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People's Republic Of Angola República Popular De Angola 11th November 1975 - 25th August 1992

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Old 09-04-2004, 03:54 PM   #1
Taz
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Foreign Intervention In Angola.

Here is a link with interesting pics of Soviet soldiers and equipment in Angola and Mozambique.
Although some of the writing comments seem unessesary.

http://www.africancrisis.org/photos13.asp

Eddie.
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Last edited by Taz; 09-05-2004 at 11:52 AM.
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Old 09-05-2004, 09:59 AM   #2
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SA nukes

Very interesting Taz!

I lived in South Africa at that time (as a kid), and visited South West Africa (now Namibia) a number of times, which was used as the primary launching point into Angola.

In response to the Soviet activities in Angola and elsewhere in Southern Africa in the mid 1970s, the South African government stepped up its nuclear program to counter any possible threat from the Soviets and their allies after Portugal abandoned its colonies of Angola and Mocambique to the Communists in 1975.

"During the 1970's and especially during the latter half of that decade, the international security situation around South Africa, deteriorated markedly. This was mainly due to its own racially based internal policies but was also exacerbated by Portugal's withdrawal from its African colonies of Mozambique and Angola and the uncertainties about the true intentions of the Warsaw Pact countries and especially the Soviet Union, in the light of their openly declared expansionist policies in Southern Africa. The strong build-up of Cuban surrogate forces in Angola from 1975 onwards and which eventually peaked at 50 000 foreign soldiers, reinforced a strong perception within the Government of international isolation should South African territory be under threat.

Increasing international restrictions on the supply of conventional arms against South Africa, primarily due to its internal policies, also made the argument that the country virtually had no alternative but to develop its own nuclear deterrent to counter an external threat, probably convincing to the Government of the time."

from: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/rsa/nuke/stumpf.htm

South Africa was the first country to dismantle its native nuclear weapons (it made 7 bombs, with missile technology borrowed from the Israelis) in 1993.

Although the Soviets never brought in nuclear weapons into Southern Africa, the staunchly anti-communist South Africans were in the grip of the cold war just like countries in Europe and North America. Having two large communist countries near it was too much for SA to stomach (and for the USA as well, since the CIA had a huge presence in the area).

As an aside, does anyone know if South Africa was ever targeted by ICBMs from the Soviet Union, or didn't they care enough to bomb the place?

Matt.
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Old 09-05-2004, 11:07 AM   #3
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Thanks

Hello Taz,
Normally I do not follow Soviet deeds in Africa. I cant explain why I surfed to this section this morning but I am glad I did. What a series of webpages you provided us. I knew that there were communist activities in Africa but I did not realize the extent. Thanks for sharing. Clete
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Old 09-05-2004, 11:59 AM   #4
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Matt, Clete,

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you found the articles interesting.
The whole idea of this African section was to try and research if any Soviet forces were issued Orders and Medals from the various African States, for example Angola, that they served in. At the moment this doesn't seem to be the case, however if you do find anything please don't hesitate to post it in this section.

Regards Eddie.
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Old 09-05-2004, 04:07 PM   #5
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Eddie,

Thanks a lot for another great thread!

I've been asking around and as far as Angola is concerned I don't believe any Angolan Awards had been given to Soviet or Cuban (soldiers, advisers, civilians). The country was then in a chaotic situation, almost nothing was working after most of the Portuguese population was forced to leave because of the civilian war. I don't think the Angolan authorities were able to manufacture Military Awards those days! So my guess is that the only Awards for Soviet or Cuban personnel who have been there are those given to them by their own countries.

As for the link you posted, despite the reactionary comments, some of the pictures are interesting.
Nevertheless one must be careful with some of the pictures published those days showing so called Soviets or Cubans!
I have a member of my family who was just a kid those days but joined the MPLA Armed Forces and years later saw his picture that had been published in a English well known newspaper, as if he was a Cuban... :rolleyes:

Matt,

When did you left SA?

