South African order of battle during Operation Savannah

Savannah's workhorse, the ubiquitous Eland armoured car

The South African Defence Force deployed a number of Combat Groups comprising South African and Angolan elements during Operation Savannah (Angola). Initially, only Combat Groups A and B were deployed, with the remaining groups being mobilised and deployed into Angola later in the campaign. There has been much dispute the overall size of Task Force Zulu. Current evidence indicates that the Task Force started with approximately 500 men and grew to a total of 2,900 with the formation of Battle Groups Foxbat, Orange and X-Ray.^[1]

Note: Armoured cars and artillery batteries were frequently reassigned between Combat Groups depending on the nature of the task on hand.

Task Force Zulu

• Task force commander: Col Koos van Heerden^[2]
• Combat Group Alpha^[3]:85
  • Commander: Cmdt. Dellville Lindford until 20 December 1975, thereafter Cmdt. P.C. Myburgh^[3]:163
    • 1x Fletcha Battalion ^[4]
    • 1x Caprivi Bushman Company
    • 1x Angolan Bushman Company
    • 2x Troops Eland-90 armoured cars^[3]:104
    • 1x 81mm mortar platoon^[3]:155
    • 1x Troop 140mm artillery^[5]
• Combat Group Bravo
  • Commander: Cmdt. Jan Breytenbach
    • 1x Battalion Chipenda faction ex FNLA soldiers
    • 3x Troop Eland-90 armoured Cars^[3]:102
    • 1x Troop 25-pound howitzer^[3]:180
    • 1x Troop (3 guns) 140mm howitzer^[3]:180

Independent Combat Groups

Foxbat

• Task force commander: Cmdt. Eddie Webb^[3]:162 (Maj H. Holtzhausen at time of establishment)^[3]:72 and later Cmdt. George Kruys^[6]
  • Several hundred UNITA soldiers^[3]:72
  • 3x Entac AT missile vehicles ^[3]:72
  • 3x UNITA AML-90 armoured cars^[3]:72
  • 2x Sabre Landrovers mounted with twin .50" Browning^[3]:72
  • 1x Squadron Eland 90 Armoured Cars

Orange

• Commander Cmdt. Dolf Carstens^[7]
  • 1x UNITA Battalion^[8]
  • 1x Motorised Infantry Company 2 SAI^[8]
  • 1x Squadron Eland-90 armoured cars^[8]
  • 1xTroop 140mm artillery^[8]
  • 1x Platoon Medium Machine Gun 2 SAI
  • 1x Company Zaire Army

X-Ray

• Commander: Capt. Fred Rindel
  • 1x UNITA Battalion^[9]
  • 1x SADF Infantry Company^[9]
  • 1x Squadron Eland-90 armoured cars^[9]

References

1. George, Edward (2005). The Cuban intervention in Angola: 1965-1991. London: Frank Cass. p. 315. ISBN 0415350158.
2. Steenkamp, Willem (1989). South Africa's Border War 1966–1989. p. 162/499
3. Steenkamp, Willem (2006) [1985]. Borderstrike! South Africa into Angola. 1975-1980 (3rd ed.). Durban, South Africa: Just Done Productions Publishing (published 1 March 2006). ISBN 978-1-920169-00-8. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
4. Warwick, Rodney (2012). "Operation Savannah: A measure of SADF decline, resourcefulness and modernisation". Scientia Miliaria. 40 (3): 369.
5. Warwick (2012) p. 374
6. Edward (2005) p.97
7. Warwick (2012) p. 380
8. Warwick (2012) p. 394
9. Bell, Kelly (March 2013). "Operation Savannah: Task Force Zulu & the Rommel of Angola". Modern War. Mar - Apr 2013: 40–45.