Koevoet men

Koevoet! has been an global bestseller since its release over 20 years ago. This new edition goes far beyond the original in capturing the courage, fear and intensity of South Africa's deadly bush war. Never before had an outsider been given unrestricted access to Koevoet, the elite South West African Police counterinsurgency unit - also known as Operation K and officially as the South West Africa Police Counter Insurgency Unit (SWAPOL-COIN). Author Jim Hooper spent a total of five months embedded with the semi-secret and predominantly black 'Ops K', which climaxed with one of the most vicious and determined infiltrations ever mounted by the communist-backed South West Africa People s Organization (SWAPO). Crossing regularly into Angola in pursuit of the insurgents, he saw friends die next to him and was twice wounded himself. This updated edition, drawing on the recollections and diaries of the men he rode with, will fascinate yet another generation of readers. In assembling this work, Jim Hooper had the opportunity to re-connect with so many of the men who allowed this outsider to ride with them. All of which brought a new intensity and poignancy. It also reminded Jim Hooper how privileged he was to have been witness to Koevoet's war. This stunning work is a tribute to Koevoet and the legend they created. "Hooper is a careful reporter, but also a born writer; his vivid word-pictures drag you in and hold you. He skillfully conveys his initially unwelcoming reception by an operational unit; the long, frustrating grind of search operations in punishing terrain and climate; the extraordinary bush skills of the Ovambo policemen; the shock of sudden contact, and its aftermath." Martin Windrow "Jim Hooper's account of South Africa's successful "Ops K" in Namibia against South West Africa's People's Organization guerrillas should be required reading. The classic narrative is as timely today as it was twenty years ago." Charles D. Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. Marine Corps University. "This expanded edition is a skillfully woven mosaic of personal accounts from those involved and what he experienced during combat with Koevoet. The use of new material from those he rode with lays bare the realities of war, the fears and emotions that ebb and flow in the heat of combat, and the courage one finds to bring the battle to the enemy" Piet Nortje, Author of 32 Battalion "Koevoet describes in great detail the men, both black and white, and their mine-protected cross-country vehicles which were years ahead of anything in use by other western forces, the dedicated helicopter support units and the tactics used to bring an elusive guerrilla force to battle." Paul French, Author of Shadows of a Forgotten Past: To the Edge with the Rhodesian SAS and Selous Scouts. Paperback, 312 pages. Published February 2014, 3rd edition This book is imported on demand and dispatched within 15 working days depending on supplier. 

This is the story of one of the world's most effective Special Forces units told by the men who served in it. Breaking with conventional military thinking, the South African Police created Koevoet by refining the concept of the counter-insurgency group pioneered in Rhodesia during the Bush War in order to provide up-to-date intelligence about an elusive enemy. Now at last the men themselves tell their own stories of the exploits of that famous unit. The origins and history of this famous Special Forces unit, as told by the men on the ground 9 chapters 640 pages full-colour litho print 1000 photographs 200 objects of militaria 200 documents 20 maps 70 stories told by the men themselves Approved by the Koevoet Bond  Roll of Honour Honours and Awards table Citation of all gallantry awards Glossary First Edition - January 2017

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.