I was born in Angola myself and left in August/10 1975, at the age of 19, in the middle of a awful civilian war!
But I guess you weren't born yet at that time, right?

Best,

Dolf
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Old 09-05-2004, 11:28 PM   #6
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Hi Dolf,

I was two in 1975, and I lived in SA until 1994. My dad flew up to the front line near the SWA/Angola border in the early 80s with an airforce medical team and had a brief look at Angola then (though no fighting). Lots of wrecked soviet junk though...

Matt.
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Old 06-19-2006, 12:24 PM   #7
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Angola: Army Staff Chief Decorated in Russia

Angola Press Agency June 6, 2006

Moscow

The chief of staff of Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), Gen. Agostinho Nelumba "Sanjar", was decorated Monday in Moscow with the medal of the "Union of Russian Veterans" that served in Angola.

The general received the decoration for his contribute to the strengthening of friendship and co-operation between the peoples of Angola and Russia and the armed forces of the two countries.

The ceremony took place during a reception at the Angolan embassy in Moscow, in the framework of his visit to Russia, from 28 May-06 June.

In Moscow, Gen. Sanjar met with his Russian colleague, Gen. Yuri Baluevisk, with the gen. manager of the Federal Service for Technical Military Co-operation, Mikhail Dmitriev, the acting manager of the State-run firm of armament trade, Rosoboronexport, Vladimir Pakhomov, and with the Audit court chief judge, Serguei Stepachin.

The Angolan six-member delegation also visited the academies of the Armed Staff and Vistrel's military training centre.

Both sides achieved positive results with regard the possibility of FAA to have its equipment repaired in that country, purchase of other material to boost the military capacity and training of Angolan soldiers in that European country.

Eddie.
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Old 05-20-2007, 05:32 AM   #8
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Castro reveals role in Angola, Namibia independence

For the first time, Cuban President Fidel Castro has revealed details of the large Cuban military participation in the war against South African troops in southern Angola in 1987-88. Some 55,000 Cuban troops aided the Angolan counter-offensive, that drove South Africans back to the Namibian border and to the negotiation table. The result was the independence of Namibia, President Castro recalls.

Cuba's aging Dictator on Friday addressed the Caribbean nation's armed forces in a speech commemorating the 30th anniversary of its Angolan engagement. Going through the well-known history of the sending of Cuban 36,000 troops to Angola to defend the Marxist MPLA government against a South African invasion in 1975, President Castro also for the first time shed light on the scale of the 1987-88 operation.

In 1987, South African troops were again in Angola, aiding the rightist UNITA rebels in an attempt to overthrow the leftist MPLA government. According to Mr Castro, the Angolan army had been ill advised to its large September 1987 offensive against the assumed UNITA headquarters at Lomba River in the far south-east of Angola.

President Castro reveals that Cuba had advised the Angolan army against this large offensive due to the big risks involved. The battle at Lomba River also turned out to be a disaster for the government army, as it fell into a trap set up by UNITA and its allies from the apartheid state. The Angolan army suffered great losses, in particular of its heavy weaponry, and was forced to pull back to the air base in Cuito Cuanavale.

"The enemy, greatly emboldened, advanced strongly, towards Cuito Cuanavale," Mr Castro said. "Here it prepared to deliver a mortal blow against Angola. Desperate calls were received from the Angolan government appealing to the Cuban troops for support in fending off presumed disaster," he went on, adding Cuba "had no responsibility whatever" for the difficult situation the Angolan army found itself in.

The Cuban President goes on detailing the massive response immediately organised by Havana. The goal was not only hindering the enemy's advance on Cuito Cuanavale, but to "deliver a decisive blow against the South African forces," he revealed. "A flood of troops and weaponry rapidly crossed the Atlantic, landing on Angola's south coast in order to attack in the south west, in the direction of Namibia. At the same time, 800 km to the east, special units advanced towards Cuito Cuanavale, where they joined up with retreating Angolan forces to set up a lethal trap for the powerful South African forces heading for that large airbase."

