Simonstown docks 1971. A VIP coming aboard the SAS President Kruger. The ‘PK’ as she was affectionately known was tragically sunk whilst on a training exercise when her heavier supply vessel, the SAS Tafelberg, accidentally collided with her. 16 Brave South African servicemen on board the PK where lost. We celebrate a beautiful frigate in her heyday.
For more information on the PK do visit http://www.saspresidentkruger.com/
The Two Minutes of Silence was started by Sir James Percy FITZPATRICK. He was born in King William’s Town in 1862 and died in Uitenhage in 1931, eldest son of James Coleman FITZPATRICK, Judge of the Supreme Court of the Cape Colony, and his wife Jenny, both from Ireland. The couple had 4 children: Nugent, Alan, Oliver, and Cecily.
Our own Tannie Mossie (Joan ABRAHAMS of Bloemfontein) wrote a well-researched book in the 1990s about this – “Time from Africa – A two minute silent pause to remember – 11:00 on the 11th of the 11th month.”
It shows the tradition started off in Cape Town with the noon gun on Signal Hill. It was the idea of Sir Percy FITZPATRICK, author of Jock of the Bushveld. Joan’s book also shows the correct silence – one minute for one person, and two minutes for more than one person – one minute for the dead and one minute for the survivors.
In 1916, Sir Percy attended a church service in Cape Town and a moment of silence was held for dead soldiers. When he heard that 11 November 1918 was going to be observed as Armistice Day in London, he asked for a two minute silence throughout the British Empire as a tribute to dead soldiers.
Sir Percy’s son, Percy Nugent George, was a Major in the Union Defence Force. He was killed in France in 1917.
Major P.N.G. Fitzpatrick
South African Heavy Artillery, 71st Siege Battery
Died 14 Dec 1917, age 28
Born in Johannesburg.
Volunteered on 04 Aug 1914 and served in the Rand Rebellion and German South
West Africa with the Imperial Light Horse.
Buried at Red Cross Corner Cemetery, Beugny
Sir Harry HANDS, then mayor of Cape Town, and Councillor R.R. BRYDEN, already observed a moment of silence after the firing of the noon gun was started. Sir Percy’s suggestion was taken up and a two minute silence was held in Cape Town on 14 December 1918, a year after Nugent’s death. Cape Town became the first city in the world to observe the two minute silence.
WWI ended on 11 November 1918 with the guns stopped on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This is why 11 November was chosen in 1919 as the day to remember war dead.
At first, it was known as Armistice Day (armistice meaning an agreement between enemies to stop fighting). Now it is mostly known as Remembrance Day or Poppy Day.
The poppy story goes back to 1915 when a Canadian soldier, serving as a doctor, John McCRAE, was working in France. He wrote a poem that year about the poppies growing on the graves of dead soldiers:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
John McCRAE died of meningitis later in 1918.
An American poet, Moina MICHAEL, read the poem and bought poppies to give to friends. She also sold poppies and gave the money to needy ex-soldiers. Eventually the Americans had women in war-ravaged France sewing artificial poppies and the money raised went to war survivors.
In Britain, former soldiers faced another battle – getting on with life. Ex-servicemen’s societies united in 1921 to form the British Legion, to provide support to ex-servicemen, especially the disabled, and their families.
A French woman involved in the artificial poppy sewing project in France suggested that the British Legion sell the poppies to raise money. The British Legion signed on and 1.5 million poppies were ordered for 11 November 1921. The first Poppy Appeal made £106,000. The British Legion set up its own poppy sewing project, using disabled ex-servicemen. By the end of the 20th century, the British Legion was selling over 32 million poppies per annum.
Poppies were chosen not only because of the poem, but also because they were the only flowers that grew abundantly on the battlefields. They also only bloom for a short time, just like the young men and women killed in wars.
In South Africa, the South African Legion holds street collections to raise funds to assist in the welfare work among military veterans. When you buy a poppy for Remembrance Day, you pay tribute to those who died, and you are helping those who survived and bear the scars of war.
in remembrance of all those who have fallen in the many wars over the centuries, either in defence of their country or to make the world a better place for those who live on.
Another WW1 image of the drum head service after Delville Wood as a reminder of what South Africans have sacrificed ahead of Remembrance Day. This was the South African Brigade’s Memorial Service, Delville Wood, 17 February 1918 in honour of the near battalions worth of South Africans lost in the wood in late 1916. Note the wooden cross in the background, as well as the small grouping of nurses. Also note, that one and a half years after the battle the environment has not yet recovered the devastation at the site.
Imperial War Museum Collection Copyright.
This image of ‘rest and recuperation’ after Operation Modular in 1987 says it all. This is an image of Dave Mannall (centre in the foetal position) and his crew after Operations. These men had just days before been in intense combat in a Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and had witnessed and impacted severe destruction and death as part of 61 Mech. They had just witnessed the death and maiming of colleagues who where bombed in their Ratel from an overflying Mig – literally right next to them.
This image is powerful in that it is one of the rare images of the SADF that actually shows the high degree of emotional detachment caused by the stressors of combat. For many this is the onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which while young is easily carried over by servicemen, but it’s when life throws a few more curve balls that PTSD becomes more pronounced in veterans in their later years. There is fierce debate in veterans circles as to how to deal with this now and very high criticism levelled at the old SADF structures as to how this would be managed and planned in future years.
On Remembrance Day 11/11, we as veterans of war remember, we remember the fallen and we remember the injured and especially we remember the mental scarring of war.
Picture Copyright Dave Mannall
The story of Bing, the parachuting World War II dog who leapt from a plane on D-Day and led troops to victory, will be told for the first time in a children’s book by British inventor and professional daredevil Gil Boyd.
He led troops on to the D-Day battlefields and saved hundreds of lives at the pivotal Rhine Crossing in 1945.
Written from Bing’s point-of-view, the book recounts how he dropped to earth with invading soldiers before going ahead to warn of hidden perils.
Mr Boyd, 59, a former Parachute Regiment soldier, said: ‘Bing and sniper Jack Walton would courageously go in first and make sure the area was safe.
‘Bing had an incredible ability to sense danger – he led some 700 men but if something ahead was wrong he would stop and remain utterly still to alert them.’ The book follows Bing from the outbreak of war, when he was given to the Army as rationing meant his owner could no longer afford to keep him.
When his ability to sniff out trouble was recognised, he was trained to jump out of planes and went on to witness some of history’s most crucial moments.
During the D-Day landings, Bing would keep watch while his men slept. After the war, he returned to his owner in Essex – and his peacetime name of Brian – before dying of natural causes in 1955, aged 13. In 1947, he was awarded the PDSA Dicken Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
‘I felt this was a story that needed to be told,’ said Mr Boyd. Proceeds from sales of Amazing Adventures Of Bing The Parachuting Dog, will go to charities.
To order a copy, email airborne.enquiries@gmail.com
From: http://metro.co.uk/2012/04/01/story-of-parachuting-wwii-dog-bing-to-be-told-in-new-childrens-book-373577/
Great photograph by Peter Marlow of a South African patrol travelling in an ‘Buffel’ anti-mine armoured troop carrier near the Angolan South West Africa/Namibia border.
From the looks of the men and weaponry this looks like a ‘Citizen Force’ unit in the late 70′s/early 80′s. The Citizen Force where made up of national servicemen who had completed two years compulsory national service and where obliged to attend ‘camps’ which ranged from one month to three months on average for an additional 10 years post the initial national service period.
Most of these men just weeks before where probably at home with their families and in their normal jobs on ‘civvie street’, suddenly transported into a war zone as part of a ‘camp’ commitment (hence their nickname in the army of ‘campers’).
Photo copyright Peter Marlow
Please wear a Poppy,” the lady said,”
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on carefree feet,
His smile was full of joy and fun:
“Lady,” said he, “May I have one?
”When she pinned it on he turned to say
“Why do we wear a poppy today?
”The lady smiled in her wistful way,
And answered,
“This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is a symbol for. The gallant ones who died in war,
And because they did, you and I are free,
That’s why we wear the poppy, you see.
I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew,
And became a man – as you will, too.
