Operation Magneto
| Operation Magneto | |
|---|---|
| Part of the South African Border War | |
| Location | Angola  Mavinga Jamba Cazombo Cuito Cuanavale Operation Magneto (Angola) |
| Objective | Aid UNITA to transport its troops to Cazombo |
| Date | 23 August - 10 September 1985 |
Operation Magneto was a military operation in August 1985 to transport UNITA soldiers by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War.
Background
In mid 1985, the Angolan government formulated an offensive called Operation Congresso II. The plan called for the largest ever two frontal attack on UNITA forces in Angola.[1]:Chp11 The Angolan forces were to be advised and led by Soviet and Cuban military advisors and supported by South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) and African National Congress (ANC) combatants, as well as tanks, artillery and aircraft. The plan called for a simultaneous attack on Cazombo in the east and Mavinga in the south-east and to take one or both objectives by 3 September.[2]:213 The objective of the operation was to split UNITA forces, forcing them to fight on two fronts and therefore weakening their defensive capability. The potential loss of Mavinga by UNITA could give FAPLA the opportunity to stage a further attack on UNITA's capital at Jamba.[2]:213 The South Africans believed that if Mavinga was taken, FAPLA would move its air defence network southwards, threatening the South African Air Force (SAAF) ability to protect Jamba from Angolan air attack, making it susceptible to ground attack and opening southern Angola to increased SWAPO activity into Namibia.[2]:214
Operation
Cazombo is situated in eastern Angola close to the border with Zambia was under UNITA control. In response to FAPLA's advance to recapture the region and town, UNITA requested assistance from the SADF to move its soldiers from the south to the east using the SAAF.[1]:Chp11 The SAAF sent mobile air operations teams (MAOT) to each airfield to control the planned operations that would take place at night to prevent interference by Angolan air force combat aircraft.[1]:Chp11 The operations would last from 23 August until 10 September 1985 and would involve 220 flying hours by C-130 and C-160 transport aircraft and 30 hours of Puma helicopter flights to UNITA controlled airfields at Cazombo and Gago Couthino.[1]:Chp11
The operation would be reversed and the UNITA soldiers were flown back by the SAAF to assist in the defence of Mavinga and their headquarters at Jamba. The return and defence operations were known as Operation Weldmesh and Operation Wallpaper.
References
Further reading
- George, Edward (2005). The Cuban intervention in Angola : 1965-1991 : from Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale (1. publ. ed.). London [u.a.]: Frank Cass. ISBN 0415350158.
- Lord, Dick (2012). From Fledging to Eagle. The South African Airforce during the Border War(e-book). Solihull, England: Helion & Company. ISBN 9781908916624.
- Nortje, Piet (2004). 32 Battalion : the inside story of South Africa's elite fighting unit. Cape Town: Zebra Press. ISBN 1868729141.