Sas years

 SAS Pietermaritzburg 40 years commemorative cover signed by Captain F Marais - Officer commanding mine countermeasures Flotilla - as per photo  

RSA, 1988. 25 Years - SAS  Simonsberg, 1963 - 1988.  Signed e nvelope by the Officer commanding the SAS Simonsberg number 1865 of 5000. Clean.  View scans for  condition as it form part of the description.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

No 12 - SAS SIMONSBURG 25 YEARS SA Navy First Day Cover. Signed. See pictures for condition. Please contact the seller if you have any queries or want more photos.  

Buy SA NAVY COM COVER # 6 - 21 YEARS SAS PRESIDENT PRETORIUS SIGNED OC for R75.00

Buy SA NAVY COM COVER # 10 - 30 YEARS SAS WINGFIELD (WITH ENGLISH STAMP) SIGNED OC for R55.00

Buy SA NAVY COM COVER # 6 - 21 YEARS SAS PRESIDENT PRETORIUS SIGNED BY ARTIST - SCARCE for R200.00

Buy RSA 1988. 17 June. 25 Years SAS Simonsberg, 1963 - 1988, view scans. for R80.00

The SAS is a disciplined and elite force in whichÂthe men are trained to operate deep behind enemy lines to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance operations, usually in very close proximity to the enemy, and are often involved in violent actions with that enemy. This history describes some of the most important operations in which the SAS has been involved including first action in Borneo, followed by confrontation in Vietnam, then Somalia, Kuwait, and East Timor in the 1990s. Based on firsthand reports and interviews with participants, this is an intriguing account of the regiment's first 40 years.

No 11 - SAS PIETERMARITZBURG 40 YEARS SA Navy First Day Cover. Signed. See pictures for condition. Please contact the seller if you have any queries or want more photos.  

Buy The Regiment: The Real Story of the SAS - the First Fifty Years Michael Asher for R75.00

  See You In November The story of Alan `Taffy' Brice - An SAS assassin- By Peter Stiff - Galago - 2002 - Paperback still in good, tight condition. This is the extraordinary true story of how a British SAS-trained explosives expert plotted to kill Robert Mugabe in London and was stopped only hours before carrying out his death mission. The assassin, known only by his code name "Taffy" tells first hand of his SAS training and special operations in Malaya, Borneo, Cambodia, Kenya and Europe and his six years as head of the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Operation's covert team in Zambia, where, in 1975, they did assassinate the ZANU chairman Herbert Chitepo. In September 1979, he travelled to London with orders to kill Mugabe at the Lancaster House constitutional talks, by detonating a bomb in the foyer of the Royal Gardens Hotel, Kensington. The operation, codenamed November, was at trigger stage when it was called off. Unbeknown to him, British security had been tipped off, but the informer thought he was a Rhodesian SAS operator and not an ex-member of British SAS, so he was never caught.    

2006, reprinted. Soft cover; 608 pages. Very good condition. Tightly bound; neat and clean. Minor wear at corners of cover. Over 1kg. This is a study of South African military operations during the apartheid years. It deals with all the top secret raids by Special Forces into surrounding African states, the political dynamics which led to them and the turbulent history of the times. This account tells not only the story of South Africa's Special Forces, it has also been described as the most important and frank history of South Africa itself during the apartheid years. Not only does it deal with military operations but it also explains the political dynamics that prompted them. It is wide ranging and covers the first counter-insurgency operations in Namibia in 1966, a commando raid on Dare-es-Salaam, the Fox Street Siege, South Africa's intervention into Angola in 1975 and subsequent pull-out, the rise of insurgency in Mozambique, South Africa's re-entry into Angola, strikes against SWAPO bases in Zambia, the training and assistance to UNITA, the fight against ZANLA and ZIPRA in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and how the Recces staffed Rhodesia's "D" Squadron SAS, the fall of Rhodesia, how the SAS and Selous Scouts were reformed as Recce units in South Africa, the selection and training of special forces, the raid against the ANC at Matola in Mozambique, South African assistance to RENAMO and Recce operations in Mozambique, Lesotho, Cabinda, Botswana and Zambia. It also deals in detail with the final days of apartheid South Africa and explains how close the country was to a right-wing coup d'etat.

