Action at Cassalalta 11 November 1975

''Janni, over there, by the railway line!'

'Hostiles 1 o'clock, fire at will'

'Shit, that's an anti-tank gun on that jeep...get some rounds down now'

'Peter, take your squad and work your way round them...use the buildings'

'Frank, base of fire..there'

'Go, go, go!'

*****
'Target 11 o'clock, 800, load sabot'

'Fire!'

'Sierra Five, this is two, I'm in trouble, I've lost two tanks'

Target, 700, load sabot'

'Fire!'

'Sierra Three, this is five, keep moving, you're all right, fight back'

'God, oh God, they're killing is all'

'Romero, you son of a whore, get a grip on yourself and fight or they will kill you...target 600, sabot...fire! Got him! Good lad...'

*****

'Sanchez says the Boers are in the scrub on the left, over there''

'Get out of the trucks! Everybody out, now!'

'Miguel, keep your head down and take your boys and work around their left'

'Shit...who's firing? where's that coming from? Everybody down!'

*****

I've just finished playing out the first encounter between Cuban combat troops and their South African adversaries in our alternative timeline. It saw the first encounter between Cuban T 34s and South African Eland armoured cars; a text book company attack by South African infantry that ejected Cuban recon troops from a built up area, Cuban technicals shooting up a South African Armoured Infantry Company and the massacre of a Cuban motor rifle platoon before they could disembark form their URAL trucks.

Neither side was aware what the other was trying to achieve and both were left feeling they'd taken a pasting although objectively it was a clear tactical victory for the SADF. Full AAR to follow.

Angolan Independence Day 11 November 1975 0200 hours HQ Cuban 201 Composite Brigade

'Hey Raul, where's Colonel Mendoza?'

'He's asleep, he said to wake him if anything important happened, que bola?'

'This is important, Sanchez has just called in. The bridge at Cassolalata is down, he and his boys got there 30 minutes ago'

'Well that helps, if the bridge is down the Boers are stuck'

'Yeah, but we need that bridge for the counter-attack. Martinez and his tanks should be there tomorrow night.'

'Anything else?'

'Sanchez says the Boers are on the other side of the river. He doesn't know their strength yet but he can hear engines'

'Hmmm...I'll wake the Colonel. Sanchez will have sent out patrols, tell him to let us know the Boer's strength as soon as he has an idea.'