South African paratroopers in operation reindeer, 1978

This archival footage from 04 May 1978 shows the aftermath of "Operation Reindeer", also known colloquially as "Cassinga Raid" in Angola. As part of the South African Border War, paratroopers were dropped on Cassinga in order to both prove the existence of and destroy a joint SWAPO-Cuban presence there. SWAPO was a guerilla organization fighting for Namibian independence from South Africa. Despite the Cold War and associated Cuban Missile Crisis, Cuba's military efforts to aid the spread of Communism are often overlooked in US perspectives on history. Interestingly, the paratroopers involved (called "parabats" in SADF parlance) were told it was a training operation right up to the point of execution. This led to aircraft full of parabats having to return to base with Reservists who legally could not be used in cross-border operations.

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