G-5 towed howitzer and G-6 self-propelled howitzer
Dr. Gillard Boole is a genius. His talent in the design of artillery is unique and has achieved many amazing results (this person has also made outstanding contributions to the advancement of artillery technology of the Chinese People's Liberation Army). But genius always has a crazy temperament. He is the kind of person who is willing to cooperate with anyone in order to realize his dream of creating a "super cannon". Of course, this personality also led to his later tragedy.
Girard Boole
G-5 is the world's first 45-diameter 155mm howitzer to be put into actual combat, while the G-6 is the product of its "self-programming". The two types of artillery range are as high as 30 kilometers when using NATO standard shells, and the extended range of rocket is 39 kilometers. The rapid fire can reach 4 rounds/minute, and the continuous shooting is 2 rounds/minute. In order to increase lethality, South Africa also equipped the artillery with the powerful sub-compartment bullet. The shells using VT fuses released 56 bullets after they exploded over the target. They had strong lethality for the exposed vitality, light armored vehicles and unprotected motor vehicles on the ground, which was a masterpiece of Dr. Boer.
G-6 self-propelled howitzer is a very distinctive self-propelled cannon . As we all know, most heavy self-propelled artillery generally use crawler chassis, but the G-6 is abnormal and uses a wheeled chassis. This is mainly because the main terrain of South Africa and Southwest Africa is wilderness and desert Gobi, which has flat and open terrain and relatively developed highways. In this terrain, the advantages of wheeled vehicles are very obvious. The South African army is also equipped with a large number of wheeled combat vehicles and has a lot of experiences.
At the end of 1987, the South African army invaded Angola and the "United Nations League" successfully tempted the Angolan government troops to penetrate deep into the "United Nations League" base area, and then concentrated their forces to defeat their main force in one fell swoop. The Angolan army, which was in line with the "Excellent matching mechanism of the African region", was defeated and abandoned a large amount of weapons and equipment to the "United Nations League".
The destroyed "Anrenyun" T-54 tank (note that its gun barrel does not have a pumping device)
The victory of the initial battle greatly inspired the fighting spirit of the white South African regime that was already at a loss. South African President Peter William Bota ordered the South African army to take the opportunity to counterattack and carry out the so-called "Operation Hooper" to completely encircle and annihilate the retreating Anrenyun's main field forces. In order to save the people's fortunes, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro , while drawing elite troops from China to Angola, flew to Moscow to seek support.
Peter William Bota
Feder Castro
Gorbachev
Halthough the Soviet leadership, led by Gorbachev, had a clear pro-Western tendency, but Castro 's face cannot be ignored. Even though he was a little unwilling, the Soviet Union finally agreed to provide assistance and various conveniences for Cuba's operations in Angola. A battle that is the largest in African military history is about to begin.
In early 1988, Anrenyun, who received Cuba reinforcements, stabilized his position and began to deploy defenses along the Krato River. South Africa and UNITA retired due to logistics issues and the service of a group of white veterans participating in the war, and needed to replenish new recruits from the rear. The pace of advancement began to slow down, delaying for several weeks.
When the South African army and the "United Nations League" coalition (hereinafter referred to as the coalition) arrived at the Kuito River, they were facing the defense line between the Cuba and the "United Nations League" coalition forces (hereinafter referred to as the Allies) that had been initially deployed, and the two sides confronted each other across the river.
"An People's Movement" troops
"Anhui League" leader Savinbi and his subordinates
For this attack, South Africa spent a lot of money. Not only did it invest the elite 4th and 61st mechanized battalions and 32nd Infantry Battalions, a total of 4,000 combat soldiers, but also strengthened a squadron's "horn" main battle tank and 16 G-5 towed howitzers (organized into two artillery companies). In addition, six G-6 self-propelled howitzers that had just completed testing in China were secretly organized into a special artillery advance team as a secret "decisive weapon". The UNITA military personnel that cooperated with the South Africans were about 8,000 to 10,000.