The scale of the operation was enormous, much bigger than contemporary observers believed. "Cuban troops in Angola numbered 55,000," President Castro revealed. Assessments so far on the Cuban force have been closer to 30,000. Only in Cuito Cuanavale, there were 40,000 Cuban and 30,000 Angolan troops.

With this great Cuban force at its side, the Angolan army was able to win the decisive battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The Cubans had also brought some 600 tanks and heavy artillery. President Castro reveals that the Cubans also brought several MIG-23 unit, the South Africans thus losing their aerial supremacy. This probably secured the quick victory.

The Cuban-Angolan troops however did not stop at Cuito Cuanavale. With full control on land and in the air, they advanced towards the Namibian border, "ready to literally sweep up the South African forces deployed along that main route,2 according to Mr Castro. This advance, he added, "spelled the end of foreign aggression."

With the South African army in Angola beaten and Cuban-Angolan troops advancing towards South African-occupied Namibia, the power balance in the region had been turned upside-down over night. Suddenly, apartheid South Africa was no longer invincible. Its control over the Southern African region seemed to be more fragile than believed.

In that spirit, South Africa finally agreed to negotiate. "The enemy had to set aside its usual arrogance and sit down at the negotiating table. The talks culminated in the Peace Accords for Southern Africa, signed by South Africa, Angola and Cuba at the UN headquarters in December 1988," President Castro said. The Washington government "had no choice but to accept our presence" in the negotiations, the Cuban leader recalled.

The 1988 peace had great implications for the history of Southern Africa. While Cuba agreed to pull out of Angola, South Africa was forced to stop its campaigns against the MPLA government, which slowly led the the weakening of the UNITA rebels. Even more important, a plan to implement Namibia's independence was agreed upon by the Pretoria government. The power balance was changed in disfavour of the apartheid regime on a lasting basis.

The contribution of the Cuban army was "decisive in consolidating Angola's independence and achieving that of Namibia. It was also a significant contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe and the demise of South Africa's repugnant apartheid regime," President Castro told his troops. "Rarely in history has war ... been accompanied by such humanism and humility on the part of the victors," he added.

The Cuban leader said it was now time, 30 years after Angola's independence, that the "heroic saga" of the Cuban contribution be "told in full." He lamented that when the region's history is told, "Cuba, it seems, never played any part at all in Angolan independence, Namibian independence or the defeat of the until-then invincible army of apartheid." Cuba, after all, he said, was "the only non-African nation that fought and shed its blood for Africa and against the shameful apartheid regime."

This is an article that was published in the Afrol news.

Eddie
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Old 05-23-2007, 04:53 PM   #9
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Angola Veterans

I just found this great page: Angola Veterans (Russian)

It has some very interesting galleries, showing thier own veteran's medal as well as several medals from Angol and Cuba I have never seen before.

The attachment is just the thumb form their Gallery you should go there and have a look.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 1173172198_small_image.jpg (14.3 KB, 35 views)

Last edited by Koslova; 05-24-2007 at 02:49 AM. Reason: Obviously it belongs here. Thanks for the move!
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Old 03-05-2010, 09:12 AM   #10
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Re: The Russians in Angola

Quote:
Originally Posted by Taz View Post
Matt, Clete,

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you found the articles interesting.
The whole idea of this African section was to try and research if any Soviet forces were issued Orders and Medals from the various African States, for example Angola, that they served in. At the moment this doesn't seem to be the case, however if you do find anything please don't hesitate to post it in this section.

Regards Eddie.
While not really conclusive evidence, when I visited Ukraine several years ago I also went to the Kiev militry museum (next to / underneath, i forgot, the mother ukraine statue). In this wonderful museum there was a small section on wars outside of europe... and there was such an Agostinho Neto medal hanging there. Can't recall more than this though.
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