This video shows the truth about what happened in late 1987 in South-East Angola. The video says it all, but the SADF/Unita forces seriously crushed the Communist forces of Cuba/MPLA! Song: Vyster - Lloyd Ross
I was an officer at 61 Mech that were stationed with the brigade HQ (Sept - Nov). The SA involvement was initially covert in support of UNITA. This escalated to artillery support until full deployment of 61 Mech and 32 Battalion. South African forces were not allowed to move during the day due to Cuban air cover, our main AA support was from a UNITA platoon (Stinger missiles). During my stay there we (61 Mech) lost 3 men while we defeated a brigade (1400)
I was there, one of the first in and one of the last out, there are so many videos that claim Cuban victory this one is fact all the way through. Thanks for posting it, I lost friends in Angola, during this operation and others. To all those who deny the SADF victory, you are wrong we cam we saw we kicked ass.
I followed this battle in the press in U. K. back then, it was the biggest land battle ever in sub Saharan history. The South African artillery was the best in the world designed by Gerald Bull, the G5 & G6 Rhino with specially designed fuses for longer distances. Thanks for the vid & info time well spent putting together. 👍
@@heinrichshiyaka2182 "Chester Crocker, who was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the Reagan Administration, said that: "In some of the bloodiest battles of the entire civil war, a combined force of some 8,000 UNITA fighters and 4,000 SADF troops not only destroyed one FAPLA brigade but badly damaged several others out of a total FAPLA force of some 18,000 engaged in the three-pronged offensive. Estimates of FAPLA losses ranged upward of 4,000 killed and wounded….Large quantities of Soviet equipment were destroyed or fell into UNITA and SADF hands when FAPLA broke into a disorganized retreat... The 1987 military campaign represented a stunning humiliation for the Soviet Union, its arms and its strategy. ... As of mid-November, the UNITA/SADF force had destroyed the Cuito Cuanavale airfield and pinned down thousands of FAPLA's best remaining units clinging onto the town's defensive perimeters."" "A summary of the battle in Krasnaya Zvezda, the official periodical of the Soviet Ministry of Defence, noted that the FAPLA-Cuban coalition had failed to "decisively defeat the enemy" and described the end result as "frankly speaking, an impasse"." If the Soviets say the FAPLA-Cuban force didn't win, then it means they got their arses kicked.
@@heinrichshiyaka2182 lol yet Cuba withdrew soon afterwards. How many men did Angola lose? How close did Angola get to their objectives? The facts speak for themselves, regardless of your wild claims.
it was 3 operations to kick them asses, Operation Hooper, Packer, Moduler. We(the retired) were called up to help the defence force, Our Regiment (Regiment Groot Karoo)moved from Bloemfontein to 30km outside Bloemfontein (7Div) mobile unit at De brug, where we loaded up, drew all out kit, guns etc... no ammo yet, the whole regiment moved out at night on quiet roads, slept over at the border (Upington), Next morning we did a quick training session, attack a empty field, cmdt Oukamp said :" the boys have still got it, let's move out." Ready to evac 15 minutes, we moved over the border into SWA (Namibia) and kept going to Ruakana, we slept a few hours, meanwhile ,Genie Regiment build us a bridge over the river (Caprivi), we moved at dawn 4 am, 50km into Angola we still had no ammo :), we not scared right, riiight. While 6th bat and the rest were doing some mock up attacks we built fake cannons with poles and old tires in the shona's and got 33 battalion from Cape town area to set up there anti air next to it, Those mig's ruled the airwaves for a few days, Victor Victor the call came through, we hide, shoot at them and wait for another opportunity to shoot them down, Meantime Genie bat were pulling of an act of there own, to focus fire and attention on them at the cross of the Quito river. Genie were busy completing the ambush plan, they used Bulldozers and was pushing a road across the river, (a fake road ) There bulldozers and vehicles took a hell of a beating, brave lad's them boys. Our Artillery shot propaganda notes into the enemies bases with special ammunition, : go home it read, you will be killed, you don't even get paid it read...12 hours later all batteries started an assault on known locations, wiping out a big amount of enemies. Well by now at least we had some 7.62... 5.56 and 12.7 mm rounds.... Wouter van Zyl drove the commanders vehicle (Ratel) they wacked a landmine, he strung the wheel up and they kept moving , saving his whole squad, as 3 hours later that place was crawling with Mpla, nevertheless 32 bat made short work of them, by early morning the reminiscence of what happened lay in the white sand, blood stain and fear, mpla retreated 60km north west, where they were hunted down, then as sudden as it all started for us we were called off, 9 months of bullshit warfare, loosing friends and now... we dump diesel by the ton into the sand, destroy stuff so no one can use it and limped out of Angola to Demob, there we are greeted as Hero's send home with a medal and a pocket knife and i ask myself : " The powers that be at that time, they knew the outcome before we even started, pressured by American sanctions and the world looking down on the South Africa,Pull back or face even more sanctions, Let Mandela go or face even more sanctions." Oh hell lets do it....it is for our country, for our people. ........................................this ended in 1989. But the story does not end there, you see our natives were really struggling for a better life, a better education and the only retaliation they could afford was to burn buildings, schools etc, blow stuff up to a million bits ! how do you defeat a strong enemy? ... break there economy! The rules of war, rule no.1 THERE IS no RULES ! I might be grey today and forget all the details but some things you can not forget, we looked after our people and yes we were poor as well, but we had a roof over our heads, that goes for my fellow black friends a s well, but today what do we have. Now we have a corrupt ANC government promising their comrades houses and property and farms since they took over in 1995, I still have to see one deep freeze, microwave or tv fall from the sky as there government promised them, the big houses they were going to receive turned out to be small tin shacks, some build with commercial bricks and is falling apart. The once working water and electricity lines are now being scavenged to sell off to scrapyards, pumps broken down , some black villages to this day are worse off than before 1995, well done ANC. Roads, highways... destroyed by lack of maintenance, You need a 4x4 really to travel Gauteng, potholes everywhere. But there is hope, a little bit of it... it's all we need. You see once the black people of South Africa realize they have been taken for a ride that is when the cure will come. Julius Malema makes lot's of noise trying to rally the people to side with him, but that will not work, only the stupid ill informed ignorant people will stand by him in hope of a farm or a free house when he get his capitalist Africa, it did not work in any other country and he will fail as well, just like the newly elected president will fail. Last but not least, we the people of Africa is poor, black, white, coloured, call us the rainbow nation, but we are not stupid, ignorant, or hatred infested
We are sorry that you had to fight in Angola yep we realize this war is beyond Afrikaaners or Swaartmense its a global agenda of the Freemasons on both sides you see there is no race when it comes to the New World Order is either you are a Luceferioun of the New World Order or a got a pic thats what they call us
Wires, thanks for your honesty. In 1986 and 1987 I read statements from the ANC in exile and could see they were raving Marxist fools and liars, so realized what was coming under their idiotic rule and very sadly left the country.