South African G-6 self-propelled howitzer deployed in Angola was fired
In early 1988, the coalition began to attack the Allied defense line. At this time, the Allies had constructed a comprehensive defense system composed of trenches, various obstacles and fortifications. The Allies dug out many vehicle bunkers and ambushed tanks, , infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery in the bunker to shoot targets (this is a tactic tailored to the excellent matching mechanism of the African region, and it has been used to this day). All positions have covers of light anti-aircraft artillery and air defense missiles to limit coalition attack aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft. Faced with such strict defenses from the Allied forces, the coalition forces used the UNITA troops as "cannon fodder" and continuously launched small-scale tentative attacks and reconnaissances on the Allied defense lines. Once the weak points were discovered, they immediately put the elite South African armor and mechanized troops into battle, and launched a fierce attack on the weak points of the Allied front under the cover of G-5 and G-6 howitzers. This tactic was once very effective. The coalition forces entered the Allied positions many times, but in the end they all returned in vain with the fierce counterattack of the Cuban army, which did not meet the African regional matching mechanism.
South African mechanized forces in the Angolan civil war
Oil painting: "Anrenyun" troops in the Battle of Krato
Because the South African Air Force had almost lost air supremacy at this time, it did not appear over the battlefield of Krato, but just attacked by chance to try to find fighter planes. The sky is controlled by the Cuban Air Force's MiG fighter . These fighter jets that are brushed with the Angolan Air Force aircraft logo but are driven by Cuban pilots continue to carry out air strikes on the coalition positions. The coalition forces suffered heavy losses and a large number of vehicles were destroyed by air strikes. In order to suppress the Cuban Air Force, South Africa played the tactic of "using ground to control air" and made full use of the range advantage of the G-5/6 howitzer to launch violent shelling on the Allies at the Kuannaville front airport in , Kuanto , with the intention of suppressing the Cuban Air Force.
South African "Orella 90" armored vehicle
These ultra-long range heavy artillery have become the ace of the South African army. Under the guidance of artillery correction aircraft and front-line artillery observation posts, the accuracy of the artillery is quite high, especially the G-6 self-propelled artillery. Due to its good maneuverability, the South African army often uses the tactic of fast incoming and outing and running after shooting and running. Although it did not directly destroy the MiG aircraft of the Cuban Air Force, it blows up many ground facilities and causes serious damage to the runway, forcing the Cuban Air Force to transfer most of the aircraft to the Menonge Air Force Base far from the battlefield, and only retains a small number of combat aircraft and transport aircraft. This reduced the Cuban Air Force's dispatch rate and eased the pressure on the coalition ground forces to a certain extent.
For the Allied forces, destroying the artillery of the South African army has become a top priority. However, the range and accuracy of the G5/6 howitzer equipped by the South African artillery exceeded that of the Soviet-made M-46 130mm cannon equipped by its own equipment. This old gun, which has been in service for more than 30 years, is really powerless in the face of the new South Africans, let alone if the Southern Army uses extended-range bombs, this advantage will be further increased.
M46 130mm cannon
Although the Soviet army had already started to equip anti-artillery radars in the late 1970s, this technology was strictly confidential at that time, and even Castro's face was not good. Gorbachev said nothing, so the Allies did not have such equipment in Angola, which means they could only think of other methods.
Fortunately, the Cuban Air Force had basically controlled the air supremacy of the battlefield at this time, which allowed the MiG fighter to be more free to find and attack targets in the enemy's shallow and deep activities. However, the South African artillery was always careful. They often prepared several adjacent positions at the same time. After a rapid fire in one of the positions, they immediately turned to the next position or simply concealed, which made the Cuban Air Force repeatedly attacked, but they were repeatedly lost. Cuba also mobilized artillery to carry out several anti-artillery operations, but because the range of artillery in hand was far lower than that of South African artillery, and there were spies from "An Renyun" in the "An Renyun" unit, every time the Cuban army concentrated the artillery to a region, the coalition forces could always grasp the relevant situation, thereby avoiding the attack range of Cuban artillery.
However, after suffering several losses, Cubans gradually understood the firing rules of South African artillery - since the early morning was the time for Cuban aircraft to leave the reinforced base and make preparations before the strike, and the evening was the time for the plane to return. The shelling of the airport during these two periods poses a great threat to the personnel and aircraft of the Gu army. South African artillery often chooses to launch fire attacks on the Allied fronts in the early morning or dusk.
Castro, who is far away in Havana , attaches great importance to this situation. He and the front-line commanders of the ancient army, Leopoldo Cinta Frias, Matthew Miguel Angelo and José Dominguez Nguito, discussed and organized anti-artillery operations many times. After several discussions, a plan has taken shape gradually.
