Bush world

Author: Roy Watson  Publisher: Arima Publishing () Edition: First Edition ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Condition: Very Good - Spine is cocked. Some wear to cover edges. Binding: Softcover Pages: 290 Dimensions: 23.3 x 15.5 x 1.7 cm +++ by Roy Watson +++ An autobiography of Roy Watson's flying experiences from his first interest in flying, through his involvement with Tiger Moth, Aeronca, Zlin, Stinson, and Russian aircraft, to his bush experiences flying DC4's and the Boeing 707.   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.

Subtitle: My Hidden Battles to Save Wildlife Author: Clay Wilson and Tony Park Publisher: Umuzi () ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Condition: Very Good Binding: Softcover Pages: 224 Dimensions: 21.9 x 14.5 x 1.7 cm +++ by Clay Wilson and Tony Park +++ On the borders of Chobe National Park, Clay Wilson is an embattled wildlife veterinarian. Not only does he experience great adventure and heart-rending episodes tending to the wild animals that fall victim to accidents and disease, but increasingly he finds himself up against the ravages of poaching and the forces behind this. In the great stand-off between the need for a developing country to expand its agriculture and to preserve its unparalleled wilderness, Wilson sides with the animals and makes powerful enemies in the process.   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.

GEORGE BUSH: HIS WORLD WAR II YEARS by Robert B Stinnett             R295 Soft gloss cover in v/good cond. Appears unread. 1 st Edition 1991 Pictorial Histories Publishing Company.   FOR FULL DETAILS OF THIS BOOK AND ADDITIONAL PHOTOS PLEASE CONTACT THE SELLER

Buy GEORGE BUSH: HIS WORLD WAR II YEARS by Robert B StinnettR295 for R295.00

wanted i am looking for second world war transmitters receivers,angola bush war radios such as tr15h hopper radio or anything technical and...