Zimbabwe survived sanctions without war. You forget that the Bantus never spread through war or conquest but by assimilation. The wars happen through warlords sponsored from foreign interest. Even in the DRC war is in a tiny area of north kivu. There will never be all out civil war in bantu land. Even the Rwanda genocide was over pretty fast and was foreign induced. Savimbi was supported for decades by the west and apartheid government. In Mozambique, Qatar is supporting terrorists but mist of the country is moving along. It will take centuries but bantu lands will coalesce into one unit. There has been very few border wars (none) between bantus... Idi amin wasn't one.
This is superb video Trafalgar8766. I as a young history teacher, 25. Continue to seek the truth about our country's past. Which is often very distorted to suit the current regime! What the textbooks state and what really happened are often very contradictory views! Also, the SADF, for fear of persecution & other reasons, have often had to keep quiet regarding the 'Bush War'. So, what the youth are learning today is very one-sided and I try my utmost to teach them the skills of critical thinking
Hey Elton, I’m from Cuba. I would like to get in touch with you! Please give me an email address to contact you! I don’t write mine here out of security reasons cause I’m Cuba still. This short documentary I’ve just seen has been a huge surprise for me, since in my country the official story tells about the GREAT VICTORY OF THE CUBAN ARMY IN CUITO CUANAVALE BATTLE! I hope to hear from you soon! God bless you very much
I long ago met a Canadian army officer who told me they had studied this battle while he was at the Royal Military College at Kingston, Ontario. I asked why they would have had particular interest in the battles at Cuito Cuanavale. He told me it was because South Africa with such a small force had achieved so much against a vastly bigger communist army. He said that the SADF had moved its artillery and troops around to the extent that the Russians concluded we had 9,000 soldiers. Like the Muslims, the communists never admit defeat, but at the Lomba River they got smashed. A Canadian missionary doctorwho was based in Angola, told me that following these battle he went down to Cuito to conduct a clinic for tribespeople. He told me: "On the way I passed scores of Russian tanks that looked as if they'd been opened up with a can opener ". So much for communist claims of victory. Our boys did a fantastic job and Nelson Mandela's claims of a communist victory they changed history are just a fat lie.
@@robertporter4501 Maj Gen Roland de Vries was the developer of the mobile warfare doctrine used there. The CIA apparently translated his book "Mobiele Oorlogvoering" into English He presented several lectures in Australia where they wanted a mechanised infantry capability They also recruited many Mech Inf commanders
Cuito Cuanavale was the name the Russians gave it, it was Battle of Labombo River. The biggest tank battle on African soil since El Alamain. After the Battles one of the camanders in the battle made a statement " God was in this place". One of the commanders asked 250 pasters of HCC in Pretoria to pray and intercede , which they did for a few hours and the rest is history.
Having taken part in Moduler, Hooper & Packer from begin to end I would say this video is largely accurate.. It is always good to look back.. But reading some of the comments below.. Agg shame Adrian Perez .. We gave you guys the biggest and baddest hiding and we were such a small fighting group compared to your Cubans.. Face it.. We were a much better armed force. There is no disgrace being beaten.
Besides Russia is located thousands of miles away from South Africa the same the Cubans are,what the hell were they doing in Africa interfering in Africa's problems?South Africa belongs there the Russians and the Cubans didn't.Oh I forgot that we are living an age were you are forced to be politically correct,otherwise you are wrong.
You have to accept and believe anything thrown out there by the leftist if not you are a racist or a fascist well,the commies can commence calling me whatever the hell they want to,The Soviets and the Cubans got their asses kicked in Africa.
@Goosa Poosa Haa Haa I think you know nothing about the war and PLAN, those soldiers who participated in the war from 1966 to 1989 can tell you better.
@Goosa Poosa Botha have to agree because the cause of justice is a none return, and was warned by the CIA to accept because otherwise, we could stop in Pretoria!
Hats off to the brave Cubans who gave their lives to help comrades across the globe. And the many brave Angolans. It's called solidarity. It makes rich imperialists & their bootlicking toadies very upset.
@@dreamdiction the point was a victory that was necessary at the time but unfortunately the NP had a traitor who was busy with the treason in parliament. In cahoots with NWO!!!
you fucking did it you really truly did knock them for six and send them back to havana! such feats of arms will never be forgotten, they don't need a flag or a plaque somewhere to commemorate them because they are written in the stars for eternity. Great bit of soldiering!
the SADF had only limited objectives, namely, to halt the enemy at Cuito, to prevent its airstrip from being used, and then to retreat. Further action would have undermined negotiations between Cuba, Angola and South Africa, which began in London early in 1988 and continued in May in Brazzaville, Congo, and Cairo, Egypt. By this time, the South African government had already recognised the political change in Russia and the ending of the cold war.00
I see you mentioned SADF casualties and compared them with all the enemy losses. UNITA was very involved in this battle and they lost an awful amount of troops. Those losses should be added to the SADF loses to get a more fair summary of the battle as UNITA and the SADF were really the same army in Angola
Resultado final da guerra ,O MPLA ganhou a guerra e continua a governar Angola Cuba continua a existir com a sua linha politica e os racistas da SADF foram derrotados e os negros passaram a mandar na sua terra .Por mais voltas que deêm esta é a verdade ,Na guerra não conta muito o numero de mortos ou material destruido .Oque conta é o resultado final.
