1 Recce: The night belongs to us

Alexander Strachan

1 RECCE

THE NIGHT BELONGS TO US

Tafelberg

Dedicated to

Col. Jan Dirk Breytenbach DVR SD SM MMM

Author’s note

This book is about 1 Reconnaissance Commando (1 RC), the mother unit of the Special Forces in South Africa. 1 RC (commonly known as 1 Recce) existed as an independent operational unit from 1972 to 1981. Yet its formation and development started as far back as 1966.

In time other specialised units would develop from it, each with its own distinctive employment criteria. Collectively, the operational members of these units made up South Africa’s Recces – a name derived from the term ‘reconnaissance’.

1 RC would make its mark in a characteristic way that none of the other units could match. It had its own origins in an era when the idea of a Special Forces unit was inconceivable within the then South African military setup. The driving force behind the founding of this unique unit was the legendary Colonel Jan Breytenbach. He was supported in his endeavour by generals Fritz Loots and WP Louw.

‘The Recces’ is the umbrella term for what would later also include a citizen force unit, a seaborne unit and a pseudo/black unit. ‘Recce’ was for many decades a sensitive and ‘forbidden’ word, used only in small, select groups. Those who bandied it about openly were probably not part of the organisation.

But this should not create the impression of large numbers. Nothing could be further from the truth. At any given stage of 1 Recce’s existence, the number of operators never exceeded 67.

In the startup years, 1 RC did not adhere to strict military structures; it thrived on instinct rather than regulation. The men were inconspicuous and as far as appearance and dress were concerned, completely different from the rest of the South African Defence Force (SADF). They hailed from diverse backgrounds, and each had his own field of specialisation.

With their unorthodox mindset, this early founding group of the Recces was known as the Dirty Dozen (with reference to the 1967 movie The Dirty Dozen about a group of intrepid paratroopers in the Second World War). That was still before the unit had an official name. In their training and operations, they looked beyond the normal military structures: the man best equipped for the task at hand was the team leader, regardless of whether the group included higher ranks. Even if he was a junior member, he would have authority over the exercise.

While the group became more structured over time, it was still a difficult bunch of men to control because each was an individual and a leader in his own right. As a result of this individualism coupled with a strong esprit de corps, they did not get along well with members of other units. Hence they mostly preferred to keep themselves apart, thereby avoiding inevitable clashes.

Owing to this isolation, all kinds of myths and stories started circulating about the unit. Very little of this was true. What was true, however, was that 1 RC was – according to many experts – the sharpest, most versatile and deadliest specialist unit in the entire SADF; in the view of some, in the entire world.

During selection and subsequent exercises, the Recces were conditioned to withstand hunger, thirst, fear, pain, exhaustion and sleep deprivation. The men were superfit, preternaturally tough, highly trained and utterly dauntless. They took part in lengthy and gruelling operations. Their success was attributed to the intense planning, preparation and dedication that preceded every mission. The amount of time spent on the target was minuscule compared to the weeks or months that had been devoted to planning and rehearsals beforehand.

For instance, a seaborne operation into which months of planning and preparation had gone could be executed within the space of a single night. In the case of urban operations, after the intensive preparatory phase operators would often spend only a few minutes on the target before withdrawing.

The individuality of the unit also manifested itself clearly in its leadership structure. 1 RC could pride itself on three colourful commanders, respectively commandants Jan Breytenbach (Oudtshoorn phase), Jakes Swart (Durban phase) and André Bestbier (transition from commando to regiment status). Each put the stamp of his own character on the unit – in each case a new, innovative leader for a new era. The non-commissioned officer (NCO) command structure included legends such as warrant officers class 1 Trevor Floyd, Koos Moorcroft and Pep van Zyl. Under this strong leadership problems and transgressions in the unit were usually resolved by unconventional means.

There was the notorious ‘dirty’, for example. The offender had to carry a full AK-47 ammo box of 30 kg from Fort Doppies, the Recce base in the Caprivi Strip (today the Zambezi Region), to the Botswana border (or vice versa) – a 25-km slog through loose, sandy soil. On top of the leaden weight of the ammo box, the unwieldy shape with its sharp corners added to the agony. The punishment always took place at night, in conditions that varied from extremely hot with mosquito swarms to biting cold and sometimes soaking rain.

