Battle of Ongulumbashe

Battle of Ongulumbashe
Part of the South African Border War
Date26 August 1966
Location
Ongulumbashe, South West Africa
Battle of Ongulumbashe is located in Namibia
Ongulumbashe
Ongulumbashe
Battle of Ongulumbashe (Namibia)
15°7′3″S 16°5′11″E / 15.11750°S 16.08639°E / -15.11750; 16.08639 (SWAPO Base at Cassinga)
Result South African victory
Belligerents
 South Africa SWAPO
Commanders and leaders
South Africa Jan Blaauw
South Africa Pat Dillon		 Unknown
Units involved
SADF
SAP		 SWAPO
Strength
42 paratroops and police
7 Alouette III helicopters		 17 Insurgents
Casualties and losses
None 2 killed
1 wounded
8 captured

The Battle of Ongulumbashe (also known as Operation Blouwildebees) was an armed confrontation between the South African Defence Force (SADF)/ South African Police (SAP) and the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) at Ongulumbashe in northern South West Africa (today Namibia). Though SWAPO had already carried out several attacks in 1965 and early 1966, the battle marked the first time that elements of the South African security forces directly clashed with SWAPO insurgents and is considered to be the start of the South African Border War.[1]: 44 

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lord was invoked but never defined (see the help page).