Striking Inside Angola With 32 Battalion

Author : Marius Scheepers
Publisher : Helion
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : History
ISBN : 1907677771

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Striking Inside Angola with 32 Battalion by Marius Scheepers Pdf

Join 'The Terrible Ones' on clandestine operations and in conventional warfare during the harsh bush war that raged through southern Angola in the 1980s. The conflict ended with the last major battle of the Cold War, one of the largest land battles of the latter part of the 20th century. This book presents an eyewitness account by a South African Defense Force (SADF) Signals Officer, Marius Scheepers, who served in arguably the most formidable battle unit that ever existed in the history of the South African Defense Force: 32 Battalion. It describes how members lived and fought in the bush during 1983 under the most difficult conditions. Being the Signals Officer of 32 Battalion, Scheepers was privy to all major command decisions of the time. Although he focuses primarily on operations during the year 1983, including Operations Snoek and Dolfyn, he includes concise descriptions of all other major operations that took place inside Angola between 1966 and 1988, including Operation Askari (1983/84) and the decisive battle at Cuito Cuanavale in 1987/88. Extensive appendices include 32 Battalion sitreps, radio-code cards, SADF radio equipment used by 32 Battalion and details on SADF, SAAF and SWAPO.

Author : Piet Nortje
Publisher : Penguin Random House South Africa
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2010-11-05
Category : History
ISBN : 9781770201439

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32 Battalion by Piet Nortje Pdf

Every war has at least one - a unit so different, so daring, that it becomes the stuff of which legends are made and heroes are born. Among the South African forces fighting in Angola from 1975 to 1989, that unit was 32 Battalion. Founded in utmost secrecy from the vanquished remnants of a foreign rebel movement, undefeated in 12 years of front-line battle, feared by enemies that included both conventional Cuban armies and Namibian guerrilla fighters, the Buffalo Soldiers became the South African army’s best combat unit since World War II, with no fewer than 13 members winning the highest decoration for bravery under fire. But when peace broke out in southern Africa, the victors of Savate became the victims of sophistry. Their fate and future determined by politicians who understood little and cared less about this truly unique fraternity, 32 Battalion ceased to exist in 1993, its short history and long list of battle honours known only to those whose enemies called them Os Terriveis - the Terrible Ones. Now, for the first time, the story of 32 Battalion can be told in full, with neither adornment nor apology, by one of its longest-serving members. The book draws from top secret documents, revealing information that has never been made public before. Also included are rare photographs that evoke the colourful, and often controversial, history of 32 Battalion, as well as detailed maps depicting specific operations and deployments.

Author : Piet Nortje
Publisher : Penguin Random House South Africa
Page : 303 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2015-05-08
Category : History
ISBN : 9781770227804

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The Battle of Savate by Piet Nortje Pdf

On 21 May 1980, under the codename Operation Tiro-Tiro, 32 Battalion attacked and routed a FAPLA brigade at Savate, a small Angolan town 75 kilometres north of the border with South West Africa. Fifteen members of 32 Battalion were killed in the action and many more wounded. It was the highest South African casualty rate in a single skirmish since the start of the Border War. Overall, however, Savate was a significant victory for 32 Battalion. FAPLA suffered heavy casualties and the invaders captured a great many vehicles, weapons, ammunition and other equipment. Operation Tiro-Tiro, or the Battle of Savate as it became known, was the first time the SADF had engaged FAPLA in battle since 1975. And, despite the record number of casualties, it was 32 Battalion’s biggest victory since its formation in March 1976. While the Border War came to an end in 1989 and 32 Battalion was disbanded in March 1993, to this day a remem-brance service and parade is held annually on the Sunday closest to 21 May to commemorate the Battle of Savate and to remember 32 Battalion’s victory and the price they paid. Drawing from official documents in the Department of Defence Documentation Centre that have only recently been declassified and from testimonies of soldiers on both sides, The Battle of Savate is the definitive account of one of the greatest battles of the Border War, describ¬ing in detail the operation, its motivation and planning, its achievements and failures, and vividly recreating the experience of what happened on the ground.

