Battle on the Lomba 1987: The Day a South African Armoured Battalion shattered Angola’s Last Mechanized Offensive - A Crew Commander’s Account

The climactic death-throes of Soviet Communism during the 1980s included a last-gasp attempt at strategic franchise expansion in Southern Africa. Channeled through Castro's Cuba, oil-rich Angolan armed forces (FAPLA) received billions of dollars of advanced weaponry including MiG 23 and Sukhoi fighter jets, SAM 8 missile systems and thousands of armored vehicles. Their intent - to eradicate the US-backed Angolan opposition (UNITA), then push southwards into South Africa's protectorate SWA/Namibia, ostensibly as liberators. 1985 saw the first large-scale mechanized offensive in Southern African history. Russian Generals planned and oversaw the offensive but without properly accounting for the tenacity of UNITA (supported by the South African Defense Forces - SADF) or the treacherous terrain typical in the rainy season. The '85 offensive floundered in the mud and FAPLA returned to their capital Luanda. The South Africans stood down, confident their 'covert' support for UNITA had demonstrated the folly of prosecuting war so far from home against Africa's military Superpower. The South Africans were mistaken. Fidel and FAPLA immediately redoubled their efforts, strengthening fifteen battalions with even more Soviet hardware while Russian and Cuban specialists oversaw troop training. 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 armored clashes including the largest and most decisive battle on African soil since World War II. 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 Mechanized Battalion, engaged and effectively annihilated the giant FAPLA 47th Armored 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 armor 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. REVIEWS “ ... The book is written in an easily accessible fashion ... will form a valuable contribution to historians of the future ...” Anne Samson – Historian (blog) a compelling study of how young men trained, lived, and fought together, transforming from teenagers into top-notch soldiers.” Michigan War Studies Review A South African national serviceman recounts becoming a soldier and an ensuing David-and-Goliath face-off against Angolan armed forces in 1987.The climactic death-throes of Soviet Communism during the 1980s included a last-gasp attempt at strategic franchise expansion in southern Africa. Channeled through Castro's Cuba, oil-rich Angolan armed forces (FAPLA) received billions of dollars of advanced weaponry and thousands of armored vehicles. Their intent: to eradicate the US-backed Angolan opposition (UNITA), then push southwards into South Africa's protectorate SWA/Namibia, ostensibly as liberators.1985 saw the first large-scale mechanized offensive in southern African history. Russian Generals planned and oversaw the offensive but didn't account for the tenacity of UNITA (supported by the South African Defense Forces, SADF) or the rainy season. The ‘85 offensive floundered in the mud, and FAPLA returned to their capital Luanda. The South Africans stood down, confident their “covert” support for UNITA had demonstrated the folly of prosecuting war so far from home against Africa's military Superpower. However, they were mistaken. Fidel and FAPLA immediately redoubled their efforts, strengthening fifteen battalions with even more Soviet hardware while Russian and Cuban specialists oversaw troop training.As Cuban and Angolan fighter pilots honed their skills over the skies of Northern Angola, David Mannall, a normal seventeen-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 several full-scale armored clashes, including the largest and most decisive battle on African soil since World War II.This is a David and Goliath story that has never been truthfully told. The author reveals how Charlie Squadron, comprising just twelve 90mm AFVs crewed by thirty-six national servicemen, as part of the elite sixty-one Mechanized Battalion, engaged and effectively annihilated the giant FAPLA 47th Armored 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 armor 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, 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. Let Us Go Into Action With Charlie Squadron Living On The Edge; Ratel 90s Against Russian T55 Tanks; Few Against Many! A Captivating Read With Beautiful Twists And Turns, Without Once Losing The Thread. A Story Most Profound Of Life In The Military As Told By A Young South African National Serviceman Who Served During The South African Border War. David Mannal Gives A Vivid Account Of One Of The Fiercest Mechanised Battles Of Contemporary Warfare In Africa, Which Was Fought In Southeast Angola--the Battle Of The Lomba River On 3 October 1987. This Was The Battle Which Turned The Deliberate Onslaught Of An Overwhelming Angolan-cuban Conventional Coalition Force At The Height Of The Cold War And Sent The Enemy Reeling. Our Young National Servicemen Were Warriors! For Dauntless Service Rendered By Men Such As 19-years Old David Mannall One Can Only Feel And Express Gratefulness. Their Combined Best Proved Good Enough. --major General (retired) Roland De Vries - Former Commander Of 61 Mechanised Battalion Group (1981-1982) And Former Deputy Chief Of The South African Army; Back Cover. Front Matter: List Of Photographs, Plates, Maps, Author's Note; Introduction--the Beginning -- Basic Training -- Phase 2, Junior Leaders' Officer Training -- Junior Leaders' Lnco Training -- 61 Mechanised Battalion Group, Omuthiya -- The Omuthiya Special -- Infantry Kill -- Communication Operations -- Don't Fly Virgin -- Bittersweet -- Operation Moduler (modular) -- Midnight In Mavinga -- Battle Group Alpha And The 21st Brigade -- Skeletons In The Closet -- Bg Alpha And The 47th Brigade -- Bootlaces -- The Battle On The Lomba -- Mission Accomplished -- Floats Like A Butterfly, Stings Like A Bomb -- The Rumble In The Jungle And The 16th Brigade -- The Day Of The Elephant -- Appendices: Charlie Squadron 1987--61 Mechanised Battalion Group; History Of 61 Mechanised Battalion. David Mannall. Front matter: List of photographs, plates, maps, author's note; introduction the beginning Basic training Phase 2, Junior leaders' officer training Junior leaders' LNCO training 61 Mechanised Battalion Group, Omuthiya The Omuthiya special Infantry kill Communication operations Don't fly Virgin Bittersweet Operation Moduler (Modular) Midnight in Mavinga Battle Group Alpha and the 21st Brigade Skeletons in the closet BG Alpha and the 47th Brigade Bootlaces The Battle on the Lomba Mission accomplished Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bomb The rumble in the jungle and the 16th Brigade The day of the elephant Appendices: Charlie Squadron 1987 61 Mechanised Battalion Group; History of 61 Mechanised Battalion.