@@doppies2001 Well you are right. The ones leading SA today are incompetent and are destroying the country. Under Apartheid a minority had all the goodies and the native majority was treated like 2nd class citizens. Hard to say wish one is better...
They won according to who, the politicians, the reality is they fled with their tails between their legs and were given the mercy to leave, in order to prevent more troops from Russia and Cuba which already outnumbered the South Africans, it was very expensive for them to keep throwing money away.
Good day on your question the reason why South Africa left was because of Presidents Ronald Raegan of America that but pressure on South Africa making the war a political stunt not because they lost the war
These all materials you still can find them in the military museaum in Angola. When I was in primary School I remember visiting there and they show us these all things, even the clothes a South african pilot who unfortunately died in the battle was using. I'm angolan and I wanna tell the truth about Kuito Kuanavale, MPLA+Cuba didn't won this war... Some of true papers about the war just came out in this year 2019.
That is true. My father was there and the story's he told are horrible. He and Al the soldiers with him was so glad that Castro and USSR gave up on the war
They come to defend Angola and they did it. Even Namibia independency acheived because of Cubans and the MPLA. They may loose some batle bat win the war.
Anyone who has not taken the time to read previous comments - I know the tank crew is Rhodesian, i knew that when I made the video, I know that now, and I will still know it in the future - I used it because it captured the idea of the SADF that I wanted to get across (South Africa did use the same tanks, they were the ones who gave them to Rhodesia) - I have not decided on whether or not to keep it. Thank you.
@BookerT48 Yeah, the US gave quite alot of weapons to South Africa and, like the UK, resisted putting large scale embargoes on South Africa longer than most nations. US support though wasnt always total, in 1975 during the invasion of Angola, SADF forces were only a few miles from Luanda (the capital) and the US pulled its covert support for the invasion and S Africa had to withdraw. Thanks for the comment!
This has been an amazing surprise for me as Cuban! I did’nt participate in Angola’s war but this battle of Cuito Cuanavale is consider in Cuba to be the Greatest Victory of the Cuban Armay which led to peace negotiations between SA and Angola-Cuba! Gee it’s incredible to see how we have been lied to about this battle! Well, it shouldn’t surprise me cause I know many other ocasions when our government has lied to us!
Ernesto, thanks for your honesty. Cuba lost at least hundreds of men at Cuito Cuanavale. Afterwards when negotiations started, the U.S. Undersecretary for Africa, Chester Crocker, said that Cuba was shocked by its losses.
@@johnmurdoch8534 like your father list when makimg an idiot like Hi.Where you there ? No then shut up and try and rather deal with illegal immigrants in your country sonny boy
clearly to those that ask valid questions! South Africans often used captured arms to assist in their goals to attack the Cuban occupation in Angola. That been said, instead of asking small impertinent questions, one should focus on the larger picture. In retrospect, the SA government was beset by two forces, one externally, one internally. The onslaught on Cuito Cuanavale was a victory for the SA govt to be more expedient to the end of Apartheid. One has to first take note that the full force of the SA forces were not involved. If it were so, an expected call up up to 400 000 South Africans would have taken place, which would have been the annihilation of Angolan forces and their allies, including Cuba. What is remarkable, and is even taught in military colleges over the world, INCLUDING the Russian Army, is the way the South Africans manipulated their forces. The victory doesn't come in occupying Cuito Caunavaule, it comes from stepping in and stopping a Soviet led offensive many times greater than the force used to decimate them. South African orders were simple... do not occupy Cuito Caunavaule unless it is given without a fight. Only a madman would try attack an enemy ten times it's size that is dug in and awaiting a siege. So, did the Cubans stop a South African advance? yes, They stopped 3000 south africans from over running their positions. Did they win the war? In no way can they say they won the war, not militarily. they were outclassed in every aspect of warfare except air support. And even then, if the South Africans had pushed the issue in their aging Mirages, the outcome would be not much different. Not only was the attacks on Unita repulsed with devastating effect, But the whole offensive was turned on its head. Cuban sympathisers are quick to point out the defenssive actiuons afterwards, but they are slow to point out that their offensive, which was planned methodically beforehand, was routed with enormous cost. Why did the South Africans go to the negotiating table? Simply put, Apartheid had become unaffordable and the heavy losses to the Cubans, ironically, had given the Apartheid regime a way to negotiate what is today a free, and democratic country. South Africa was not overthrown by a revolution... and has the distinction of being the only African country that is led by proper democratic principles. This could be argued , of course by Namibia, which has adopted similar values for true democracy, but the point remains that Cuito Caunavaule was the focal point. That been said, all the actions the Cubans propagated thereafter was a mass of blunders. Not only was their heroic general executed ( in the guise of smuggling drugs) But their whole strategy of feinting with the left and striking with the right (boxers term) came to naught when they sent a force south wards (during peace negotiations i might add) which was intercepted with losses that made the Cuban commanders with draw. There they claimed they destroyed over 200 South African tanks... which is a laugh, because the last time South Africa had over 200 combat tanks was over 30 years ago, and since I am a member of the armored corps, such a a "defeat" would still be ringing in my ears. this never happened and in the end the Cubans went home and there was peace everywhere. if you are a member of the ex-Cuban forces who think otherwise how this would have gone down, i know of at least 10 other people who think otherwise and we would gladly show you a re match how things SHOULD have gone down. Like Pik Botha replied when the Cuban Ambassador threatened to put another 10 000 Cuban troops into Angola... "no matter, we'll just put in another 500 South Africans to counter them". that's how pathetic the Cubans were.
To all my brothers in arms black & white who fought in this battle on the SADF side know who & what we were really made of . . . as for the wannabes' remember the dead as for we who survived, speak of it in silent tongue . Those who question our morals should question their own before staring at death down the barrel of gun Hence dead men tell no lies as for the living who lived the battles, remember them all to well . . . Politian's and third world countries will always remain just that . . .
that was a good clip, only thing which is slightly incorrect, we did have heavy equipment there, 14 G5 guns were brought up, we brought up about 6000 rounds for them. The tanks they were using were Olifants not T55's and we had air support alot of the time.
