Episode 45 – The SAAF begins flying Impala’s at night and Operation Sceptic aka Smokeshell begins

This is episode 45 and its 1980. Everything will accelerate from now on – as wars generally do when neither side has complete control over the battlefield. And one of the biggest events over the Border War was about to take place – Operation Sceptic or Smokeshell as most call it. SWAPO by now had pulled back from the shallow areas – those parts of southern Angola closest to the cutline – the border with South West Africa. They moved deeper into Angola, northwards which meant that any future operation would have further to go. The pattern of rainy season cross border incursions was now under way as SWAPO’s armed wing PLAN used the thicker vegetation and numerous water holes. Not to mention the increased problems for the SA Air Force with thunderstorms and more weather around making air support more problematic. It was also more difficult to locate their bases inside Angola. The SADF began focusing its powerful conventional cross-border operations during winter when it was dry. Remember southern Africa is a summer rainfall area – for my global audience. The dry winters made it was easier for heavy vehicles to travel about, and during the winter PLAN would gather in their main bases to debrief and retrain for the following summer. The South Africans were making new plans with a strategic purpose to attack SWAPO and destroy its image as a war-winning movement. That of course was supposed to show South West Africans they shouldn’t depend on SWAPO when the country became an independent Namibia.