The second half of the 20th century was marked by significant changes in the development of African states. We are talking about the intensification of national liberation movements against the colonialist policies of European states. All these trends are reflected in the events that have taken place since 1961 in Angola.
Angola on the map of Africa: geographical location
Angola is one of the African states created after the Second World War. In order to navigate the situation that was in this state throughout the second half of the 20th century, you first need to figure out where Angola is located on the map and with which territories it borders. A modern country is located in South Africa.
It borders in the south with Namibia, which until the end of the 1980s was completely subordinated to South Africa (this is a very important factor!), In the east - with Zambia. In the north and northeast there is a state border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The western border is the Atlantic Ocean. Knowing which states Angola borders on, it will be easier for us to understand the ways of invading foreign troops on the territory of the state.
Reasons for the outbreak of war
The war in Angola did not start spontaneously. Within Angolan society from 1950 to 1960, three different groups formed, which considered the struggle for the independence of the state to be their task. The problem is that they could not unite due to ideological incompatibility.
What are these groups? The first group, the MPLA (stands for People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola), considered Marxist ideology to be the ideal of state development in the future. Perhaps Agostinho Neto (the leader of the party) did not see the ideal in the state system of the USSR, because the purely economic views of Karl Marx were slightly different from what was presented in the Union as Marxism. But the MPLA was guided by the international support of the countries of the socialist camp.
The second group is the FNLA (National Front for the Liberation of Angola), whose ideology was also interesting. FNLA leader Holden Roberto liked the idea of independent development, borrowed from Chinese philosophers. By the way, the activities of the FNLA carried some danger for Angola itself, because Roberto's rise to power threatened the country with collapse. Why? Holden Roberto was a relative of President Zaire and promised to give him part of the territory of Angola if he won.
The third group - UNITA (National Front for the Full Independence of Angola) - was distinguished by a pro-Western orientation. Each of these groups had a certain support in society and a different social base. These groups did not even try to make peace and unite, because each of the parties presented ways of struggle against the colonists too different, and most importantly, the further development of the country. It is these contradictions that led to the start of hostilities in 1975.
Start of war
The war in Angola began on September 25, 1975. No wonder at the beginning of the article we talked about the geographical position of the country and mentioned the neighbors. On this day, troops entered the territory of Zaire, which spoke in support of the FNLA. The situation worsened after October 14, 1975, when South African troops (from the territory of South Africa controlled by Namibia) entered Angola. These forces began to support the pro-Western party of UNITA. The logic of this political position of South Africa in the Angolan conflict is obvious: there have always been many Portuguese in the leadership of South Africa. MPLA also initially had outside support. We are talking about the army of SWAPO, which defended the independence of Namibia from South Africa.
So, we see that at the end of 1975, in the country we were considering, there were troops of several states that opposed each other. But the civil war in Angola could be perceived in a broader sense - as a military conflict between several states.
War in Angola: Operation Savannah
What did the troops of South Africa immediately after crossing the border with Angola? That's right - there was an active promotion. These battles went down in history as Operation Savannah. South African troops were divided into several attack groups. The success of Operation Savannah was ensured by the surprise and lightning speed of the Zulus and other units. For several days they conquered the entire south-west of Angola. The Foxbat group was stationed in the central region.
The army captured the following facilities: the cities of Liumbalu, Kakulu, Katenge, Benguela Airport, several training camps MPLA. The victorious march of these armies lasted until November 13, when they occupied the city of Novo Redondo. Also, the Foxbat group won a very difficult battle for Bridge # 14.
The X-Ray group defeated the Cuban army near the cities of Xanlongo, Luso, captured the Salazar Bridge and stopped the Cubans from moving towards Cariango.
USSR participation in hostilities
After analyzing the historical chronicle, we will understand that the inhabitants of the Union practically did not know what the war in Angola is. The USSR never advertised its active participation in the events.
After the introduction of the troops of Zaire and South Africa, the leader of the MPLA turned for military assistance to the USSR and Cuba. The leaders of the countries of the socialist camp could not refuse the help of the army and the party, which professed socialist ideology. Military conflicts of this kind were to some extent beneficial to the USSR, because the party leadership still did not abandon the idea of exporting the revolution.
International assistance to Angola was provided great. Officially, the Soviet army participated in the battles from 1975 to 1979, but in reality our soldiers took part in this conflict until the collapse of the USSR. The official and real loss data in this conflict are different. The documents of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR directly indicate that during the war in Angola, our army lost 11 people. Military experts consider this figure very low and are inclined to the opinion of more than 100 people.
