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landing point's suitability and its security and then called the boats in to drop off the two-man reconnaissance team. The boats returned to the strike-craft which withdrew 80 km offshore. As the dawn approached, the reconnaissance team found themselves in the middle of military transport storage area, but were able to leave and find a safer hideout during daylight hours. That evening they returned to reconnoitre the transport storage area before proceeding to the refinery, surveilling and photographing the target before returning to their hideout having establishing an inward and exit route for an attack teams. After spending another day at the hideout, on the evening of 27 November, the strike-craft returned and the boats collected the reconnaissance team. The two strike-craft then set off for their rendezvous with the SAS
44:
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but it exploded and the other two members of the team were injured. One badly team member made it back to the entry point and so Team 1 and 2 re-entered the refinery to find the two missing men and found another team member badly burnt and blinded and returned him to the entry point and resumed their search for the De Kok, but after a third premature explosion it became too dangerous and it was realised he could not have survived.
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the cliffs to maintain radio contact between the teams and the strike-craft. The HQ and attack teams then proceeded to the outer perimeter fence of the refinery. None of the guard towers appeared to be occupied nor was the inner fence maintained. By 23h57 the four attack teams had cut their way inside the refinery grounds while the support and HQ teams maintaining the security of the exit route. Team 5 guarded the cut fence.
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begin their arming they proceeded to the second tower that appeared unmanned and out of commission. While attempting to break into the tower they were interrupted by a premature explosion from within the refinery at Team 4's site. They then armed and left the charges at the towers' base and returned to the entrance site.
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The men returned to the entry point in the fence and made contact with the HQ team, returning to the beach via the vehicle transport area to save time while more premature explosions occurred in the refinery. The boats were already on the beach waiting and the strike-craft were closer to the shore to
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Team 1 proceeded to their target, three distilling towers, but were unable to lay their explosive in the right position as the design of the first tower and a manned control station did not match the intelligence so the explosives were laid on pipes into the tower. Signalling the rest of the teams to
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By early evening of 29 November, the two strike-craft were 16 km off Luanda. Four boats were launched for the beach landing site and again dropped off the two reconnaissance team divers to investigate the landing site. The four boats were then signalled to land. A communications team was left on
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By the 1 December, Angolan officials presented evidence to
Western diplomats that the attack had been carried out by South African "mercenaries". It appeared that SADF special forces member, Captain AJP de Kock, was killed instantly when demolition explosives he was laying, prematurely exploded. His
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and transferred the two injured men and latter would then head for Walvis Bay reaching there on 2 December where the men were transported to
Pretoria for medical treatment. The two strike-craft left Angolan waters and would arrive back in Langebaan with the 1 & 4 Reconnaissance Regiment teams on
675:
The
Belgium operator of the refinery reckoned the damage to the refinery would be repaired in two months. It was close to three months before partial production began again. Seventeen tanks had been destroyed, but the gas spheres had not exploded even though their contents burnt close the point of
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Team 4 had charges to place on twelve crude oil tanks and they began to place them as soon as Team 1 gave the order to start. About seven minutes after they started, one of their charges prematurely exploded and they decided to place the remaining charges together. Captain de Kok armed one of them,
527:
strike-craft. The mission was to be covert and blame laid on UNITA as being responsible and not the South
African Defence Force. On 16 November, 1 RR was given training by 4 RR to refresh their knowledge with the boats and by 18 November with the two South African Navy strike-craft. By 20 November
637:
Team 2's targets were twelve jet fuel tanks. They were able to place six charges before the premature explosion from within the refinery interrupted them. Following orders if the plan changed, they left the remaining charges against a tank and before attempting to arm one of the charges, a second
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Team 3 managed to lay their charges on two spherical gas tanks and had proceeded to two horizontal tanks when the first premature explosion occurred within the refinery. Orders were now to return to entry point, but finding their route blocked by guards proceeded to another part of the perimeter
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On the night of 25 November, the two strike-craft positioned themselves off Luanda, 9 km north-west of the lighthouse at Ponto das
Lagostas. Two special forces boats were launched and headed for a point off the shore. Two 4RR divers then entered the water and swam to the beach to ensure the
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Fire-fighters managed to bring the fires under control by 1 December while all fires had been extinguished by 3 December. Angolan and
Western oil officials claimed that if the attack had been successful, the city of Luanda would have taken damage from the explosion and the release of poison
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speed up the pick-up. The two injured were transferred to individual strike-craft for treatment by medical teams and as soon as the boats were loaded, headed out to sea as several more explosions broke out in the refinery. The two strike-craft would later rendezvous with SAS
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Kundi Paiama, Angola's
Minister of State Security was demoted after the raid because of the security lapses. Several infantry units were called in to guard the complex while security infrastructure within the refinery was upgraded.
