Veteran of AngolanBush War

[Tjaka Erasmus]

I'm a veteran of the Angolan Bush War and I discovered this game when I searched "Angola" on Steam. I litterally get a throb in my throat and tears in my eyes when I look at the graphics of the Ratels, Olifants, Impalas (we called it "Imps") and Buffels - I was a mounted infantery rifleman and sat in the command seat of a Buffalo - where I can communicate with the driver. Other South African hardware that were very prominent in the Angolan Bush War are the Hercules cargo planes (we called them "Flossies" - a flossy is a woman with a heart for many men! LOL). And then there were the beloved deadly "gunships" - the Allouette helicopters with a crew of 2 - a pilot and the gunner (music in out ears!). Also the Puma cargo helicopter was loved because it dropped rations and transported us from contact scenes back to base. We referred to South Africa as the "states" and to South West Africa (now Namibia) as "Nam" LOL. Every male citizen had to do his duty.We are now around age 45 upwards and the Angolan Bush War is still a major subject around barbeque fires. One of my best friends was a 4 SAI Ratel soldier in operations Moduler, Hooper and Packer. He was wounded and cassevacked. The memories have no boundaries! In our 19 year old minds we were fighting Communism. We we NOT fighting for Apartheid, believe me. Me myself served with 201 Battalion (ex FNLA soldiers). I was involved in anti-guerilla warfare (we called it "TEIN = Teen Insurgensie, meaning anti-insurgency"). I was involved in 3 minor skirmishes and saw many things to make me realise war is HORRIBLE! I have my own little "War Memorial" shrine exhibiting artifacts from Angola like FAPLA propaganda, SWAPO uniforms etch.

This game is complicated and difficult to master but I am going to play it, come hell or high water. And then I'm looking forward to a game recreating the Anglo-Boer War.

In the 1980's my highest aspiration was to kill a Cuban and a Russian, but now we marry Russian women! LOL

Thank you Graviteam Tactics.

[Norðmaðr]

God bless you my friend !

[Milano]

Thank you for the reminising. I hope you learn the game quickly and get all the enjoyment out f it you can. It is well worth it. If you have any issues don't hesitate to ask

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Originally posted by Rollonleviking:

God bless you my friend !

Thank you.

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Originally posted by Milano:

Thank you for the reminising. I hope you learn the game quickly and get all the enjoyment out f it you can. It is well worth it. If you have any issues don't hesitate to ask

Thanks.

[Tjaka Erasmus]

1) I forgot to mention the other major well-known hardware of the Angolan Bush War, namely the Caspir. It was used as armoured troop carrier mainly by the police in anti-insurgency operations. The army did the same thing but with the Buffalo. We operated alongside each other; 2) The "Noddy" armoured car was also there but of lesser importance; 3) Our personal weapons were R1 or R4. Personally I preferred the R4 because it never got stuck ("stoor" - what's the English word when a rifle's working parts gets stuck by dust etch?). We had an abundance of captured Russian hardware, especialy AK47's and RPG 7's!

[rogersdane12]

I think the Caspir is going to be introduced to the Mius Front game in the next Angolan dlc. Jammed is the word used for a weapon that's malfunctioning .

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Originally posted by rogersdane12:

I think the Caspir is going to be introduced to the Mius Front game in the next Angolan dlc. Jammed is the word used for a weapon that's malfunctioning .

Ah! Jammed! The R4 never jammed - same working parts as AK47.

I'll be the first one to buy the next Mius Front Angolan dlc!

[mooreshawnm]

45 y/o US Iraq vet who is very pro SA. Friend request sent.

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Accepted

[jcmiller101]

Had a buddy from SA who was fighting there in the early 70s, probably his fault I still call it Rhodesia sometimes :D
I included PDF & ebook downloads of my guide to this game which may make it easier to read/refer to if you are struggling with the learning curve.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=339318454

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Yes, Rhodesia fed it's own people and exported. Today Zimbabwe is in need of food aid. South Africa is on the brink of collapse.

Thanks for the guide, I'm definitely going to use is.

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Originally posted by jcmiller101:

Had a buddy from SA who was fighting there in the early 70s, probably his fault I still call it Rhodesia sometimes :D
I included PDF & ebook downloads of my guide to this game which may make it easier to read/refer to if you are struggling with the learning curve.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=339318454

I just went perused through your guide, thank you. Apparently there's no autoresolve for battles? One doesn't want to fight EVERY battle!

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Originally posted by Milano:

Thank you for the reminising. I hope you learn the game quickly and get all the enjoyment out f it you can. It is well worth it. If you have any issues don't hesitate to ask

Apparently there's no autoresolve for battles? One doesn't want to fight EVERY battle!

[jcmiller101]

Originally posted by TjakaErasmus:

I just went perused through your guide, thank you. Apparently there's no autoresolve for battles? One doesn't want to fight EVERY battle!

Sorry for delay Xmas had me pinned down ;)

See the 'Retreat' guide section. You can flee or call a cease fire if you are in the battle mode. In the strategy map you can withdraw to try to avoid contacts.
Sometimes you absolutely need to do this to build up enough troops to push back (esp as Russians in the early engagements).
The problem is the AI is pretty good at outmaneuvering you & trying to mount a fast retreat can be a struggle esp as the battlefield is so vast allowing a variety of enemy probes.

I have found that moving all my assets to the distant border (from the enemy) during the tactical setup & then using flee is effective for withdrawal & regrouping.

[Tjaka Erasmus]

Thanks