Battle Group 20 was tasked with the southern end of the town and its airfield to the west . The first trenches reached by the battle group around 13h25 were found to be empty but as they advanced further , they began to receive small arms fire and then more serious fire from 23 mm anti-aircraft guns . Battle Group 20 's attack on southern Xangongo was now held up by ZU-23-2 AA guns and the advance was halted as air strikes were called . Two attacks by Mirage aircraft an hour later failed to destroy the site and a third attack by artillery was not successful either . Captain Laubscher of 42 Squadron , flying an observation aircraft , had fired smoke rockets to narrow the Mirages ' attack , but this failed so he decided to attempt a direct hit with smoke rockets to accurately mark the target for the Mirages . He dive bombed the target firing one smoke rocket directly into the gun position but by this time the Mirages were out of ordnance and fuel . It was later found that his smoke rocket had hit the operator of the gun . Laubscher was awarded the Honoris Crux decoration for bravery . Two and a half hours later the ground attack had resumed this time receiving limited enemy ZU-23-2 fire , attacking bunkers and trenches and eventually taking the airfield . By 18h00 , Battle Group 20 was in control of its objectives , having destroyed at least four tanks and capturing vehicles , guns and ammunition . Battle Group 20 's rest overnight was disturbed by an enemy truck column that advanced from the south into the group 's positions and was destroyed by Ratel 90s . By the midday on 25 August , the battle group was in control of all positions south of the town but lost one soldier in the process . Later , Battle Group 20 would attack a PLAN base to the south of Xangongo towards Cuamato but this was found to be abandoned except for equipment
Honoris Crux
Honoris Crux (1975)
Operation Protea