TIMELINE
- 1966 - The Bush War started officially with Operation Blouwildebees on 25th August, where members of 1 Parachute Battalion joined the SAP in a heliborne assault on a base at Ongulumbashe killing 2 insurgents and capturing 9 others.
- 1968 - Parabats are deployed in the Caprivi Strip for counter insurgency operations from October 1968 through to August the following year nicknamed, Operation Crackerbox.
- 1969 - Parabats are again deployed along the Capivi Strip for counter insurgency operations from August to June of 1970 under Operation Bombay.
- 1970 - Various parabat companies are deployed along the South West African border from July of this year to June 1973, nicknamed Operation Baruta
- 1973 - Various parabat companies are deployed along the South West African border and inside Angola for counter insurgency operations from July of this year to September of ‘75, nicknamed Operation Focus
- 1974 - Lt F.J. Zeelie, said to be part of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, was killed in June and recorded as the first South African soldier to die in the Bush War.
- 1974 - The first operational parachute drop is undertaken in June.
- 1975 - Operation Savannah starts spanning 6 months capturing over 10 strong points, 700km inside Angola which included a sea rescue.
- 1976 - The first South African paratrooper is killed on the 13th April. Cpl. A.L. Broderyk of 1 Parachute Battalion and Operation Savannah comes to a close.
- 1976-1989 - The parabats were depolyed for fireforce duties and operational counter insurgency operations along the South West African border.
- 1978 - The most famous parabat operation to date, Operation Reindeer, was undertaken on the 4th May 1978 when aproximately 350 members of the various Parachute Battalions annihilated a major SWAPO base in the town of Cassinda, codenamed “Moscow”. 4 parabats lost their lives that day, but the enemy suffered over 500 dead.
- 1979 - There were various smaller operations utilising the parabats in a sweeper and stopper rolls during the year.
- 1980 - The attack on Chifufua, the central control HQ, known as Operation Sceptic, 180km inside Angola , started at the end of May and lasted more than a month.
- 1980 - The heliborne assault called Operation Klipkop, on the south western HQ of SWAPO at Chitado on the 30th July.
- 1981 - The attack on the SWAPO HQ at Xangongo(formally known as Vila Kocales) and Ongiva(formally known as Pereirad ‘Es) late August through September was dubbed Operation Protea.
- 1981 - The HQ bases at Bambi and Cheraquera in the month of November named Operation Daisy.
- 1981-1985 - The parabats were deployed in the operational area performing various task from counter insurgency to conventional attacks on various SWAPO bases in southern Angola.
- 1982 - 9th August 1982 will be known as a dark day for the South African Parabat when a Puma carring a full load was shot down killing pilots and passangers alike.
- 1985 - During the next 2 years there were counter insurgency operations, known as Operation Poncho 1985 and Operation Xenon 1986 , inside the townships in PE, EL, Cape Town and Soweto to curb the unrest that was building inside the South african Borders.
- 1986 - Operation Pebble was a rural counter insurgency operation along the South African borders with Zimbabwe and Botswana
- 1987 - Operation Firewood was a motorized attack on a base in the south of Angola during November.
- 1987 - Operation Pineapple was the last operational parachute drop of the Bush War in May.
- 1989 - The Bush war ends!