Battle of Ongulumbashe
The Battle of Ongulumbashe was an armed confrontation between the South African Defence Force / South African Police and the South [West African People's Organization] at Ongulumbashe in northern South West Africa. 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.
Background
In 1962, the UN General Assembly adopted the position that South Africa's mandate over South West Africa should be terminated and that the territory should be given independence. South Africa, at this time under the rule of the Apartheid regime, refused to recognize this decision and no substantial moves towards independence for the territory were made. The inaction of the South Africans emboldened SWAPO, who had been preparing for an armed struggle against the South African authorities in South West Africa since the early 1960s.SWAPO Infiltration and South African Response
In September 1965, the first group of SWAPO insurgents moved across the thinly guarded Angola/SWA border and began attacking targets in northern South West Africa. These included a local administrative building, a local tribal headman suspected to be in the employ of the South Africans, and a Portuguese shop owner. SWAPO established a camp at Ongulumbashe from which further operations could be conducted. Incidentally, this was the only semi-permanent camp established by SWAPO on South West African soil for the duration of the conflict. SWAPO's presence in the region soon expanded until the total number of active insurgents numbered about 17.By early 1966, the South African authorities had become aware of SWAPO's presence and two Alouette III helicopters were dispatched to the region to aid the detachment of South African police assigned to guard the border. Using an informer within the group of insurgents, the South Africans were able to pinpoint the location of the SWAPO guerillas to Ongulumbashe. To dislodge the guerillas, the South Africans devised Operation Blouwildebees, the first ever heliborne assault undertaken by the South African armed forces.