But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the dreadful plight,(I can see it still in my dreams at night)
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
and the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
Till at last, at last, the war was won
–And that’s why we wear a poppy, son.
”The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, “Thanks lady, I’m glad to know,
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son – did he come back all right?
”A tear rolled down each faded cheek:
She shook her head but didn’t speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you’d have done the same:
For our thanks, in giving, is oft delayed
Though our freedom was bought And thousands paid.
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all,
When asked to answer their country’s call.
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy, Remember And give.
Lonely I was when I stood staring at the sky
Had a gun in my hand, was too afraid to cry
Fought bitter battles and never lived to tell
How at the altar of freedom, my body fell
My soul searches for reasons as to why I died
Did I save my people, had I tried?
Do they remember me, my deeds, my name
Are they proud of me or did I bring them shame
My battered body stood testimony to my fate
My heart had stopped in a battle brought about by hate
I had screamed in pain, and shivered with fright
But before I died, I did put up a fight
Remember me, my beloved country
It was I, my men, who brought you victory
I fought to the last bullet in my gun
I was a soldier, I was your son
By DAMIEN LEWIS
As enemy fire tore into its engines, the stricken warplane began a crazy descent into No Man’s Land in northern France. Gunner Robert Bozdech braced himself for a crash landing. Or worse.
With a hideous tearing of steel, the doomed craft ploughed into a patch of dark woodland. By the time it came to a juddering halt, embedded in thick snow and foliage, he had lost consciousness.
He came round with no idea of where he was or how much time he had lost. Just a few yards away the fighter-bomber’s French pilot lay seriously wounded.
Rising to a kneeling position, and miraculously unhurt, he spotted what looked like an old farmhouse 100 yards or so to the north. At a crouch he moved towards it.
Although there were no footprints in the snow, he could hear faint sounds of movement inside. Cocking his pistol, he gingerly pushed open the front door.
‘Get your hands up!’ he shouted in halting French. ‘Show yourself! Now!’
The only response was the faintest hint of a yawn. Whoever was inside was defying him in the most insolent way possible.
Surely they’d understood? He didn’t know enough German to call out in the language of the enemy.
‘Wake up, you b*****d!’ he snarled. ‘Show yourself!’
Down the barrel of his gun he spotted a movement. A small ball of grey-brown fluff was stumbling to its feet unsteadily and was peering up at him, growling out a throaty little challenge.
At the sight of it, the airman’s aggression evaporated. He’d been threatening a tiny puppy – and a courageous one at that.
‘Who left you here, alone and hungry?’ he said, picking up the little creature. He unzipped his leather flying jacket and slipped the puppy inside. ‘You’re coming with me, boy,’ he said. ‘We’re in this together.’
He couldn’t have known it, but that moment marked the start of a lifelong friendship – one that would see man and dog posted to England, then take to the skies over battle-torn Europe in one of World War II’s most inspirational stories of courage.
Just 24 hours after he’d been presumed killed in action, Robert Bozdech walked into his airbase at St Dizier, 200 miles away in France’s Champagne country, carrying his new-found friend. Rescued by a passing patrol, along with his pilot who survived, he had been flown back to rejoin the close-knit community of Czech servicemen fighting with the French Air Force who, like him, had fled their homeland when Germany invaded.
The Czech airmen took the puppy immediately to their hearts, and named him Antis, after the Russian ANT dive-bombers they loved to fly back home. By now he and Robert were inseparable. ‘Even though he’s a German Shepherd, he was found in a French house,’ said one. ‘We’d better show him some solidarity.’
The rest of 1940 offered little chance of action for the airmen. But on May 10, at first light on a cloudless morning, battle finally commenced.
To ease the tension of waiting, Robert organised an impromptu game of football. Antis joined in with relentless determination and unbeatable speed. But all of a sudden he wasn’t in a playful mood any more.
Robert glanced up to see his young dog standing stiff-legged and staring at the horizon, hackles up and growling, just as he’d done as a tiny puppy in that French farmhouse. Seconds later the air-raid siren sounded and the first of the Luftwaffe’s Dornier Do-17s powered into view.
In the years to come, Antis’s extraordinary ability to sense enemy warplanes long before they were detectable by the human eye and ear, sometimes even by radar, would go on to save countless lives.
But Robert worried that if anything happened to him, who would look after his dog? He decided Antis would fly, too. When he was scrambled for his next sortie, he whistled for his dog to follow. As Robert climbed into his Potez-63, Antis leaped on its wing and climbed in beside him.
He barely stirred when the twin engines roared into life. A quick nuzzle of the hand that reached down to pat his head and he seemed happy.
Even more extraordinary was the dog’s reaction to combat. As the Potez dived, soared and swooped to avoid the anti-aircraft fire that bloomed all around them, Antis simply dozed through it all.
As the mighty Wehrmacht war machine rolled onwards over the next few weeks, the dangers for the Czech servicemen intensified.
Hurricane fighters from the RAF joined the French Air Force in their desperate efforts to prevent the British Expeditionary Force from being cut off.
But amid the maelstrom Robert Bozdech and his countrymen seemed to be leading charmed lives. None had been shot down, or even harmed.
The superstitious among them began to wonder if the presence of their cool and fearless canine mascot in the air was linked with their good fortune.
When the French leader Marshal Petain announced in June 1940 that his country would sue for peace with Germany, the Czech airmen of French First Bomber-Reconnaissance Squadron decided to head for the one country still holding out against the German aggression: Great Britain.
With the Battle of Britain now at its height, one of the first postings for man and dog was to RAF Speke, in Liverpool, to help strengthen the city’s defences against the fearsome nightly bombardment from the Luftwaffe.
Hundreds of miles from home, trying to make a life in yet another strange country, he was gladder than ever of the company of his beloved Antis. On one of their nightly walks through the ravaged streets, Robert noticed his dog suddenly stand stock still, head thrust upwards and eyes raised to the sky. It was the familiar stance that meant ‘danger’.
‘Don’t worry, boy,’ said the airman, kneeling down to pat him. ‘We’re safe here. It’s the docks they’re after.’
Even as he spoke he heard the high-pitched scream of the first sticks of bombs plummeting out of the darkness. With no cover in sight he threw himself flat on the ground, pinning the dog beneath his body to shield him from the blast.
The raid was over in seconds. Stumbling to his feet, he saw that where three houses had stood before him, only shattered stumps of walls remained. Cries for help mingled with the crashing of falling masonry.
With Antis leading the way, he ran to the rescue. The dog was already scrabbling in the dust, pausing atop the mounds of rubble, his hyper-sensitive ears homing in on the pitiful pleas for help.
One rescue followed another. Even when Antis became engulfed by falling masonry and had to be rescued himself, he refused to give up, sniffing out a child no more than a year old.
It was well into the small hours when the exhausted airman and his dog arrived back at camp. For the last few hundred yards Robert had to carry Antis, so painful had his paws become. Not until he’d tended his dog did he accept any treatment for his own injuries.
But that dark night had proved that this very special animal was no mere pet, companion or mascot. He was a life-saver.
It was a few months later that Antis watched his master disappear up the steps into the Wellington bomber. From the edge of the dispersal area at RAF East Wretham in Norfolk, their new base, he longed to join him.
The rules in Britain, though, would not allow it. With a mournful gaze he tracked the heavily laden aircraft, codenamed C for Cecilia, as it taxied towards the end of the runway.
One by one the bombers took off, but he seemed to know which one contained his master. He couldn’t tear his eyes away until the last speck of the plane had disappeared into the southern skies.
Finally, with a drooping tail, he sank on to his haunches, making it clear to the ground crew that this was where he was going to stay. No amount of entreating would make him change his mind. When food was brought he refused to eat it.
As dawn broke, the dog’s stance changed. It was as if he could sense that the planes were returning.
To the waiting crew it was clear he’d caught the sound of the Wellingtons’ engines in the distance. He was sifting the sounds, searching for the one he so wanted to hear.
Suddenly he was on his feet and barking loudly, beginning a wild war dance for joy, tearing round and round the group of waiting men as if he’d gone half-mad.