Formed in 1916 as The Rhodesia Native Regiment, its troops were blooded with honour in the East African campaign. Disbanded in 1919, the regiment was re-formed in 1940 during World War II as The Rhodesian African Rifles, seeing action in Burma. In the 1950s, the regiment distinguished itself further during the Malayan Emergency. During the 1960s and 1970s, the regiment was at the forefront of hostilities in the bloody Rhodesian bush war. Ironically, it was after Zimbabwean independence in 1980, that the RARs finest hour came, when, fighting for their erstwhile enemy, Mugabe, the soldiers of the RAR defeated Nkomos invading ZIPRA armies at the battles of Entumbane in Bulawayo. Masodja  London launch address - Brigadier D. Heppenstall: 09/11/07 Lord Salisbury, our President, General Lord Michael Walker, the son of our battalion 2ic in Burma in World War 2, honoured guests, members of the Association, ladies and gentlemen. Like the Battle of Waterloo, this has been a close run thing. Yesterday morning I received four copies of Masodja from the printers in Durban, South Africa, by special delivery, and the main consignment only arrived at Heathrow yesterday evening. The main reason for the four by special delivery was so that we could present one of them to Prince Philip when he signed our Regimental Drumskin at lunchtime yesterday. He was most intrigued when Tobias Mutangadura pointed out to him his photograph taken at the Malayan Independence Merdeka celebrations fifty years ago in 1957. Anyway to get back to the main topic, the reasons why we almost didnt succeed in getting the books here for the launch were several. Firstly it was published and printed in South Africa on the one hand and the author and Regimental Association in the UK on the other. This of course prevented close liaison between the two sides although the use of email made things far easier than they used to be. Most of the text was completed by Alex Binda several years ago, although there were gaps in the records available, and more information was received right up to the last minute. Originally we had planned to have the Launch last April to coincide with our Regimental Day, Tanlwe Chaung Day. This was deemed too early, and it was put back to July, the month in which the Regiment was formed. In the meantime, however, in conjunction with Chris Cocks, Alex had written the History of the RLI, The Saints, which had a very impressive Launch last June. Chris Cocks, our publisher at 30 Degrees South, advised us that a July Launch would be too close to the Saints Launch and recommended that it be postponed to Remembrance Weekend  which we agreed and set the wheels in motion to hire this hall and invite our VIP guests. Apart from the distance between publishers and originators, other mitigating factors included the sheer volume of photographs of which about 75% have been included. These were still being annotated about ten days before the book went to print! Another major factor which nearly caused a postponement was the bad reaction to a new course of medicine prescribed to Kerrin Cocks. This resulted in her being rushed into intensive care followed by a two week break to recuperate. Kerrin is a vital cog in the 30 Degrees South machine, but was soon back on line to rush things through. Pinetown Printers in Durban did a great job in completing those books which we have here today, and in fact they were working 24 hours over the whole of last weekend. We owe a debt of gratitude to all involved in the publication, to Chris and Kerrin Cocks for their expertise, to Pinetown Printers and to Bill Welsh for acting as our Marshal Blucher and arriving with the books in the nick of time. Apart, of course, from Alex Binda, I owe a special thank you to John Hopkins, Iain Harper, Bridget Wells-West and all those who supplied photographs and reminiscences of their time in the Regiment. I would now like to deal with our four members whom we invited over from Zimbabwe. This has been possible due to the magnificent support given by the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League who paid all their expenses. Our four who came over are: Captain Machakada Patrick Nelomwe: He attested in time to go to the Canal Zone, Egypt, with 1RAR in 1952, and has subsequently seen service in Malaya, the Nyasaland Emergency, the Congo border and the Rhodesian bush war. He rose from company clerk in A Company to ORQMS in the 1st Battalion in 1980. He was commissioned, subsequently in the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA). Major Tobias Chenharu Mutangadura DMM: A member of the Rhodesian Army Education Corps who served almost all his time with 1RAR. By 1980 he was a WO1 and had been awarded the Defence Forces Medal for Meritorious Service (DMM). He was commissioned in the ZNA, and retired as major. He was curator of the Gweru Military Museum for several years. RSM Gibson Zanago Mugadza BCR: A very talented half back in my battalion football team in his younger days. In the Rhodesian bush war he was awarded the Bronze Cross of Rhodesia (BCR) for outstanding leadership and bravery in action. He retired from the Army after 1980 as RSM at the School of Infantry, Gwelo. RSM Obert Veremu DMM: Obert was in my platoon in Malaya where he was a junior NCO, leading scout and tracker. That was exactly 50 years ago. He rose steadily through the ranks, was a champion 110 mile marcher and was awarded his DMM in 1972. He was RSM 1RAR from 1977 to 1978 and 3RAR from its formation in 1978 until after independence when he retired and went farming. The four are ideally situated throughout the country. Patrick is in Bulawayo, Tobias in Gweru, Gibson in Harare and Obert in the Vumba. They will be able to tell all our old comrades that the Regiment is still very much alive! I must now emphasise that the main reason that they arrived here at all is thanks to Lt-Col Malcolm Clewer, the Chairman of our Association in Zimbabwe and also the Chairman of the Harare Branch of the Legion

