A little bit of “cheeky” military humour for the weekend – please excuse the brashness but we are after all a bunch of military veterans.

Here a South African Air Force #Alouette III helicopter’s Flight Engineer/Gunner gives a typical response to fellow crew members flying alongside.

Not found in the Public Relations photographs in the SADF but…Read More

1980, Operation #Sceptic. Captain Tinus van Rensburg lying on a stretcher after being brought back to South West Africa/Namibia.

His Alouette III Helicopter, Serial No. 24 was shot down by an RPG-7 anti-tank rocket during the later stages of Operation Sceptic. His Flight Engineer Koos Cilliers was Killed. Tinus successfully evaded capture until…Read More

Just because it’s just such an iconic photograph – taken by the late and much loved Herman “the German” Potgieter and it adorned the room of many a small boy as a poster in the 80’s.

SAAF Mirage IIIEZ 831 firing a ripple of 68mm SNEB High Explosive Unguided Rockets.

Taken in 1978 at Roodewal. Derek Kirkland flying the Mirage and Herman Potgieter…Read More

Operation #Savannah 1975, this rare photograph taken deep into Angola of a SADF #Eland-90 Armoured Car of Combat Group Foxbat at the Re-Supply point at the abandoned Clinic at Santa Comba. Note the 25 pounder field gun in the background, also note the strikingAngolan landscape south of the country’s capital Luanda.

On 14 October, the South…Read More

Uncommon to see aerial operational photographs like this one of The Border War in South West Africa/Namibia. Here a South African Air Force #Impala MK II is on bush patrol – and demonstrating exactly what it entailed – low and fast flight – seen here performing a low level, high speed tight turn over the flat terrain of Ovamboland.

Picture and…Read More

Operation #Modular October 5 1987. When the SADF captured this Soviet #SA-8 missile launcher it caused an international stir with the “Western Powers” and the USA in particular taking a very keen interest to know its capability and secrets.

At the height of the cold war nobody in the “west” had been close to one of these, it was a Soviet “Top…Read More

#Cessna 185D Serial No. 745 (c/no 0964), ex N1585F and later ZS-EGH, was delivered to the South African Air Force on 08 December 1965.

On 19 February 1988, 65km North East of Opuwa in the Kaokaveld, all was not going well for the Pilot Lieutenant N.J. Ras from 84 Light Aircraft Flying School when the aircraft engine failed and he was left with…Read More

in #Nigeria

members of executive outcomes in Sierra Leone

members of executive outcome

#Nigeria has drafted “hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa” in its fight against Boko Haram. South Africans have a long-standing reputation as being among the best mercenaries in the world, and have been present in one form or another in most African conflicts for the past two decades.

Mercenaries in the #Angola civil war