In late February 1988, a large number of Cuban engineers began to enter Kuannaville Airport. They rebuilt the hardened runway that was previously blew up by South African artillery and built more than a dozen reinforced forts. Cuban engineers used their unique Latin mouths to guard the airport's "An Renyun" troops, claiming that Castro ordered the Cuban army on the front line to prepare for a "decisive" counterattack, defeating the main force of the coalition forces in front of Krato in one fell swoop. Their mission is to repair the airport as soon as possible so as to transfer the main force of air force from the rear and strengthen the bombing of the enemy.
, who was recruited by the "United Nations League" spy, the South Africans soon received this crucial piece of intelligence. After discussion, the commanders of the South African army, Colonel Dean Ferreira and Lieutenant Colonel Jan Geldenhus, decided to concentrate all the artillery troops to send a "warm welcome" to the other side when the Cuban air force transfers to the Kuannaville Airport. This fatal blow will let Castro know his power, and after Cuba lost the best pilot and the most advanced aircraft, the coalition forces are very likely to reverse the battle situation in Angola. In order not to arouse Cuban suspicion, the South African artillery still carried out routine artillery bombardment on the airport direction every day, but reduced the intensity of the shelling.
htmlOn February 25, the airport maintenance project is coming to an end. Cuban engineers began to pack up and prepare for retreat, and Cuban ground forces also increased their vigilance against the airport and deployed a batch of new anti-aircraft guns and air defense missiles. The "An League" spies hidden in the "An People's Movement" immediately informed the coalition forces of the intelligence in a timely manner.
SA-3 air defense missiles deployed in Angola
The coalition forces launched the fourth attack on the Allied Lines on the 25th. The assault group consisting of the main battle tank of the "Horse" and the "Orgaly" armored combat vehicles and the "Badger" armored personnel carriers once again attacked the An People's Transportation Force in an attempt to tear open the defense line. But they were fired by the prepared M-46 130mm cannon and T-55 and T-62 tanks , and were stopped after advancing for a short distance. South African troops had 2 "Horse" tanks, and 1 "Oneopsis" armored vehicle seriously injured, 2 "African Honey Badger" armored vehicles were destroyed, and 4 other "Horse" were damaged. However, South Africa only admitted that three people were killed and dozens of people were injured, and there were no tanks and armored vehicles for losses. If only a few people die, they retreat. South Africans are either "Holy Mother" who cherish their lives or are a bunch of incompetent waste, so the number of casualties reported by South Africans themselves is purely a deception.
This day is also the last time that the South African Air Force has tried to concentrate its forces to carry out various defeats against the Cuban Air Force MiG-23 to regain air supremacy.Three MiG-23s were attacked in the airspace near Krato that day, but Cuban pilots successfully avoided the missiles. When other MiG fighters arrived, the South African Air Force's Mirage F1 fighter had already started to break out of contact with the south.
Cuban Air Force MiG-23 fighter deployed in Angola
South African Air Force Mirage F1 fighter
After the failure of this operation, the South African Air Force never dispatched in the Battle of Krato again and would control air supremacy for the last important and unsuccessful air operation, confirming Cuba's air superiority.
Due to the urgent situation, the Cuban command on the front of Krato asked Havana for help again, so Castro made a quick decision to order the aviation troops in the rear to transfer to Kannaville Airport on the morning of the 26th! After intercepting this crucial intelligence, the two artillery battalions of the South African army were almost fully dispatched, taking advantage of the darkness of the night to move towards a preset artillery position closest to the airport, preparing to occupy the position in the early morning of the 26th, just waiting for the Cuban plane to arrive at the airport, it will annihilate the opponent with explosive rapid fire!
26, when the rising sun shone the first ray of dawn on the earth, the South African artillery was ready to shoot. They adjusted the wind deviation according to the direction and angle of the shooting elements, and the wind direction that day. Everything is ready, but the east wind is needed. Now I am waiting for the Cubans to die themselves!
South African G-5 towed howitzer deployed in Angola
At 5:30 am, the coalition's ground radar observed a large group of aircraft flying from the north. When approaching Krato, a small group of aircraft was separated from the group, hovering at the altitude of Krato, while the rest of the aircraft began to descend. According to experience, South Africans judged that it was an fighter , which was landed by Cuba's cover aircraft group, to prevent being attacked by the South African Air Force during landing. It seems that the fish is about to be caught!