Ranged against two powerful communist terrorist armies, the small, under-equipped army of Rhodesia defied all military convention by not only resisting the onslaught, but taking the fight to the very heart of the ZIPRA and ZANLA terrorist machines. The efforts of the Rhodesian army and air force shocked the world; how could such a small force of men repel the hordes of Russian and Chinese backed communist terrorists who threatened to overwhelm them? At the very heart of the Rhodesian war effort lay the RLI. The Rhodesian light infantry Commandos were second to none. Brave, tough, resourceful, stubborn and highly trained, the exploits of the RLI soon became legend, not only in Africa but the world over. Where ever the war situation was at its most dangerous, you would almost certainly find The Incredibles at the epicentre of the action. Stu was taking first stag and he woke Richard and me when he heard it. The voices were coming from the bush north of our location. We were unable to accurately determine distance, but estimated they were about fifty metres away. Often FRELIMO and ZANLA had little regard for noise discipline, even in circumstances such as this. So, the enemy was out here searching for us? The voices came closer then suddenly sheared off into the distance. Shortly afterwards there was more noise. Orders being issued and the clanking of unsecured kit drifted through the bush from several tens of metres away. We still couldnt see anything but it was obvious we had been overtaken and possibly encircled. In response to a question from Stu, I whispered that I didnt think the enemy knew our location. They were being far too indifferent. Had they known they would have approached cautiously, making as little noise as possible. No, they were looking for us alright, but didnt know where we were. We were on the alert now. We had about twelve hours of daylight left before we could move, plenty of time for Freddie to find us.Commando Shoot To Kill is a thrilling fictional account of service with the elite Rhodesian Light Infantry during the final year of the Bush War. Peter Rische describes heart stopping behind the lines reconnaissance missions and the realities of brutal close quarters combat as he leads the reader into the heart of the bitterest conflict in sub Saharan African history. Softcover, 109 pages

This is the story of military aviation in Rhodesia from the romantic days of 'bush' flying in the 1920's and '30s-when aircraft were refuelled from jerrycans and landing grounds were often the local golf course-to the disbandment of the Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) on Zimbabwean independence in 1980. In 1939 the tiny Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) became the first to take up battle stations even before the outbreak of the Second World War. The three Rhodesian squadrons served with distinction in East Africa, the Western Desert, Italy and Western Europe. At home Rhodesia became a vast training ground for airmen from across the Empire-from Britain, the Commonwealth and even Greece. After the war, Rhodesia, on a negligible budget, rebuilt its air force, equipping it with Ansons, Spitfires, Vampires, Canberras, Hunters and Alouettes. Following UDI, the unilateral declaration of independence from Britain in 1965, international sanctions were imposed, resulting in many remarkable and groundbreaking innovations, particularly in the way of ordnance. The bitter 'bush war' followed in the late 1960s and '70s, with the RhAF in the vanguard of local counter-insurgency operations and audacious pre-emptive strikes against vast guerrilla bases in neighbouring Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana and as far afield as Angola and Tanzania. With its ageing fleet, including C-47 'Dakotas' that had been at Arnhem, the RhAF was able to wreak untold havoc on the enemy, Mugabe's ZANLA and Nkomo's ZIPRA. The late author took over 30 years in writing this book; the result is a comprehensive record that reflects the pride, professionalism and dedication of what were some of the world's finest airmen of their time. Paperback, 856 pages, 800 photos, 70 diagrams & maps SECOND EDITION: PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2015

  A Pride Of Eagles: A History Of The Rhodesian Air Force - Beryl Salt  2015 edition. Soft cover, 760 pages. Very good condition; like new. Over 1kg. This is the story of military aviation in Rhodesia from the romantic days of 'bush' flying in the 1920's and '30s-when aircraft were refuelled from jerrycans and landing grounds were often the local golf course-to the disbandment of the Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) on Zimbabwean independence in 1980. In 1939 the tiny Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) became the first to take up battle stations even before the outbreak of the Second World War. The three Rhodesian squadrons served with distinction in East Africa, the Western Desert, Italy and Western Europe. At home Rhodesia became a vast training ground for airmen from across the Empire-from Britain, the Commonwealth and even Greece. After the war, Rhodesia, on a negligible budget, rebuilt its air force, equipping it with Ansons, Spitfires, Vampires, Canberras, Hunters and Alouettes. Following UDI, the unilateral declaration of independence from Britain in 1965, international sanctions were imposed, resulting in many remarkable and groundbreaking innovations, particularly in the way of ordnance. The bitter 'bush war' followed in the late 1960s and '70s, with the RhAF in the vanguard of local counter-insurgency operations and audacious pre-emptive strikes against vast guerrilla bases in neighbouring Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana and as far afield as Angola and Tanzania. With its ageing fleet, including C-47 'Dakotas' that had been at Arnhem, the RhAF was able to wreak untold havoc on the enemy, Mugabe's ZANLA and Nkomo's ZIPRA. The late author took over 30 years in writing this book; the result is a comprehensive record that reflects the pride, professionalism and dedication of what were some of the world's finest airmen of their time. Paperback, 856 pages, 800 photos, 70 diagrams & maps SECOND EDITION: PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2015