As C for Cecilia touched down, he could hardly contain his excitement. He waited until the hatches opened, as he’d been trained to do, then bolted forward, and was at the bottom of the ladder as his master stepped down.
It was a pattern that would repeat itself scores of times that summer as hostilities progressed.
In June 1941 Robert’s 311 Squadron was tasked to bomb the railway yard in Hamm, in the west of Germany.
The trusty Wellingtons, C for Cecilia included, were prepared for the coming sortie. As ever, Antis dozed near the runway once they had taken off.
It was 1am when he awoke from a long sleep as if from a sudden shock. He began to shiver. ‘Then, quite suddenly, he threw his head back at the heavens and began to howl. It was a sound that none of the men had heard him make before: hollow, full of loss, spine-chilling’
‘Cecilia’s in trouble,’ shouted one. ‘Antis can sense it. God knows how, but he can.’
Two hundred miles to the south east where an aerial battle raged over Occupied Europe, a shard of metal was punching through the Wellington’s Perspex gun turret, shattering it and burying itself in Robert’s forehead. The time was 1am precisely.
As blood poured into his eyes, the crippled Cecilia began to lose height. The coast of England was looming before her, a dark line on the blacked out horizon. The plane hurtled towards the cliffs.
Back at East Wretham the groundcrew waited for news. But nobody could get Antis to abandon his lonely vigil, even as rain lashed the airbase.
Late in the afternoon welcome intelligence arrived that the plane had been coaxed over the cliffs before its engine gave out, and had landed safely, in Norfolk. Robert had been taken to hospital and was likely to be there for several days.
But nobody could think how to pass on the news to his dog. If he continued to refuse food and shelter, he’d die.
It was the squadron’s padre who came up with the idea of asking the hospital to let Robert out for a few hours to rescue his faithful companion. For the second night running, the staff at East Wretham covered the ravenous Antis with blankets, and prayed that he’d make it.
At dawn the next morning a car raced up the perimeter track. In the back was a bandaged, bruised Robert.
He sank to the ground beside his dog. A tongue flicked out and licked his master’s face tentatively.
Through the smell of lint and iodine, Antis could detect the familiar taste and scent. His tail thumped weakly as he tried unsuccessfully to stand.
But he couldn’t do it. Instead the wounded airman picked up his dog and cradling him in his arms, carried him to the waiting car.
It was late June when C for Cecilia was ready to take to the skies again. And for the first time Antis was nowhere to be seen as the crew completed their pre-flight checks and took to the air.
On board the plane, Robert tried to ignore his nagging anxiety. Maybe this was to be expected after the dog’s long and traumatic vigil during the previous mission.
The airman forced himself to focus on the dark skies ahead. They would soon be over the German coast, and danger beckoned.
Feeling a touch on his elbow he turned, expecting it to be the navigator with an important instruction.
It wasn’t. It was a German Shepherd, lying prone on the floor. Robert shook his head. It must be the altitude playing tricks. And yet there he was.
Antis must somehow have crept aboard the aircraft and stowed away, careful to stay hidden until there was nothing anybody could do about it.
Recovering from the shock, Robert saw that the dog’s flanks were heaving. They were climbing to 16,000ft, and Antis was having increasing trouble breathing in the thin atmosphere.
Taking a massive gasp, the airman unstrapped the oxygen mask from his face and pressed it firmly over his dog’s muzzle. They shared the oxygen for the rest of the flight.
The plane dropped its payload on to the city of Bremen’s oil refinery and turned for home, surviving night fighters, ground fire and the threat of barrage balloons to make it safely back to East Wretham, where Robert prepared to face the music.
Everybody knew it was strictly against Britain’s Air Ministry regulations to take an animal into the air, especially when flying a combat sortie over enemy territory.
‘No prizes for guessing where Antis has spent the night, then,’ said the Wing Commander.
‘Sir, please let me explain…’ began Robert.
His superior threw up a hand. ‘There’s a very good English expression,’ he said. ‘What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve after.’
Antis continued to serve as 311 Squadron’s mascot for the rest of the war. In 1949 he was formally recognised as a war hero when he was awarded the Dickin medal – commonly known as the Animal Victoria Cross.
In 1951, Robert Bozdech was granted British nationality. Just two years later, alas, man and dog were parted for ever. After all they had been through Antis the hero, talisman and warrior, died at the age of 14. His gravestone bears the simple words in Czech: ‘Loyal unto death.’
Robert married a British girl soon afterwards and they settled in the West Country to bring up their family.
He continued to serve with the RAF, including a combat deployment to Suez. But he never got another dog, and refused to allow his children one either. After Antis, the war dog, he swore he would never own one again.
From: Mail Online
Adapted from War Dog: The No-Man’s Land Puppy Who Took To The Skies by Damien Lewis, published by Sphere at £12.99. © Damien Lewis 2013.
“Please wear a Poppy,” the lady said,
And held one forth, but I shook my head,
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on carefree feet,
His smile was full of joy and fun:
“Lady,” said he, “May I have one?”
When she pinned it on he turned to say,
“Why do we wear a poppy today?”
The lady smiled in her wistful way,
And answered, “This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is a symbol for
The gallant ones who died in war,
And because they did, you and I are free,
That’s why we wear the poppy, you see.
I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew,
And became a man – as you will, too.
But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the dreadful plight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night)
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
and the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
Till at last, at last, the war was won –
And that’s why we wear a poppy, son.”
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, “Thanks lady, I’m glad to know,
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son – did he come back all right?”
A tear rolled down each faded cheek:
She shook her head but didn’t speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you’d have done the same:
For our thanks, in giving, is oft delayed
Though our freedom was bought
And thousands paid.
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all,
When asked to answer their country’s call.
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy,
Remember
And give.
“Why Wear A Poppy?” by Don Crawford
On this day 26 years ago, 12 soldiers from 101 Bn, 1 Para, 2 Recce & 5 Recce were killed in action at Indungo in Angola whilst taking part in the often forgotten Operation Firewood.
South African and South West Africa Territorial Forces:
The attack occurred on 31 October 1987. The PLAN base was attacked from the west by recce’s and the parabats while 101 Battalion covered the base from north, east and south, the direction PLAN forces were expected to flee. The fighting was said to be intense with PLAN putting up a fight against the SADF. The base was not taken and the SADF forces withdrew when PLAN reinforcements were said to be on their way.
The South African forces are said to have incurred 12 killed and 47 wounded, while other sources say it was as high as 19 killed and 64 wounded. On the SWAPO side, the casualties were said to be high too.
South African Special Forces sniper’s shot may have entered record books.
The 3D rendered design for the SAMVOUSA ring has been completed by Military Jewelry in South Africa.
Giving up has never been an option for world class athlete and Cedartown resident Krige Schabort. Schabort is a 48 year old wounded war veteran and world class athlete whose motto is a simple yet very powerful message, “never give up.
Schabort was only 24 years old and serving as a corporal in the South African army when a bomb blast altered his life. I sat down and spoke with Krige about that fateful day.
The date was November 02, 1987, Schabort and his fellow soldiers had taken over an enemy base and had set up camp in an old broken down convent. The troops were in a relaxed mode while sitting around outside the camp awaiting further orders. Though relaxed, they were always aware of their surroundings.
That afternoon, fighter jets began to fly over the area. His first thought was that the jets were friendly forces en route to attack a base further out. The jets flew over and then back towards South Africa. Five minutes later, Schabort heard the loud roar of four Russian fighter jets as a bomb landed just two yards from his body.
Schabort never saw the jets and before he could run for cover, his body was thrown into the air. His buddy, who was next to him saw the bomb coming down and screamed at Schabort to run, however, Schabort could not hear him for the loud roar of the fighter jets.
As Schabort lay on the ground between the buildings, he saw his mangled legs and realized that he was in real trouble. He could feel a wide aching gap in his stomach. As the sound of the explosion reverberated in his ears, a fellow soldier appeared and informed Schabort that he would get help for him.
Schabort noticed that his foot was lying atop his chest. He pushed the foot aside and began to pray as he had never prayed before.
The field doctor was out on patrol and not on base that day. A medic arrived and treated Schabort for shock. Due to the severity of the injuries, the medic was unable to treat the wounds. Fellow soldiers gathered around Schabort with a bible. They read Psalms 23 and prayed.
