South African
Paul “Zac” Garratt
Kevin Johnson
Mike West
Jacobus Johannes “Koos” Stadler
Rick “RPG” Lobb
Gregory Nicholas “MadDog” McEwan
An Evening out with the Infantry
A photo of me as a (recently turned) 20-year old 2nd Lieutenant Infantryman in 1982, filling my water bottles with 'quality' water (by bush standards) at a waterhole at Umundaungilo village, Ovamboland approximately 2km from the Angolan border. These events are still...
AFB Ondangwa
Air Force Base Ondangwa was initially established at the Ondangwa Airfield on 2 February 1972, under the name "Playboy". The only military presence at that time in the area was at Oshakati, which fell under 1 Military Area in northern SWA. It soon became the most...
A Breed Apart
The inside story of a Recce's Special Forces training year The South African Special Forces, or Recces, has always been known for their gruelling selection course that pushes soldiers to the ends of their physical and mental limits. Many sign up for it; only a select...
War of Intervention in Angola: Volume 2
Angolan and Cuban Forces, 1976-1983 As of mid-1976, the civil war in Angola was seemingly decided: supported by a large contingent of Cuban forces, the MPLA established itself in power in Luanda. Its native competitors, the US-French-Zaire-supported FNLA, and UNITA,...
1 Recce
The Night Belongs to Us Every AK-47 is now firmly trained on the approaching man. Adrenaline pumps through the operators’ veins. They hold their breath, their hearts in their mouths. 1 Recce. One of the sharpest, most versatile and deadliest specialist units in the...
Recce
Small Team Missions Behind Enemy Lines 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...
Iron Fist From The Sea
South Africa's Seaborne Raiders 1978-1988 This seminal work documents the clandestine sea borne operations undertaken by South Africa’s 4 Reconnaissance Commando Regiment. It breathtakingly reveals the versatility and effectiveness of this elite unit which worked with...
Zulu Zulu Foxtrot
To Hell and Back with Koevoet ‘Both my guns are jammed. I’m dead meat, a sitting duck. All the insurgent has to do is pull the trigger of his RPG-7 rocket launcher. My heart surges, pumping pure adrenalin through my body and my mind.’ Arn Durand was a member of...
19 with a Bullet: A South African Paratrooper in Angola
19 with a Bullet - A South African paratrooper in Angola is a fast-moving, action-packed account of Granger Korff’s two years' service during 1980/81 with 1 Parachute Battalion at the height of the South African 'bush war' in South West Africa (Namibia) and Angola....