Jessica is based on the inspiring true story of a young girl's fight for justice against tremendous odds.  A tomboy, Jessica is the pride of her father, as they work together on the struggling family farm.  One quiet day, the peace of the bush is devastated by a terrible murder.   Only Jessica is able to save the killer from the lynch mob - but will justice prevail in the courts? Nine months later, a baby is born...with Jessica determined to guard the secret of the father's identity.  The rivalry of Jessica and her beautiful sister for the love of the same man will echo through their lives - until finally the truth must be told. Set in the harsh Australian bush against the outbreak of World War 1, this novel is heartbreaking in its innocence and shattering in its brutality. Soft cover, good condition.  676 pages.

Fireforce is the compelling, brutal but true account of Chris Cocks service in 3 Commando, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, during Zimbabwes bitter civil war of the 70sa war that came to be known almost innocuously as the bush war.  Fireforce, a tactic of total airborne envelopment, was developed and perfected by the RLI, together with the Selous Scouts and the Rhodesian Air Force. Fireforce became the principal strike weapon of the beleaguered Rhodesian forces in their struggle against the overwhelming tide of the Communist-trained and -equipped ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas. The combat strain on a fighting soldier was almost unbelievable, for the Rhodesians, who were always desperately short of ground troops, were sometimes obliged to parachute the same men into action into as many as three enemy contacts a day. While estimates of enemy casualties vary, there seems little doubt that the RLI accounted for at least 12,000 ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillasbut not without cost. Fireforce is not for the squeamish. Although it has been written with unforgettable pathos and humour, it tells of face-to-face combat in the bush and death at point-blank range. It is a book which does nothing to glorify or glamorize war, for as Chris Cocks found at such a young age, war is merely a catalogue of suffering, destruction and death. Fireforce has been described by critics as being to the Rhodesian War what All Quiet On The Western Front was to World War I and Dispatches was to Vietnam. Read it it will be an experience you never forget. PAPERBACK, 368 PAGES WITH 160 COLOUR & B/W PHOTOS, SKETCHES & MAPS  Published: 2007

Imagine the most tenacious and skilled soldiers in the business fighting in the most brutal of bush wars, Gavin Manning was there, from 1982 - 88, on the border of northern Namibia and southern Angola - right in the thick of it. The ultra-covert South African special forces unit known as Koevoet (or Special OPS-K) has been shrouded in mystery for three decades. This book will blow the lid off the box and set all the misconceptions straight.  Manning gives a gripping account of tracking the Soviet-backed terrorists, often right on their heels, using elite skills and technology. The finely honed instincts and supreme ability of the Koevoet operators earned them the reputation of the best counter-insurgency and tracking unit that Africa and the world had ever see. Dead Men Running is a vital book about the Angolan bush war that finally tells the truth. But it is also Manning's own story - how he realized his dream of becoming part of Koevoet, the brotherhood he inherited, and the friends he made who lost their lives.  Manning is a skillful writer who will sweep you up into the action with the precision of accurate gunfire.