Schabort drifted in and out of consciousness as he awaited rescue. The responding units were aware of an enemy presence in the area armed with surface to air rocket propelled grenades that could take out a helicopter. Schabort was wrapped in a sheet and taken from the area by truck to a safe location in which to meet the helicopter. It was almost dark when help arrived and Schabort cannot remember anything other than the bright lights of the chopper.
At a nearby field hospital, the Dr. started surgery to stabilize him, once sedated; Schabort went into cardiac arrest. He was revived by an adrenaline injection to the heart. Two days later, he was transported to a military hospital in South Africa. His parents arrived the same evening. That night, Schabort went into a coma.
Doctors discovered that the shock wave from the bomb blast had exploded his stomach. A portion of his stomach along with one yard of his small intestine was removed. Both of his legs and one finger were amputated.
Schabort spent the next year in a military hospital. He recalls the repetitive nightmare of being hit by a truck, his body being trapped in the rolling wheels unable to escape and unable to die as the truck continued rolling.
By the end of the second year of recovery, Schabort was introduced to the sport of wheelchair racing. Growing up in South Africa, Schabort was very athletic. He enjoyed surfing, rugby and squash. Determined not to let his disabilities keep him down, Schabort began training his body to compete.
When I asked what inspired him, Schabort replied that he was inspired by being alive after his near death experience.
In that era, sports for people with disabilities was relatively new and provided him with a new avenue to explore. Through his sheer determination, dedication and with motivation of friends and family, he began to train.
As a disabled athlete, Schabort broke South African swim records and competed in wheelchair basketball. Schabort became interested in the sports of wheelchair racing and competed in his first wheelchair race in 1988. Schabort had found his passion. Once he became interested and driven to compete, there was no holding him back.
In 1991, he traveled to Europe, something he never thought he would be doing before his accident. He eventually picked up sponsors and the road to becoming a world class athlete opened up. He finished among the top 10 contenders at an event in Berlin. That win secured him a spot in the biggest wheelchair marathon race held in Japan where he finished third against 400 athletes.
In 1992, Schabort won a bronze medal after finishing third at the Summer Paralympic Games held in Barcelona, Spain. His career had taken off and Schabort knew that he was going to race professionally.
Since then, Schabort has established himself as a world class athlete, winning marathons worldwide. Some highlights of his career include winning seven Honolulu Marathon men’s wheelchair championships in a row, setting a course record in 2000. In 2003, he set the New York City course record: 1 hour, 32 minutes, 19 seconds. In 2004, he was inducted into the Honolulu Hall of fame. Schabort was nominated for ESPY (ESPN’s Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards) award in 2007 for best male athlete with a disability.
In 1997, Schabort and his wife moved to Cedartown, Georgia. They now have three children. Schabort has been instrumental in introducing the sport of wheelchair racing and hand-cycling to the community. He helped to organize the Pre-Peachtree Training Camp now known as the Wheelchair Athlete Training Camp which brings athletes to Cedartown from all over the world each year as they prepare for the world’s largest 10K race, The Peachtree Road Race which is held each Fourth of July in Atlanta.
Schabort serves on the Cedartown 5k Race Committee and is one of the founders of the Rome Clocktower Classic Handcycle Races. He is a motivational speaker, often speaking at schools and other venues.
In October of this year, Schabort was injured in a hit and run accident while traveling with a group of cyclists in Polk County, including his two sons. Schabort’s cycle was destroyed and he was thrown into a ditch. He suffered facial lacerations and a stiff neck. Schabort had just returned from the Kona Ironman Competition at Kailua Bay, Hawaii, winning the championship for his division and setting a world record.
The driver of the vehicle who fled the scene and an accomplice were later arrested and charged accordingly. Schabort says that he has forgiven the men. He stated, “I hope that the incident will change their lives for the better, to take something negative and turn it into a positive”
Three weeks after the hit and run, with his face still not completely healed, Schabort competed in the ING New York marathon. One month after the New York Marathon, Krige completed the racing year by winning the Honolulu Marathon.
Krige Schabort is truly an inspiration to others. When asked how he would like others to remember him, Schabort replied, “as the man who made the best use of his second chance.” Schabort says he is thankful for life.
from: examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/article/krige-schabort-from-wounded-war-veteran-to-world-class-athlete
Even if two people experience the same trauma, their symptoms may not be the same. Some people may delay having any reactions to the trauma for months or even years after it happens, while others may have reactions right away. There is no way to predict
or measure the different effects or trauma and its reaction on different people but there are a few variables that seem to have the most impact. These variables include:
-The extent to which the event was unexpected, uncontrollable, and inescapable. Perceived extent of threat or danger, suffering, upset, terror, and fear.
-Source of the trauma (human-caused is generally more difficult than event of nature).
-Actual or perceived responsibility.
-Prior vulnerability factors (such as genetics, early onset and extent of childhood trauma).
-Negative social environment (shame, guilt, and stigmatization).
-Lack of appropriate social or emotional support.
-Concurrent stressful life events.
-Sexual victimization, especially when a sense of betrayal is involved.
To be clinically diagnosed with ‘Post Traumatic Stress’, one would have to suffer from these symptoms for at least one month’s time and it would have to affect their everyday life. If the person experiences the symptoms for more than 3 months, a chronic PTSD diagnosis is made. Unlike the early days of “shell shock”, doctors and psychologists have a better understanding of this disorder and there are treatment options. Psychotherapy is an option for some people dealing with PTSD. There are a few types of psychology that can be applied such as cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. (http://www.medicinenet.com/posttraumatic_stress_disorder/page5.htm )
Cognitive-behavioral therapy which explores the personal history and history of the trauma with the patient and then employs strategies to help against certain PTSD triggers seems to work very well with many patients. This in combination with anti- anxiety/depression medication can help people with PTSD live a higher quality of life. (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm
Many times, just learning that you are NOT alone, and you are not the only one dealing with these issues can open the door to healing.
Coupled with a PTSD service dog, amazing advances can be made in living with Post Traumatic Stress.
Betrayed – 48-min documentary film produced in 2007 and broadcast on SABC video added to SAMVOUSA Video Gallery.
Three ex-SADF soldiers from 32 Battalion revisit the Namibian/Angolan border where South Africa waged a war from 1966 to 1989. This is where these men were operational and where they fought in a war, the inner workings of which they knew very little about. Together with actual border war footage and personal interviews, BETRAYED tells the story of the brutality of a war that has been little spoken about. By attempting to confront a past that still haunts them, these men give us insight into the horrors of armed conflict and battle and the lasting scars that it leaves.
The documentary explores the impact that the war and the previous political system had on the soldiers who risked their lives to fight against the ‘rooi’ and ‘swart gevaar’.
BETRAYED is at times shocking, painful and ultimately uplifting as South Africans grapple to transcend their personal tragedies and take part in building a new nation.
BETRAYED, 48-min documentary film was produced in 2007 and broadcast on SABC, thereafter it was screened at local film festivals and nominated for a SA Film and Television Award 2009.
Afrikaans with English subtitles.
On this day, in 1982, during Operation Meebos, 3 members of the South African Air Force and twelve members of 1 Parachute Battalion were killed in action when Aerospatiale SA3330 Puma C #132 was shot down south-east of Cuvelai in Angola:
76354612PE Lt Pietersen C.W. 31 Squadron SAAF
73275349PK Capt Twaddle J.G. 31 Squadron SAAF
67428813PE F/Sgt Grobler C.N. 31 Squadron SAAF
78345949BG Cpl Lombaard E.P. 1 Parachute Battalion
78366077BG L/Cpl Hoare S.R. 1 Parachute Battalion
77419422BG Rfn Barrett R.H. 1 Parachute Battalion
79232518BG Rfn De Klerk A. 1 Parachute Battalion
76275536BG Rfn Kruger A. 1 Parachute Battalion
78457256BG Rfn Krull G.W. 1 Parachute Battalion
76336700BG Rfn Le Roux M. 1 Parachute Battalion
77255370BG Rfn Mallon S.P. 1 Parachute Battalion
78456035BG Rfn Marshall J.T. 1 Parachute Battalion
78473790BG Rfn Moody C.A. 1 Parachute Battalion
78412871BG Rfn Van Niekerk A.H. 1 Parachute Battalion
78567005BG Rfn Wolmarans A. 1 Parachute Battalion
On the same day a member of the South African Engineering Corps was killed in action as well when he detonated a landmine:
80217755BG L/Cpl Nel D.J. 1 Construction Regiment
It’s Independence Day, and the South African Military Veterans Organisation – SAMVOUSA sends a star-spangled salute to America in honor of the nation’s 237th birthday!