But I was full of thoughts, "The cannons are flying and I'm booming", and I was about to hit a Cuban. A South African artillery caught off guard. At this time, I'm afraid I didn't expect the famous saying of Nietzsche , "When you are staring at the abyss, the abyss is also staring at you."
That's right! What they didn't know was that a Cuban Air Force MiG-21 reconnaissance plane was staring at them at an altitude of more than 10,000 meters.
Cuban Air Force's MiG21
Above mentioned that since the front lines of both sides are relatively stable, the Cubans can calculate several possible artillery positions of the coalition based on the range of G-5/6. Then, just keep a close eye on these places and wait for the coalition's cannons to fire, the air reconnaissance planes and the artillery observation posts on the ground cannons can immediately determine their specific location! By then, the Allied air-ground anti-artillery firepower will kill South African artillery so that even their mothers cannot recognize them.
On the coalition's radar screen, the large Cuban aircraft fleet gradually lowered its height. It seemed that it was preparing to land. As the first batch of aircraft became lower and lower, it disappeared into the messy echoes on the ground. It was probably already landed, and the Southern Army Command immediately ordered the artillery to carry out rapid fire at Kuannaville Airport in the pre-calibrated direction and angle!
Rows of shells flew into the distance, and soon thick smoke rose from the airport, and a faint explosion sounded. The nearby UNITA soldiers were alert to cheering. They had enough of the air strikes of Cuban planes, and now they had to take revenge!
But the cheers didn't last long, and they were interrupted by the sharp howling sound of jets coming from the air! Before the coalition forces on the ground could issue an air defense alarm, more than 20 Cuban Air Force MiG-21 Bis fighter jets and MiG-23ML fighter bombers had already rushed to the Southern Army's artillery positions at an extremely low altitude. In almost a blink of an eye, they flew over the position. Then 250 kilograms of bombs fell one after another on the artillery positions. The huge flames instantly swallowed up the G-5 and G-6 self-propelled artillery that were still firing at the airport!
The Cuban MiG fighter flying at a low altitude was spreading the fire of death everywhere like a giant dragon spitting out flames. After dropping the bomb, the Cuban fighter quickly turned around and fired rockets at the South African artillery position that was already in a sea of fire, and then used 23mm cannon to strait the South African artillery soldiers who were running away with their heads in their arms.The crowd on the ground searched for a place to hide amid screams and scolds. The detonated shells and launching drugs occasionally experienced earth-shaking explosions. The air waves blew the G-5 howitzer weighing several tons into the air like a child's toy, and then hit the ground hard.
Some of the awakened South African air defense forces began to use American "Sthorn" portable air defense missiles and light anti-aircraft guns in vain to prepare to counterattack these bold MiG aircraft, but at this time the MiG fighter jets in the sky had already flew away, leaving only echoes roaring.
Is the matter finished? not yet! Under the guidance of the reconnaissance plane, Cuban artillery on the ground used M46 cannons to pour revenge artillery fire into the South African artillery positions, and soon several more G-5s that survived the air strike were blown apart.
After suffering heavy losses, the South African artillery finally woke up. They understood that if they did not withdraw from the battlefield urgently, they would have to explain it here today. As a result, they were well-trained, and then cast smoke screens to block the sight of Cuban reconnaissance planes and artillery observation posts. While they risked their lives to drive the tractor to the undestroyed cannon, desperately dragging these bulky guys away.
The G-6 self-propelled artillery at this time showed the advantages of self-propelled artillery. It not only allowed it to exit the battlefield immediately, but also helped to pull away four G-5 howitzers that were blown up by the tractor. After some efforts, the South African artillery finally withdrew from its position and left behind the wreckage of 8 G-5 howitzers, 2 G-6 self-propelled howitzers and 12 artillery tractors . This anti-artillery battle gave a heavy blow to the "decisive weapon" that the coalition forces had high hopes for, and initially reversed the dilemma of the Allied ground forces being suppressed by the coalition's long-range heavy artillery.
"Three Flowers" board made by the factory director
The South African artillery who retreated back to the camp counted his own losses and casualties with a sad look on his face, and at the same time, he gritted his teeth and affirmed that his artillery fire "must" also caused huge losses to Cuba. Because according to the inside information, "at least three MiG-21 Bis are burning at the airport after the shelling." Based on this, South Africans believe that this battle was tied.