2006. Fourth edition. Soft cover; 306 pages.  Very good condition. Under 1kg. Fireforce is the compelling, brutal but true account of Chris Cocks’ service in 3 Commando, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, during Zimbabwe’s bitter civil war of the ’70s—a war that came to be known almost innocuously as ‘the bush war’. ‘Fireforce’, a tactic of total airborne envelopment, was developed and perfected by the RLI, together with the Selous Scouts and the Rhodesian Air Force. Fireforce became the principal strike weapon of the beleaguered Rhodesian forces in their struggle against the overwhelming tide of the Communist-trained and -equipped ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas. The combat strain on a fighting soldier was almost unbelievable, for the Rhodesians, who were always desperately short of ground troops, were sometimes obliged to parachute the same men into action into as many as three enemy contacts a day. While estimates of enemy casualties vary, there seems little doubt that the RLI accounted for at least 12,000 ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas—but not without cost. Fireforce is not for the squeamish. Although it has been written with unforgettable pathos and humor, it tells of face-to-face combat in the bush and death at point-blank range. It is a book which does nothing to glorify or glamorize war, for as Chris Cocks found at such a young age, war is merely a catalogue of suffering, destruction and death. Fireforce has been described by critics as being to the Rhodesian War what All Quiet On The Western Front was to World War I and Dispatches was to Vietnam. Read it … it will an experience you never forget.

Fireforce - Chris Cocks - 2001 - Paperback, second edition.   One man's war in the Rhodesian Light Infantry Fireforce is the compelling, brutal but true account of Chris Cocks' service in 3 Commando, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, during Zimbabwe's bitter civil war of the '70s—a war that came to be known almost innocuously as 'the bush war'. 'Fireforce', a tactic of total airborne envelopment, was developed and perfected by the RLI, together with the Selous Scouts and the Rhodesian Air Force. Fireforce became the principal strike weapon of the beleaguered Rhodesian forces in their struggle against the overwhelming tide of the Communist-trained and -equipped ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas.The combat strain on a fighting soldier was almost unbelievable, for the Rhodesians, who were always desperately short of ground troops, were sometimes obliged to parachute the same men into action into as many as three enemy contacts a day. While estimates of enemy casualties vary, there seems little doubt that the RLI accounted for at least 12,000 ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas—but not without cost.Fireforce is not for the squeamish. Although it has been written with unforgettable pathos and humour, it tells of face-to-face combat in the bush and death at point-blank range. It is a book which does nothing to glorify or glamorize war, for as Chris Cocks found at such a young age, war is merely a catalogue of suffering, destruction and death. Fireforce has been described by critics as being to the Rhodesian War what All Quiet On The Western Front was to World War I and Dispatches was to Vietnam. Read it … it will be an experience you never forget.

SIGNED COPY Roan Antelope Books, 1997. Hard cover with dust cover, 283 pages. Very good condition. Tightly bound, neat and clean. The  dust cover has minor wear. Sellotape marks in front and back. Name in front scratched out. U nder 1kg. John Edmond takes us through Rhodesia's major events, highlighting the early rulers, Mzilikazi and Shaka Zulu, right up to the last century. In this memoir, he takes us from his childhood, through the bush war and UDI to the stepping down of Ian Smith and beyond. Moving to Johannesburg, the author, already a renowned musician, breaks into the industry in Johannesburg, South Africa, eventually running the Gallo Music Company. What makes this book particularly interesting is the inclusion of the lyrics of the words to the huge number of songs he wrote which reflect the history and events of those times. His work took him all over the world, but the bush always called him back, often to dangerous areas of Zimbabwe when he frequently was called upon to entertain the troops.  