The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme, German: Schlacht an der Somme), also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on either side of the river Somme in France. The battle saw the British Expeditionary Force and the French Army mount a joint offensive against the German Army, which had occupied a fairly large part of the north of France since its invasion of the country in August 1914. The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the war; by the time fighting paused in late autumn 1916, the forces involved had suffered more than 1 million casualties, making it one of the bloodiest military operations ever recorded.
The plan for the Somme offensive evolved out of Allied strategic discussions at Chantilly, Oise in December 1915. Chaired by General Joseph Joffre, the commander-in-chief of the French Army at the time, Allied representatives agreed on a concerted offensive against the Central Powers in 1916 by the French, British, Italian and Russian armies. The Somme offensive was to be the Anglo-French contribution to this general offensive and was intended to create a rupture in the German line which could then be exploited with a decisive blow. With the German attack on Verdun on the River Meuse in February 1916, the Allies were forced to adapt their plans. The British Army took the lead on the Somme, though the French contribution remained significant.
The opening day of the battle saw the British Army suffer the worst day in its history, sustaining nearly 60,000 casualties. Because of the composition of the British Army, at this point a volunteer force with many battalions comprising men from particular localities, these losses (and those of the campaign as a whole) had a profound social impact. The battle is also remembered for the first use of the tank. At the end of the battle in mid-November, British and French forces had penetrated 6 miles (9.7 km) into German occupied territory, with the British Army still three miles (5 km) from Bapaume, a major objective. The German Army maintained much its front line over the winter of 1916–1917, before withdrawing from the Somme battlefield in February 1917 to the fortified Hindenburg Line.
The conduct of the battle has been a source of controversy: senior officers such as General Sir Douglas Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force and Henry Rawlinson, the commander of Fourth Army, have been criticised for the human cost while failing to achieve their territorial objectives. Historians such as W. Philpott, G. Sheffield and J. Sheldon have concluded that the Somme saw the beginning of modern all-arms warfare, when the BEF learned many tactical and operational lessons and that the battle inflicted serious damage on the German army, which was a preliminary to its eventual defeat in 1918.
Date: 1 July – 18 November 1916 (4 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
Location: Somme River, north-central Somme and southeastern Pas-de-Calais Départements, France
Result: Indecisive;
German Army withdraws 40 miles (64 km) to the Hindenburg Line in February – March 1917
Tactical and strategic effects favourable to Allies
Belligerents:
Allies: United Kingdom, France, Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India
German Empire: German Empire
Commanders and leaders:
Allies: Douglas Haig Ferdinand Foch
German Empire: Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, Max von Gallwitz, Fritz von Below
Strength
Allies: 13 British and 11 French divisions totaling 280,000 men (initial); 51 British and 48 French divisions totalling 1,200,000 men (final)
German Empire: 10½ divisions totaling 260,000 men (initial); 50 divisions totaling 1,375,000 men (final)
Casualties and losses
Allies: 623,907 casualties, 782 aircraft lost
German Empire: 465,000 men, other credible estimates of c. 400,000 – c. 500,000
above rom Wikipedia
Beneath the Somme battlefield lies one of the great secrets of the First World War, a recently-discovered network of deep tunnels thought to extend over several kilometres. This lost underground battlefield, centred on the small French village of La Boisselle in Picardy, was constructed largely by British troops between 1914 and 1916. Over 120 men died here in ongoing attempts to undermine the nearby German lines and these galleries still serve as a tomb for many of those men. This documentary follows historian Peter Barton and a team of archaeologists as they become the first people in nearly a hundred years to enter this hidden, and still dangerous, labyrinth.
Military mines were the original weapons of shock and awe – with nowhere to hide from a mine explosion, these huge explosive charges could destroy a heavily-fortified trench in an instant. In order to get under the German lines to plant their mines, British tunnellers had to play a terrifying game of subterranean cat and mouse – constantly listening out for enemy digging and trying to intercept the German tunnels without being detected. To lose this game probably meant death.
As well uncovering the grim reality of this strange underground war, Peter discovers the story of the men who served here, including the tunnelling companies’ special military units made up of ordinary civillian sewer workers and miners. He reveals their top secret mission that launched the Battle of the Somme’s first day and discovers why British high command failed to capitalise on a crucial tactical advantage they had been given by the tunnellers.
Today we remember what happened on the 16th of June 1976. We remember a protest against unfair education policies. We celebrate all the young people who have helped form this country.
In apartheid South Africa, blacks and whites were educated separately. Afrikaans, the language of the ruling National Party, was introduced as the language of instruction in black schools. The Soweto Students’ Representative Council organised a march in protest against this policy and poor schooling conditions.
In 1976, learners from around the country demonstrated against unfair education conditions in the schools. In Soweto, police opened fire on 20 000 students, killing 12-year-old Hector Pieterson and 61 others. Eight months of violent uprisings across the country ensued.
This protest against unfair education policies came to represent a protest against discrimination and inequalities. it lead to the new constitution prioritising children’s rights.
The day is used to mark the valuable contribution of all young people in the establishment of democracy and the role of education in the future of the country.
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like combat, assault, or disaster. Most people have some stress reactions after a trauma. If the reactions don’t go away over time or disrupt your life, you may have PTSD.
from the National Center for PTSD
“Don’t let PTSD control you. Take the Step: Challenge your beliefs. Getting help is taking control, not a sign of weakness. Learn how to support someone who makes that choice.
What is the National Center for PTSD?
We are the center of excellence for research and education on the prevention, understanding, and treatment of PTSD. Although we are a VA Center, our seven divisions across the country provide expertise on all types of trauma – from natural disasters, terrorism, violence and abuse to combat exposure.
Although we provide no direct clinical care, our purpose is to improve the well-being and understanding of individuals who have experienced traumatic events, with a focus on American Veterans. We conduct cutting edge research and apply resultant findings to:
“Advance the Science and Promote Understanding of Traumatic Stress.”"
In memory of our fallen this and every June 10th; may God bless each of them. we will never forget our lost children of freedom.
Operational Years: 1980
61 Mech had to destroy the SWAPO command, control and logistic structures at QFL and Ionde complexes on 10 and 11 June 1980 respectively and thereafter conduct area operations east of the general line AFL, Dova and Muleme as well as north of the general line Dunafuao, Mulavi and Ionde for approximately 10 days.
Commander: Commandant Johann Dippenaar
2IC: Major JNR Botha
Adjudant: Captain Thys Rall
Combat Team 1: Alpha Company 1SAI – Major Paul Fouche
Combat Team 2: Bravo Company 1SAI – Captain Louis Harmse
Combat Team 3: Charlie Squadron 1SSB – Captain Jakes Jacobs
Combat Team 4: Charlie Company – 1 Parachute Battalion – Captain McGill Alexander
Combat Team 5: Delta Company – 1 Parachute Battalion – Captain Piet Nel
Combat Team 6: Major JAB Swart
Medium Artillery Battery: Major TJ Vermaak
Echelon Commander: WO1 M Barnard
Light Workshop Troop: Technical Services Corps – Major W Diffenthal
During April 1980, under great secrecy, I received a broad instruction to commence with the planning for an attack on the SWAPO command post at Chifufua, also known as QFL. The information at my disposal was very vague, but we knew that this command post was 180km directly north of beacon 25 at the border between Angola and South Africa.
The target allocated to 61 Mech was named Smokeshell while the operation was named Sceptic.