@@neilpieterse9614 my comment was an assertion of fact hat this is a pro apartheid Boer propaganda video that's why there is no mention of losses on the UNITA side which is a fact i really don't get what Cubans have to do with this.
@@neilpieterse9614 knock yourself out mate i prefer believing in reality rather than fantasy if you believe the Boers won the war and apartheid is still well and alive have it your way dude peace out.
@pedrom41 Do u know the difference between a WAR and a BATTLE ? Please, tohse 31 tanks u mention were the SA losses in that given battle. Not in loooong 10-yrs-war. Ok ?
operasie Savanah ek was ook daar.75 --76 74--75 julle het skoon gemaak.jul hou die wereld record meeste grond gebied in kortste tyd geneem.die israelies 2de met 6daagse oorlog.veels geluk!!!!
Hello Guys...... I do not wanna sound intrusive or even rude.... But I you guys wont the Cuito Cuanavale Battle, why you do your army retread, afterwards ??? And started that process of leaving the Namibia and finishing we the apartheid .... Its was not suppose to be other way around ??? Can some one clarify me please, I am a bit confuse ! Thanks in advance !
It was of American politics that was put on South Africa to withdraw and to let Nelson Mandela out of jail if you go and do some research on both sides of the border you will learn the truth about how and why it all started but America (CIA) is a big part of the beginning and end thank you
what disturbs me most is the tenor do the accompanying music which transform utter tragedy (measured by hideous unresolved conflict and loss of life) into some,thing lighthearted and cheerful. Stuff this!
If you look at photographs of the 32nd Battalion of the South African Armed Forces all our carrying AK-47 it was quite common for South African soldiers to have AK-47. Besides Belgian rifles and the rand rifle built in South Africa
Hi there Trafalgar 9766 i come from cuba but im now living in the united States,i agree that's was a war in which we never have nothing to do until this day i don't understand why the Cuban government sent to die very youngest cuban man in a war that was just matter of the african people,but i guess that was the way the cold war was in a side United States and in the other the Soviet Union,the both playing around with everyone,one thing for your knowledgement, Arnaldo Ochoa was executed not because what happened in cuito,but because he was guilty for cocaine traffic with Pablo Escobar,they used Cuba as a bridge,planes full of cocaine used to land in Cuban airports (controlled by militaries)
Here in Russia, when we see the memories of German generals about their numerous victories on the Eastern front - we're saying: oh yes, they always defeated us.. up to the walls of Berlin.. So, what is the result of so-called UNITA's victory?
Americans won all the battles in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Soviets won all the battles in Afghanistan. Russians won all the battles in 1st Chechen war. Israelis won all the battles in Gaza and Lebanon Rhodesians won all the battles in Bush War. South Africans won all the battles in Angola and SWA. Do you see a pattern here? Despite all those armies winning battles, they still withdrew forces and the opposing side took control. South Africans clearly won the war militarily. The damaged inflicted upon the SADF by the Angolans and Cubans was minimal. South Africa was on the cusp of major internal changes due to the leftist liberal traitors in the West and no longer was seen as a useful tool against Communist forces.
@@tonyvanderhelm2934 Tbh soviets saw their asses handed to them at the beginning of ww2 and even at their victories they lost more. As for east germans well this wasn't the same army that gave ussr hell up until berlin so.
I was there ,I was a deep explorer(explorador de profundidad)attach to the Cuban 25,and I telling for all you to know that we have heavy casualties but we prevale
yeah, thanks for that, I've been trying to find another picture, because when I made it I knew It was Rhodesian but it was the kind of message and image I wanted to get across, but I've since thought I need to change it! Thanks, if you have any suggestions e-mail me the hyperlink!!
3000 white south african men against 40 000 cubans 100 000 angolans and 1000 russians. That doesnt sound like a fair fight now does it. Cuba and russia should have sent more men.
This is the most stupid made up story. South Africa lost the battle and the victor's loses are huge compared to South African loses. How could they lose the battle, retreat from Angola and give up Namibia? Lmao
Joshua...this battle was one of Castro/Cuba's greatest defeats - you really don't know what you are talkng about. Go on Google Earth and you can still see the rusting hulks of knocked out Cuban tanks where they lie to this day. The SADF "Olliphant" MBT merely replicated the success experienced by the Israelis's when they faced overwhelming odds using the same tank against massed T54/55's during the Yom Kippur war.
You guy make argument similar to American talk about Vietnam war that "the US wins all battles but looses the war". The reason Cubans were there is gaining independence for Namibia. What happened after the battle of Cuito Cuanavale?
My father has a photo album with all his military photos in it from when he server with the SADF. And inside is a photo he wasnt supposed to take but he took the photo anyway. But it was a captured Soviet missile launcher that was captured from the battle.
The bizarre thing about this ordeal was the fact that MK claimed victory, just how they claim victory with their running of the gov't of SA... and look what happened. lol.
@sfaaa1 Thanks bru! We need more people like you in the World! The song is Vyster, by Lloyd Ross. I was able to download it from a torrent off isohunt, if you want it i can try and find the torrent again. Cheers mate.
Sorry about any grammatical mistakes, I don't remember seeing any, but Id really appreciate if I you could point them out, because I want to make this a fitting tribute! I'll try to tidy some of the pictures but i must admit that my movie making abilities aren't spectacular - I'm learning. So any help will be really appreciated! Thanks!
Hahaha, if SF was so successful at defeating Cuba, Angolan regular and the Soviet armament, why is it that it sue for peace - certainly not because that was their idea when the begin the invasion of Angola, therefore, what you are saying it false.
You are right. Kicked out of Angola, run back into South Africa in their dirty pants. Mandela got released, Namibia got its independence, weakened their support to UNITA, Mobutu got kicked out. Dos Santos and his friends were the winners, period.