Then there was also the possibility that the culprit could encounter lions, buffalo, elephants and even mambas during his solitary hike. It was not uncommon for a lone walker to be pursued by a lion. There were cases where the fellow was found in a tree the following morning, with lions eyeing him from below. Thus issues were settled without formal charges or paperwork, and the daily programme could proceed normally without further repercussions.

In the early days the men were wild and rough, and they were prone to spur-of-the-moment target shooting in their living quarters on the Bluff in Durban. After operations, stress was unloaded in various ways. The Durban nightlife was a popular escape valve. The command structure regularly had to put out fires the next morning after the Recces had been on a night out in the beach and harbour area.

1 Recce was privileged to have extensive employment possibilities. Besides being qualified parachutists, all the operators were trained in explosives, bushcraft, weapons handling, signals, rock climbing, escape-and-evasion, survival, camouflage and emergency medical treatment. This wide spectrum of skills was harnessed during operations to frustrate and outwit the enemy. Each member of the team displayed initiative and leadership. Given their small numbers, they were invariably up against a numerically superior force.

The camaraderie that reigned among the close-knit group of men still persists today, long after they have left the unit. The principle of ‘one for all and all for one’ applied throughout. It was this bond of brotherhood that carried them through tough times, and they would continue supporting one another on all levels in the years ahead. During operational periods a premium was put on security, and members would never try to find out where their comrades had been deployed. The less you knew the better, as ignorance eliminated the possibility of a security breach.

In this book, a brief overview is first given of the Recces’ employment in both 1 RC and the subsequent 1 Reconnaissance Regiment, which originated from 1 RC in 1981. The reader is given insight into how they were deployed and utilised, inter alia in bush and urban warfare, pseudo and vehicle operations, two-man reconnaissance missions, and deployments with parachutes and on rivers and at sea.

The Recces operated at night in small groups far behind enemy lines. Because their small numbers ruled out reliance on heavy firepower, they put their faith in stealth and surprise. The mother unit, 1 RC, had only a handful of operators at its disposal, despite various recruitment initiatives. The reader gets a behind-the-scenes look at aspects such as the formation of the unit, selection and the full training cycle, and accompanies the operators on a number of decisive operations deep inside enemy territory.

Light is shed on the near-superhuman selection process (with a pass rate of 8–10% and in some cases zero), as well as on the operators’ operational deployment. Along with the Recces, the reader visits unexpected and strange destinations such as Biafra (Nigeria) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).

The Bush War in Angola is all at times at the centre of the conflict, and the reader is provided with a unique and intimate angle on several covert missions and sabotage tasks for which the credit was claimed by forces such as Unita. The Recces never made it known that they had been the ones responsible for executing the task since it was of strategic importance that no fingers could be pointed at South Africa’s involvement.

Survival in (to the Recces, rather cohabitation with) the African bush is another central theme. Among the stories told in the book is that of the renowned male lion Teddy who lived together with the Recces at their secret and concealed base, Fort Doppies in the wooded Caprivi. As Teddy matured and increased in size, the operators started calling him Terry (short for terrorist). His fate has been the subject of much speculation, and his handler, the crack tracker and bush expert Dewald de Beer, lifts the lid on what actually happened to him. The lion’s co-existence with the Recces on the banks of the Kwando River was closely connected to their affinity and affection for the African bush in which they lived, thrived and fought.

During the Border War 1 RC was regularly involved in firefights in Angola, among other places. In time they would also be increasingly drawn into the war in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). During this phase they would, as usual, be employed in the strictest secrecy. It was, after all, in the nature of the Recces to operate invisibly behind the scenes.