1999, reprinted. Hard cover with dust cover; 608 pages. Very good condition. Tightly bound and neat. Over 1kg. This is a study of South African military operations during the apartheid years. It deals with all the top secret raids by Special Forces into surrounding African states, the political dynamics which led to them and the turbulent history of the times. This account tells not only the story of South Africa's Special Forces, it has also been described as the most important and frank history of South Africa itself during the apartheid years. Not only does it deal with military operations but it also explains the political dynamics that prompted them. It is wide ranging and covers the first counter-insurgency operations in Namibia in 1966, a commando raid on Dare-es-Salaam, the Fox Street Siege, South Africa's intervention into Angola in 1975 and subsequent pull-out, the rise of insurgency in Mozambique, South Africa's re-entry into Angola, strikes against SWAPO bases in Zambia, the training and assistance to UNITA, the fight against ZANLA and ZIPRA in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and how the Recces staffed Rhodesia's "D" Squadron SAS, the fall of Rhodesia, how the SAS and Selous Scouts were reformed as Recce units in South Africa, the selection and training of special forces, the raid against the ANC at Matola in Mozambique, South African assistance to RENAMO and Recce operations in Mozambique, Lesotho, Cabinda, Botswana and Zambia. It also deals in detail with the final days of apartheid South Africa and explains how close the country was to a right-wing coup d'etat.    

Until now little has been known about the Rhodesian contribution to the history of the SAS. Now at last the men themselves tell their own stories of the exploits of that Special Forces unit during the Bush War and the years before. SAS Rhodesia provides a comprehensive account of the origins and history of this famous Special Forces unit, as told by the men on the ground. This unique historical record features: Reminiscences by the men 10 chapters 624 pages full-colour litho print 1000 photographs 200 objects of militaria 200 documents 20 maps 10 tables 70 stories  Roll of honour Honours and awards table Citation of all awards Glossary Approved by the Rhodesian SAS Association   Third revised edition - January 2017

The first ever Special Forces for the SADF started with a small group of eleven men under the command of Commandant Jan Breytenbach all handpicked by him in 1970. They commenced their training in Oudtshoorn and all 11 men did specialised courses in something they were not qualified for in as yet. e.g. divers, demolition, parachute jumping. etc. The group was divided into two and also did courses in France in that year. Their first deployment took place into Angola. With the influx of more members, the group was changed to a Special Forces Unit in 1972 known as 1 Reconnaissance Commando. It was decided that the unit was to be moved and in December 1974 the unit relocated to the Bluff in Durban. The unit grew in numbers as more and more men qualified as Special Forces Operators. The decision was made to form three subunits: Airborne (Commandant Swart), Seaborne (Commandant Kinghorn) and Pseudo operators (Commandant Verster). The Seaborne group moved to Langebaan (4 Reconnaissance Commando) the Pseudo group to Dukuduku in Zululand (5 Reconnaissance Commando). A headquarter element was stationed in Pretoria, under command of General Loots. In 1982 they moved into their own Headquarter buildings just outside of Thaba Tshwane. In 1975 a Citizen Force unit 2 Reconnaissance Commando, under the command of Commandant Sybie van der Spuy, was formed to accommodate all members that had left the Permanent Forces units as citizen forces members. With the independence of Zimbabwe, members of the Selous Scouts and Rhodesian SAS were given a choice to join the SADF. The members that took this opportunity were transferred into two units: The Scouts as 3 Reconnaissance Commando in Phalaborwa and Rhodesian SAS as 6 Reconnaissance Commando in Durban. A year later these units amalgamated into the Permanent Force Units: 3 Reconnaissance Commando became part of 5 Reconnaissance Regiment and 6 Reconnaissance Commando became part of 1 Reconnaissance Regiment when the Commandos became Regiments in 1981. The volume of operations increased and more and more support personnel were transferred into Special Forces to support the operators in their task. The author served in Special Forces as a signaller for 5 Reconnaissance Regiment and then Special Forces Headquarter for a number of years. He did his parachute course with other support personnel at the age of 35. His responsibilities included the training of operators in communications radio and Morse code, the control of operational communications networks, plus all cryptography work. This book on South African Special Forces depicts the Pictorial History from the beginning up to 1994. It is the 4th edition, and the 1st pictorial version of the history of the South African Special Forces, Operators and Operations. There are more than 2000 pictures of 420 full color A4 pages bound in a hardcover showing pictures of events never before captured in one print.  FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINT - NOVEMBER 2014