@zerocker45 i got it off a torrent from isohunt - if you type in South African or Afrikaans (or something similar) music into the search bar it should come up - its part of a massive download of about 200 or more songs but its there, if you know of a way of e-mailing songs i would be happy to do so
Remember what happened at Cuito Cuanavale? Watch the video again the Cubans wanted to kick the SOuth Africans out of Angola and take South-eastern Angola, neither happened!!! The South African objective was to prevent a communist take over of Southern African countries and forced the Cubans out, so why would they agree if they were supposedly crushing South Africa? Throughout the war Cubans had to abandon vehicles, etc. because of the power of the SAAF.
The Stats are so wrong in this video, the FAPLA loses are presented as Cuban loses and the Unita loses were not included in the video. Also, SA loss 3 aircrafts, no only one. The Cuban and SA loses in soldiers were the same.
@@martinh231 You are the one misinformed the general that got in trouble was due to his involvement with narcotraffic. And was during the period that Panama was invaded by US. Castro was fearful of getting invaded also and punished the generals to safe face. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnaldo_Ochoa
@@martinh231 Additionally, you people like to count together the Cuban and MPLA casualties, count separately SA and UNITA. People that are sure about their win don't cheat with the numbers.
General A Ochoa was the one in charge of Cuban troops at Cuito-Cuanavale. Do you think Castro killed Ochoa because Castro considered Ochoa responsible for lost the battle of Cuito?
Indeed. The Russians had told Cuba on numerous occasions that they could not win the war. In fact sophisticated Russian weapons systems (like the SAM8 - never seen elsewhere) were falling into the hands of South Africans. The fact that Castro was conducting the war via telephone from Cuba, says how much faith he had in his generals. I don't know why anyone is doubting these facts, they're all documented.
The Problem is that no one believes anything of the trail was fair or correct. communism has never been trustworthy. stalin, castro , pol pot , moa regularly had anyone they did not like/trust/support killed. With so much blood on the hands of communism and the proof of all those executed with no fair trail by the dictators why would you ever believe anything that regime states as fact?
***** We won the war. Russia, cuba, china were all hell holes under comunism. Capitalism brought china into the modern world. Reshaped russia and cuba still is a hellhole. I can go to my shop in my capitalist country and buy a months supply of groceries for less than a weeks pay. I drive a nice new luxury sedan and my electronics are great my samsung phone... intel pc.... all capitalism. and I am just lower middle class. sorry it is just how it is my friend.
***** dude lol my family were russians that fled the communist regime in the 80's for south africa. It is a sad derogatory existence. Communism makes it's leaders wealthy and the rest are just worker ants with the same rights. You fight for state or you die. you eat what state provide or you die. you don't like what state or glorious leader does? You die. No trail No voice I don't give a fuck what you heard about communism or what a utopia it creates. Stalin massacred the muslims in euraisa and repalced them with white russians. hundreds of thousands of people vanished in cuba that were pro west. Millions starved to death in the soviet union because they wanted to force collective farms. Peasants ate their dead to survive. The chinse red revolution killed millions and destroyed the chinese economy. only now with the whitch over to capitalism did china start to see wealth again. under communism you get lead. Either you follow or you get the lead injected into your skull. Then we get to pol pot. Force marching millions to their deaths. gulags forced labour starvation DEATH.
Good video and thank you for the hard facts. There is a lot of misinformation about the campaign on the net these days. 61 Mech kicked 21 Brigs arse properly!
So Zuma : jou ma se poes as jy dink of vertel dat die SADF ooit verloor het. Jou ma se poes het verloor toe sy jou uitgedruk het O Ja erk is Jan Albert Horvath working and feeling safe and protected by and in the The Republic of Angola right now.
yeah, i know, thanks, but when the South Africans took the tanks (t-55 i think) from a cargo ship going to Angola, they kept a few for them selves and gave the rest to Rhodesia, I figured the picture emphasized the spirit of the SADF. Thanks again though
No, peace negotiations; SA foreign minister said to Cuban Riquet: "We both can be winners and end this war. SA will withdraw from Angola under the pretence that SA stopped communism and Cuba can claim victory too and withdraw from Angola". And so the war ended and Namibia was raised.
The real victory of UNITA-SADF forces ocured at the river Lomba and not at Cuito Cuanavale. Cuito Cuanavale was not a battle but a positional defense that both forces (UNITA and SADF could not break. That is the truth. At the end of the conflict the racist had to leave angolan territory, Namibia achieved independence, in South Africa disappear the apartheid regime, the cubans went home, Savimbi was killed and finally the MPLA rules Angola still.
+Antonio Moreno im cuban south africa is a great country we should fucking invade angola and take some part of their land for fighting for them without nothing in exchange but now after that stupid war cuba has no money and south african whites are opressed a shitty war
Mario Riva USSR East Germany Poland Hungary CZ BG RO all collapsed 1989 - Communist Block was bleeding dry because of Reagan USA 🇺🇸 drove them against wall. THAT IS WHEN South Africa withdrew and changed and released Mandela after ANC lost its international power support !!! Angola 🇦🇴 and Namibia 🇳🇦 were no longer a problem for SA as all worked for peace in SA. Cuito was a Fortress and SA did not want to sacrifice its men just for a „victory“ there, they already damaged FAPLA and Cubans badly at Lomba (Battle of the Lomba) and elsewhere.
Mário Riva, agreed, SADF got kicked out of Angola for the second time, first happened in 1974-75 went into Angola to stop NETO proclaiming independence, fled via Zaïre, run back into South Africa in their dirty pants. Mandela got released, Namibia got its independence, weakened their support for UNITA, Mobutu got kicked out. Dos Santos and his friends were the winners, period.
How can I spell this out for you any clearer?!? SAAF Controlled the skies, at the end of the war Cuba did some raids to seemingly end the war on a high, but while those happened they were already withdrawing! SAAF controlled the skies since 1975, and (watch the video) shot down many more Cuban planes. Learn the facts and then get back to me...
