Episode 55 – Operation Daisy where a Mirage shoots down a MiG in a first for the SAAF since the Korean War

The sound of gunfire from Operation Protea and the SADF were already planning their next invasion of Angola. The intelligence gathered during Protea was going to lead to the second 1981 op, which was launched in November 1981 targeting Ionde initially, 120km inside Angola, then onwards to Bambi and Chetequera, much deeper inside Angola. But first, the air Force was going to get busy. The aircraft used were extensive, 15 Impalas, 9 Pumas, 2 Super Frelons and 10 Alouettes for Army support, 4 DC3 Dakotas, six C-130s and C160s and 1 DC4 as air transport and supply and 9 Bosboks for navigation and reconnaissance support. Two Mirage IIIs would also be deployed for photo-recon missions, 20 Mirage F1s for Air superiority and 3 Buccanners as backup if enemy airfields needed to be bombed. The Mirages were going to face MiGs for the first time in direct air to air combat and as you’re going to hear, things didn’t end well for one MiG in particular. Colonel Ollie Holmes was commanding officer of the air force contingent at Oshakati and the idea was to setup a forward HQ position at Ionde Airfield once it had been secured. 32 Battalion was sent in to protect the tactical headquarters and to patrol the supply routes for the main mechanized force, while Recce teams led by The Assault force would be headed up by 61 Mechanised Battalion and include elements from 201, 1 Parachute Battalion and 5 Reconnaisance Regiment. But there was one incident that rippled across the region which took place on November 6th and this involved a Mirage and a MiG. After years of warfare, finally the Angolan Air Force decided it was going to become aggressive. This would lead to the first downing of an enemy plane by the SAAF since the Korean War.