After approval for this operation was received from Sector 10, the Intelligence Officer, Lieutenant Ockert Swanepoel and the Quartermaster, Lieutenant Neels Halgryn were briefed and tasked to, under extreme secrecy, prepare the detail information regarding the target and ensure that the equipment for this operation was adequate and ready.
The fighting soldiers had to be prepared for this battle with training to do specific drills and tactical moves.
The initial information that was available about the target was vague, and at first it was considered that the Air Force had to bombard the entire target which was spread over an area of 3 × 12 km with 61 Mech doing the mob up task.
During May 1980 one of the mechanized infantry companies, an armoured car squadron and support weapons were trained while on 15 May an artillery troop arrived at the base. On 22 May the second mechanized military company, engineers, medical teams, anti-tank and other elements also arrived
The battle group engaged in Exercise Gallop, which was designed to train for the pre-emptive attacks, and in particular the Smokeshell objective. Since this was the first major physical combat actions for most of the soldiers the training concentrated on drills such as:
Movement in line and rapid deployment in combat formation.
Fire support (from the air) and fire and movement by all arms of the service (Artillery, Mortars, Armour, Infantry).
Fire fighting in close combat, including trench fighting.
Rapid change of direction by combat teams.
Command and control by all levels of command. Radio orders were repeated over and over and execution thereof tested.
The commanders had to present their plans and then reherse the drills by commands on models. The commanders became annoyed because of the many times this was repeated, but in the end it proved to be one of the success factors in combat.
The fiber, endurance and guts displayed by these soldiers can make a nation proud of its citizens and its Defence Force.
By the end of May more key personnel arrived at 61 Mech and command vehicles started to arrive. Major JNR Botha, a Mot infantry officer from 4 SAI without any previous mechanised infantry experience was appointed as the second in command of the battle group. Major Botha detailed his experiences and exposure to the Mech environment in full detail with the stories he sibmitted, and it makes very interesting and amusing reading.
On 6 June the Air Force command vehicle, other command vehicles and the TOTE for the vehicles arrived.
There remained uncertainty about the nature of the target in the sense that one expectation was that it had dug-in slit trenches and another expectation was that the target consisted of open hides above the ground-level.
By the time that 61 Mech had to depart, the unit was prepared to deal with a few open trenches while most of the hides were expected to be above ground level.
During the training phase for this operation the Inspector General, Major General CF Holtzhuasen, Colonel PP Roberts and the Warrant Officer of the Army, WO1 GA Erasmus joined the battle group and they took part in the operation as well.
Once the movement plan and tactical plan were finalised, each sub unit commander had to present the details of his own plan on a sand model which was then rehearsed on a daily basis by all the commanders.
By 5 June I was satisfied that each commander and the junior leaders knew the exact detail of their roles in the operation, which was the result of regular rehearsals of the tactical details of the operation. This contributed to the confidence of the commander who in turn could act fearlessly, and all of this contributed to the success of the operation.
The Battle Group was grouped in six Combat Teams with commanders as follows:
Combat Team 1: Commander Major Paul Fouche, Alpha company with three Mech platoons and an Anti Tank Platoon.
Combat Team 2: Commander Captain Louis Harmse, Bravo Company with three Mechanised Infantry platoons, and an Anti Tank Platoon and a 81mm Mortar Platoon.
Combat Team 3: Commander Captain Jakes (DJF) Jacobs, three armoured car troops, four support troop sections and one engineer section.
Combat Team 4: Commander Captain Mack Alexander, A company from 1 Parachute company consisting of three stopper groups of 28 men each.
Combat Team 5: Commander Captain Piet Nel, A company from 1 Parachute company consisting of three stopper groups of 28 men each.
Combat Team: Commander Major JAB Swart, reserve element with one engineer troop and one assault pioneer troop.
Medium Artillery Battery: Commander Major Tobie Vermaak, 8x 140mm guns, 8×81mm Mortars and one Infantry Platoon for protection.
Battle Group A Echelon: Commander WO1 MC Barnard. There were support vehicles for all the Combat Teams as well as the Light Workshop with Commander Major W Diffenthal, a total of 43 vehicles.
Battle Group Commander: Commandant Dippies (JM) Dippenaar
Second in Command: Major JNR Botha
Adjudant: Captain Thys Rall
Intelligence Officer: Captain PJ Botes
Lieutenant: Ockert Swanepoel
Lieutenant General CL Viloen, Chief of the Army, traveled with the HQ for three days.
Operation Sceptic was planned in terms of the following 6 phases:
Phase 1
Commandant Anton van Graan, commander of 54 Battalion, had to deploy from D-16 day to secure the area between beacons 24 and 26 across the Angolan border up to Mulemba, to enable safe movement for the combat forces through that area.
Phase 2
All forces taking part in Operation Sceptic had to train and exercise for the operation
Phase 3
54 Battalion carried on with area operations while Battle group 10 under command of Commandant Chris Serfontein deployed north of the Ondangwa and Oshigambo areas for deception purposes. 53 Battalion under command of Commandant Jorrie Jordaan deployed at Etale to conduct area operations, also for deception purposes. 61 Mech Battalion Group had to move from Omuthiya to the target.
Phase 4
At first light on D-day the paratroop soldiers had to be deployed as stopper groups to cut off the enemy escape route from Smokeshell. The bombardment of Smokeshell by the Air Force has to commence at 08h00 and 61 Mech had to move from Mulemba, Mulavi and Chitanbo to Smokeshell that the attack could start at 12h00. Battle Group 10 had to move from Chitanbo and Dovu to attach Mulola. 53 Battalion had to move behind Battle Group 10 to attack Chitumbo.
Phase 5
After capturing the different objectives, the forces had to conduct area operations for approximately 10 days.
Phase 6
All forces had to withdraw back to their bases in South West Africa.
The attacking force had to move in line for more than 250 km from Omuthiya to the target, with half of this distance in enemy controlled area.
This posed a real challenge and the plan was for the Eland 90 armoured cars to lead the way so that they could clear the route of enemy resistance and make the travel for the other vehicles in the column easier because of the wheel space that was narrower than that of a Ratel.
The wide width of a Ratel’s wheels made it difficult for different vehicles to follow in its tracks.
The Eland 90 armoured cars also had slowest momentum and it was best to put these vehicles in front of the column of vehicles.
The 140 mm guns followed directly behind the Eland armoured cars to enable these guns to deploy quickly and be ready to give support fire as soon as possible. This marching order proved to be the correct decision.
The spiritual and phychological preparedness of the troops was a critical matter that was addressed during training and during the operation it was addressed in a very special manner.
When the battle group was halfway to the objective, a motivational card was handed to each soldier and commander/leader. This card was prepared beforehand and placed in each vehicle with the instruction to the vehicle commander to wait for the instruction by the Battlegroup Commander before it could be opened and distributed to all members of the battle group.
In terms of the information at our disposal, the target consisted of 13 active complexes that were spread over an area of 3 × 12 km, but we did not know the composition of the enemy at each complex.
These complexes had no physical features to assist with the navigation or to define the lines of attack of the combat teams. We therefore planned to attack from the east flank and capture each of the complexes one by one until the complexes were under our control, instead of approaching the complexes from the front.
We were also informed that the enemy was not dug in but above the ground and that they would scatter as soon as the attack on their positions started. This information was wrong, because combat team 2 under command of Captain Louis Harmse was caught by surprise when dug-in 23 mm anti-aircraft guns fired at the attacking Ratels from an unexpected direction from a short distance while being used in a ground role instead of an anti-aircraft role. It then also transpired that SWAPO had trenches and bunkers on the objective, which were well camouflaged and defected.
This unexpected anti-aircraft fire sadly caused the first casualties for 61 Mech in battle, and the loss of these soldiers caused great sorrow and shock.
Ratel Call sign 20:
74391806 PE Lieutenant Hannes du Toit
Ratel Call sign 21:
76338946 BG Rifleman FJ Loubser
77217907 BG Rifleman PJ Joubert
70518303 BG Rifleman CJ Venter
Ratel Call sign 21A:
76464809 BG Rifleman GJ Kemp
76389238 BG Rifleman JH Fourie
Ratel Call sign 21C:
75222695 BG Cpl P Kruger
77210839 BG Rifleman SM Cronje
77412153 BG Rifleman PW Warrener
772605788 BG Rifleman FJ Lello
77471423 BG Rifleman MC Luyt
76395813 BG Rifleman RN de Vito
76325646 BG Rifleman AJ Madden
At last light on D-day combat team 1 under command of Major Paul Fouche captured an enemy base and came to a halt between the trenches. It took an extraordinary effort by the battle group command to guide his combat team to safety.
