Battle of Cuito Cuanavale The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale in 1987 / 88 was an important episode in the Angolan Civil War ( 1975 to 2002 ) . Between 9 September and 7 October 1987 , the Angolan Army ( FAPLA ) , in an attempt to finally subdue the Angolan insurgent movement UNITA in south - eastern Angola , advanced south - east from Cuito Cuanavale to attack UNITA at Mavinga . South Africa , whose primary objective was to protect UNITA in southern Angola in order to prevent SWAPO from using southern Angola to launch attacks into South West Africa , once more intervened on UNITA ’ s behalf . The FAPLA advance against UNITA was decisively repelled with heavy casualties , and never resumed . There was never an attempt made to capture the town of Cuito Cuanavale , and the SADF had orders to avoid the town unless it fell into their hands without a fight . The issue was abandoned by both sides when Cuba switched its attention westward . The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale , which took place over about 6 months , was at that time the biggest battle on African soil since World War II " . Background . The Angolan Civil War played out against the backdrop of the Cold War struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States . Both superpowers tried to influence the outcome of the civil war through proxies . For 13 years until 1974 , three armed groups fought for Angola ' s independence from Portugal : the Soviet - backed MPLA ( with its armed wing FAPLA ) , led by Agostinho Neto ; the conservative FNLA , led by Holden Roberto and supported by Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaïre ; and UNITA , led by Jonas Savimbi ( a former Maoist who broke away from the FNLA , later sponsored by the CIA and South Africa ) . After the Carnation Revolution of April 1974 in Portugal , the new revolutionary government of Portugal let go of Portugal ' s African overseas possessions , including Angola . The Treaty of Alvor comprised a series of agreements between the three rebel factions and Portugal that were to pave the way to independence . Under its terms , a transitional government was formed , elections were scheduled for the end of the year , and 11 November 1975 was slated as Angola ' s independence day . Fighting between the three rebel factions started soon after the transitional government took office on 31 January 1975 , with each movement gaining control of their traditional areas of influence by mid - 1975 : The MPLA in the capital and central Angola , the FNLA in the north and UNITA in the south . The FNLA was effectively eliminated in the 1970 ' s , and the struggle for control continued between the Soviet - backed MPLA government and the UNITA movement . The MPLA government of Angola and SWAPO were supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union and some countries of the Eastern bloc , while UNITA was supported by the West , albeit clandestinely , foremost the United States and South Africa . After the Cubans had helped the MPLA gain power in 1975 they considered it necessary to stay in the country until conditions stabilized in favour of the MPLA . The Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries supplied the Angolan army ( FAPLA ) with armament , advisors and specialized technical staff . UNITA managed , with South African and US support , to pose a threat to the MPLA government . UNITA received backing from the US , most notably in the form of Stinger missiles that helped repel the air superiority of the FAPLA forces . South Africa provided UNITA with military support in the form of occasional cross - border missions from South West Africa ( modern Namibia ) . Despite the termination of the League of Nations mandate by the UN General Assembly in 1966 , which South Africa refused to recognise , South Africa had continued to govern South - West Africa ( Namibia ) . 1966 saw the beginning of the armed resistance by the South West African People ' s Organization ( SWAPO ) and South African counter insurgency operations . After Angola ’ s independence in 1975 , SWAPO gained the support of the Angolan government and operated against the South African forces from bases in Southern Angola . The South African government ' s strategic concern was thus to ensure continued UNITA control over regions bordering Namibia , so as to prevent the SWAPO guerrillas from receiving Angolan support and gaining a springboard in southern Angola from which to launch attacks into South West Africa . Its security strategy was shaped by the doctrines of pre - emptive interventionism and counter - revolutionary warfare . Following the South African Operation Protea in August 1981 , in which it temporarily occupied 50 . 