In the end, all of Savimbi's bounties were not fulfilled. In the face of the desperate Cuban army, the mercenaries still missed a move and allowed their opponents to successfully break out of the encirclement.
Of course, it is not without cost. Only a few dozen Cuban troops escaped, and nearly two-thirds of the personnel and vehicles were wiped out. The worst thing is that they also left behind five BTR60s that could be repaired and continued to be used. Infantry fighting vehicle.
Of course, the mercenaries weren't doing much better either. Nearly 200 were killed and more than 100 were wounded. The battle losses on both sides were about one to two.
The only one that did not lose was Shadow Company. On the contrary, Plomri also gained a full three hundred thousand in extra money. Basically all the artillery shells they brought were fired, but they only had some ammunition, which could be replenished casually. .
The mercenaries had nothing to do with the money, after all, they couldn't afford it, and even though some of the Cubans escaped, Savimbi still gave full bounties to all the mercenaries who participated in the operation, and also issued additional The salary requires these mercenaries to participate in daily patrols.
The Cubans have found a way to target UNITA and cut off Savimbi's money bag. Without the economy, he will not be able to support so many troops. Therefore, in the following time, Savimbi's gold mines and oil fields will be destroyed. , transportation lines were frequently attacked, and the Cubans also learned the trick of helicopter assault and began to use Mi-4 helicopters to carry soldiers around the defense line and attack UNITA's rear.
This move really made it difficult for Savimbi to resist. In less than two months, his income dropped sharply. Many mining areas were damaged and it was difficult to resume production in a short period of time. This made it difficult for Savimbi to resume production on time as before. Guarantee the wages of soldiers.
Savimbi is not a man without money. He owns a lot of property, including manors, plantation industries, companies, and financial investments in Europe. However, these money are personal to him and he is reluctant to use them to maintain military expenses. After all, he has no territory. He can go to Europe and live out the rest of his life as a rich man, but if the money is gone, what's the point of defending the territory?
However, the salary of mercenaries has always been sufficient. Savimbi also knows the combat effectiveness of his army. Even if these strong men are squatting in the trenches, they are not as good as those mercenaries who have received complete training. And the most important thing is that these mercenaries There is no need for him to provide equipment!
In Africa, a human life is not even as valuable as an AK. It is easy to expand the army. Just find a few big boys in a village and you will have an army. Many warlords like to do this, but it is not so easy to distribute weapons to their subordinates. Easy, especially at this time.
At this time, the Soviet Union had just begun to install the AK74. AK47 and AK guns had not yet been fully popularized in the hands of Uncle Black. A large number of old World War II guns were still shining brightly. Half of the weapons in the hands of the UNITA army were old ones sent from South Africa. Arms, so even if there is a problem with the money bag, Savimbi still does not panic.
Even Savimbi is recruiting more mercenaries to enrich his army.
In the second year of mid-1976, when the war situation was still stalemate, a new mercenary company appeared on the Angola battlefield. This mercenary company did not attract Shepard's attention at first, until it was held in Savimbi. At a celebration dinner.
A man with two mustaches held the woman next to him like a cock and walked up to Shepard, who was discussing with a group of mercenary leaders what improvements should be made to Shadow Company's AX25 rifle.
"Good evening everyone!"
"Who are you?"
Shepard looked at the man in front of him and felt that he looked familiar, but he was sure that he had never seen him before!
"I am Bob Denard, Mr. John Shepard. I have long admired your name!"
"I have long admired you, Mr. Denard, I didn't expect you to come to Angola too!"
Shepard looked at the short man in front of him. Although the man was very polite, he always felt that something was wrong with the way this guy looked at him. He felt hostility and contempt.
"Yes, after all, now, Angola is the only place where there is a lot of money to make!"
"You are so humble. I heard that you are doing very well in Mozambique!"
"It's okay, not as good as Shadow Company. What you do is much better than ours, especially Comoros."
In that matter, do you know what kind of person Mr. Saleh is who hired you? "Z.br>
"You are a scumbag, who doesn't know this, but the dollars in the hands of a scumbag are still dollars. Does it mean that Mr. Denard only earns noble dollars?"
Shepard was a little confused. There shouldn't be any direct conflict between him and Bob Denard, right? Why did this guy come up and get so aggressive?
"At least I still have some conscience, and I won't let some random tyrant take over the country and do whatever he wants!"
"Then I really have to learn from Mr. Denard! By the way, Mr. Denard, President Mobutu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has always been thinking about you. He also hopes that his old friend will go back and visit often when he has time!"
"I see, then I might really have to visit my old friends sometime!"
After a brief chat, Bob Denard said goodbye to his wife and left, turning to communicate with other guests. However, the several mercenary leaders surrounding Shepard looked like they were watching the show. look like.
"Shepard, it seems that sometimes if you stand out too much, you will be disliked by the seniors!"
"Really, I don't even know what conflict he and I have!"
"It doesn't exist now, but that doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. That guy has registered a Boer Defense Company and is now recruiting troops and preparing to show off his skills in Angola!"
"Then shouldn't he go to the Cubans? Or is it that the Cubans are too powerful and he doesn't dare to go?"
Although he said so, Shepard also understood why the other party came to him. After all, from a factual point of view, if it were not for him, then the one who would be the most popular in Africa would be Bob Denard, and the other party would be considered. He is an old man who has been doing things in Africa. He has been in the industry for more than ten years. However, after being around for so long, he realized that the person who was in the limelight was a young boy who came from nowhere. He developed the industry by himself, but others took advantage of the development dividend. , no one can figure it out.
Originally, Bob should have established his own mercenary company in Comoros in 1978, but unexpectedly, under his influence, the other party embarked on this path two years earlier, which is not a small feat. variables.
I just don’t know if this guy will continue to make trouble in Comoros for the rest of his life like in the original history. But because of the hostility he showed towards Shepard today, Shepard decided that in the future, whenever there is this guy Wherever he appears, he must help out!