ALEXANDER STRACHAN

Glossary

‘The night belongs to us’

Moving stealthily, Hannes Venter’s group stalk the Shatotwa 1 base. In the bright moonlight, their surroundings are clearly visible. Their weapons are cocked, the safety catches set on ‘fire’. As they come closer, they see the grass roofs of the huts gleaming in the moonlight. It is ominously quiet; not even the sound of a dog barking. It worries them – the thought that no dogs are barking. Surely every camp has a dog or two; why aren’t the dogs picking up their scent?

With everything shrouded in total silence, the group anxiously lie waiting for first light, that brief grey period between daybreak and sunrise. It is a pleasant winter night, though, as expected, somewhat cool. The closer it gets to morning, the more the temperature drops. But when the Recces took off their backpacks, their backs were dripping with sweat. In the chilly breeze they are now starting to feel cold.

In front of them, the sleeping Swapo base is waking up. The silence is suddenly broken by sounds of motion, men coughing and grunting as they get up and stretch their bodies after the night’s sleep. Muted muttering and dry coughs can be heard from all sides. The guards at the entrance to the base – barely 40 m from the attack force – light cigarettes and start chatting unsuspectingly. But there is always the risk that something may alert them to the presence of the Recces on their front stoep.

At a distance of some 300 m, Charl Naudé’s group lie waiting. Positioned about 20 m from the Shatotwa 2 base, they are waiting for Hannes to ‘spring’ the attack on Shatotwa 1 at first light. The moment Hannes and his team start firing, Charl’s group will attack. According to their information, there are about 120 soldiers at each of the two Swapo bases.

As they wait for Hannes to launch the attack, someone steps out of a hut right in front them. It is a Swapo fighter without his gun, heading towards the concealed Recces. He is walking straight towards Lt. LC Odendal, who has dug himself in next to a metre-high bush. The rest of the team shift slightly and then they are again stock-still. But every AK-47 is now firmly trained on the approaching man. Adrenaline pumps through the operators’ veins. They hold their breath, their hearts in their mouths.

The man stops right in front of LC. He is evidently still half asleep, for the next moment he urinates on top of LC without spotting him. This is too much for LC, and he shoots the man dead there and then.

The moment the shot rings out, everyone simultaneously opens fire on the base with AK-47s and RPG-7s. At the same time all hell breaks loose 300 m away, where Hannes’s team bombard Shatotwa 1 with AK-47s, RPG-7s and mortars.

Their first target is the guards at the control point and sentry post. They were either killed instantly or have fled, as they stop returning fire after a few moments. Some of the Recces’ RPG-7 rockets hit the huts. At least three right ahead of them catch fire, creating a wall of flames 15 m in front of the attack force that brightly illuminates the Recces’ own positions. Above their heads, tracers and ordinary bullets pierce the air with sharp banging sounds.

Shots are now also being fired from the main base in the direction of Charl’s group. This fire is not really noteworthy since the whole camp has clearly been caught asleep. At Shatotwa 1, Hannes’s force now all rise from their positions and start advancing. Immediately they come under fire from light machine guns (LMGs). The LMG positions are in the north-western section of the base and fairly close to the Recces.

Hannes’s force continue their attack with fire-and-movement tactics. They do not run as usual, however, but execute the attack at a rapid walking pace. Walk and shoot, walk and shoot without stopping so that the group maintains its momentum. RPG-7 rockets and mortar bombs are exploding everywhere in the base and ripping it apart. The Recces shoot with lots of tracer bullets in their magazines, which causes the dry grass to catch fire. Eventually the whole camp is ablaze. In the glow of the flames they see the Swapos running and zigzagging to dodge the bullets.

The base has been caught so off guard that most of the Swapo soldiers’ weapons are still in their huts. The Recces mow down a great many of them with PKM machine guns, AK-47s and RPG-7s, with the mortars delivering overhead fire from a short distance. In the early-morning serenity of the bush, the roar of the explosions and machine-gun salvoes is deafening.

Tracer bullets whizz through the air trailing bright streaks of light a metre above the ground, and people wilt before the onslaught like blades of grass. The Recces continue to advance.

Perhaps the battle lasted only some minutes. Afterwards, it was impossible to recall the duration. To some Recces it might have felt like hours, but after a few minutes they had already moved through the objective.