000 km² of Cunene province , UNITA took effective administrative control of most of Cunene in January 1982 . " Operação Saludando Octubre " ( " Operation Greeting October " ) . Because of UNITA ’ s continued insurgency , the central government never managed to gain control of the whole country ; UNITA continued control much of south - eastern Angola . Whenever it was threatened , South Africa intervened on its behalf . South Africa itself continuously kept the whole southern border in Angola and , at times , up to 50 , 000 km² of Cunene province occupied and repeatedly undertook invasions and raids into the country . In 1987 , as part of the Angolan government ' s repeated campaigns against UNITA and for the control of south - eastern Angola , the Angolan army launched campaign " Operação Saludando Octubre " to drive UNITA forces from their stronghold cities of Mavinga , a former Portuguese military base and Jamba in the southeast of the country just above the Caprivi Strip . As in previous campaigns , planning and leadership was taken over by the Soviets and the higher ranks in the units were taken over by Soviet officers . Major - General Ryabchenko would command the Angolan forces in the battle . Soviet command did not include the Cuban forces in Angola and the Cubans initially did not actively engage in combat , but only took over support functions . FAPLA ' s equipment was upgraded including 150 T - 55 and T - 54B tanks and Mi - 24 helicopters . The Soviets dismissed the advice of the Cubans , as in the campaigns before , who warned that the operation would create another opportunity for a South African intervention . It was decided to commence the attack from Cuito Cuanavale . Taking notice of the massive military build - up , South Africa warned UNITA . The Angolan campaign was initially successful and made considerable gains into south - eastern Angola . The South African government became aware that UNITA would not be able to withhold the onslaught . On 15 June it decided to intervene and authorised covert support . On 4 August 1987 the SADF launched Operation Moduler which was to stop the Angolan advance on Mavinga to prevent a rout of UNITA . The SADF 61 Mechanized Battalion crossed into Angola from their base at the border town of Rundu . Objectives . The Angolan objective was to advance south - east to attack UNITA at Mavinga , as part of the attempt to destroy UNITA and thus to take sole control of the entire country . Once that attack was comprehensively smashed , the Cuban / Angolan objective was reduced to securing the town of Cuito Cuanavale on the west of the river from capture . The SADF objective throughout was to protect UNITA by stopping that advance , while suffering the bare minimum of casualties , as part of the broader strategy of preventing SWAPO from using southern Angola to launch attacks into South West Africa . There was never an attempt made to capture the town of Cuito Cuanavale , and they had orders to avoid the town unless it fell into their hands without a fight . Battle . Also known as the Battle of the Lomba River , this battle took place near the town of Cuito Cuanavale in southern Angola . To the South African Defence Force it took the form of four phases , which ran consecutively as a single overall battle . These were : Operation Moduler . On 4 August 1987 the SADF launched Operation Moduler , which was to stop the Angolan advance on Mavinga to prevent a rout of UNITA . The SADF 61 Mechanized Battalion crossed into Angola from their base at the border town of Rundu . In August FAPLA ' s 16th , 21st ( both light infantry ) , 47th ( armoured ) and 59th ( mechanized ) brigades , about 6000 men and 80 tanks plus artillery and support vehicles , departed from Cuito Cuanavale to cross the Lomba River . They received air support from the airbase at Menongue , including MiG 23 s deployed in ground attacks . Four more brigades were kept to defend Cuito Cuanavale and its approaches . Facing them were the UNITA forces composed of the 3rd Regular , 5th Regular , 13th Semi - Regular and 275th Special Forces Battalions , supported by about 1000 SADF troops with armoured vehicles and artillery . On 28 August FAPLA reached the northern banks of the Lomba River on route to Mavinga , where they were engaged by the SADF . In a series of bitter fights between 9 September and 7 October , SADF and UNITA achieved their primary objective of preventing the FAPLA from crossing the river . The Soviets withdrew their advisors and left the FAPLA without senior leadership , and FAPLA forces crumbled and ran . FAPLA suffered heavy losses , with all four brigades losing about 60 - 70 % of their strength . Throughout the battle , FAPLA had lost 1059 dead and 2118 wounded , along with 61 tanks , 83 armoured vehicles and 20 rocket launchers . The SADF lost 17 killed and 41 wounded , plus 5 armoured vehicles . The SADF also captured a highly sophisticated SA - 8 anti - aircraft missile system – the first time the weapon had fallen into western hands . The Angolan army headed into a retreat over 190 km back to Cuito Cuanavale , which it desperately held on to . Chester Crocker , who was the U . S . Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the Reagan Administration , said that : " In some of the bloodiest battles of the entire civil war , a combined force of some 8000 UNITA fighters and 4000 SADF troops not only destroyed one FAPLA brigade but badly damaged several others out of a total FAPLA force of some 18 000 engaged in the three - pronged offensive . Estimates of FAPLA losses ranged upward of 4000 killed and wounded … . Large quantities of Soviet equipment were destroyed or fell into UNITA and SADF hands when FAPLA broke into a disorganized retreat . . . The 1987 military campaign represented a stunning humiliation for the Soviet Union , its arms and its strategy . . . . As of mid - November , the UNITA / SADF force had destroyed the Cuito Cuanavale airfield and pinned down thousands of FAPLA ' s best remaining units clinging onto the town ' s defensive perimeters . " On 29 September , South African and UNITA forces , having gained the upper hand , launched a counter - attack . The objective was to inflict a crushing blow to the FAPLA , so that they would not consider another offensive in the following year . The restrictions previously placed on the SADF by their political masters were lightened , and the SADF committed tanks for the first time . The 4th SA Infantry Battalion was added to the mix , bringing the SADF strength up to about 3000 men – the biggest of the entire campaign . During this phase the SADF units were supported by heavy artillery and air strikes . The airstrip at Cuito Cuanavale was extensively bombarded , causing the Cubans to withdraw their aircraft to Menongue and to abandon the Cuanavale airstrip . The SADF tactics were based closely on the tactics used by the German commander Erwin Rommel in World War 2 , when he crushed the British at Gazala . On 9 November the SADF attacked the FAPLA 16th brigade . Air strikes and artillery were used , and tanks went into battle alongside the armoured vehicles . UNITA infantry also participated . The 16th brigade was mauled , and withdrew in disarray back across the river . The battle ended after half a day , when the SADF vehicles ran low on ammunition and broke off the attack . FAPLA had 10 tanks destroyed and 3 captured , various artillery pieces destroyed or captured , and 75 men killed . The SADF had 7 killed and 9 wounded , plus one armoured vehicle destroyed , one damaged and a tank damaged . The second attack , on 11 November , again targeted the 16th brigade . Again 16th brigade escaped annihilation by crossing the river , but this time they lost 14 tanks and 394 men . The SADF had 5 men killed and 19 more wounded , with 2 armoured vehicles destroyed and one tank damaged . The recovery , under fire , of a crippled tank and the subsequent re - entry of a minefield where the tank was extracted from to rescue a wounded soldier , earned Captain Petrus van Zyl and Lieutenant De Villers Vosloo of 32 Battalion both Honoris Crux decorations . The FAPLA 21st brigade withdrew rapidly across the river , and was pursued . On 17 November they were engaged again , and suffered 131 men killed , along with 9 tanks destroyed and about 300 other vehicles . The SADF lost 6 dead and 19 wounded , plus 4 armoured vehicles . A final attack on 25 November bogged down in heavy bush , and was eventually abandoned . Operation Moduler achieved the objective of halting the FAPLA advance against UNITA , and inflicted heavy losses on FAPLA . Operation Hooper . By November , the SADF had cornered the remnants of three FAPLA units on the east of the Cuito River , across from the town itself and was poised to destroy them . The quite demoralised 59th FAPLA motorised infantry brigade , 21st and 25th FAPLA light infantry brigades , in positions near Tumpo and east of the Cuito River , were effectively cut off due to SADF artillery control of both the bridge and airstrip and to UNITA guerrilla control of the road from Menongue , which they had mined and were prepared to ambush . With no functioning armour or artillery remaining , the FAPLA - units faced annihilation . On 15 November , the Angolan government requested urgent military assistance from Cuba . In Castro ' s view , a South African victory would have meant not only the capture of Cuito and the destruction of the best Angolan military formations , but , quite probably , the end of Angola ' s existence as an independent country . Thus , Fidel Castro responded immediately by sending — in what was called " " Maniobra XXXI Aniversario de las FAR " " — materiel and 15 000 elite troops , retaking the