32 Battalion (book)

Last updated
32 Battalion: The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit
32Battalion Cover.jpg
AuthorPiet Nortje
CountrySouth Africa
LanguageEnglish
Subject South African Border War
Published2004 (Zebra)
Media typePaperback
Pages352
ISBN 1-86872-914-1
OCLC 56911507

32 Battalion: The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit is a book written by Piet Nortje. For his entire adult life he had been a soldier. Half of his military career he spent with 32 Battalion. During early 1993 he volunteered to compile the story of 32 Battalion. He was inspired to do this during informal discussions with two former 32 Battalion officers, Commandant Werner Sott, outgoing OC 7 SA Infantry Battalion, and his successor, Commandant Daan van der Merwe. [1] They informed Nortje that someone else already approached to do so, but even though Nortje was advised to drop the idea, he started to collect as much information as possible on 32 Battalion.

Contents

At the end of 1993 a staff paper written by Major Walley Vrey, entitled The History of 32 Battalion, was supplied to Nortje. Upon the retrieval of this document, he was again advised that there was another book in the pipeline, but he ignored this warning once again. By January 1998 no other book had been published about 32 Battalion's history, even though various people promised Nortje that there were other books being written. He started to fear that some vital information and facts would start to die away with time. He turned to Brigadier General Eddie Viljoen who immediately offered him assistance. Viljoen told Nortje how to proceed with this project, which Nortje appreciated very much, as Viljoen was the longest serving officer with 32 Battalion. [2]

The main roadblock for Nortje was that all the information regarding 32 Battalion was still classified, and without official records the book wouldn't be as accurate and complete as possible. Because he was a serving member of the South African National Defence Force, he had to obtain special permission from the Chief of the South African Army before he could get access to these archives. The information was spread over 2319 files, all stamped Top Secret at the Department of Defence Documentation Centre in Pretoria. These documents were declassified between November 1999 an April 2002, revealing the truth behind what happened in Angola. [2]

During the same period Nortje sent 1309 email messages to former members of the 32 leader group. [2] He asked them for personal opinions, recollections, photographs and anecdotes. He even ran a website for six months to account for the experiences of those who served with 32 Battalion. The response Nortje got was disappointing. Only seven people returned emails to him. Due to this, he decided to only include the official records and his own experiences. The chapter headings of this book are very special. These are the names of songs traditionally sung by 32 Battalion, translated into English. These songs were sung on the eve of battle or on the parade ground.

People who made a contribution to this book: [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Operation Reindeer

Operation Reindeer, which began on 4 May 1978, was South Africa's second major military operation in Angola, carried out under the Apartheid regime, the first being Operation Savannah.

32 Battalion (South Africa) light infantry battalion of the South African Army

32 Battalion was a light infantry battalion of the South African Army founded in 1975, composed of black and white commissioned and enlisted personnel. It was disbanded on 26 March 1993.

Operation Askari 1983 military operation in Angola

Operation Askari was a military operation during 1983 in Angola by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War.

Operation Displace

Operation Displace was a military operation by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War. It involved maintaining the illusion that the SADF had remained in brigade strength east of Cuito Cuanavale at the end of April 1988 and the eventual withdrawal of all South African military units from south-eastern Angola during August 1988.

Operation Seiljag

Operation Seiljag was a South African 32 Battalion search and destroy campaign conducted against the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) from November 1976 to March 1977, during the South African Border War. It was carried out from November 1976 to March 1977 largely on the Yati Strip, a region patrolled by South African security forces parallel to the Angolan border. By February, the fighting had intensified and shifted to about fourteen kilometres into Angola. In the course of a four-month period 32 Battalion had eliminated two PLAN sections, repelled a third incursion across the border, and destroyed three militant bases. The bodies of nineteen guerrillas were recovered, in addition to a cache of mortar bombs and RPG-7 projectiles intended for use on PLAN raids.

Operation Wallpaper

Operation Wallpaper was a military operation by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War.

Operation Packer

Operation Packer was a military operation by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War from March to April 1988. This operation forms part of what became known as the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. Operation Packer was a continuation of Operation Hooper, using fresh troops and equipment. The Cubans' objective was still to secure the town of Cuito Cuanavale to the west of the river from capture. The SADF objective was once again to eliminate the remaining Angolan forces on the east side of the river, so as to ensure that the Angolans were no longer a threat to UNITA in the south-east. Although at the conclusion some Angolan units remained in positions east of the river, the Angolan advance against UNITA was permanently halted, and UNITA lived to fight on. The SADF never attempted to cross the river or to capture the town. Both sides again claimed victory.

Operation Sceptic

Operation Sceptic was the largest anti-South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) sweep during the South African Border War up to that point. The operation was also known as Smokeshell though this was the codename for the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) base which was the main focus of the attack. This operation followed Operation Safraan and preceded Operation Klipklop.

Francisco Daniel "Danny" Roxo (1933–1976) was a Portuguese hunter, safari guide, and soldier. Born in Mogadouro, he emigrated to Niassa Province, Portuguese Mozambique during the 1950s, where he established himself as a professional hunter. Roxo later fought in the Mozambican War of Independence against nationalist guerrillas. After Mozambican independence he served as a foreign volunteer in 32 Battalion, a Portuguese-speaking unit of the South African Army.

Operation Super

Operation Super was a military confrontation during the South African Border War in March 1982 to prevent SWAPO guerrillas infiltrating into South West Africa through the Kaokoveld from a location near the abandoned Portuguese town of Iona in the Angolan province of Namibe.

FALA

The Armed Forces of the Liberation of Angola or FALA was the armed wing of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), a prominent political faction during the Angolan Civil War.

Wilhelm Friedrich Ratte the youngest son born to a South African mother and German father. He is a former member of the elite Rhodesian Special Air Service of the Rhodesian Army, and former Lieutenant Colonel in 32 Battalion, the most decorated unit in the South African Defence Force.

Regiment de la Rey

Regiment de la Rey is an infantry battalion of the South African Army. As a reserve force unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit.

Operation Southern Cross

Operation Southern Cross (1986) was a military operation by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War.

Operation Konyn

Operation Konyn was a military operation by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War. Operation Konyn was launched on 21 August 1981. The operation preceded Operation Protea with the objective of destroying targets at Cahama and Chibemba in Angola. The Angolans had built a series of radar and early warning stations at Cahama, Chibemba, Lubango and Menongue. Attacking the first two target towns would ensure that the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) would not interfere with the South African Air Force operations in support of South African Defence Force (SADF) ground troops taking part Operation Protea against People's Liberation Army of Namibia bases.

Operation Excite/Hilti

Operation Excite/Hilti was a set of military operations by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War.

Operation Dolfyn

Operation Dolfyn was a military operation in Angola from May 1983 by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War.

Lieutenant General Deon Ferreira was a South African Army officer. He served as Chief of Joint Operations before his retirement.

Operation Magneto

Operation Magneto was a military operation in August 1985 to transport UNITA soldiers by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War.

Nortjé or Nortje is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

References

  1. ↑ Nortje, Piet (2004). "Preface". 32 Battalion: The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit. pp. xiii. ISBN   1-86872-914-1.
  2. 1 2 3 Nortje, Piet (2004). "Preface". 32 Battalion: The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit. pp. xiv. ISBN   1-86872-914-1.
  3. ↑ Nortje, Piet (2004). "Preface". 32 Battalion: The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit. pp. xv. ISBN   1-86872-914-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.