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SA . The refinery was to be attacked around 1am on 30 November with the intention to damage or destroy the distillation towers, fuel tanks and pipelines within the refinery complex. Members of
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premature explosion occurred within the refinery and so they left the explosives unarmed and returned to the entry point on the fence. Meeting Team 1 they joined in the search of Team 4.
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the explosion. The South
African intelligence reckoned that $ 60 million of various fuel products had been lost and that the damage was worth $ 36.5 million.
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on the early morning of 28 November for refuelling as well as the final planning and briefings of the forthcoming raid and the transfer of the attack teams.
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fence and exited leaving their remaining two charges on pipelines leading to the harbour before returning to the rendezvous point by following the fence.
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523:(4RR) would man the special forces Barracuda boats and supply the divers with transport to and from the Angolan capital of Luanda supplied by the
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The
Petrangol refinery was built in 1958 and supplied Angola with petrol, diesel, and jet fuel and managed by Belgium company
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remains, the mines, weapons and other sabotage equipment that was left behind were presented to the world's media.
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4 December before sailing for Simon's Town later that day to refuel and restock and return to their bases.
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with the 4RR boat crews and a two-man 1RR reconnaissance team and arrived for refuelling on 22 November at
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The raid was acknowledged as a South
African special forces operation during the final report of the
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503:. The raid took place on 30 November 1981 by members of the 1 and 4 Reconnaissance Regiments.
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519:(1RR) would conduct the initial surveillance of the refinery and the actual attack while
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and picked up the members of 1 RR attack teams before heading northwards as well.
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Iron Fist From The Sea: South Africa's Seaborne Raiders, 1978–1988
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Iron Fist From The Sea: South Africa's Seaborne Raiders 1978-1988
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491:(Operation Candle Light) was a South African Defence Force
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chemicals. Brave refinery workers had managed to remove
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before heading northwards to Angola. The survey vessel
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Battles and operations of the South African Border War
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1586:Operations involving South African special forces
791:. Solihull, West Midlands: Helion and Company.
558:would arrive on 24 November at Walvis Bay from
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818:"Attack in Angola Risked Cloud Of Poison Gas"
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1492:South Africa and weapons of mass destruction
868:"Angolan Rebel Leader Reports Refinery Raid"
843:"Angolan Aide Demoted Over Raid on Refinery"
1385:United Nations Transition Assistance Group
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574:elements - 4 Reconnaissance Regiment
571:elements - 1 Reconnaissance Regiment
695:Truth and Reconciliation Commission
74:Raid on the oil refinery in Luanda.
951:. Solihull: Helion & Company.
14:
947:Steyn, D.; Söderlund, A. (2015).
