War of Intervention in Angola, Volume 5

Through late 1987, the battlefields of southern Angola moved ever further away from the border to South-West Africa (Namibia), until the show-down between the Soviet-supported government in Luanda and South African-supported insurgency of UNITA culminated in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale.

Initially reluctant to become involved, the Cubans reinforced their contingent in Angola, and then decided to force Pretoria into negotiations about mutual withdrawal. Ironically, while Cuba and South Africa eventually agreed to withdraw their troops from the Angolan War, and then did so, in 1988-1989, the government in Lunda – still supported by the Soviet Union – then reinforced its effort to crush the UNITA. The result were additional large-scale operations, the mass of which evaded attention outside Angola, because dramatic developments in Europe not only distracted attention, but also ended the decades-long stand-off between the East and the West.

Ultimately, the II Angolan War ended with a cease-fire – hurriedly agreed amid a near-collapse of the government forces, and rapid advances of the UNITA.

About the Authors

Adrien Fontanellaz, from Switzerland, is a military history researcher and author.

Tom Cooper is an Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian.

José Matos is an independent researcher in military history in Portugal with a primary interest in operations of the Portuguese Air Force during the colonial wars in Africa, especially in Guinea.