The Great War of 1914-18 was a conflict which engulfed the whole world, directly or indirectly.nbsp; An imperialist world war tugged the new Union of South Africa and its people into a series of separate but connected conflicts - from the domestic Afrikaner Rebellion on the highveld, through the sands of German South West Africa, the steamy bush of German East Africa, and on to the mud and blood of France and Flanders.nbsp; This book is the first general study of the complex ways in which South Africans experienced the impact of the First World War, and responded to its demands, burdens and opportunities. Told with his customary narrative energy and style, Bill Nasson's new history is a lively account not only of how South Africa fought the war, but also of the miscalculations and illusions that surrounded its involvement, and of how South African society came to imagine and remember that great and terrible conflict. Softcover. English. Penguin. 2008. ISBN: 9780143025351. 300pp. Good condition in softcover, signed and inscribed on title page. Book No: 2002140

Title: Selous Scouts Subtitle: Rhodesian Counter-Insurgency Specialists Series: Africa@War Volume 4 Author: Peter Baxter Publisher: Helion and Company / 30 Degrees South Publishers () ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Condition: Very Good Binding: Softcover Pages: 64 Dimensions: 29.5 x 20.9 x 0.5 cm +++ by Peter Baxter +++ Formed in by the legendary Lieutenant-Colonel Ron Reid-Daly at the behest of Rhodesian military supremo General Peter Walls, the Selous Scouts were to write their name into the annals of military history as one of the finest counterinsurgency units of all time, through their innovative pseudo-guerrilla tactics, brilliant reconnaissance operations into Zambia and Botswana and daring flying-column raids into Mozambique. Feared and hated by the liberation movements ZIPRA and ZANLA, the Scouts wreaked untold havoc and destruction on their Soviet- and Chinese-backed enemies, accounting for 68% guerrilla casualties within Rhodesia alone during the bitter bush war of the s. Uniquely ahead of its time, the regimen - a brotherhood of men that traversed cultural and racial barriers; their Shona motto was 'Pamwe Chete' (together only) - was to produce the type of soldier that earned for the unit one Grand Cross of Valour, nine Silver Crosses and 22 Bronze Crosses of Rhodesia. "Its members consisted of some of the finest guerrilla-fighting men in the western world, unconventional in many ways, disregardful of parade-ground discipline, unorthodox in their dress, yet a force so tightly knit in the face of danger that those who knew anything about them could only marvel" - The Citizen.   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.

Subtitle: A Novel Author: Hamilton Wende Inscribed by the Author Publisher: Jacana () ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Condition: Very Good Binding: Softcover Pages: 304 Dimensions: 17.7 x 11 x 2.2 cm +++ by Hamilton Wende (Inscribed by the Author) +++ In the East African frontier of and the World War I colonial wars between Germany and Britain, Lieutenant Michael Fuller, a South African fighting for the British, enlists only to find that the physical battles of war are not the only ones being fought - rampant racial prejudices are issues of contention. After suffering an embarrassing defeat, Lieutenant Fuller must join forces with two men from the King's African Rifles to embark on a secret mission deep into enemy territory and the African bush. Faced with the compelling conflicts of war, characters make difficult choices between duty and individual compassion.   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.

Jeremy Hall’s childhood in the white-ruled apartheid South Africa of the 1950's and ’60s was ostensibly idyllic: growing up in the farming areas of Natal, he had free rein to pander to his keen exploratory mind, yet niggling away was entrenched racism and interracial hatred. Closeted in the hallowed halls of an English-speaking high school, the revelation of the real world that followed — a world of township unrest, Afrikaner politicians issuing dire warnings of the red and black hordes massing on the borders — exploded into Hall’s psyche with his national-service call-up into the South African Defence Force (SADF), where he encountered the institutionalized hatred of the Afrikaner hierarchy for the English-speaking recruits, the  rowe, or ‘scabs’. Disillusioned and unsettled, following his SADF conscription, Hall found himself in 1976 signing on for three years with 2 Commando The Rhodesian Light Infantry as the bush war in that country erupted from a simmering, low-key insurgency into full-blown war. As a paratrooper with this crack airborne unit, he was to see continual combat on Fireforce operations and cross-border raids into Zambia and Mozambique, such as Operation Dingo, the 1977 Rhodesian attack on ZANLA’s Chimoio base.   PAPERBACK: 360 PAGES WITH PHOTOS & MAPS. Published March 2014

