 Kupinda kweCuba muhondo yevagari vemuAngola kwakatanga mumakore ekuma1960, apo hukama hwakagadzwa nevasori veMovement for the Popular Liberation of Angola MPLA. MPLA yaive imwe yemasangano matatu airwira kuwana kuzvitonga kweAngola kubva kuPortugal, mamwe maviri ari UNITA neNational Liberation Front of Angola FNLA. Muna August naOctober 1975, South African Defence Force SADF yakapindira muAngola mukutsigira UNITA neFNLA Operation Savannah.ChiGerman Mauto eCuba akatanga kusvika muAngola mukuvamba kwaOctober 1975. Musi wa6 Gumiguru, maCuba neMPLA vakarwisana nemauto eFNLA neSouth Africa paNorton de Matos uye vakakundwa zvakaipisisa. MaCuba akavharira chikwata chema mechanized chemuSouth Africa chakauya musi wa 4 Mbudzi nemaroketi e 122mm, zvichiita kuti maSouth Africa akumbire zvombo zvinorema zvaigona kupfuudza maroketi. Castro akapindura kuvapo kwekoramu yeSouth Africa yakashongedzwa nekuzivisa Operation Carlota, kuwedzerwa kukuru kweAngola, musi wa5 Mbudzi. 