Annals of wars we don’t know about: The South African border war of 1966-1989

The “Stick”: The backbone of SADF counter-insurgency operations. 🌿 In the vast expanse of the South African Border War, large battalions were often too slow to catch elusive insurgents. Enter the “Stick.” A Stick was a small, highly mobile tactical team—usually consisting of just 4 or 5 men. Their strength wasn’t in numbers, but in speed and tracking ability. The Anatomy of a Stick: 🚁 Deployment: Often dropped by Alouette helicopters directly onto “spoor” (tracks) or positioned as “stop groups

SADF withdrawal from Southern Angola 1988

New docuseries Unspoken War uncovers the hidden scars of South Africa’s covert conflict