Hi, i have to disagree SA didnt control the skies, it was one of the few examples where an army was able to win battles without control of the skies, we had less planes and they had better anti air, proof of that was the SA8 we captured and gave to the US, well we captured two gave one to the CIA.... we used our air force far better and more effectively we had better pilots and alot of enemy planes where destroyed on the ground... we had recce soldiers far in front who would guide artilery onto the runway as soon as they saw planes trying to take off. we did not have full control of the skies and for most part Angola was a no fly zone. I'll be happy to give you more evidence if you still dont accept this
@@Ghoulza that’s correct I heard similar from friend in SA MIlitary Intelligence in 1987 he said that Enemies controlled sky after Communist World sent in massive Arms and Armies. SA had poor Anti-Air Defenses or too few. SA was under world sanctions starved of modern weapons and up against half aggressive communist world with their latest stuff. SADF really was extremely brave to fight against such odds, do so well and hold enemies off the gates to SA. It’s like the Heroes of History - everyone respects a good fighter - only that saved Southern Africa. Just like Ukraine 🇺🇦 today
Hillarious, I don't need to read any military books, I was there. I was stationed at 61 Mechanised Battalion near the Angolan border for about 6 months during my national service and went in some years later with Regiment President Steyn, my citizen force unit.
I am Namibian, living in Free Namibia, one of Africa's best democracies. I salute the Soviet Union, Angola and Cubans for the sacrifices you made to achieve our freedom. South Africa had the best weapons, but you will never defeat the minds of people who want freedom 🇳🇦
Start with this one...the author full admits that the SADF were blunted in the frontal attacks they were ordered to conduct at the banks of the Cuito river. www.amazon.ca/Battle-Cuito-Cuanavale-Angolan-1987-1988/dp/1909384623
“Until the lion learned how to write, the story will always glorify the hunter. “ If the battle was won how come the UNITA/SADF didn’t capture the town? It’s was Cuban/MPLA who were stationed at Cuito that is why CIA used the football fields there to estimate the number of Cuban soldier. Video failed to mention the important role played by USA in intelligence gathering for UNITA/SADF?
If anyone honestly believes that the Cubans/MPLA were somehow victorious in this campaign (and many dipsh^ts seemingly do) then I’ll bet they must also swallow Castro’s bullshit insistence that Cuban military intervention was an independent, noble act of ‘comradely solidarity’! The irrefutable truth is Cuba deployed substantial military formations in Angola from the mid 1970’s onwards _at the direct behest of Moscow_ . The Soviets wished to consolidate their growing influence in the region, post independence from Portugal, so got their trained puppy Castro to do their dirty work. Pretend otherwise and deny reality all you want comrades!
@G L.C Ah but I never said nor intimated South Africa was _outright_ victorious. Not least because it wasn’t. Apartheid South Africa wasn’t _my_ regime either matey! Good grief, is that how your mind works then?: anti Communist _imperialism_ = pro South Africa by default? How tragically myopic. ;)
Nice vid - If i recall the sabc had a documentary on, how the cubans won the battle of Cuito Cuanavale and how we should thank them for defeating apartheid etc. The final effect of the battle are debatable but the battle - SADF WIn
Graham, Like most of mainstream Western media today, the SABC lies. Our SADF very decisively won the battles at Cuito, but the SABC wants to present this a 'white defeat' and communist victory. Typical communists, they lie like their feet stink. A Canadian missionary doctor who had been based about 50 miles north of Cuito in 1987, told me enough to appreciate that Mandela's friends got badly beaten at Cuito. A few months after the battles he visited Cuito to treat tribespeople and told me: "On the way I passed scores of Russian tanks that looked as if they'd been opened with a can opener."
despite the regime South Africa was a force to be reckoned with, there was a time when American soldiers were sent here to receive military training. Ironically The Americans "Backed" South Africa during this conflict... yet were never really involved at the time, I've heard Rumors that the only reason they were siding with us, was because they considered the South Africans a threat, just like Russia and so many other countries
The fact of why Cuba was in Angola, was not to defend against SA aggression... it was in fact the other way around with Russia leveraging its puppet Allie Cuba into setting up a growing "Communist" military presence and threat in Africa at the height of the "Cold War". Russia at the time was getting more and more involved in the Afghanistan conflict and needed to leave Africa and Angola in the hands of a mainly reluctant Cuba. And keep in mind this was just after Cuba had deployed aggressive nuclear missiles aimed at the US mainland. This blatant Missile threat and subsequent blockade by the US that almost culminated in a global nuclear war. So it was that Communistic aggression and world expansionism was therefore under intense scrutiny by NATO. Note: SA was a member of NATO and therefore an Allie to the West...albeit a very unpopular one (the better of two evils as it were).
Prejudices?? Obviously you did not read the OTHER racialist comments in this thread, let alone my comments, which did not contain prejudice...I merely quote unpopular history and facts not Socialist/Marxist fairytale Propaganda.
We never did loose. We won descisively, the cubans never stood a chance anyway, we used such a small proportion of our army to defeat multible countries, at the end it was the world that forced us to give it all up to the ANC who f ed centuries of progress up in s few years
@@520_metal you've probably done nothing with you're life but wasting mommys credit card on vbucks so it's disrespectful of you to say that. if you want to have an opinion go fight a war you're self
Jan, like Nelson Mandela, the Cubans simply lie about a communist 'victory' at Cuito. Instead they got hammered and lost thousands of men. After being released from prison Mandela visited Cuba to thank the Cubans for helping Africans 'beat the boers in Angola'. It was a thorough lie and just nonsense that he wanted to believe. Under his rule South Africa got huge corruption and the highest murder and rape rates in the world, but in North America and Europe he is a hero. Talk about stupid!