However, the fact is: the so-called "burning" MiG aircraft is the masterpiece of Cuban engineers. They secretly set up several fake aircraft in the fort. When the fleet lowered its altitude, these fakes were pulled out of the hangar. As a group of MiG21s were opened at a low altitude, South African artillery indeed opened fire. The shells hit these fakes, causing a considerable fire, and this "victory" was soon transmitted back to the coalition forces by the inside.
On February 29, 1988, the coalition launched the fifth attack on the Allied defense line based on the intelligence that "the Cuban Air Force has been severely damaged"! Although there was no cover of heavy artillery, the confident coalition still invested heavily in the attack on the defense line of the Anrenyun troops, but this attack was defeated again in the face of the integrated firepower of the Allied forces. The South African army admitted for the first time that 20 people were killed and 59 people were injured that day, while the UNITA troops suffered even more casualties, with more than a thousand people killed in the battle alone, completely losing their offensive ability.
At this time, the South African army on the front line of Krato was already in a difficult situation. It was obviously too late to break through the Allied defense line. Many middle and senior officers were already determined to retreat. However, the huge domestic political pressure in South Africa forced them to continue to fight the needless battle on the front line.
partly damaged but rescued G-5 artillery was repaired by technicians sent from South Africa. South Africa used a C-130 transport aircraft to transport new G-5 artillery and ammunition from the country, supplementing the strength of the artillery. However, this anti-artillery combat severely hit the South African artillery's determination to fight. From then on, he no longer dared to shoot in the open area with a swagger and unscrupulous manner, and was forced to choose dense jungles as the artillery position. However, this greatly increased the difficulty of advancing and retreating. He could only move the position quickly after a round of rapid fire, which greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the artillery. Moreover, each battle requires the configuration of special air defense forces to carry out air defense cover, which greatly increases the difficulty of coordination, resulting in complaints from front-line infantry.
On the other hand, Cuba quickly summarized the experience and lessons after the victory of this anti-artillery battle, and gradually explored a set of air-ground anti-artillery tactics against South African artillery. In the subsequent operations, it achieved outstanding results, further leading to the South African artillery being timid and fearful.
On March 23, 1988, the desperate coalition launched its sixth attack on Tunpo, east of Krato, which was also their last attack on Krato. The offensive was later called "a disaster in disaster" by South Africa. They were first trapped in a minefield and then fired by the Allied forces. Just as the coalition was in a dilemma, the Cuban Air Force MiG-23ML and MiG-21 Bis, which took off from Menongo Air Base, carried out fierce air strikes on the coalition's armored forces and infantry. The number of attacks on that day reached nearly 100, which was a record number on the southern African battlefield. In the end, the coalition had to retreat from Krato at all.
Even based on the results reported by the Southern Army, they only destroyed one Allied tank, but two "horn" tanks on their own were destroyed and one was completely captured by the Cuban army. As for the infantry of the "United League", they suffered an absolute massacre, with more than half of the more than 10,000 troops killed and killed, so that their morale completely collapsed.
In the entire Krato battle, the South African army, who did not know how to "stop when they were good", became the last loser. According to the losses they admitted, a total of 24 "Horse" tanks and 21 "Oneopsis" and "African Honey Badger" armored vehicles were lost, 7 aircraft and helicopters were shot down or destroyed, 24 G-5 towed howitzers and 6 G-6 self-propelled howitzers were destroyed and were eventually removed from the equipment sequence list.
The Battle of Krato is a turning point in the Angolan civil war. After that, although the white racist regime in South Africa continued to struggle to death, it could no longer stop its destruction. In December 1988, the warring parties in Angola signed a peace agreement, and South Africa and Cuba agreed to withdraw their respective armed forces from Angola, and South Africa was also forced to promise to make Namibia independent. Just one month later, in January 1989, South African President Bota, who had announced that he would fight to the end in Angola, fell into internal and external difficulties. He was exhausted and was hospitalized due to a stroke and had to appoint Chris Honis as acting president. After he was discharged from the hospital, the international community led by the United States and Britain and various factions in South Africa launched a concentrated attack on him. Bota, who was in trouble at home and abroad, finally had to choose to resign in disgrace. In August 1989, the moderate stance of Frederick William Dekluck came to power, opening the door to "racial reconciliation" in South Africa.
frederick William Dekluck