The South African Air Force (SAAF), formed on 1 February 1920, is the second oldest air force in the Commonwealth. The air arm played a major role in securing victory for the Allies during the Second World War, in the 1948/49 Berlin Airlift, and in Korea in the 1950s. The SAAF assisted Rhodesia in the 1960s and 70s, made a major contribution to the Border or Bush war in South West Africa and Angola, participated in the transition to a new democracy in South Africa and continuously supports South African peace missions in Africa. It has also assisted in countless relief and rescue missions in southern Africa throughout this entire period. However, the SAAF is not just about aircraft and ordnance; it is made up of people and it is in this compilation that these people, airmen and ground crew alike, find their voice. These are their stories, all told in the first person by the actual participants as unvarnished, unabbreviated and intensely immediate and personal recollections. Through their stories of heroism, duty, adventure and tragedy, the reader will follow the history of the SAAF from 1939 to the present day. To complement the stories, the final chapter includes a collection of squadron pub songs from the Second World War, Korea and the Border War. Paperback, 338  pages 130 colour & b/w photos, 8 maps Published February 2013 (First Edition)

 The Elite - Barbara Cole - 1985 - Paperback in good, clean and tight condition. Barbara Cole's "The Elite" is the the singular cornerstone book on the Rhodesian Special Air Service, one of the most formidable fighting forces in the world. They operated almost exclusively across the Rhodesian border during the long bitter bush war undertaking deep-penetration missions against insurgents being harboured inside neighbouring Mozambique and Zambia. There were missions into Botswana too and at one stage. They were operating without benefit of passport in all three neighbouring black territories at the same time. Long before the war escalated and the whole region became their battlefield, secret clandestine missions across the border were undertaken by Special Air Service operators, Later, when the situation intensified, they were responsible for some of the most audacious and highly sensitive missions of the war. Yet little is known of this highly-professional Special Force unit which had its beginnings in the days of the Malayan Emergency and like its parent unit. the British SAS. boasted the coveted and very apt motto. Who Dares Wins. Fought against the magic and madness of a changing Africa, against almost insuperable odds, against two terrorist armies who were aided and abetted by the armies of their host nations and backed by Russia and China, two of the world's superpowers, the role of the Special Air Service was unique. The Commander of Combined Operations, Lieutenant-General Peter Walls, while reluctant to single out any one unit, was to acknowledge this after the war.

Malawi 20 kwacha Art of hunting elephant silver rectangular coin 2011 Edition Technical Specs Presentation Country:   Malawi Metal Purity:    Silver 0.925 Box:   Blister:¿Yes Year of Issue:   2011 Weight:   28,28 CoA:   Yes Face Value:   20 Kwacha Dimensions:   40x28     Quality:   Proof     Mintage:   3000   New coin with capsule and in original blister packaging (packaging may be crumpled) The Mint of Poland presents a series of collector coins ¿Art of Hunting". The collection presents typical hunting scenes from various regions of the world. The first coin in the series was the "Duck Hunting" coin, the second is the ¿Elephant Hunting¿.The African elephant is the biggest land animal. It can measure 4 meters height and weighs between 7.5 ¿ 8 tons. The difference between the African elephant and the Asian elephant is that the former has much bigger ears and a different head shape. There are two subspecies of the African Elephant: African savanna elephant and African bush elephant. The physiology of the African elephant is amazing. These elephants are said to be very intelligent animals. An elephant¿s brain weighs about 6 000 g (about four times more than a human brain). This mighty giant has to eat about 400 kg of plant fare daily. His trunk ¿ the most versatile organ in the whole animal world ¿ is very useful while eating. It serves not only for reaching food but also for sniffing, touching things, making sounds and caressing. The elephant moves quickly (up to 40 km per hour), it treads silently and it steps unusually delicately on the tips of its fingers. ____________________________________________________  Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

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  

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