The SADF and Cuito Cuanavale

The SADF and Cuito Cuanavale: A tactical and strategic analysis.
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978-1-92-824803-3
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Title: The SADF and Cuito Cuanavale
Subtitle: A tactical and strategic analysis
Author: Leopold Scholtz
Genre: Military history
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers South Africa
Imprint: Delta Books
Johannesburg-Cape Town, South Africa 2020
ISBN 9781928248033 / ISBN 978-1-92-824803-3
Softcover, 15 x 23 cm, 288 pages, 1 map

About: The SADF and Cuito Cuanavale

In 1987/88 the dusty southern Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale became the scene of the final battles of the Border War. Today it is the focal point of the public debate over the question who actually won the war. The alliance of the Angolan MPLA government, Cuba and the Namibian freedom movement SWAPO claim that the South African Defence Force (SADF) wanted to use Cuito Cuanavale as a springboard for an advance on Luanda, but that they eventually forced the SADF to withdraw from Angola. This in turn helped to bring an end to apartheid, they contend. The leadership of the SADF, however, state that taking Cuito Cuanavale was never a serious objective and that they had no plans to overthrow the Angolan government. In recent years a mass of original SADF documents have been declassified. Leopold Scholtz interrogated these documents to establish what the true objectives of the SADF were in these final, crucial battles of the Border War. He also examines certain battles in the campaign and analyse why one side or the other won or lost. This incisive analysis is testament to what happens when war, politics and propaganda intertwine.

Contents: The SADF and Cuito Cuanavale

Author's note
Introduction
The relevance of Cuito Cuanavale
'Stop the offensive'
47 Brigade through the shredder
'Destroy the enemy'
16 Brigade hit hard
16 Brigade's removal confirmed
'Drive Fapla over the Cuito'
The SADF rebuffed: Tumpo 1 and Tumpo 2
The SADF humiliated: Tumpo 3
Tactical analysis
What was the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale?
The political and academic debate
Notes
Bibliography
Index