Episode 13 – A Beechcraft recon plane “Dinky Toy” crashes but Foxbat & Zulu push onwards in Operation Savannah

This is episode 13 and its October 1975. Two SADF Task Forces are busy in Angola, Foxbat is in the south East, the other - Zulu has just taken the port of Namibe and will now head north aiming at Benguela and Lobito after initially swinging back eastwards to the main road. We begin this episode with an update about what had developed with Eddie Webb and his Foxbat Task Force. The name Foxbat emerged as both Webb and the other senior officer, Commandant van der Waals, were both parabats – Foxbat was also the name given by NATO to the latest MiG fighter produced by the Russians. Lots to chew on there. So by October 25th 1975 Foxbat was on its way westwards from Bailundu to meet up with Task Force Zulu at some point before the all-important date of 11 November. That was when elections were taking place in Angola despite the fact it was now well on the way to an intractable Civil War. But the politicians in Pretoria stressed to the SADF that they had to vacate the country by then. As we’ve discussed, the political strategy was muddle-headed and created major problems for the frontline soldiers fighting this operation. Foxbat’s blueprint for the attack by the way was a photostat of a road map. They used the road and by the evening of 25th had arrived at the bridge over the Queve river just east of the small town of Alto Hama. After a quiet night, the Task Force left before dawn on the 26th heading to Luimbale which lay on the main road east and was about 180 kilometers from Lobito where Task Force Zulu was heading further westwards towards them. Webb was aware there were around two companies of FAPLA infantry based in Luimbale about 250 strong so decided to approach the town from the south and left the road. He’d also received information that the FAPLA units were supported by two T-34 tanks and three armoured cars.