Episode 23 – The SADF re-equips after Savannah and the Ratel is born

This is episode 23 and we’re dealing with the fallout from Operation Savannah which began in October 1975 and ended in March 1976. What started as the deepest and fastest invasion of any country by a mobile army since World War Two turned into a strategic blunder for the South Africans. The South African Defence Force battle groups had fought well and the opportunity had presented itself early in the engagement for the chance to change Angola’s history. A combination of diplomatic and military setbacks through December 1975 and into January 1976 altered that picture. Operation Savannah had mixed consequences for the SADF. The main issue was equipment that was dated – the officer corps was also still trying to wrench itself free from the decades of neglect that had followed World War II. And that big brother and the first major breakthrough in terms of equipment was the design of a radically new armoured car – the Ratel IFV. Three years after the Ratel’s first prototype rolled off the test facility, the Minister of Defence reported in parliament that the vehicle was ready for production. I fought alongside Ratels in Angola and can attest to their incredible firepower, speed and manoevrability over an African landscape. They appear to float over rough terrain traveling at up to 80 kilometers per hour smoothly. Watching them is a thrill and facing them – not so much so. It’s only major weakness was the fact that it did not have a stabilised gun and had to stop to fire gave up much of its mobility.