First Angolan War

Scenario for Modern Spearhead

by Andrew Laing

This scenario is designed for Modern Spearhead but can be used for any set of modern rules that has a scale of one model representing a platoon (Command Decision or Corps Commander could also be used).All rough areas are marshes, impassable to vehicles and half speed for dismounted infantry. They provide cover for spotting but not for firing.

The Map

The game is played on a 6’ by 4’ table The causeway allows three vehicle stands per turn to cross the marsh, moving at half speed. For each vehicle destroyed or suppressed while on the causeway, the number of vehicles that can cross it reduces by one. If a suppressed vehicle on the causeway rallies from suppression, the reduction caused by that suppressed vehicle is removed. Once three vehicles have been destroyed on the causeway, it is impassable to vehicles for the rest of the game.

The rivers are unfordable by vehicles and cost dismounted infantry a full turn to cross. The TMM mobile bridge must be in place on the causeway in order for vehicles to cross the river.

The woods are thick tropical forest but have the same game effect as woods.

The weather is clear. Wind can be randomly determined if required.

The scenario starts at 06h00 and ends at the completion of the 17h30 game turn (a total of 24 half hour game turns).

Special Rules

The FAPLA player has random air support. At the start of every game turn the FAPLA player rolls a six-sided die and if a six is rolled the FAPLA player is allocated a flight of two Tactical Support MiG-23 Fighter Bombers. The FAPLA player does not have to attempt to call in the flight during the turn in which it is received and may save the flight for later in the game. The FAPLA player gets a maximum of three such flights over the course of the game. All FAPLA air attacks are subject to a –1 die roll modifier on the Combat Chart due to the very poor training of their pilots as well as the high altitudes from which attacks were made (FAPLA’s pilots had a healthy respect for UNITA’s Stinger missiles). This is an unusually difficult scenario for the FAPLA player who has to retreat under fire across the causeway which is most likely going to be blocked some time during the game. While the FAPLA forces are quite large, they are separated by the Lomba River and as a result the 47th Brigade is vulnerable. The FAPLA MiG’s and artillery will have to be used to keep the SADF and UNITA at an arm’s length, while the 47th Brigade tries to get across Lomba.

Special Information

The umpire must keep a close watch on the number of FAPLA vehicles on the causeway as well as how many are eligible to cross each turn (a maximum of three). The TMM bridge must also be deployed on the river across the causeway in order for vehicles to get across the river.

Victory Conditions

The South African player wins if, at the end of the 17h30 game turn. If any, or all, of these three requirements are not met, the FAPLA player wins.

  • There are no FAPLA battalions in good order morale status south of the Lomba River and
  • At least 20 FAPLA stands from the 47th Infantry Brigade have been destroyed (including any that were destroyed due to morale failure) and
  • The 20th South African Brigade has lost no more than 7 stands destroyed during the game.

The scenario is written for two players but you could very easily add a third player as the UNITA commander. The SADF’s relationship with UNITA was not always smooth and you could use the following victory conditions for the UNITA player to make things more interesting:

The UNITA player wins if there are no FAPLA battalions south of the Lomba in good morale status at the end of the game and UNITA have lost less than 10 stands destroyed.

This will encourage UNITA’s historical behaviour of providing support for SADF attacks but then pulling out if their casualties started to increase.

The SADF player has excellent artillery support but does not have any tanks with which to fight the FAPLA T-55’s. The restriction on how many losses the SADF player can take will encourage the historical tactics of advancing slowly to contact, with UNITA infantry battalions leading the advance and then calling in the artillery to hammer FAPLA before closing in for the kill. This works great until the UNITA forces start taking heavy losses and then UNITA tends to be more reluctant to lead in any attacks! The SADF player will also have to make sure that his anti-aircraft defences are always covering his manoeuvre battalions because a successful MiG-23 attack can cause heavy losses.

Historical Outcome

The South Africans were hindered in their attack by the dense bush which kept combat ranges to as low as 100m. In addition, the heavy FAPLA artillery support and frequent attacks by FAPLA MiG’s caused constant difficulties for the SADF when they tried to advance on the FAPLA positions. A total of five attacks were made against the 47 Brigade positions over the course of the day and it was only at 2pm in the afternoon that the morale of two infantry battalions of 47th Brigade cracked. As the FAPLA infantry battalions broke and ran towards the Lomba River, they were devastated by South African MRL fire and the survivors were wiped out by Ratel-mounted mechanised infantry.

By this stage the causeway across the Lomba had been blocked by destroyed FAPLA vehicles and there was no escape route for the remainder of 47th Brigade. Just after 4pm a counter-attack by the 47th Brigade’s Tactical Group was beaten back and by 6pm, 47th Brigade was completely destroyed. FAPLA lost over 600 soldiers killed or wounded with the rest of 47th Brigade either deserting or being no longer fit for combat, while the SADF had one soldier killed. A total of 127 FAPLA vehicles including tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC’s) and trucks were destroyed against only one SADF Ratel destroyed. The SADF also managed to capture an intact SA-8 SAM vehicle, the first time a Western country had managed to get access to this new SAM system.

This battle signalled the end of FAPLA’s 1987 offensive and the other FAPLA Brigades started to withdraw northwards towards their supply source, the town of Cuito Cunavale. The SADF switched over to offensive operations and Colonel Ferreira was ordered to pursue the retreating FAPLA forces and push them across the Cuito River. Further reinforcements were sent to 20th SA Brigade, including the 4th Mechanised Infantry Battalion as well as a tank squadron from the School of Armour, representing the first operational deployment of tanks by the SADF since World War Two. So the stage was set for the various battles around Cuito Cunavale and the Cuito River in late 1987 and the first three months of 1988.

Figures for the Scenario

The figures I use are 1/300 scale, which I find the most cost effective scale for representing modern warfare at this level. My Angolans use Warsaw Pact vehicles and infantry, comprising a mixture of Navwar and Heroics & Ross models (both supplied by Spirit Games, their website is www.spiritgames.com). My South African vehicles are from Scotia Grendel, who has a superb range of Modern South African equipment (obtained directly from Scotia Grendel via their website at www.scotiagrendel.com. My South African infantry are from Navwar (I used the Modern Israeli Infantry packs) as I found the Scotia Grendel infantry a little over-sized for my tastes.

Bibliography

Willem Steenkamp, Borderstrike: South African into Angola, Butterworths. 1983
Helmoed-Romer Heitman, South African Arms & Armour, Struik. 1988
Helmoed-Romer Heitman, South African War Machine, Central News Agency. 1985
Helmoed-Romer Heitman, War in Angola: The Final South African Phase, Ashanti. 1990
Fred Bridgland, The War for Africa, Ashanti. 1990
Jannie Geldenhuys, A General’s Story, Jonathan Ball Publishers. 1995
Greg Novak, "Externals: A Guide to the Forces of South West Africa and Angola", Command Post Quarterly Number 2. Game Designers Workshop. 1993.

First Angolan War Operation Moduler: The Destruction of 47th Brigade - 3 October 1987 Andrew Laing

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