By nightfall on 10 June approximately 370 of the enemy were dead on the objective. No enemy personel were captured, but a great amount of weapons and equipment was seized.
At one stage a helicopter had to do the evacuation of a casualty and it had to land under heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire. The pilot landed and evacuated the casualty successfully and for his bravery he was rewarded with the Honoris Crux medal.
Memorial Day 2014 Parade Announcement
It is with great pleasure that we can announce our first USA parade march. SAMVOUSA Veterans will be participating in the Memorial Day Parade in Washington DC in 2014. It is the largest parade in the nation with over 3000+ participants including foreign veterans and is one of only four parades permitted in Washington DC.
The parade is organized by the American Veterans Centre in VA.
Information on the parade can be found at: National Memorial Day Parade
The American Veterans Centre also hosts a Review Stand at the Memorial Day Parade which has US Generals with NATO and Allied nation Ambassadors available to speak to veterans.
As many of our veterans would have to travel to Washington DC to participate in the parade we are working to secure discounted airline and accommodation in Washington DC. Details will be provided as and when they become available.
Dress attire for the parade can be found on the SAMVOUSA website Dress Regulations
Please note that this is subject to change so please check back for updates.
We hope you will participate in our first parade march and look forward to seeing you there.
Best Veteran Regards
Steve
National Chairman | South African Military Veterans Organisation of the USA (SAMVOUSA)
En só het hulle gesterf. 30 jaar gelede – 21 Mei 1980 by Savate.
Maar wat onthou die leiersgroep wat daar in aksie was?
SAVATE – OPS TIRO A TIRO
Savate! Wat n nare plek! Ek sal altyd hartseer wees as ek terugdink aan daai ene. Ons het baie mense verloor. Dit was eintlik n bloedbad. Minder van ons en meer van Fapla. Maar so what??, sê Leon Grobler skouerophalend.
Horst Heimstadt wat een van die pelotons aangevoer het, wil nie onthou nie.
Dit is seker my menslike faktor. Hy sny net uit. Jy wil nie daaraan dink nie. Jy los dit agter.Tiro a tiro? was die naam van die operasie. Die teiken was Savate n piepklein dorpie aan die wesoewer van die Cubangorivier, 60 kilometer diep in Angola, waar die Angolese weermag (Fapla) n goed-ingerigte basis gehad het. Dit was Unita se oorlog.
Maar 32 Bataljon sou onder die grootste geheimhouding hul vuilwerk doen. Sonder lugsteun. Sonder artillerie. Net 81- millimeter mortiere wat vir kilometers deur die bosse saam met al die ander wapens, ammunisie en toerusting gedra moes word.
Die ou storie. In jou moer in stap, uitgeput by die doelwit aankom, veg teen n uitgeruste, beter toegeruste vyand, en dan so gou as moontlik terug wees oor die kaplyngrens. Deon (Falcon) Ferreira het die bataljon aangevoer, met Eddie (Big Daddy) Viljoen in n verkenningsvliegtuigie om die operasie vanuit die lug te koördineer.
Die grondverkenning is aan Willem Ratte toevertrou.
Dave Hodgson onthou die ordergroep: Disturbingly many questions raised as to the enemy’s strength and weaponry were to remain unanswered. We were convinced by the intelligence section that it would be a walk in the park.
Evert Burger was gereed vir die ergste.
Ek het gedroom Charl Muller, Heinz Muller, Evert Engelbrecht en Andy Falcus word doodgeskiet. Falcus het nog die vorige aand oefeninge gedoen. Hy was in my peloton. Ek het gewonder of ek hom moes vertel Maar hoe kon ek? Die volgende oggend toe Falcon orders gee en ek sien die lugfoto van Savate, toe herken ek dit; presies net soos in my droom.?
Daar was van meet af aan probleme. Die Unita-gids het die kluts kwytgeraak. Eers het die grondverkenning skeefgeloop. Falcon kon nie met Willem Ratte kontak maak nie. Toe moes die aanvalsmag wat met voertuie nader aan die teiken gebring is soek na n twee- spoorpaadjie iewers in die bosse wes van Savate. In stikdonkerte deur ruie bosse is in twee enkelgeledere aangemars.
n Vyandelike voertuig wat onverwags met die paadjie langs kom… Skote wat klap. Die verrassing was daarmee heen.
Die son het al hoog gesit toe die skeipunt bereik is. Die 81-millimeter mortiere het aan die suidekant gaan stelling ingeneem. Die bataljon se ou hande het die stormkompanies aangevoer. Charl Muller met Alpha- en Jim Ross met Foxtrot-kompanie, het die Fapla-basis vanuit die weste aangeval. Sam Heap, met Charlie-kompanie, was aan die noordekant gereed om op die vliegveld en transportpark toe te tas. Twee pelotons sou genoeg wees.
Die derde peloton het by die bataljonhoofkwartier as beskermingselement agtergebly.
09:00.
C.B. Brown se mortierpype het gereed gestaan. Oorkant die rivier in n observasiepos was Willem Ratte, reg om die mortiere op teiken te bring. Groot groen bomme het in die pype begin klingel.
n Paar vyandelike voertuie het uit die suide aangejaag gekom. All stations forward!? het die bevel vir die stormkompanies oor die radio’s gekom.
Fapla het geantwoord met 82-millimeter mortiere en 122-millimeter vuurpyle vreesaanjaend. By die vliegveld het die vyand met 14,5-millimeter lugafweergeskut op Sam Heap en sy troepe aangelê.
Hulle het skaars 30 meter gevorder, toe sewe man dood of gewond in die sand lê. Heap moes terugval. Daar was onder andere ook vrouesoldate!
Horst Heimstadt op Alpha-kompanie se linkerflank het drie gesien. Reg voor hom het een van Dave Hodgson se masjiengewere n vrouesoldaat wat opgespring het, feitlik middeldeur geskiet. Toe weier die masjiengeweer.
En die vyand skiet in n teenaanval twee van Dave se troepe dood. Dave het die radio gegryp en Charl Muller geroep. Tim Patrick, wat die radio beman het, het nie geantwoord nie. Dan maar vorentoe.
Die dooies en gewondes moes agterbly. Die reserwemagte sou hulle afvoer. Toe bereik Alpha-kompanie die loopgrawe, bunkers met oorhoofse dekking. Die bunkers is egter nie behoorlik opgeruim nie en toe Alpha die eerste geboue bereik, het hulle vuur van agter getrek.
Onmoontlik!
Wat sou die reserwemagte besiel om op hulle te skiet?
Iemand het n Fapla-uniform sien beweeg. Dave Hodgson, wat nou die bevel van die kompanie by Charl Muller oorgeneem het, het besef die gewondes is in doodsgevaar. Hy het vrywilligers gevra. Heel voor was Attie Roestoff, n stoeier, wat die gewondes soos sakke mielies oor sy skouers gegooi en na veiligheid gebring het.
Op die regterflank het Foxtrot-kompanie verwoed geveg. Heinz Muller was een van die eerstes om te sneuwel. Eduard Engelbrecht, sy pelotonsersant, is gewond en saam met die radiobediener agtertoe gestuur.
Heel op die regterflank het Evert Burger dit gehoor. Hy het Andy Falcus, Rhodesiër wat as mediese ordonnans opgelei was, gestuur om Engelbrecht te gaan help. Hy het Falcus nooit weer gesien nie…
Intussen het die vyand noordwaarts begin padgee; party te voet, ander met voertuie. 32 Bataljon was in Savate! Falcon en sy inligtingsoffisier, André Erasmus, het in die dorpie aangekom.
Waar is Charl??
Niemand het geweet nie.Het hulle hom nie gevang nie het Falcon gewonder en vier Buffel troepedraers laat naderbring.