Many people died on the Angolan side. We know that, but all the deaths and destruction was about maintaining Angola's independence. It was maintained. That in itself is victory enough,
The camo uniforms of the 4 soldiers standing in front of the tank look like Rhodesian forces? We used to wear the same camo as them in Rhodesia during our war
Damn, we sure kicked Commie arse in the Angolan War. Awesome time :) Cuito Cuanavale Notes from the Trenches Igor Anatoliyevich Zhdarkin 14 October 1987 Today, at 07:30, we finally reached the command post of the 21st brigade and operational group. Here we met advisers and specialists of the 47th brigade and of the anti-aircraft missile system (nine people in all). So many horrors they recounted to us. During the offensive a lot of hope had rested on the 2nd tactical group, to which the 47th brigade belongs. The 47th brigade was reinforced with a tank battalion, artillery and the anti-aircraft missile system. The group’s mission was to secure the right flank during the general offensive. It was commanded by Maj. Tobiash, chief of staff of the 6th military district. But the group wasn’t up to the task. According to what was said, the commanding officers drank too much during the operation. The offensive was conducted sluggishly, without enthusiasm, although there was practically no serious resistance in its path. In the end though, it was like a clap of thunder in a clear sky. The offensive of other brigades went more or less successfully, and UNITA suffered defeat after defeat. It seemed that victory was already close. But, as had happened many times before, the South Africans, seeing this process, didn’t leave UNITA to be wiped out. Skilfully exploiting the mistakes and miscalculations of FAPLA, they openly penetrated the territory of Angola. They declared publicly that the South African army was in Angola to save UNITA. This was the beginning of the operation’s downfall, the beginning of a tragedy. First of all, we received news that Soviet advisers of the 21st brigade had been wounded and then heard about the death of the interpreter, Oleg Snitko. Afterwards, when we encountered our comrades from the 47th brigade, we heard details from them about their brigade’s rout. The brigade suffered three attacks from regular South African forces. The flight, which began after the second attack, turned into panic with the launching of the third. There were many reasons for this: running out of ammunition; the cowardliness of the officers; the absence of precise instructions to the troops engaged; their terror of facing the South Africans; and finally, the fact that there was a bridge across the river Lomba just where the brigade stood. Everybody soon found out about it, and if it hadn’t existed perhaps no one would have tried to flee. Many Soviet specialists serving here in the district combat brigades had been in Afghanistan and had never experienced such horrors before. One said: “When the South African artillery began to fire, I felt particularly terrified. Then came the South African Air Force and we had very little room on the ground. But the worst was when the Angolans turned to flight and began to throw away their equipment …” This was just what happened with the 47th brigade. As long as the brigade commander maintained radio contact with the commander of the tank battalion, everything remained relatively normal. But then the tank battalion commander was hit and, being wounded, he moved to another tank which was also hit and from which he then could not crawl out. Meanwhile the tank platoon commander who was next to him fled. The tank battalion commander (his name is Silva) was then taken prisoner by the South Africans. At the time of its flight during the crossing of the Lomba River, the 47th brigade lost 18 tanks, 20 armoured troop carriers, four D-30 122-mm guns, three BM-21 rocket launchers, four Osa-AK anti-aircraft mobile rocket launchers, two Osa-AK transport cars, one P-19 radar station, heavy automobiles, broadcasting stations, mortars, grenade throwers, approximately 200 pieces of small arms, and other things. The loudly proclaimed promises about the safety of Soviet advisers and specialists were forgotten. The BTR-60PB armoured troop carrier of the Soviet advisers departed, last but one, over the bridge; by order of the brigade commander it was done without cover, and it was protected by only 11 people. Within 15 minutes, the position where it had been before was exploded by a South African AML-90 armoured troop carrier. There was terrible panic and confusion all around. The South Africans were shooting all over the place, not sparing ammunition. No one knew clearly whether to run or what to do. The one thing everyone wanted was to get across to the other bank as fast as possible. The so-called ‘commissioner’ for organising the crossing was one of the first to escape. However, only three Strela-10 anti-aircraft systems, two armoured troop carriers, two EE-25 vehicles and one Land Rover got across to the other side of the Lomba. Nothing more could be saved. And if the South Africans had sent over only one company to the other side and opened fire against the Angolans on that bank, the entire 47th brigade would have landed at the bottom of the Lomba. The Soviet advisers had to abandon their armoured troop carrier and set it on fire, and then they crawled, hugging the ground, for 1.5 km along the shona to the other bank of the Lomba. They crawled under fire, throwing away everything except their weapons, while the South Africans fired straight at them. Then the swamps began. Our men overcame this too and there remained only a short distance to the bank. Completely exhausted, they decided to pause for breath. The South Africans had guessed from the time lapse that they had already got across, so they began to shoot along the shore. Shells were exploding 10 to 20 metres from them and three fell into the swamp just five metres away. What saved them was that the shells fell into the swamp and on the shona (which was also sticky and swampy), and sank before they exploded. This was the only reason why no one was wounded, apart from injuries from small fragments. The crushing defeat of the 47th brigade seriously affected the 16th, 21st, and 59th brigades as well as the military situation as a whole. Now the brigades were positioned on the line formed by the Cunzumbia River. Such was the state of affairs when we arrived.
