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.

The Silent War: South African Recce Operations 1969-1994

Engineering & Transportation

Peter Stiff

Engineering

Galago Books

Portugal: The Scramble for Africa

Paul Southern

This book details the formation and problems encountered by wartime RAF Coastal Command, the personalities involved and in particular the opposition that A.M.Joubert faced in establishing a credible war machine against the odds, including the Air Staff! He knew that the establishment of a Coastal Command and the introduction of ASV radar and other technical advances was the only way to contain the U-Boat menace. The book: Explains the important part played by Bletchley Park in de-crypting the German W/T codes and U-Boat operational instruction messages. Details the development of ASV and Leigh Light for night operations. Documents the deployment of new heavy calibre weapons and depth-charges, and the American Mk 24 Acoustic Homing Torpedo and Sonobouys.

Coastal Command V. the U-boat: A Complete World War II Coastal Command Review

Peter Dancey

Secret German Aircraft Projects of 1945: Based on British Air Intelligence Reports, 1945-46

Unknown, Author

Mudhook Machine Gunner

D.J. Polley

Executive Outcomes is the model on which all Private Military Companies (PMCs) operating in Iraq and Afghanistan are based. Founder Eeben Barlow in the early 1990s originally offered courses in intelligence to South Africa's Special Forces and security work to De Beers' diamond mining industry. This was greatly expanded in 1993 when an oil company offered EO a contract to provide security for its staff while they recovered valuable drilling equipment stranded at the Angolan oil port of Soyo - after its capture by UNITA rebels. Barlow recruited ex-members of South Africa's elite military units for the job. EO was contracted for a month, but this ended up being extended and EO spearheading an Angolan Army assault on Soyo and its capture from UNITA. This highly successful operation led to a contract to retrain the Angolan Army. Both UNITA and MPLA had taken part in UN supervised elections in 1992, but UNITA had rejected the results after losing and it had returned to civil war. During a hard-fought campaign, retrained Angolan Army units led by EO captured Cafunfu - the diamond producing area that funded UNITA's war effort. Eventually, international pressure spearheaded by the UN and the 'blood diamond' lobby, forced EO's withdrawal from Angola which quickly sank back into chaos. EO's next contract was in May 1995 when 200 men were despatched to Sierra Leone where RUF rebels, chopping off people's limbs and engaging in cannibalism, were marching on Freetown. EO smashed the rebels and this led to free and fair elections with a new government being elected. Pressures were again exerted which resulted in EO's withdrawal. In the place of its 200 troops the UN deployed 18 000 soldiers at a cost of US$1 billion per year. The rebels regrouped,frequently taking UN troops as hostages, and the country again sank back into...

Executive Outcomes Against All Odds

Literature & Fiction

Eeban Barlow

Genre Fiction

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