On 21 May 1980, under the codename Operation Tiro-Tiro, 32 Battalion attacked and routed a FAPLA brigade at Savate, a small Angolan town 75 kilometres north of the border with South West Africa. Fifteen members of 32 Battalion were killed in the action and many more wounded. It was the highest South African casualty rate in a single skirmish since the start of the Border War. Overall, however, Savate was a significant victory for 32 Battalion. FAPLA suffered heavy casualties and the invaders captured a great many vehicles, weapons, ammunition and other equipment. Operation Tiro-Tiro, or the Battle of Savate as it became known, was the first time the SADF had engaged FAPLA in battle since 1975. And, despite the record number of casualties, it was 32 Battalion’s biggest victory since its formation in March 1976. While the Border War came to an end in 1989 and 32 Battalion was disbanded in March 1993, to this day a remem-brance service and parade is held annually on the Sunday closest to 21 May to commemorate the Battle of Savate and to remember 32 Battalion’s victory and the price they paid. Drawing from official documents in the Department of Defence Documentation Centre that have only recently been declassified and from testimonies of soldiers on both sides, The Battle of Savate is the definitive account of one of the greatest battles of the Border War, describ¬ing in detail the operation, its motivation and planning, its achievements and failures, and vividly recreating the experience of what happened on the ground.
On 21 May 1980, under the codename Operation Tiro-Tiro, 32 Battalion attacked and routed a FAPLA brigade at Savate. Fifteen members of 32 Battalion were killed in the action and many more wounded. It was the highest South African casualty rate in a single skirmish since the start of the Border War. Overall, however, Savate was a significant victor
The inside story of South Africa's most controversial fighting unit of the 1970s and 1980s. Originally formed in order to lend support to the FNLA and UNITA in the Angolan war, 32 Battalion quickly gained the reputation of being an unconventional, secretive, yet highly effective group.
2nd Edition - Published by the author. A gripping, personal account of one man's journey through a border war that contributed to transforming a country from being the pariah of the world to a shining example of reconciliation, peace and hope. From an idyllic childhood growing up on a sugar farm in Zululand, the story takes you through the realities of life during the Apartheid days in South Africa and the resultant call up for National Military Service during the 1970's and '80's. On completing his training, Justin Taylor graduated as a Signals Officer and volunteered for Border Duty in the operational area of the Angolan - Namibian border. There he volunteered again, joining the ranks of the then secretive and little known 32 Battalion ... the Portuguese speaking soldiers of whom were so feared by their enemies they were known as "Os Terriveis"..."The Terrible Ones". Drawn from the remnants of an Angolan rebel movement, 32 Battalion conducted secretive, clandestine operations into Angola at a time when South Africa was officially not at war with Angola. Taylor takes you through his 'baptism of fire' on arrival where he was thrust into offensive operations as an inexperienced junior officer responsible for the battalions communications. Nearly thrown out of the unit due to a communications failure, he put himself through a 'retraining course' with the units reconnaissance wing. This gave him the tools required for his subsequent deployment on combat operations. In pursuit of elusive guerrilla fighters, he details life as an anti-guerilla fighter on missions in the harsh and unforgiving conditions of the African bush and the intricacies of ground-to-air & ground-to-ground radio communications. Most notable is his account of the Battle of Savate where, heavily outnumbered, the battalion attacked an enemy brigade deep in enemy territory with the odds stacked against them. Told from the perspective of his role as a junior officer in the HQ, he vividly recounts the horrors of battle with the turmoil of the killing and the loss of close friends and comrades, intertwined with the challenges of maintaining communications with the command and control difficulties of an HQ caught up in the heat of battle. His following deployments into the bush were as a seasoned Signals Officer, culminating with his training of the replacement troops at the end of his service, arming them with the skills they would need to meet the standards required of a 32 Battalion Signaller. On completing his military service, he found it difficult adjusting to civilian life back in South Africa. With the racial segregation of Apartheid still well entrenched at the time, he found it all the more difficult having returned from a unique army battalion that knew no colour ... "When the shooting starts, it's not about the colour of a man's skin next to you that counts, it's what he is capable of".And then the disbanding of the battalion with South Africa's transformation to a democratic society in 1994, and with it the promise of a Rainbow Nation ... it was as if the batten of racial integration had been passed from the unit to the country as a whole."First and foremost a soldier's story, it is told without self-aggrandisement and with a balance of sensitivity together with the harsh realities of war. While the factual and detailed insights into the legendary 32 battalion are both intriguing and historically significant, it is in essence a human story. The anguish and emotions experienced by the author are honestly portrayed ... and coupled with his wry sense of humour, it is a story easy to read and easy to identify with."32 Battalion embraced racial and cultural diversity combined within a culture of mutual trust and respect. This empowered the unit to overcome insurmountable odds on the battlefield and resulted in the battalion being rated as the South African Army's best combat unit since World War II.