initiative from the Soviets . The first Cuban reinforcements in Cuito arrived by helicopter on 5 December with about 160 – 200 technicians , advisers , officers , and special forces . General Arnaldo Ochoa , a veteran of the 1976 Angola campaign and of tank battles in Ethiopia , was made overall commander of the forces on the government side . Ochoa and Castro were to have serious disagreements in the conduct of the war in Angola . These tensions were to have repercussions both during the war where Castro ' s interference with defense plans may have cost the Cubans dozens of lives and in the aftermath of Angolan hostilities a year later when Ochoa was arrested , tried and executed by firing squad after being found guilty of treason . General Cintras Frias was made commander at Cuito Cuanavale . The Cuban ' s initial priority was securing Cuito Cuanavale , but while reinforcements were arriving at the besieged garrison they made preparations for a second front to the west of Cuito Cuanavale in Lubango where the SADF had been operating unhindered for 8 years . On 25 November the UN Security Council demanded the SADF ' s unconditional withdrawal from Angola by 10 December , yet , without threatening any sanctions . The SADF units received fresh troops and equipment , but the units were reduced to about 2000 men and 24 tanks for the rest of the operation . The new arrivals had to be acclimatised first . The SADF objective was defined as being to destroy the enemy east of the river or at least to drive them back across the river , inflicting maximum casualties but suffering minimum losses of their own . The river crossings were to be fortified and handed over to UNITA , and the SADF were to withdraw from Angola as soon as that was achieved . The order was that the town of Cuito Cuanavale would not be attacked unless it fell into SADF hands almost without a fight . The bombardment started on 2 January 1988 , with a mix of artillery and air strikes , and a UNITA infantry attack that failed . On 3 January the SADF destroyed the important bridge across the Cuito River using a smart bomb . The Cubans managed to construct a wooden footbridge in its place which they baptised " Patria o Muerte " ( fatherland or death ) . ) They partly buried disabled tanks so that their turrets could be used as fixed artillery pieces . 32 Battalion and elements of other units harried the road convoys for weeks , destroying several hundred tanks and other vehicles , and inflicting an unknown number of casualties . On 13 January the SADF attacked the 21st brigade , starting with air strikes and artillery bombardments . Over two days the FAPLA unit was driven out of their positions , and lost 7 tanks with 5 more captured , various other vehicles destroyed and captured , and 150 men dead or captured . UNITA lost 4 dead and 18 wounded , and the SADF had one man wounded and one armoured vehicle damaged . However the SADF was again unable to exploit the momentum , due to a shortage or reserves and supplies . UNITA occupied the captured positions , and the SADF withdrew , but UNITA lost the positions later to a FAPLA counter - attack . A large Cuban and FAPLA column was on the way from Menongue for the relief of Cuito Cuanavale , but progress in the rainy season was slow due to the need to clear the UNITA minefields and guard against possible ambushes . They did not reach Cuito Cuanavale in time to take part in the first engagement . The next attack was only on 14 February , against the positions of 21st brigade that UNITA had lost , and the neighbouring positions of the 59th brigade . They were counter - attacked by Cuban tanks . Both 21st brigade and 59th brigade were forced to withdraw . The FAPLA lost 500 men and a further 32 Cuban soldiers , along with 15 tanks and 11 armoured vehicles . The SADF had 4 killed and 11 wounded , plus some vehicles damaged . FAPLA withdrew to the Tumpo ( river ) triangle , a smaller area east of the river and across from Cuito Cuanavale . The terrain was ideally suited to defence , and they laid extensive minefields . In a skirmish on 19 February a FAPLA position was disrupted , and it resulted in the FAPLA 59th brigade being withdrawn across the river . However the SADF had two vehicles damaged in the minefield . In the following days the Cubans stepped up their air attacks against South African positions . On 25 February another assault on the bridgehead ran into a minefield , and bogged down . FAPLA lost 172 men , plus 10 Cubans , and 6 tanks . The SADF lost 4 killed and 10 wounded , plus several vehicles damaged . However the bridgehead survived , and the objective of driving the enemy across the river had still not been achieved . This concluded Operation Hooper . Operation Packer . Fresh troops and equipment were brought in , designated 82 Mechanised brigade , and