Operation Reindeer

Operation Reindeer
Part of South African Border War
Cassinga Chetequera Dombondola Operation Reindeer (Angola)
Date 4–10 May 1978 Location Angola Result South African victory
Belligerents
South Africa	SWAPO
Commanders and leaders
John Vorster Constand Viljoen Ian Gleeson	Unknown
Units involved
SADF	Unknown
Strength
Unknown	2,200+
Casualties and losses
7 killed 39 wounded	SWAPO claim: 582-624 killed 400-611 wounded South African claim: 1,000 killed 200 captured

Operation Reindeer, which began on 4 May 1978, was South Africa's second major military operation in Angola, the first being Operation Savannah.

The South African operation consisted of an assault by 2 South African Infantry Battalion on two South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) base complexes, Chetequera and Dombondola, near to the then-South West Africa/Angola border; an assault by the elite 32 Battalion on SWAPO's Omepepa-Namuidi-Henhombe base complex around 20 km east of Chetequera; and finally, the attack the operation is most known for — a controversial airborne assault by paratroopers on Cassinga, a refugee camp and SWAPO's regional headquarters, 260 km inside Angola. The operation ended on 10 May 1978.