Author : Justin Taylor
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Angola
ISBN : 1908916583

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A Whisper in the Reeds by Justin Taylor Pdf

This amazing work relates the experiences of Justin Taylor who served as the Signals Officer for the South African Defense Force's infamous 32 Battalion - the 'Terrible Ones'! As a young officer he trained in the intricacies of Signaling before volunteering for Border Duty and service with 32 Battalion - a request that was met with astonishment - 'you want to work with 32 Battalion!?' This book takes you into the discipline of military communications as never before, delivering a new perspective on the work of 'Nine Charlie'; the Battalion Signals Officer with his mantra of 'check, check and recheck!' It illustrates how a unit's Signals Officer sits at the core of military operations, allowing Command elements to control and coordinate war-fighting, whilst countering the never ending failures of equipment and communications. What is more, it emphasizes how the Signals Officer needs to remain abreast of enemy eavesdropping. Little is known of 32 Battalion - a unit that drew its origins from the Angolan Civil War of 1975 - most of its troops were black Portuguese-speaking soldiers; the remnants of Holden Roberto's FNLA guerrilla army that had fought against the Portuguese colonials. Established by the legendary Colonel Breytenbach and barracked at 'Buffalo Base' in the Caprivi Strip, 32 Battalion was to develop a reputation for military prowess that was second to none. 'A Whisper in the Reeds' takes you into the heart of this elite unit and its military capability. It relates how black and white worked together with a mutual respect forged in the cauldron of combat. Taylor was placed to take part in one of 32 Battalion's most spectacular operations - the Battle of Savate. Here, the Battalion undertook an aggressive assault on an entrenched enemy brigade that was positioned deep in Angola. Thrown into the chaos of combat, Taylor experienced the intensity and horror of close quarter battle. Working close with the Officer Commanding he saw first hand the difficulty of command and control in a kinetic assault environment. In addition he saw close friends killed and was himself wounded. His account of this historic battle is one of the most comprehensive ever and should be read by every student of military history. Tasked to train new signalers in the skill of military signaling, Taylor designed and delivered a training program that earned him the respect of both his superiors and the students under training - a Chief of the SADF Commendation medal acknowledging his skill and professionalism. Justin Taylor was the consummate soldier, utterly professional and dedicated to the trade of military signaling. Read this work and learn why 'a whisper in the reeds' will always carry the story of 32 Battalion. Justin Taylor grew up on a sugar farm in Zululand and spoke Zulu before he could speak English. He was sent to boarding school for ten years before reporting for National Service in 1979. Doing 'your bit' for your country ran in Taylor's family - his grandfather was a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and in the Second World War his father flew Spitfires for the SAAF. In 1979 he was drafted into the military, completing two years of National Service as a Signals Officer with 32 Battalion in the Namibian / Angolan conflict (1979-80). Justin was wounded at the Battle of Savate and awarded the Chief of SADF Commendation Medal (MMM) for services of a high order. He then went on to complete part-time military service with 2 Reconnaissance Regiment. Justin holds a BA from the University of Cape Town, majoring in Economics and Psychology and a MBL from the University of South Africa. He is now lives in Johannesburg and is a successful businessman. When not working he makes best use of his private pilot's licence! He is married with two daughters. A Whisper in the Reeds is Justin's first book.

Author : Koos Stadler
Publisher : Casemate
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2021-07-31
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1636240488

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Recce by Koos Stadler Pdf

A gripping first-hand account of the combat operations and life of a member of the secretive and elite South African Special Forces, known as 'Recces'. South African Special Forces, known as the 'Recces', are an elite group of soldiers that few can aspire to join. Shrouded in secrecy due to the covert nature of their work, the legendary Recces have long fascinated, but little is known about how they operate. Now one of this select band has written a tell-all book about the extraordinary missions he embarked on and the nail-biting action he experienced in the Border War. Shortly after passing the infamously grueling Special Forces selection course in the early 1980s, Koos Stadler joined the so-called Small Teams group at 5 Reconnaissance Regiment. This sub-unit was made up of two-man teams and was responsible for numerous secret and highly dangerous missions deep behind enemy lines. With only one other team member, Stadler was sent to blow up railway lines and enemy fighter jets in the south of Angola. As he crawled in and out of enemy-infested territory, he stared death in the face many times.