yet another attempt was made on 23 March to drive the FAPLA back across the bridge . Once again it bogged down in minefields . Although the SADF suffered no losses , UNITA was taking heavy casualties , and the assault " was brought to a grinding and definite halt " . Artillery fire was mounting and air attacks were intense , so to avoid casualties the attack was called off . Several damaged SADF tanks were abandoned in the minefield , and were subsequently captured by the Cubans . This provided a huge propaganda victory for Castro . The SADF equipment , men and supplies were exhausted , and the SADF command determined that destroying the small FAPLA force remaining on the eastern bank of the river was not worth further casualties . The objective of protecting UNITA was deemed to have been achieved , and Operation Packer ended . Operation Displace . A small SADF force continued to harry the FAPLA in the Tumpo region , to create the impression that the full force was still present , and to prevent the FAPLA from resuming their advance against UNITA . For months it continued to shell Cuito Cuanavale and the airstrip across the river using their long - range G - 5 artillery from a distance of 30 to 40 km . This continued until the end of August , after which all SADF troops returned to South West Africa . Eventually Cuban troop strength in Angola increased to about 55 , 000 , with 40 , 000 deployed in the south . Due to the international arms embargo since 1977 , South Africa ’ s aging air force was outclassed by sophisticated Soviet - supplied air defence systems and air - strike capabilities fielded by the Cubans and Angolans and it was unable to uphold the air supremacy it had enjoyed for years ; its loss in turn proved to be critical to the outcome of the battle on the ground . The Cuito airstrip was kept in repair , but since it was under constant observation by the SADF artillery and air force it could not be safely used by fixed wing aircraft . Weapons . The SADF used a mix of British , French , Israeli , captured Soviet and indigenously developed weaponry . Their allies , UNITA used a mix of Soviet and South African - supplied weaponry . The United States covertly supplied UNITA guerillas with Stingers for anti - aircraft defense . The South Africans were hampered by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 , an international arms embargo that prevented them from acquiring materiel such as modern aircraft . The Cubans and FAPLA were armed with Soviet weaponry . Trucks used by FAPLA Engesa - 15 , Engesa - 25 , Engesa - 50 ( Brazilian ) Mercedes ( West Germany ) Pegaso ( Spain ) IFAW50 ( GDR ) GAZ - 66 , ZIL - 131 , URAL - 375 / URAL - 4320 GAZ - 51 and GAZ - 63 ( were used by Cubans outside Cuito ) KAMAZ and ZIL - 130 ( civil trucks ) : ZIL - 157 ( all were used outside Cuito ) Jeeps UAZ - 469 UAZ - 69 ( GAZ - 69 ) ( used by Cubans outside Cuito ) Niva Land Rover 109 Land Rover 110 Land Rover Defender Miniubuses RAF - 2203 and UAZ - 452 Pistols Walther P38 TT - 33 ( TT ) MP ( Makarov ) APS ( Stechkin ) Beretta 92 Aftermath . Before and during the battle of Cuito Cuanavale , US - brokered peace negotiations were in progress to remove all foreign belligerents from Angola . This was linked to the attempt to secure independence for Namibia . After the battles all sides resumed negotiations . During that process Cuban , FAPLA and SWAPO units under General Cintras Frías opened a second front to the west at Calueque ( Lubango ) with a force of 40 , 000 Cuban troops and a 30 , 000 of Angolan forces , and with support from MiG - 23 fighter bombers . Various engagements took place over the next three months , starting near Calueque on 15 March 1988 . This eventually gave rise to Operation Excite / Hilti and Operation Displace , which ended when Cuban MiG - 23s bombed Calueque Dam , causing the last South African loss of life in the conflict when they killed 12 soldiers from 8 SAI . On 8 June 1988 the South African government called up 140 , 000 men of the reserves ( Citizen Force ) . With the withdrawal of the SADF into Namibia an 27 June the hostilities ceased , and a formal peace treaty was signed at Ruacana on 22 August 1988 . A peace accord , mediated by Chester Crocker , was finally signed on 22 December 1988 in New York , leading to the withdrawal of all foreign belligerents and to the independence of Namibia . On a visit to Cuba , Nelson Mandela told the Cuban people that the FAPLA - Cuban success at Cuito and in Lubango was " a turning point for the liberation of our continent and my people " as well as the Angolan civil war and the struggle for Namibian independence . The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale is commemorated in several countries in southern Africa . The 20th anniversary in 2008 was especially celebrated in Namibia .