 LARGE COLLECTION OF RHODESIAN WAR BOOKS PLUS A "SAS" MENU. ALL IN ONE LOT. "OR MAKE ME AN OFFER" 1) CONTACT - A TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO SERVE RHODESIA - John Lovett, Galaxie Press 1977, Large H/C, no jacket, 240 pages, inscription & former book shop stamp to first page. In good condition. 2) PAMWE CHETE, THE LEGEND OF THE SELOUS SCOUTS - Lieutenant-Colonel R.F. Reid-Daly. Covos-Day, 1999, H/C with Jacket, 593 pages. Some wear to jacket edges (small minor tears), O/A a very good copy. 3) VISCOUNT DOWN, THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE RHODESIAN VISCOUNT DISASTERS AS TOLD BY A SAS OPERATOR(SIGNED COPY) - Keith Nell, author & publisher, Softcover, 484 pages, some edge-wear to front cover, but still in good condition. 4) S.A.S C SQUADRON MENU. VERY GOOD CONDITION. 5) DEAD LEAVES, TWO YEARS IN THE RHODESIAN WAR - Dan Wylie, UN Press, 2002, 196 pages, Softcover, good condition. 6) RHODESIAN LIGHT INFANTRYMAN 1961 - 1980 NIEL GRANT, Osprey Publishing, 2015, 64 pages, Softcover, very good condition. 7) THE ZAMBESI SALIENT, CONFLICT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA - Al. J. Venter, Howard Timmins 1974, H/C with Jacket, 395 pages. Jacket in poor condition, book still in very good condition. SHIPPING: S.A.P.O. R100.00 or POSTNET R150.00 (DUE TO WEIGHT) PLEASE NOTE INTERNATION BIDDERS, PLEASE INQUIRE SHIPPING COST'S FIRST.

From the searing heat of the Zambezi Valley to the freezing cold of the Chimanimani Mountains in Rhodesia, from the bars in Port St Johns in the Transkei to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, this is the story of one man's fight against terror, and his conscience. Anyone living in Rhodesia during the 1960s and 1970s would have had a father, husband, brother or son called up in the defense of the war-torn, landlocked little country. A few of these brave men would have been members of the elite and secretive unit that struck terror into the hearts of the ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas infiltrating the country at that time - the Selous Scouts. These men were highly trained and disciplined, with skills to rival the SAS, Navy Seals and the US Marines, although their dress and appearance were wildly unconventional: civilian clothing with blackened, hairy faces to resemble the very people they were fighting against. Twice decorated - with the Member of the Legion of Merit (MLM) and the Military Forces' Commendation (MFC) - Andrew Balaam was a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later the Selous Scouts, for a period spanning twelve years. This is his honest and insightful account of his time as a pseudo operator. His story is brutally truthful, frightening, sometimes humorous and often sad. In later years, after Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, he was involved with a number of other former Selous Scouts in the attempted coups in the Ciskei, a South African homeland, and Lesotho, an independent nation, whose only crimes were supporting the African National Congress. Training terrorists, or as they preferred to be called, 'liberation armies', to conduct a war of terror on innocent civilians, was the very thing he had spent the last ten years in Rhodesia fighting against. This is the true, untold story of these failed attempts at governmental overthrows This book is imported on demand and dispatched within 15 working days depending on supplier Specifications Author: Andrew Balaam Binding: Paperback EAN: 9781909982772 ISBN: 1909982776 Label: Helion and Company Manufacturer: Helion and Company Number Of Pages: 288 PublicationDate: 2014-11-19 Publisher: Helion and Company Studio: Helion and Company    

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. 

A look at South African military operations during the apartheid years. It deals with all the top secret raids by Special Forces into surrounding African states, the political dynamics which led to them and the turbulent history of the times. This account tells not only the story of South Africa's Special Forces, it has also been described as the most important and frank history of South Africa itself during the apartheid years. Not only does it deal with military operations but it also explains the political dynamics that prompted them. It is wide ranging and covers the first counter-insurgency operations in Namibia in 1966, a commando raid on Dar-es-Salaam, the Fox Street Siege, South Africa's intervention into Angola in 1975 and subsequent pull-out, the rise of insurgency in Mozambique, South Africa's re-entry into Angola, strikes against SWAPO bases in Zambia, the training and assistance to UNITA, the fight against ZANLA and ZIPRA in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the fall of Rhodesia, how the SAS and Selous Scouts were reformed as Recce units in South Africa, the selection and training of special forces, the raid against the ANC at Matola in Mozambique, South African assistance to RENAMO and Recce operations in Mozambique, Lesotho, Cabinda, Botswana and Zambia. It also deals in detail with the final days of apartheid in South Africa and explains how close the country was to a right-wing coup d'etat. Paperback 608 pages b/w and colour illustrations Published December 2002

