Buffalo soldiers story south

This is a soldier's story about South African soldiers in southern Angola and Namibia and the enemies they fought. It tells of insurgency and counter-insurgency, guerrilla warfare and counter-guerrilla warfare, almost conventional warfare and conventional warfare. It tells of a conflict which the world saw as unpopular and unjust, in which South Africa was perceived as the aggressor. The South African soldiers who fought in it, however, saw it as a conflict fought to stop what is now Namibia falling into the hands of the Soviet and Cuban-backed SWAPO black nationalist political organisation. After Namibia South Africa would be next. They saw the whole conflict as an extension of the Cold War, but while it was on the frontiers in Europe, in Angola they were fighting a very hot war in Angola. Eventually, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the war was resolved by the democratic solution of UN supervised free and fair elections in Namibia. Since then, regrettably, there has been interference by the ruling party with the democratic constitution put in place in Namibia which has eroded much of that hard won democracy. 32 Battalion, of which Colonel Jan Breytenbach was the founding commander, became the most controversial unit in the South African Army because of the secrecy surrounding it. Its story is virtually the story of the Angolan/Namibian war, because its involvement in it was greater than any other South African unit. The regiment primarily consisted of black troops and NCOs originating from virtually every tribe in Angola. They were led by white South African officers and NCOs. Neither apartheid nor any form of racial discrimination was ever practiced in the unit. There was always a sprinkling of whites originating from countries like Great Britain, the old Rhodesia, Portugal and the USA amongst its leadership cadre, although in the latter stages of its existence this shrank to only a few. Such a presence undoubtedly led to stories circulating that the unit was a led by foreign white mercenaries. While it was true that the black Angolan element could have fallen with the mercenary definition, the whites involved were attested soldiers in the South African Army. In any case, they formed a minority and the vast majority of white officers and NCOs were born South Africans. The unit's aggressiveness and the successes it achieved in the field of battle, often against incredible odds, lay in its spirit and its  espirit de corps. In this respect and in many other ways it compared favourably with the French Foreign Legion. Its story parallels with and reminds one of the British and British Commonwealth Chindits of World War-2, operating behind the Japanese lines in Burma in large formations, out-guerrillaing those who only three years earlier had been regarded in awe as the unbeatable jungle warfare experts. Likewise, 32-Battalion consistently outfought both FAPLA, SWAPO and the Cubans in the Angola bush throughout the war years. It created a problem to which neither they nor their Soviet and East German mentors ever found a solution to. After the 1989 Namibian settlement the unit was with withdrawn to South Africa where they were deployed to effectively deal with MK infiltrations into the north of South Africa. From there, after the unbanning of the ANC in 1990, they were redeployed to deal with political troubles, principally between armed ANC self defense units and armed units of the IFP. The intrusion of black foreigners into the townships who were prepared to deal with troubles robustly and without fear or favour, did not suit either the ANC or the IFP, as they could not be subverted to support local causes because they held no local tribal allegiances. In the end it seems they became something of a bargaining chip at the CODESA negotiations, designed to find a new political dispensation for South Africa. Despite it having borne the brunt of South Africa' war in Angola with the blood of its troops, the National Party Government disgracefully ordered its arbitrary disbandment in March 1993 and the unit ceased to exist. Paperback, 360 pages with photos & maps  

Buy The Buffalo Soldiers The Story of S Africa`s 32 Battalion 1975-1993 by Col Jan Breytenbach for R300.00

Buy The Buffalo Soldiers, The Story of South Africa`s 32 Battalion 1975-1993 by Col Jan Breytenbach for R400.00

The Buffalo Soldiers - The Story of South Africa's 32 Battalion 1975-1993 By: Col. Jan Breytenbach A softcover edition published by Galago in 2004 Picture cover boards are clean & bright but with bump at rear cover spine top & light rub book ends Postage within South Africa R50.00 Overseas Customers can contact us for a Postal Quotation

Subtitle: The Story of South Africa's 32 Battalion Author: Colonel Jan Breytenbach Publisher: Galago Publishing () Edition: First Edition ISBN-10: X ISBN-13: Dust Jacket Condition: DJ has light creasing to edges, but is othewise VG+  Bright, clean with no chips or tears. Book Condition: Very Good. A very clean copy. Some wear and a small tear at spine. Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket Pages: 360 Dimensions: 25 x 18 x 3 cm +++ by Colonel Jan Breytenbach +++ The only authorized story of the founding of 32 Battalion, by its founding father, Col. Jan Breytenbach.   A passion for books and a passion for collecting fine editions was the recipe that created the successful group of bookshops in Johannesburg called Bookdealers. The group started thirty years ago with one store in the quirky suburb of Yeoville and has grown through the years to a total of five shops, plus our online sales. Bookdealers is well-known for its collectable and used books. We also have a large variety of remaindered books sourced from around the world.  If you collect from one of our five branches there is no delivery charge. We also offer postal delivery (when available) and courier delivery, subject to a quote.

