Soldiers with the pro-Western Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( #UNITA) on patrol during the Bush War. A communist push into southeastern Angola in 1897 triggered a major ground response from South Africa

View of a burned-out enemy tank from the turret of a #Ratel 90 of the South African #61Mech Battalion. Although lightly armored, the Ratels were fast and mobile and able to take on Soviet #T-55 tanks with their 90mm guns.

Jonas #Savimbi led the #UNITA forces.

#Cuban soldiers pose with Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola soldiers near Cuito Cuanavale. The struggle between pro-Western and pro-Soviet military factions in Angola was a major front in the Cold War, resulting in the participation of 40,000 Cuban troops.

SADF Bush War Shenanigans, circa. late 1980s

Paratroopers or “Parabats” from the 3 Parachute Battalion, South African Army, recovering the body of Rifleman Edward “Eddie” James Backhouse, today in 1977. He was 22 years old.

The opposing SWAPO forces he faced, had been funded and trained by the Eastern Bloc. They were well entrenched behind a maze of infantry trenches, anti-aircraft guns,…Read More

#32Bn LCpl Kashitapo leading the Company ‘Comicio” circa. 1980

Angolans receiving artillery training in Kühlungsborn, East Germany 1984. The guys the SADF found themselves fighting during the Border War were no pushovers, and seldom seen pictures like these prove it. Unlike the communist guerillas of Portuguese Africa and Rhodesia, the Angolans were trained in conventional tactics. On top of that, they were…Read More

Border War. Iconic photograph taken by the late great Herman Potgieter of a South African Air Force #C47 Dakota from 44 Squadron, taking off opposite a defence bunker near the runway threshold at #Eenhana, South West Africa/Namibia.

Copyright: Herman Potgieter

#61Mech – Charlie Squadron – sitting on a destroyed Russian #T-55 tank – this is the image that is on the dust cover of Dave Mannall’s new book ‘Battle on the #Lomba 1987″ which will be launched tomorrow, and we thought it would be nice to share the foreword of the book written by General de Vries

“Let us go in to action with Charlie S…Read More

Vlamgat – the term the South African Air Force personnel affectionally called their Mirage fighter jets. Vlamgat means ‘flaming arse’ in direct translation – and for good reason.

Here two Mirage III D2Zs, numbers 843 and 849 at the weapons camp in #Langebaanweg in 1985 – one of which is having a ‘wet start’ – where excess fuel in the combustion…Read More

South West Africa/Namibia border 1987, #61Mech Infantry Battalion Group and Charlie Squadron is joyriding in a SADF #Ratel IFV .. picture says a thousand words. Some say, the driver is still getting an oppie .. all we know is he’s called the Stig!