Episode 21 – The Battle for Bridge 14 part II and Battle Group Orange face T34s at the Pombuig River

This is episode 21 – the Battle for Bridge 14 Part II – and the trials and tribulations of a new outfit called Battle Group Orange. When we left off last episode Commandant Kruys’ men of Foxbat had succeeded in driving Fapla and their Cuban allies back from the important Bridge over the Nhia river south of Catofe. What happened now was a debate about whether or not the South African’s should follow up their success – with Kruys preferring to wait. In the action which took place between the 9th and 12th December more than 400 Fapla and Cubans had died – four South Africans had been killed while dozens more were wounded along with Unita which had also lost dozens in the fighting. The exact number of casualties was disputed by the MPLA and the SADF but its clear from subsequent evidence and reports by journalists that the forces opposing the SADF had been defeated in what was an important strategic engagement. But it also showed the SADF that much of their equipment was out of date and something needed to be done. The battle for this bridge and the region 250 kilometers south east of Luanda was not yet over. While all of this was good news, there was not such great news from a newly formed Battle Group called Orange. It was led by Commandant APR Carstens and made up of a Unita infantry battalion along with a South African infantry company, an armoured car squadron and an artillery section. It’s task was to watch over the northern marches of Unita territory by sweeping around to the West and linking up with Task Force Zulu around Quibala. Orange drove into one problem after another – at first the fact that the MPLA had destroyed all bridges on the road north to the capital.