Recce Selection

South African SF Recce’s in Angola, 1980’s Courtesy Mike West

4 Recce team comes ashore

SADF Recce: Chris Schutte and a monkey Fort Doppies, 1980’s

SADF Recce operators destroy bridge on the Soviet Front in Mozambique

Very rare photo of South African Spec Forces in the late 80’s in Angola

1, 4, and 5 Recce operators during the last ever Small Team course, just after the Angolan War

South African 1 Recce operator L CPL Ribeiro, missing and listed as dead during casualty transport in Angola, August 1976. He served as an Angolan paratrooper before joining the SADF. Ribeiro was one of the founding members of 32 Battalion. Here he is wearing “Recce 1st camo pattern” which was the inspiration behind 32Bn camo

Recce Operators

South African 4 Reconnaissance Commando operators prepping for Operation Nobilis, 10 July 1984.

The First Citizens Force Operational Parachute Jump in the South African Defence Force on the Night of 14 December 1975 by Operators of 2 Reconnaissance Commando South African Special Forces.

The First 2 Reconnaissance Commando Selection Course VK 21/RC21 1974

Recce attack on terr base in Angola

RSM Jose da Costa of SA Special Forces wearing Rhodesian brushstroke camo. Armed with a Hungarian AMD-65. 1980s, Angolan War.

Neves Matias, José Da Costa and Christiano Victorino just before pick-up – Operation Killarney

4 Recce operators in a small zodiac (Langebaan shot??)

Teddy the lion swimming with the Recce operators at Fort Doppies

1 Reconnaissance Commando 1st Selection Course for 2 Reconnaissance Commando
(VK21 Selection Course) 1974.08.12 until 1974.08.30

2 Reconnaissance Commando 2nd Selection Course (REC 7510).

Entrance to 5 Special Forces Regiment

Colonel Breytenbach not only founded the South African Special Forces (the Reconnaissance Commandos, or “Recces”) and 44 Parachute Brigade, but 32 Battalion as well

Colonel Frans Fourie speaks to us about his 18 years in South African Special Forces. He passed Selection in 1978 and by 1995 was the commander of 1 Reconnaissance Regiment and before that, acting 2IC of 4 Recce. During his career, he went on many operations, mostly with the seaborne specialists, 4 Recce. Some were…Read More

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 thei…Read More

5/1 Recce base Fort Rev at AFB Ondangwa taken from a gunship. This is one of the late photos of the Fort, as it is bigger and had taken over some of Koevoet ground

Welcome to Fort Foot – Special Forces base within Rundu Town.

awesome interviews – thanks Koos!!!!

South African Recces (Special Forces), 1987, taken before a large battle in Angola.

Recce operator Andre Diedericks from 5 Recce Regiment with a record breaking 94 kg rucksack during training

SADF Recce team with Puma pilots before deployment into Angola, 1980’s

Early picture of SADF 1 Recce Regiment (Special Forces), Ca. 1970’s

4 Recce operators and Honoris Crux recipients J.J Potgieter & M. Christie Gavin

South African #Recce troops on the Quito river at a place called Mapupa, trying to recover an Angolan PT-76 during Operation Protea in 1981. They eventually destroyed it

#Recce with huge backpack in Angola

South African Recce attack diver

Early photo of South Africa’s 4 Recce, today 4 SF Regiment, responsible for training and providing attack divers to the defence force

4 Recce Special Forces Divers

SADF Recce special forces operators from 1RR, Angola 1980’s
L to R: S Sgt. Almerindo Mourao da Costa, Hannes Venter and Lieb Liebenberg. Photo by Alexander Strachan

SADF SF Recce: Neves Matias during Operation Barrage, 1983

SADF Recce: Neves Matias before an ops with 80+kg on his back, 1980’s

Obies

#Recce

South African small team Recces returning from a mission in Angola. Man to the left became SF RSM, and the man to the right pretty much invented small team concepts for the SADF. José Da Costa and Andre Diedericks (RIP). 80’s

#Recce

#Recce deploying from submarine

4 Special Forces Regiment performing a beach assault #Recce

Operators from 4 Recce #Recce