1 Recce. Een van die skerpste, veelsydigste en dodelikste spesialiseenhede in die Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag. Dié manne was superfiks en bomenslik taai.
Hulle het telkens hul lewe op die spel geplaas in geheime operasies.
Alexander Strachan, bekroonde skrywer en self 'n gewese Recce, vertel die verhaal van 1 Recce se ontstaan, geskiedenis en rol in die Bosoorlog. Ná jare van mites en geheimhouding gee dié boek 'n binneblik op die Recces en die werk wat hulle onsigbaar agter die skerms gedoen het.

1 Recce. One of the sharpest, most versatile and deadliest specialist units in the South African Defence Force. These men were superfit and unbelievably tough.
Time and again they put their lives on the line in covert operations.
The award-winning author Alexander Strachan, himself a former Recce, tells the story of 1 Recce's formation, history and role in the Bush War. After years of myth and secrecy, this book provides an inside look at the Recces and the work they did behind the scenes.

Daar was hewige vuurgevegte, oorwinnings, maar ook verliese . . .

1 Recce, Agter vyandelike linies, neem die leser tot in die Recces se “binnekamer”. In hul eie woorde vertel Recce-operateurs van die lewensgevaarlike operasies wat hulle onder groot geheimhouding in die laat 1970's in Angola en Rhodesië uitgevoer het.

Die leser sien die operateurs sweet in die vliegtuig of duikboot en beleef die gevaar wanneer hulle in die nagdonker riviere met krokodille trotseer. Die spanning en adrenalien loop hoog wanneer die Recces springstof in 'n treintonnel diep in vyandelike gebied plaas of 'n groot brandstofbergingsplek in 'n Angolosese hawestad in 'n vlammehel omskep.

Dié wat daar was vertel van die spanning, afwagting, vrees, adrenalien, moegheid, dors en hartseer wat hulle beleef het, maar ook van die humoristiese momente en die vriendskapsbande wat gesmee is.

1 Recce, Agter vyandelike linies is Alexander Strachan, bekroonde skrywer en gewese Recce, se opvolgboek op sy topverkoper: 1 Recce, Die nag behoort aan ons.

1 Recce, Behind Enemy Lines, takes the reader into the Recces' inside chamber. In their own words the Recces detail life-threatening operations performed under great secrecy. The reader sees the operators sweat in the airplane or submarine and experiences the danger with them when they face crocodile invested rivers in the middle of the night.

Die Slag van Cuito Cuanavale is al dekades lank 'n bron van hewige konflik en emosie, maar tot nou toe was min bekend oor die Recces se teenwoordigheid en impak tydens dié omstrede gevegte.
In hierdie laaste boek van die spanningsvolle trilogie oor 1 Recce onthul Alexander Strachan, bekroonde skrywer en self  'n oud-Recce, meer oor die Recces se betrokkenheid daar.
Propvol spanning, adrenalien, hoogdrama en onvergeetlike vertellings deur oud-Recces wat dié ervarings eerstehands beleef het.

The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale has been a source of fierce contestation and emotion for decades, but up to now little was known about the Recces' presence and impact during this controversial battle.
In the last book of the nail-biting trilogy about 1 Recce, the award-winning author Alexander Strachan, himself an ex-Recce, reveals more on the Recces' involvement there.
Packed with suspense, adrenaline, high drama and unforgettable accounts by ex-Recces who experienced these adventures personally.

