Piet Nortje's Books

The Battle of Savate

32 Battalion’s Greatest Operation

By: Piet Nortje

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The Battle of Savate

32 Battalion’s Greatest Operation

By: Piet Nortje

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.

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Page Count

392

Publisher

Penguin Random House South Africa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1770227806

ISBN 13

9781770227804

32 Battalion

The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit

By: Piet Nortje

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32 Battalion

The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit

By: Piet Nortje

Every war has at least one - a unit so different, so daring, that it becomes the stuff of which legends are made and heroes are born. Among the South African forces fighting in Angola from 1975 to 1989, that unit was 32 Battalion. Founded in utmost secrecy from the vanquished remnants of a foreign rebel movement, undefeated in 12 years of front-line battle, feared by enemies that included both conventional Cuban armies and Namibian guerrilla fighters, the Buffalo Soldiers became the South African army’s best combat unit since World War II, with no fewer than 13 members winning the highest decoration for bravery under fire. But when peace broke out in southern Africa, the victors of Savate became the victims of sophistry. Their fate and future determined by politicians who understood little and cared less about this truly unique fraternity, 32 Battalion ceased to exist in 1993, its short history and long list of battle honours known only to those whose enemies called them Os Terriveis - the Terrible Ones. Now, for the first time, the story of 32 Battalion can be told in full, with neither adornment nor apology, by one of its longest-serving members. The book draws from top secret documents, revealing information that has never been made public before. Also included are rare photographs that evoke the colourful, and often controversial, history of 32 Battalion, as well as detailed maps depicting specific operations and deployments.

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Page Count

334

Publisher

Penguin Random House South Africa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1770201432

ISBN 13

9781770201439

The Battle of Savate

32 Battalion’s Greatest Operation

By: Piet Nortje

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Battle of Savate

32 Battalion’s Greatest Operation

By: Piet Nortje

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

392

Publisher

Penguin Random House South Africa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1770227806

ISBN 13

9781770227804

32 Battalion

The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit

By: Piet Nortje

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

32 Battalion

The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit

By: Piet Nortje

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

334

Publisher

Penguin Random House South Africa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1770201432

ISBN 13

9781770201439

Book's by Piet Nortje

The Battle of Savate

The Battle of Savate

32 Battalion

32 Battalion

The Battle of Savate

The Battle of Savate

32 Battalion

32 Battalion

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