 The Silent War - Peter Stiff - Galago - 2006 - Paperback in good, clean and tight condition. A look at South African military operations during the apartheid years. It deals with all the top secret raids by Special Forces into surrounding African states, the political dynamics which led to them and the turbulent history of the times. This account tells not only the story of South Africa's Special Forces, it has also been described as the most important and frank history of South Africa itself during the apartheid years. Not only does it deal with military operations but it also explains the political dynamics that prompted them. It is wide ranging and covers the first counter-insurgency operations in Namibia in 1966, a commando raid on Dar-es-Salaam, the Fox Street Siege, South Africa's intervention into Angola in 1975 and subsequent pull-out, the rise of insurgency in Mozambique, South Africa's re-entry into Angola, strikes against SWAPO bases in Zambia, the training and assistance to UNITA, the fight against ZANLA and ZIPRA in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the fall of Rhodesia, how the SAS and Selous Scouts were reformed as Recce units in South Africa, the selection and training of special forces, the raid against the ANC at Matola in Mozambique, South African assistance to RENAMO and Recce operations in Mozambique, Lesotho, Cabinda, Botswana and Zambia. It also deals in detail with the final days of apartheid in South Africa and explains how close the country was to a right-wing coup d'etat. Paperback 608 pages black and white and colour illustrations.

A look at South African military operations during the apartheid years. It deals with all the top secret raids by Special Forces into surrounding African states, the political dynamics which led to them and the turbulent history of the times. This account tells not only the story of South Africa's Special Forces, it has also been described as the most important and frank history of South Africa itself during the apartheid years. Not only does it deal with military operations but it also explains the political dynamics that prompted them. It is wide ranging and covers the first counter-insurgency operations in Namibia in 1966, a commando raid on Dar-es-Salaam, the Fox Street Siege, South Africa's intervention into Angola in 1975 and subsequent pull-out, the rise of insurgency in Mozambique, South Africa's re-entry into Angola, strikes against SWAPO bases in Zambia, the training and assistance to UNITA, the fight against ZANLA and ZIPRA in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the fall of Rhodesia, how the SAS and Selous Scouts were reformed as Recce units in South Africa, the selection and training of special forces, the raid against the ANC at Matola in Mozambique, South African assistance to RENAMO and Recce operations in Mozambique, Lesotho, Cabinda, Botswana and Zambia. It also deals in detail with the final days of apartheid in South Africa and explains how close the country was to a right-wing coup d'etat.

At last! The history of the Rhodesian Light Infantry. Weve seen the stories of the more glamorous Selous Scouts, the SAS and the Rhodesian Air Force, but very little about the RLI, often underrated, but arguably one of the most effective counter-insurgency units of all time. This was the unit that brought the Fireforce concept to the worlds attention - the devastatingly ruthless airborne envelopment and annihilation of a guerrilla enemy. Dubbed The Killing Machine by Charles D. Melson, chief historian of the US Marine Corps, the RLI was a veritable foreign legion with over 20 diverse nationalities serving in her ranks. The RLI, a truly international airborne battalion, comprising of over 20 nationalities, fought the bitter Zimbabwean bush war for 15 years against the overwhelming tide of communist-trained guerrillas. Kill rates dont win wars, but during its brief 19-year history, it is estimated that the RLI accounted for between 12,000 and 15,000 enemy guerrillas, for the loss of 135 men. RLI soldiers were recipients of four Silver Crosses and 42 Bronze Crosses of Rhodesia. An RLI trooper holds the world record for operational parachute descents - a staggering 73 op jumps - most under 500 feet! A glossy coffee-table, pictorial format with hundreds of colour photos, maps, rolls, honours and awards. It is not intended as a definitive history but, with more of a classic scrapbook feel, the presentation attempts to capture the essence of this fine unit - what it was like to be a troopie, one of the ouens. We have accessed a host of unique, previously unpublished photos and illustrative material and many former RLI members have embraced the project, generously contributing photos, memorabilia and anecdotes. Ian Smith has written his tribute in the front and the foreword is by the last CO, Lieutenant-Colonel Charlie Aust. PAPERBACK: 544 PAGES WITH  1,800 b/w illustrations & maps.  Published June 2007

1986.  Soft cover. 149 pages. Very good condition. Tightly bound, neat and clean. Und er 1kg. In Forged in Battle, Jan Breytenbach presents a soldier's (as opposed to a historian's) account of the guerrilla and conventional battles fought by 32 "Buffalo" Battalion of the SADF - an elite battalion consisting of former FNLA guerrillas from Angola, led by white South African officers and NCOs. 32 Battalion was formed in great secrecy from the rag-tag, half-starved remnants of the Angolan guerrilla movement, the FNLA. The founding commander, a former "Recce" (South African equivalent of the SAS), turned these unwanted orphans from the Angolan guerrilla war into one of the most respected and feared units to see action in Namibia and Angola in later years.