Leon Grobler en n paar troepe het op n verkoolde liggaam afgekom. Hulle kon Tim Patrick net aan sy radio se handstuk (n swarte in plaas van n groene) herken. n Wit fosforgranaat teen sy bors is raakgeskiet.
Skielik het skote weer geklap. André Erasmus het inmekaar gesak. Dit was nét te veel vir die troepe. Hulle het die buit neergegooi en uit Savate padgegee. Falcon, Sam Heap, Jim Ross en Lars Ueckerman, het die vlugtende vyand met die Buffels oor die vloedvlakte agternagesit.
Party het in die rivier gespring en is deur krokodille gevang; ander is met die Brownings agterop die Buffels afgemaai of het hulle in stoppergroepe vasgeloop.
Die troepe moes terugkom om die doelwit op te ruim. Rolf Heiser het op Charl Muller afgekom, op n kort afstand geskiet toe hy oor n loopgraaf gespring het. Rondom het vier troepe gelê.
Een het nog gelewe, maar die dokter kon hom nie red nie. Op Rundu het die dominee en die sektorbevelvoerder, Gert Nel, Hermien Ferreira gaan opklop.
Linda Erasmus was buite met haar drie kinders doenig, toe hulle die nuus van André aan haar oordra.
Daarna is hulle na Charl Muller se karavaan om Zelda te vertel. Falcon het later die aand op Rundu aangekom.
Hy was so wit soos n laken. Hy het my en klein Alwyn vasgegryp. Ek het my man nog nooit so gesien huil nie,onthou Hermien Ferreira.
Die volgende dag was die aanvalsmag al op pad met die voertuie en tonne uitrusting wat gebuit is toe hulle moes omdraai. Eduard Engelbrecht en n troep het makeer.
Ons het Engelbrecht onder n bos gekry, met die troep so half bo-oor hom, asof hy hom wou beskerm. Hulle is op n kort afstand geskiet, vertel Sam Heap.
By die huis het die mense in die koerante gelees van 81 Swapoterroriste en vyf lede van die Veiligheidsmagte wat in n klein veldslag in die operasionele gebied gesneuwel het, toe hulle in n groot vyandelike hinderlaag op die grens ingeloop het.?
Niks van Andy Falcus en die nege swart troepe wat ook gesneuwel het nie; 15 in totaal 32 Bataljon se grootste verlies op een dag in die hele oorlog. Generaal Constand Viljoen was woedend oor die tipe operasie en die aanwending van sy voorste guerrilla-bataljon.
Die lesse van Eheke, toe die Recces in Oktober 1977 as stormtroepe aangewend was en sewe man verloor het, is nie geleer nie. Trouens, Savate is in die psige van 32 Bataljon ingebrand soos Eheke by die Recces.
En toe, ná die dooies begrawe, die wonde gelek en die nabetragting deur die hoë offisiere verby was, wat toe?
Toe niks.
Dave Hodgson skryf in sy memoirs: The only debriefing that we had as far as Alpha Company was concerned, was nil. Medals that should have been given to Horst, Attie, Augusto, Kiote, Peet, Grobbies, Carlos Paulo and Rod, were never even considered. After all Savate never took place. Unita were the victors.?
28 jaar later het ek n onverwagte skrywe van n soldaat in die Britse weermag ontvang.
Ek is gebore op 16 Oktober 1980. My ma is aan kanker oorlede. Ek was 15. My ma het n geheim van my gehou tot net voor haar dood. Ek en my sussie het nie dieselfde vader nie. My ma het my van my pa vertel. Hulle was albei jonk en hy was op die grens. My ma was bang dat ek in my pa se voetspore sou volg en by die weermag aansluit. My ma het vertel dat my pa op 21 Mei 1980 gesterf het…?
Savate?
Dit was asof een van die dooies opgestaan het.
Maar wie?
Ek ken nie sy ouers nie en wil nie die lewe vir hulle moeilik maak nie. Al wat ek vra, is om iets van my pa te hê om die leë spasie in my hart te vul. Ek word binnekort ook pa en wil baie graag n foto van ouma en oupa hê. Asseblief, help my om deel te kan hê van my pa se lewe.?
Só het korporaal Louis Engelbrecht gepleit. Die res van die storie is baie hartseer. Louis Engelbrecht is deur hel. Maar hy het dieselfde sterk gene as sy pa, Eduard Coetzee Engelbrecht.
Dit, en n onwrikbare geloof, het Louis deurgedra. Ek het een van sy oorlede pa se agt susters, Alinda, op Otjiwarongo opgespoor.
Hoe dra n mens sulke nuus oor?
Dit het skok, ongeloof, verbystering, ontkenning, selfs woede ontlok. Het ek die regte ding gedoen?
Wat as dit nie waar is nie?
n Paar maande later het Alinda bevestig: My jonger sussie Debbie het al die jare geweet. Daar is ?n kartondoos met briewe. Dit is verskriklik.
Nóg n stukkie waarheid oor Savate, 32 Bataljon, die Grensoorlog, het uitgekom.
The choice of this particular day was no accident, but was deeply significant in South African history.
31 May 1902
The end of the Boer War on 31 May 1902, when the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed by representatives of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State who had been waging war with Great Britain since October 1899. The Peace Treaty of Vereeniging, signed at Melrose House in Pretoria (not in Vereniging). The British Union Jack is victoriously hoisted over the entire South Africa. On signing the “peace agreement” the Boers officially lost the independence of their internationally recognized Boer Republics. The Boer people not only lost their independence but also lost 50 % of their child population in the British concentration camps.
31 May 1910
Eight years later on 31 May 1910, the Union of South Africa was inaugurated, uniting the previously separate colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State.
31 Mei 1928
A new unique South African flag is designed, but not officially adopted for 10 years.
31 Mei 1938
This is also the date when the South African flag had first been flown on 31 May 1938. The new flag is hoisted next to the Union Jack in Cape Town, and a new National Anthem is sung. The new flag and anthem (Die Stem). The proceedings are planned to coincide with the 100th centenary of the Great Trek (1838- 1938).
31 May 1961
The long-awaited Republic of South Africa comes into being. The Union of South Africa became the Republic of South Africa on the 31st May 1961, with her membership of the Commonwealth simultaneously expiring, thus severing its long-standing ties to the old British Empire. The orange-white-blue flag remains unchanged as the National flag of SA.
He’s home at last, a mother’s son, a fine young man, his duty done,
Yet not for him the fond embrace, a loving kiss, a smiling face
Or cries of joy to laugh and cheer the safe return of one so dear,
It is his lot to show the world a soldiers fate as flags unfurl
And Standards lower in salutation, symbols of a grateful nation.
Sombre now, the drum beats low, as he is carried, gentle, so
As if not to disturb his rest, by comrades, three and three abreast
Who now, as quiet orders sound, they, one by one then move around
To place him in the carriage decked with flowers in calm and hushed respect,
Preparing for the sad, slow ride through silent crowds who wait outside.
So the warrior now returns to native soil and rightly earns
The great respect to one so young, though sadness stills the waiting throng,
While flowers strew the path he takes, as the carriage slowly makes
A final turning to allow the veterans standing there to show
The soldiers pride, a silent, mute, proud and respectful last salute.
Yet, while onlookers stand and see the simple, moving ceremony,
There is a home, a place somewhere, where sits a waiting, vacant chair,
And one great yawning empty space in someone’s heart, no last embrace
To bid a final, fond farewell to one who will forever dwell
In love and cherished memory, a Husband, Son, eternally.
And we who see should not forget that in this soldier’s final debt
And sacrifice for duty’s sake, it is the loved ones who must take
The hurt, to bear as best they can, and face a future lesser than
The one they dreamed in bygone years, now to regard with bitter tears,
Reflecting, as time intervenes, on thoughts of how it might have been.
But in their grief there’s quiet pride that loved ones bravely fought and died
Believing in a worthy goal which helps give solace, and consoles
By knowing that the loss they bear is shared by all our peoples where
In gratitude, their names will be forever honoured, guaranteed
To be remembered and enshrined, beyond the shifting sands of time.
Tony Church