Fights in November-December 1975
The war in Angola at its first stage was very bloody. Let us now analyze the main events of this stage. So, several countries have entered their troops. We already know about this. What happens next? Military assistance from the USSR and Cuba in the form of specialists, equipment, ships of the USSR Navy significantly strengthened the MPLA army.
The first major success of this army took place in the battle of Kifangondo. The opponents were the troops of Zaire and the FNLA. The MPLA army had a strategic advantage at the start of the battle, because the Zairetsi weapons were very outdated, and the socialist army received new models of military equipment from the USSR to help. On November 11, the FNLA army lost the battle and by and large surrendered its position, almost ending the struggle for power in Angola.
There was no respite from the MPLA army, because at the same time the South African army was advancing (Operation Savannah). Her troops advanced inland about 3,000-3100 km. The war in Angola did not calm down! A tank battle between the forces of the MPLA and UNITA took place on November 17, 1975 near the city of Gangula. This clash was won by socialist troops. The successful part of Operation Savannah ended there. After these events, the MPLA army continued the offensive, but the enemy did not give up, and permanent battles took place.
The situation at the front in 1976
Military conflicts continued in the next, 1976, year. For example, already on January 6, MPLA forces seized the FNLA base in the north of the country. One of the opponents of the socialists was actually defeated. Of course, no one thought about ending the war, so Angola was waiting for many more years of disaster. As a result, the FNLA troops in completely fragmented form left the territory of Angola in about 2 weeks. Left without a fortified camp, they could not continue an active campaign.
The MPLA leadership had to solve an equally serious task further, because regular units of the armies of Zaire and South Africa did not leave Angola. By the way, a very interesting position on the justification of their military claims in Angola in South Africa. South African politicians were convinced that the unstable situation in a neighboring country could have negative consequences for their state. What kind? For example, they were afraid of intensified protest movements. They managed to cope with these rivals until the end of March 1976.
Of course, the MPLA itself, with regular enemy armies, could not have accomplished this. The main role in ousting opponents from the borders of the state belongs to 15,000 Cubans and Soviet military specialists. After this, systemic and active hostilities were not conducted for some time, because the enemy of UNITA decided to wage a guerrilla war. With this form of confrontation, mainly small clashes occurred.
Partisan stage of the war
After 1976, the nature of hostilities changed slightly. Until 1981, foreign armies did not carry out systematic military operations in Angola. The UNITA organization understood that its forces would not be able to prove their superiority over FALPA (the army of Angola) in open battles. Speaking about the army of Angola, we must understand that these are actually the forces of the MPLA, because the socialist group has officially been in power since 1975. As noted, by the way, Agostinho Neto, the flag of Angola is not in vain because black and red. Red color is most often found on the symbols of socialist states, and black is the color of the African continent.
The clashes of 1980-1981
In the late 1970s, we can only talk about clashes with UNITA guerrilla pens. In 1980-1981 the war in Angola intensified. For example, in the first half of 1980, South African forces invaded Angolan territory more than 500 times. Yes, these were not some kind of strategic operations, but all the same, these acts significantly destabilized the situation in the country. In 1981, the activity of South African forces increased to a full-scale military operation, which in the history books was called "Protea."
Parts of the South African army advanced 150-200 km inland through Angolan territory, and the question was about the seizure of several settlements. As a result of the offensive and serious defensive actions, more than 800 Angolan soldiers died under enemy targeted fire. It is also precisely known (although it is nowhere to be found in official documents) about the death of 9 Soviet servicemen. Until March 1984, hostilities resumed periodically.
Battle of Quito Quanaval
A few years later, the full-scale war in Angola resumed. The battle of Quito Quanavale (1987-1988) was a very important turning point in the civil confrontation. The soldiers of the People’s Army of Angola, the Cuban and Soviet military, on the one hand, participated in this battle; partisans of UNITA and the army of South Africa - on the other. This battle ended unsuccessfully for UNITA and South Africa, so they had to flee. At the same time, they blew up the border bridge, making it difficult for the Angolans to pursue their units.
After this battle, finally, serious peace negotiations began. Of course, the war continued even in the 1990s, but it was the battle of Quito-Quanaval that was turning point in favor of the Angolan forces. Today, Angola exists as an independent state and is developing. The flag of Angola speaks of the political orientation of the state today.
Why was the USSR not beneficial to official participation in the war?
As you know, in 1979 the intervention of the USSR army in Afghanistan began. Fulfillment of international duty seemed to be considered necessary and prestigious, but this kind of invasion, interference in the life of another people was not very supported by the people of the USSR and the world community. That is why the Union officially recognized its participation in the Angolan campaign only from 1975 to 1979.