After bitter debate, South Africa, a dominion of the British Empire at the time, declared war on Germany five days after the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Thrust by the British into the campaign against Erwin Rommels German Afrika Korps in North Africa, the South Africans fought a see-saw war of defeats followed by successes, culminating in the Battle of El Alamein, where South African soldiers made a significant contribution to halting the Desert Foxs advance into Egypt. This is the story of an army committed somewhat reluctantly to a war it didnt fully support, ill-prepared for the battles it was tasked with fighting, and sent into action on the orders of its senior alliance partner. At its heart, however, this is the story of men at war. Paperback, 352 pages

Buy Col. Jan Breytenbach - Buffalo Soldiers- The Story of South Africas 32 Battalion 1975-1993 for R580.00

Buy On The Bridge of Goodbye, The Story of South Africa`s Discarded San Soldiers by David Robbins for R200.00

In 2012  the South African Army celebrated its 100th birthday. What started out as a small, ill-equipped organisation grew into the most powerful army on the continent by the 1980s. Springboks, Troepies and Cadres tells the story of the SA army in telling the stories of the men who shaped it. A divergent group of soldiers, from general officers to ordinary foot soldiers, tells of the tragedies and triumphs of the battles they took part in. Their first-hand accounts vividly bring home the realities of being a soldier, while some of the officers divulge and discuss military strategy. The book is divided into four eras - World War I, World War II, the Border War and the post-1994 era. Historical battles, including Delville Wood (World War I) and El Alamein (World War II), come alive. The soldiers' stories have recurring themes: Through the army's entire history there was as an emphasis on keeping casualties to a minimum and a military ethos that glorified effectiveness rather than sacrifice. The author also takes a hard look at the state of the SA army in 2012 and the assortment of challenges it faces - from a lack of resources to racial tension and poor discipline. Yet, for the most part, these stories of the army offer a gripping and inspirational historical record. Paperback, 220 pages

This is the story of South African soldiers during the 1916 Somme offensive, which took place between the Allied forces and the Germans along the Somme River in France and was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the First World War, resulting in over a million deaths in six months. In July 1916, the men of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade were involved in recapturing the village of Lingueval and clearing Delville Wood of enemy soldiers, but they suffered extreme casualties. After six days of fighting, of the Brigade's 3433 soldiers, only 750 were left standing. The rest were dead or wounded. This book tells the stories of the men of the Brigade via their letters, diaries, and interviews that the author conducted with survivors many years ago. Not much has been written about South Africans during World War I. Surprisingly, it is a relatively untapped period of military history. This fascinating new book covers the iconic battle of Delville Wood, the most famous event involving South Africans during the war. Paperback, 280 pages Published August 2014

  We Fear Naught But God: The Story of the South African Special Forces “The Recces”by Paul Els Publisher: Covos-Day, Johannesburg Edition: 2000 – First Edition Binding: Softcover ISBN: 0-620-23891-7 Pages: 248 with numerous colour black & white photographs, illustrations, diagrams and maps   Extra Information Condition – Excellent, clean with tight binding Language: English. CD not included with book   Special forces operators were carefully selected and trained to gather covert strategic and tactical information about enemy activities. They learned how to observe silently, harass the enemy and destroy selected targets – all behind enemy lines. Frequently required to face great dread, they had to learn to control that fear to survive.   We Fear Naught But God bring the reconnaissance soldiers – the recces – to those who have wondered about what kind of men they were. Their families, their heartaches, their sufferings and achievements.   These men were not assassins who eliminated spies in hotel rooms. They were responsible men who had a sense of integrity and served their country proudly. Please note that we refer the right to close our auctions at any time Please refer to all images for condition, as this form an integral part of the description Payment to be processed within 2 days of auction closing Item will be posted on the first Saturday following receipt of payment. We are not responsible for damages to or loss of items once posted The item is second hand and sold as such with no warranty or guarantee implied, expressed or given. Regretfully, no buyers from outside the borders of South Africa

Border-Line Insanity offers the reader an insight into the conscripted world of a tight knit platoon of white South African teenage soldiers; camaraderie, survival, tension, fear, injury, death, and capture playing a role.

Springboks, Troepies and Cadres: Stories Of The South African Army 1912-2012 - David Williams - 2012 - Paperback in good, clean and tight condition. Springboks, Troepies and Cadres tells the story of the SA army in telling the stories of the men who shaped it. A divergent group of soldiers, from general officers to ordinary foot soldiers, tells of the tragedies and triumphs of the battles they took part in. Their first-hand accounts vividly bring home the realities of being a soldier, while some of the officers divulge and discuss military strategy.

Border-Line Insanity offers the reader an insight into the life of a conscripted soldier in the South African army during the dark days of apartheid. In 1984 I was thrust into a scary world of strict order and discipline as a teenage school graduate, experiencing subtle brain washing as I became molded into a white soldier for the mandatory two-year term. The reader is taken through the training, character building and bonds of camaraderie, before being dispatched into a bush life ripe with fear on the border line of South-West Africa/Namibia and Angola. From one patrol to the next we experienced the insanities that came with the hardship as we survived with an iron will under intense heat and heavy rainfall upon a land we scorned. Having seen and smelled innocent death on one border, only to have three troops from my section captured on another, and held prisoner under deplorable conditions in Mozambique. Experiencing real life fears in 1988, as we massed up in a mechanized armoured brigade as Citizen Force soldiers on the South-West African/Angolan border, in wait for an attack against Cuban and Angolan forces, with our fate a living hell in itself. With the army still breathing deeply in me, I left South Africa (after having served two and a half years) for a solo backpacking adventure across exotic parts of the world and behind the iron curtain, which lasted five years. In 2003 I returned to an independent Namibia to bury some tension, anxiety and hatred for a people, a land and a life where much of my ill feeling had been born only to fester silently for many years ahead. In so doing I had come full circle to closing a chapter never to be lived again and one certainly never to be forgotten. Paperback, 352pp; 32pp pages of colour pics and map Published: March 2007

The first South African Special Forces unit was established in 1971 in Oudtshoorn and expanded to four Reconnaissance Regiments by 1982 and a Special Forces Headquarters in Pretoria. Through the years many South African Soldiers served in Special Forces as Special Forces operators or support personnel. Over 700 operations was undertaken by Special Forces. Most of the operations were done by the SF themselves and some were in support of other SADF units. Available in hard & soft cover.