In 1960 OPO was renamed the South West African People’s Organisation
(SWAPO). When it was clear the National Party (NP) regime in South Africa (which
had gradually become more isolated because of its policy of separate development; i.e.
apartheid) was not going to relinquish control over SWA, SWAPO resorted to an armed
liberation struggle. The first clash between SWAPO cadres and the South African secu-
1
rity forces took place at Ongulumbashe on 26 August 1966. Initially the South African
Police was deployed to deal with the insurgents, but by 1973 the conflict had escalated
to such an extent, that the SADF took over the counter-guerrilla operations. 2
As long as Angola was still Portuguese territory, SWAPO had no base facilities near
to the northern border of SWA, but when it became clear that Portugal was going to
withdraw from Angola, the possibility of SWAPO acquiring bases from where it could
launch incursions into SWA, became a major concern for the South African government.
On 11 November 1975, Angola indeed became independent. Since 1961 three liberation
movements had been fighting against Portuguese colonial rule, namely the Movimento
Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), the Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola
(FNLA) and the Unição Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA). In
October 1975 the SADF launched Operation Savannah and invaded Angola in support
3
of the pro-Western FNLA and UNITA.
The invading South African forces consisted of a number of Army combat groups,
with the SAAF providing the necessary air cover and support. The SADF land forces
rapidly advanced into Angola, covering 3 159 km and came within sight of Luanda.
While the SA Army task groups advanced northwards, the SAN was called upon to
patrol off the coast of SWA and Angola to monitor the movements of Soviet Bloc ships
that might transport arms, ammunition and other military equipment to the MPLA, and
to be on stand-by in case SA Army personnel had to be evacuated. The submarine SAS
4
Johanna van der Merwe was deployed to Angolan waters even before Operation Savan-

1 P Els, Ongulumbashe: where the Bush war began (Wandsbeck, 2007), pp. 53-158.
2 L Scholtz, The SADF in the Border War 1966-1989 (Cape Town, 2013), pp. 7-15.
3 See in general FJ du T Spies, Operasie Savannah: Angola 1975-1976 (Pretoria, 1989).
4 For the SAN’s order of battle in 1975, see A du Toit, South Africa’s fighting ships past and present (Rivonia,
1992); Jane’s fighting ships 1975-76 (London, 1975).