Author : Willem Steenkamp
Publisher : Lulu.com
Page : 344 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Angola
ISBN : 9781920169008

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Borderstrike! by Willem Steenkamp Pdf

Author : Piet Nortje
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 1269 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Angola
ISBN : LCCN:2012526704

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The Terrible Ones by Piet Nortje Pdf

Author : Jan Breytenbach
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 184 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : UVA:X001276594

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Forged in Battle by Jan Breytenbach Pdf

Author : Jan Breytenbach
Publisher : Galago Pub.
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : STANFORD:36105026006622

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The Buffalo Soldiers by Jan Breytenbach Pdf

Author : Jonathan Fennell
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 967 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2019-01-24
Category : History
ISBN : 9781107030954

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Fighting the People's War by Jonathan Fennell Pdf

Jonathan Fennell captures for the first time the true wartime experience of the ordinary soldiers from across the empire who made up the British and Commonwealth armies. He analyses why the great battles were won and lost and how the men that fought went on to change the world.

Author : Sisingi Kamongo,Leon Bezuidenhout
Publisher : 30 Degrees South Publishers
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Counterinsurgency
ISBN : 0620474793

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Shadows in the Sand by Sisingi Kamongo,Leon Bezuidenhout Pdf

The first-ever account of the bush war by a non-white member of the South African security forces; it offers a unique, previously untold perspective of the bush war, by an on-the-ground tracker

Author : Piet Nortje
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2013-06
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1909384135

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The Terrible Ones by Piet Nortje Pdf

This work covers in detail the 32 Battalion's 117 documented military operations from 1976 to 1993. Nortje explains how the operations were planned and executed, what went wrong, what went right, and what the outcomes were.

Author : Ian van der Waag,Albert Grundlingh
Publisher : AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2019-11-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781928480341

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In Different Times by Ian van der Waag,Albert Grundlingh Pdf

This is the first attempt to bring together diverse scholars, using different lenses, to study South Africa’s Border War. As a book, it is critical in approach, provides deeper reflection, and focuses specifically on the SADF experience of the war. The result is a more complex picture of the war’s dynamics and its legacies. Although South Africa is a vastly different country today, the study of the Border War opens a range of questions, also relevant to contemporary deployments such as in Lesotho (1998) and the Central African Republic (2013). It includes the debate on participation in foreign conflicts; on the deployment, design and preparation of appropriate, modern armed forces and their use as foreign policy instruments in far‑off theatres; on military planning; and, as the historical controversies regarding the battles at Cuito Cuanavale and Bangui illustrate, on the interface between foreign campaigning and domestic politics.

Author : Scott Fitzsimmons
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 343 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : History
ISBN : 9781107026919

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Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts by Scott Fitzsimmons Pdf

Fitzsimmons argues that small mercenary groups must maintain a superior culture to successfully engage and defeat larger and better-equipped opponents.

Author : Fred Bridgland
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2017-06-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781612004938

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The War for Africa by Fred Bridgland Pdf

A “gripping” story of the Angolan Civil War and how it evolved into a Cold War struggle between superpowers (New York Journal of Books). Lasting over a quarter of a century, from 1975 to 2002, the Angolan Civil War began as a power struggle between two former liberation movements, the MPLA and UNITA—but became a Cold War struggle with involvement from the Soviet Union, Cuba, South Africa, and the United States. This book examines the height of the Cuban-South African fighting in Angola in 1987–88, when three thousand South African soldiers and about eight thousand UNITA guerrilla fighters fought in alliance against the Cubans and the armed forces of the Marxist MPLA government, a force of over fifty thousand men. Fred Bridgland pieced together the course of the war, fought in one of the world’s most remote and wild terrains, by interviewing the South Africans who fought it, and many of their stories are woven into the narrative. This classic account of a Cold War struggle and its momentous consequences for the participants and the continent now includes a new preface and epilogue. “Highlights just how much political and social considerations dictate the outcome of war . . . A highly detailed work of military history, The War for Africa can tell us a lot about the nature of counter-insurgency warfare and how small states can become contested battlegrounds between superpowers.” —New York Journal of Books