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1075:Internal resistance to apartheid
893:"Unofficial SADF Roll of Honour"
495:raid on an oil refinery outside
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1120:Bantustans in South West Africa
1581:November 1981 events in Africa
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1502:Southern Africa Freedom Trail
1184:Cuban intervention in Angola
1101:South African administration
566:South African units involved
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1156:Battle of Omugulugwombashe
63:Operation Kerslig (Angola)
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1472:End Conscription Campaign
1315:Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
1297:Aeroflot An-12 shoot-down
521:4 Reconnaissance Regiment
517:1 Reconnaissance Regiment
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1571:Battles involving Angola
1467:Democratic International
1306:Operation Alpha Centauri
1126:Decolonisation of Africa
1096:German South West Africa
1001:South African Border War
122:South African Border War
26:South African Border War
1462:Constructive engagement
1389:Australian contribution
1273:Angola–Cuba Declaration
1535:Battles and operations
1345:Operation Excite/Hilti
1131:Old Location shootings
528:the two strike-craft,
1507:Western Contact Group
1457:Cuba–Angola airbridge
1561:1981 in South Africa
1487:Operation IA Feature
1350:Brazzaville Protocol
1189:Turnhalle Convention
1292:Operation Wallpaper
1208:Settlement Proposal
1106:Bondelswarts affair
579:7 Medical Battalion
1340:Operation Displace
1222:Operation Saffraan
1202:Battle of Cassinga
1198:Operation Reindeer
1179:Operation Savannah
666:lead tetrachloride
525:South African Navy
1576:Conflicts in 1981
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1355:Tripartite Accord
1321:Operation Moduler
1287:Operation Magneto
1250:Operation Kerslig
1231:Operation Sceptic
1217:Operation Rekstok
1070:Angolan Civil War
1063:Related conflicts
608:helicopter and a
489:Operation Kerslig
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19:Operation Kerslig
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1400:Caprivi conflict
1369:Operation Merlyn
1360:Oshakati bombing
1335:Operation Packer
1326:Operation Hooper
1259:Operation Askari
1240:Operation Protea
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45:
34:
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27:
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1452:Cassinga Day
1447:32 Battalion
1426:Freedom Park
1421:Heroes' Acre
1364:
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1015:South Africa
1008:Participants
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925:. Retrieved
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585:Oswald Pirow
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560:Simon's Town
556: (A324)
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544:Saldanha Bay
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532:Oswald Pirow
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24:Part of the
1477:Heroes' Day
577:elements -
167:Quifangondo
1550:Categories
1089:Background
927:8 February
902:8 February
877:8 February
852:8 February
827:8 February
701:References
591:Jim Fouche
548:Walvis Bay
539:Jim Fouche
507:Background
1414:Memorials
1378:Aftermath
1116:Apartheid
659:Aftermath
617:Operation
552:SAS
513:Petrofina
376:Wallpaper
348:Boswilger
71:Objective
1525:Category
1080:Cold War
787:(2015).
469:Displace
441:Firewood
390:Abrasion
342:Gaborone
238:Wishbone
231:Klipklop
210:Saffraan
195:Cassinga
189:Reindeer
161:Savannah
32:Location
1482:Koevoet
542:, left
418:Moduler
383:Cerebus
369:Magneto
336:Nobilis
322:Klinker
294:Phoenix
273:Kerslig
245:Beanbag
224:Sceptic
203:Rekstok
182:Bruilof
175:Seiljag
1317:begins
1145:Events
1039:Angola
955:
795:
652:Protea
624:Protea
604:– one
597:Protea
554:Protea
501:Angola
497:Luanda
476:Merlyn
432:Packer
425:Hooper
329:Askari
315:Dolfyn
308:Karton
301:Skerwe
259:Protea
57:Luanda
36:Angola
1049:UNITA
1043:FAPLA
1029:SWAPO
1023:SWATF
684:UNITA
610:C-130
462:Prone
362:Argon
355:Egret
287:Mebos
280:Super
266:Daisy
252:Konyn
217:1980s
149:1970s
135:1960s
1365:1989
1331:1988
1311:1987
1302:1986
1278:1985
1264:1984
1255:1983
1236:1981
1227:1980
1213:1979
1194:1978
1170:1975
1161:1970
1152:1966
1054:Cuba
1033:PLAN
1019:SADF
953:ISBN
929:2014
922:SABC
904:2014
879:2014
854:2014
829:2014
793:ISBN
606:Wasp
602:SAAF
595:SAS
589:SAS
583:SAS
537:SAS
535:and
530:SAS
79:Date
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