A gripping firsthand account of life and combat operations in the elite South African Special Forces, known as Recces, by a veteran Recce officer. The South African Special Forces are one of the most effective—and mysterious—military units in the world. Working in secret on covert operations, the legendary Recces have long fascinated, but little is known about how they operate. Now Koos Stadler, a career officer in the South African Special Forces, shares a revealing chronicle of his life and his experiences in the Border War. Shortly after passing the grueling Special Forces selection course in the early 1980s, Koos Stadler joined the so-called Small Teams group at 5 Reconnaissance Regiment. This sub-unit was made up of two-man teams and was responsible for many secret missions behind enemy lines. Sent to blow up railway lines and enemy fighter jets in south Angola, Stadler and his partner stared death in the face many times.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the world’s most popular UFC fighter, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre, comes a startlingly honest portrait of a fighter’s journey, highlighting the lessons that propelled his rise from bullying victim to internationally celebrated athlete and champion. There’s more to winning battles than fists and feet For world-renowned professional fighter Georges St-Pierre, the greatest asset is not physical strength or athleticism—it’s a sense of purpose. From his beginnings as a small, mercilessly bullied child first discovering karate to his years as a struggling garbage collector who spent all his free time in the gym, his hard-fought rise in the sport of mixed martial arts, and his long, painful recovery from a career-threatening injury, Georges never lost sight of his ambition to become the greatest martial artist of all time. In The Way of the Fight, Georges for the first time reveals what propelled him not only to become a champion but to embrace obstacles as opportunities to build character. The Way of the Fight is an inspirational look into the mindset of a master. To Georges, all life is competition, and there’s no more perfect metaphor for competition than the life of a fighter. He explains the value of discipline, risk and even fear, with the wisdom of one who knows that nothing is assured—his next fight could always be his last. Drawing inspiration from fighting legends, Eastern philosophy and a trusted inner circle, The Way of the Fight is a powerful, life-changing guide to living with purpose and finding the way to accomplish your loftiest goals.
In the Middle Ages, wrestling was practiced as both pastime and self-defense by every level of society - nobles, townsman, and peasants alike - and was regarded as the foundation of all other martial arts. And no medieval wrestler's name looms as large as that of the Jewish master Ott, "wrestler to the noble Princes of Austria", whose treatise is included in over a dozen fencing manuscripts. In this first of its kind book, Jessica Finley of the renowned medieval martial arts association, the Selohaar Fechtschule, guides the reader on a journey that begins with the historical background of Ott's wrestling and culminates in step-by-step instruction for practicing the techniques of this ancient fighting art. Both the lover of history and the wrestler on the mat will find this work an invaluable resource.
"MOLON LABE!" "Come and get it," the battlefield cry of the ancient Spartan warriors. When Jim Arvanitis resurrected the ancient Greek martial art of pankration and updated it with the most effective concepts and techniques from other combative systems, he developed what many acknowledge to be one of world's first mixed martial arts (MMA). Now, Arvanitis has delved further into Greek martial history and revived the lost art of pammachon, or "battlefield pankration"—the military predecessor of pankration that takes the art out of the sporting arena and into the streets, where the objective is not competing to win a prize but fighting to save your life. Battlefield Pankration: The Book is a complete course in the nasty business of hard-core "conflict resolution." The techniques require no athleticism to perform but are based purely on raw animal instinct. The instruction blends the brutal competitive training of the MMA arena with the intensity of reality-based scenario drills. Its goal is not to show you how to engage in an uncontrolled brawl but to teach you dozens of tactical means to end an altercation quickly. Whether the fight is stand up or on the ground, whether your assailant is armed or unarmed, whether you are facing one or more opponents, Battlefield Pankration: The Book will show you how to handle all stages of a violent encounter with streetwise strategies, vicious techniques, and the warrior spirit of the ancient Spartans!
In close-quarter combat, there is no second chance and no room for error. On the street, as in military combat, even the smallest mistake can make the difference between life and death. U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat is the official field manual (FM 21-150) used by U.S. Army soldiers—men and women trusted, trained, and tasked to protect the United States from enemies in every kind of situation. When weapons are unavailable or not advisable, the techniques in this manual will show every reader the skills necessary to neutralize an attacker swiftly and effectively.