You filthy DEVIL colonialist and imperialist RACIST filthy pig got your ass kicked soundly :) and sending you into dismal defeat~ running back to Pretoria and your hot TIN shanty house ;)
+Charlie Ochoa was chosen by Defense Minister Raul Castro to become the head of Cuba's Western Army. Since this branch of the military protects Cuba's capital city, Havana, and its top leaders and installations, the position would have made him the third most powerful military figure on the island, after Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and General Raul Castro. What was expected to be a routine background check prior to the announcement of his appointment began to unravel, however, when some close associates accused the revolutionary hero of corruption which included, but was not limited to, the sale of diamonds and ivory from Angola and the misappropriation of weapons in Nicaragua. As the investigation continued, links were found to other military and Ministry of the Interior officials who were engaged in even more serious crimes: taking pay-offs from South American drug-traffickers in exchange for letting them use Cuban territorial waters for drug drops and pick-ups. General Raul Castro, who was very close to Ochoa personally, later said he pleaded with Ochoa on a number of occasions to come clean, reveal everything, so they could move forward. When Ochoa refused to cooperate, on June 12, the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces announced his arrest and investigation for serious acts of corruption, dishonest use of economic resources, and abetting drug trafficking. Ochoa was put behind bars for a month in west Havana, in the military base named Reloj Club Boinas Rojas. During this time his closest friends and associates continued their attempts to persuade him to cooperate in hopes of ameliorating his sentence. During this same time Patricio and Tony de la Guardia and others were apprehended and charged as well. Ochoa and the others finally went before a Military Honour Court. Their trial, which provided ample evidence of the crimes that were committed, including dates, places, amounts of money and drugs involved, along with the lesser crimes of smuggling diamonds and ivory for sale, was viewed on Cuban television. During the trial none of the defendants claimed that they had not carried out these acts; only that there were "mitigating circumstances"[this quote needs a citation]. At one point Ochoa mused over what had brought him to this point, saying that initially he was trying to help secure weapons and other materials needed for his troops, and then one thing led to another. The Military Court found him guilty of all charges, including the capital offense of treason. Prosecutors had presented evidence that at least one pilot involved in the transfer of drugs had been contracted by the CIA, and argued that if the United States government instead of the Cuban government had discovered and revealed the involvement of high level Cuban military personnel in drug trafficking, that would have provided an excuse for invading Cuba (less than a year later, the US invaded Panama using Noriega's alleged involvement in drug trafficking as the justification). Alternatively, they surmised, if Cuba had gone ahead and appointed General Ochoa as head of the Western Army, the US would have been in a good position to blackmail and control one of the people most responsible for the country's security. Four of the defendants, including Ochoa and Tony de la Guardia, were given death sentences for the crime of treason. The ruling regime claimed that not only had they betrayed the high level of trust in them by the government and people of Cuba, the Court declared, but had placed the entire country in jeopardy by their actions. The death of the traitor was unrelated to the outcome of the conflict.
+Charles putnam1982 just like Ochoa's testimony admitting to the crimes. even though his trial was broadcast on national TV I'm sure it was all just propaganda! If you feel that he was forced into his admission of the crimes, because of a supposed defeat that Castro would want him killed for, then why would he lie on national TV when his best chance of survival would have been exposing the truth to the Cuban people? I'm sorry mate but from a purely analytical stand point the facts just don't add up.
+Joshua O'Bryan Ochoa was coerced by Castro. Castro reassured Ochoa during the trial that If he accepted responsibility for the charges of narcotrafficking he was not going to be executed and Ochoa went along with it. The communist tribunal executed Ochoa and four other officers. All of them were working under Fidel Castro's orders.
+submariner200 Aye, sorry mate, I wasn't aware that a white South African was in Castro's inner circle and had access to what would be deemed (if it was true) beyond top secret information. Still yet, that doesn't explain why he didn't speak out when the verdict came. He was on national TV, if he knew he was about to be killed, he could have spoken out. it very well could have saved his life. You make Castro out to be a bloodthirsty tyrant, while understanding nothing of the determination of the Cuban people, Batista was a tyrant, supported financially and militarily by the US and the UK, he was still forced to flee the country, if the people didn't support Castro, they could have been rid of him back in 91' when the last Russians left.
So Trafalgar8766 taking you point of view the dismounting of the apartheid 5 years later and the rise of Nelson Mandela as president was also part of the SA strategy. Sorry, it is difficult for me to believe it.
Remember this cubanisimo123, the cubans left at the exact same time as when the South Africans left, it wasn't a matter of South Africa being humiliated, it was the other way around, Cuba was finding itself far too stretched in a remote conflict that it clearly wasn't going to win, considering South Africa had one the large majority of the battles in the conflict. End of argument.
oh, yes, Apartheid victory was so stunning they lost power for good. The Angolan fate had a lot more to do with the USSR and eastern front collapse than the strategic outcome on the war
my friend i have family that fought there and actually know what happened, so dont come throwing your im offended crap this way. ask yourself, knowing the latino mentality, would you treat a supposed war hero to a firing squad if he was victorious, no hes name would go down in cuban history as el gran macho and would have probably become another ché. So please use your God given brain. And yes the stats where that bad, the russians even got embarassed for supporting such a lost cause.
simongarty Cubans are not latinos, they have a different culture, the differences are huge. The only similarity is the language. Latinos hate cubans and cubans hate latinos. Latinos see cubans as arrogants and different people. Cubans see latinos as ignorant and primitive indians. Of course, for political reasons they never say that openly, but that is what every cuban family think and teach to their children. And latinos dont lost an opportunity to kill a cuban. Just take a look at the cubans in the United States, what they has done there and the hate that latinos feel against the cuban americans. When communism ends in Cuba, and the cuban people finally become in the capitalist they want to be, their economy will grow as never in their history. By the way, give my thanks to your relatives that fought there.
Very simply...the South Africans were at the long end of a very extended logistical supply train and they knew they had plenty of trouble within their borders at the same time as the SWA border war - being pragmatic folk they choose the lesser of two evils.
I was wondering if you could provide the sources where you got those facts (numbers of soldiers killed, tanks destroyed, etc). I'm in a process of writing a story about this battle and these sources would be so much helpful. Thanks.
Si eso es tal y como usted aquí lo narra yo tengo tres preguntas: 1 ¿Por qué UNITA ya no existe, y el MPLA aun gobierna Angola, por qué Sudáfrica salió de Angola? 2 ¿Por qué hoy Namibia es independiente? 3 ¿Por qué esa bandera afrikáner ya no hondea de Sudáfrica, qué paso con el apartheid, por qué Mandela fue a dar las gracias a Cuba?
Mario Marti-Brenes Can you explain where is the Soviet Union? Can you explain why Cuba is in freefall since the collapse of the USSR? And can you explain why Unita was active so many years after the war ends? The fact that Unita continue its existence after the war, until Savimbi dead is the proof of the Cuban-Angolan-Soviet inability to accomplish their goals in the war.
Put it simply, South Africa did not want Communism to spread around Southern Africa, so when it was safe that Namibia was not going Communist it was safe to leave. Furthermore, South African Armies did not leave immediately they left a few years later. Furthermore, Cuba also withdrew their troops and retreated from Angola. South Africa could not reveal too much due to the international opposition to the army being in Angola.