Over the past century, South Africa's military has established itself in several defining battles and operations. Preferring manoeuvre over attrition, and often punching above their weight, they have become known for their tenacity, dash, and ability to defy the odds. Their unique command style also sets them apart from other armies and has helped them excel in challenging circumstances
In 20 Battles, military historians Evert Kleynhans and David Brock Katz investigate how South Africa's way of war evolved over a 100-year period. They track the evolution of the doctrine and structure of the South African defence forces, rediscovering historical continuity, if any, and the lessons learned in past battles and operations such as Otavifontein, Delville Wood, Southern Ethiopia, Tobruk, Chiusi, Savannah, Cassinga, Cuito Cuanavale and Boleas
The book also identifies a number of firsts for the defence force, such as the first-ever deployment during the 1914 Industrial Strike; the varied deployments across different theatres during both world wars; the first large-scale cross-border deployments during the Border War; the first deployment of the new South African National Defence Force after 1994; and, culminating with the recent, and now infamous, Battle of Bangui

They were a rag-tag band of bush warriors who fought their way across Angola and into the military history books. Here, for the first time, is the full, unembellished truth about the South African Defence Force's most controversial and legendary fighting unit, 32 Battalion.

The 20th Century has been one of enduring, rapid and fundamental social and political change. In Southern Africa, innumerable wars, rebellions, uprisings and protests have marked the integration, disintegration and then reintegration of both society and subcontinent during this period.
The century started with a brief but total war. Less than ten years later victorious Britain brought the conquered Boer republics, and the Cape and Natal colonies, together into the Union of South Africa. And the military of this early creation served not only in all of the major wars of the twentieth century, but also in a number of regional struggles: rebellion on the part of Afrikaner nationalists, industrial unrest fanned by syndicalists, and uprisings conducted chiefly but not exclusively by disenfranchised black South Africans.
The century ended as it started, with a war. But this was a limited war, a flashpoint of the Cold War, which embraced more than just the subcontinent and lasted a long, twenty-three years.
The first of its kind, A Military History of Modern South Africa provides an overview of South African military history from 1899 to 2000. Focusing on the campaigns and battles, it also brings discussion on the evolving military policy and the development of the South African military as an institution into a single volume.
Ian van der Waag is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Military History in the Faculty of Military Sciences, Stellenbosch University. A transnational historian, he has published extensively on imperial and colonial defence, South Africa's wars of the twentieth century, and the mutual, reciprocal impacts between war and South African society.

Norman McFarlane was a teenager just out of high school when he was conscripted for national service and sent to Angola. Like so many other ordinary troopies, he was thrown into the horror, deprivation and banality of war during Operation Savannah (1975─1976), the apartheid regime's secret campaign to influence the outcome of Angolan independence.
He recounts his loss of innocence in Angola, the subsequent 'camps' and his journey towards confronting his post-traumatic stress disorder. Told with disarming honesty and humour, he gives voice to a generation of white South African men forced into a grisly, life-defining experience.

Die reis op soek na antwoorde begin in Augustus 2018 met 'n toer deur Angola. Die ongenaakbare terrein en taal hindernisse in Angola, maak toerlede aangewese op mekaar. Ek begin soldate kameradrie verstaan.
In Angola het die nasionale parke sonder diere, armoede, die nuwe kolonialiseerders van Afrika en die sigbare sowel as die onsigbare littekens van oorloe, 'n groot indruk op my gemaak. Die deure na die gebeure in die verlede moes oopgesluit word. Soldate se wedervaringsmoet gedeel word.

In early 1976 while working underground as a blaster on ERPM gold mine in Boksburg, Greg Latter was called up for a three-month army camp in Angola, and there was no getting out of it. The truth is, he was actually keen to go. South Africa was at war with the Cubans and he was overcome by a peculiar sense of patriotism. This story is about those three months, told from the day he received his call-up telegram to the day after he got back.
There is nothing gung-ho in the pages of this book. It's mainly about the cock-ups, of which there were countless, the major one involving Greg himself. Greg has the distinction of being the only soldier in the Transvaal Horse Artillery who saw action in Angola. He shot up one of the SADF's own vehicles after being ordered to do so by Signalman Podolski, who was in charge of the radio that rainy night. Greg was court-martialled and found not guilty, although thereafter he was taken off guard duty in case of a repeat cock-up. Which suited him no end, of course.

