Battle for Cassinga is written as a first-hand account by an ordinary South African paratrooper who was at the 1978 assault on the Angolan headquarters of PLAN, the armed wing of SWAPO (South West Africa People's Organization). The book relates why the South African government took the political risk in attacking the fortress in an external operation and examines the SWAPO claims that Cassinga was a refugee camp guarded by a few PLAN soldiers. It also explains why Sam Nujoma, the SWAPO leader, had no option but to perpetuate this falsehood. The battle, although a resounding success, suffered some setbacks which could have been disastrous to the South African paratroopers had they not maintained the initiative. The improvisations made by the commander Col Jan Breytenbach ensured that a flawed jump and poor intelligence did not adversely affect the outcome. The unforeseen Soviet-made anti-aircraft guns used against both aircraft and ground troops threatened to derail the attack. An appearance of a large column of armour manned by Cubans from the nearby town of Techamutete, when half the South African force had already left the battleground, placed the remaining lightly armed paratroopers in mortal danger. The landmines laid by the South Africans, together with the brave actions of the South African Air Force pilots saved the day, allowing the remaining forces to withdraw safely. Battle for Cassinga looks at all the players in a critical light. SWAPO and PLAN, the SADF and the commanders from both sides, Dimo Amaambo of PLAN and Jan Breytenbach of the SADF as well as the brave soldiers from both sides who fought for their political ideologies but perhaps, more importantly, for their own band of brothers.
Battle for Cassinga
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.80
Trade in Battle for Cassinga: South Africa's Controversial Cross-Border Raid, Angola 1978 (Africa@War) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.80, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
One of the most successful, daring airborne operations of all times. --Lt-Col Robert Brown, Soldier of Fortune magazine
Africa@War is a ground-breaking series concept, studying Africas conflicts and military players in an informative and entertaining manner, examining some of the lesser-known campaigns and shedding new light on some of the better-known operations ... Both titles are great models of what the combination of authors and publishers can produce by way of useable case studies for the market place in a concise illustrated format. They are recommended as professional military education references. --Charles D. Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. MarineCorps
Each of the books in this series is a well-documented and researched synopsis of the events that they are focused upon. They layouts and presentation are logical and of a very high quality ... As an introduction to this field of operation, this series is outstanding. A definite asset for those wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the development of successful, multi-faceted doctrine in the fight against insurgent/asymmetric war. --Major Chris Buckham, Royal Canadian Air Force Journal
Africa@War is a ground-breaking series concept, studying Africas conflicts and military players in an informative and entertaining manner, examining some of the lesser-known campaigns and shedding new light on some of the better-known operations ... Both titles are great models of what the combination of authors and publishers can produce by way of useable case studies for the market place in a concise illustrated format. They are recommended as professional military education references. --Charles D. Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. MarineCorps
Each of the books in this series is a well-documented and researched synopsis of the events that they are focused upon. They layouts and presentation are logical and of a very high quality ... As an introduction to this field of operation, this series is outstanding. A definite asset for those wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the development of successful, multi-faceted doctrine in the fight against insurgent/asymmetric war. --Major Chris Buckham, Royal Canadian Air Force Journal
About the Author
Mike McWilliams was born in 1951. He was conscripted into the South African Defense Force as an infantryman and immediately volunteered to join 1 Parachute Battalion, qualifing as a rifleman paratrooper in 1970. He served in 1, 2 and 3 Parachute Battalions until his last operation in 1978, the Battle For Cassinga. He has worked as a television cameraman for Rhodesian Television and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. McWilliams is a championship skydiver and captained the Springbok team at the World Relative Work Championships in 1983 where his 8 Way Team won the Bronze Medal. He also captained the National Canopy Relative Work Team, winning the Deutschland Cup in 1982. Mike is married to Frances and has three sons, Christopher, Nicholas and Matthew.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a memoir of the South African parachute attack on the PLAN camp at Cassinga. As such it includes as the greater part of its space the military account of the unit movements and key features of the fighting. The author was in the para force and has strong views on certain officers. There are plenty of illustrations and some useful maps. There is also some discussion of the claims by SWAPO that Cassinga was a refugee camp not a PLAN camp. These clearly matter to the author who resists the claims at every opportunity.
All memoirs suffer from being a record of but part of the ball (as Wellington would say) but McWilliams does a good job of giving the feel of this leap into Angola. The PLAN troops fighting back with nothing better than Soviet HMGs, and the feeling that, for all the South African technical superiority, there was little enough to go round. Squadrons of aircraft do not strike the site, lone planes do. It must have been nerve-wracking for both sides.
All memoirs suffer from being a record of but part of the ball (as Wellington would say) but McWilliams does a good job of giving the feel of this leap into Angola. The PLAN troops fighting back with nothing better than Soviet HMGs, and the feeling that, for all the South African technical superiority, there was little enough to go round. Squadrons of aircraft do not strike the site, lone planes do. It must have been nerve-wracking for both sides.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Unsung Heroes are "Sung" at Last
26 Jan 2013
By Tracey
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A riveting read. Mike McWilliams's eyewitness accounts, wry sense of humour and superb penmanship make this one of those rare, hard-to-put-down non-fiction reads.
The Battle for Cassinga takes you right into the heart of the battlefield and this historic battle. Prepare for a workout; this book had me out of my chair, cheering for Captain Dries Marais in his Buccaneer - out of ammo and the last line of defense for the evacuating paras, his courageous zero altitude flyover and harassment of the armoured column make you wish more than anything to see this action in full technicolour on the silver screen. McWilliams's battle account is packed full of such acts of "courage under fire." Thanks to his account, the genius of Col. Jan Breytenbach, the sheer guts and audacity of Cap. Marais, Cap. Lamprecht and Corp. van der Merwe and the courage, the humour (especially his own) and the tenacity of the South African paratroopers will no longer go unacknowledged.
Perhaps most importantly, The Battle for Cassinga debunks the myths, the lies and the SWAPO propaganda that kept the South Africans from being recognised for their extraordinary courage and service to the Namibian people.
An extraordinary book!
The Battle for Cassinga takes you right into the heart of the battlefield and this historic battle. Prepare for a workout; this book had me out of my chair, cheering for Captain Dries Marais in his Buccaneer - out of ammo and the last line of defense for the evacuating paras, his courageous zero altitude flyover and harassment of the armoured column make you wish more than anything to see this action in full technicolour on the silver screen. McWilliams's battle account is packed full of such acts of "courage under fire." Thanks to his account, the genius of Col. Jan Breytenbach, the sheer guts and audacity of Cap. Marais, Cap. Lamprecht and Corp. van der Merwe and the courage, the humour (especially his own) and the tenacity of the South African paratroopers will no longer go unacknowledged.
Perhaps most importantly, The Battle for Cassinga debunks the myths, the lies and the SWAPO propaganda that kept the South Africans from being recognised for their extraordinary courage and service to the Namibian people.
An extraordinary book!
4.0 out of 5 stars
The truth always comes out - eventually
13 May 2013
By Kevin Cuyler
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
So who would have ever thought the much despised apartheid regime, were telling the truth? The whole world (rightly so) condemned the South Africans but supported organisations whose policies and track records were far worse than apartheid.
Sound familiar?????
Sound familiar?????
5.0 out of 5 stars
The nujoma lie.
16 April 2013
By Paulo
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well written, to the point and lays the facts open for all to see. Only a fool or those with hidden agendas and lies to hide can't see the truth about Cassinga and other battles in Angola. In memory of all those that perished, the truth sadly will never be openly admitted to.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