This book is also about the little things, like the kak food; the warm ice cream and hot beers that were so kindly delivered to the middle of nowhere by helicopter; and the butcher who came up with the great idea of finding a waterhole so they could shoot a cow to have some fresh meat. It's also about the Portuguese refugees Greg encountered, families fleeing from God knows what, lounge suites strapped to the roofs of their cars. It's about a man coming of age and realising he never needed to go down into the darkness again. The day after he got back from that camp, Greg went down the mine shaft but came straight back out again, signed last shift, and started to live.

Operation Savannah entered the annals of South African military tradition four decades ago. Though there have been several books published about this 'bare bones' strike force that marched almost unimpeded a quarter of the way across the African continent, few are aware of the significant role played during the course of these hostilities by a fragmented Bushman unit led by one of the most enigmatic personalities to emerge in uniform since the end of World War II.
Until now, Colonel Delville Linford has had very little to say about his role as commander of Combat Group Alpha, or of that played by his Bushmen soldiers. In this volume he allows us a peek under the covers, not only how this tiny combat force operated, but also many 'behind the screens' machinations which explain how the unit was formed.
Following the independence of Angola from Portugal, a significant segment of that country's Bushman community crossed the border into what was then still South West Africa - Namibia today - and sought refuge with the South Africans. He goes on to tell us a lot about the Bushman people themselves: the nature of their society, tribal traditions, bush-craft, customs that have become ingrained with time, historical fears, life in the wild, tracking - as well as much else about a historical culture that goes back millennia. Together with many of Colonel Linford's empathetic observations of these intriguing 'little' people, all go towards making for a rather fascinating read.
A hallmark volume with an introduction by General Constand Viljoen, Colonel Linford offers us - for the first time - his own 'warts and all' report, not only of the legendary 31 Battalion but also of his career in the South African Army.
Cmdt Delville Linford was die South African Army's last liaison officer at Serpa Pinto, from April 1973 to July 1974. Because of his knowledge of Angola and its people, he was tasked by Brigadier Constand Viljoen to establish a base in the western Caprivi to accommodate, equip and train these Bushman soldiers so that they could help to protect the South West African border against Swapo. With the help of six national servicemen and 39 black troops, Linford established Camp Alpha. Combat Group Alpha participated in Operation Savannah from October 1975 to January 1976, after which the company was named 31 Battalion and operated in south-east Angola and Zambia.

AL J. VENTER, now living in the UK, has written over 40 war books, including Allah's Bomb, Iran's Nuclear Option, and Iraqi War Debrief, War Dog: Fighting Other People's Wars, Barrel of a Gun: A War Correspondent's Misspent Moments in Combat, War Stories by Al J. Venter and Friends, Gunship Ace - The Wars of Neall Ellis, Helicopter Pilot and Mercenary and African Stories by Al J. Venter and Friends.

Re-jacketed reprint.
At the Front is the memoirs of the legendary General Jannie Geldenhuys - a soldier, strategist, diplomat and a sportsman. It takes us through negotiations, threats and major operations of the Border War in South West Africa (today Namibia) and Angola in the late 1970s and 1980s. Geldenhuys introduces us to international politicians, ordinary soldiers, friends and foes and traces the role they played in the war.

He shares his first-hand experiences of important operations such as Operation Smokeshell and debunks a few commonly held beliefs about the battles around Cuito Cuanavale towards the end of the war by providing facts and figures about the loss of life and equipment on both sides. He also reveals the surprising facts about
the costs and other implications of the war for southern Africa, making Geldenhuys' story both of military and historical importance.

This book is far more than a general's account of a war. At the Front presents a world where one meets friction de guerre and discovers the strange intertwined nature of war and peace, success and failure, good and bad luck, chance and fate, winning and losing. General Jannie Geldenhuys tells a compelling story that radiates
graciousness, compassion and an indomitable sense of humour.

This book covers South Africa, South West Africa and the Homelands Military and Police metal and cloth badges, flashes, stable belt buckles, buttons and brassards. The time frame is 1964-1994. There are 5969 actual full colour photographs of these items as well as descriptions on all items. This is a must have for Militaria collectors as well as all who served during that period.