Then the deathly quiet that is so characteristic of firefights set in. Their ears buzzing, the Recces did not even know whether or not Swapo kept returning fire, they were too focused on their own task. In the din of battle, they would not have been able to hear the enemy fire anyway. But now, in the silence, for the first time they become aware of the groans of the injured Swapo fighters.

* * *

As in the case of the above attack, the men of 1 Recce often used the cover of night to maintain the element of surprise against a numerically superior force. (The full story of the attack on the Shatotwa bases is told in chapter 12.) Accordingly, their motto was ‘The night belongs to 1.1 Commando’. For the Recces, the night was the ideal time to conduct their operations – it rendered them invisible to the enemy and to other prying eyes that might betray their presence. During daytime they preferred to lie motionless in their hide. From that concealed position they would scan the environs with an eagle eye to gather information about what was happening around them.

Inconspicuousness was the watchword, and the team would not betray their presence through sounds, smoke, smells or tracks. Maintaining the element of surprise was crucial. The operators employed advanced tactics such as anti-tracking to avoid detection – they erased their own tracks behind them so that the enemy would not even know they had entered the area.

The Recces conducted prior reconnaissance operations to identify their target, and in some cases higher authority (e.g. Military Intelligence) initiated the deployment. Depending on its sensitivity, the operation would be authorised by the Chief of the Defence Force or by the minister of defence – in some cases by the state president himself.

The Recce team’s leaders would plan an operation in the strictest secrecy with as few people as possible involved. At unit level, the Recce commander was responsible for the planning. Only after the plan had been rehearsed in the finest detail over weeks or months would the Recce teams be deployed on the mission under their unit commander.

Inside enemy territory, the team would lie up in one place during the day and then, just after last light (the period between sunset and darkness), move out of their hide under the cover of night. The objective was now to infiltrate the target they would attack at an appropriate time (midnight, for instance). Their withdrawal plan would have been worked out to the last detail, with all possibilities having been considered: on foot, from the air, or by sea.

Depending on the circumstances, they would be picked up by a helicopter after the operation. If not, the team would first put considerable distance between themselves and the target before again concealing themselves in a daytime hide before first light (between dawn and sunrise). There they would wait for darkness before moving to a predetermined landing zone where the chopper would pick them up. With each operation, the target, the terrain and enemy movements would inevitably determine what procedure would be followed.

When 1 Recce operators were deployed in foreign countries, they knew full well that their presence there was unwanted and illegal, and that they would be hunted down mercilessly if they were discovered. To avoid this possibility, they were preferably deployed clandestinely in smaller teams. But they could also be deployed as part of a larger attack force such as Unita, which had lots of firepower. Larger groups were more defiant and the task would be executed aggressively, after which the force would return to safety. In such cases (where there was a strong offensive capability) it would indeed be possible to move during the day with scouts.

Night work and nightime operations were second nature to the members of 1 Recce, as they were schooled in this from the outset. Their training during the rehearsal phase’s night-work programme would be done at exactly the same time as that scheduled for the execution of the operation. If the target had to be attacked at 02:00, for example, the rehearsal would also take place at 02:00 so that the operators could become accustomed to the conditions under which they were going to work.

Almost all operations were conducted at night, preferably during dark-moon periods. In fact, the night and foul weather conditions were the 1 Recce operator’s greatest friend and ally. Years of employment under such conditions made him a master of night warfare.

A well-trained soldier moves more easily at night with the stars as direction indicators. It is cooler, too, and there are fewer eyes that may spot you; you can relax more and focus better. Aids such as night-vision goggles could be used to improve visibility in the dark. But at the most basic level the Recce operator ‘saw’ with his ears and nose at night and let himself be guided by these senses.

The person who looks at light from the darkness at night has an advantage – his eyes have adjusted to the dark, and the target is clearly visible. On the other hand, it is much harder to look from light at an object in the dark.

At night you can also get much closer to the target without being spotted; this is vital in the case of reconnaissance work and intelligence gathering. In daytime, by contrast, the playing fields are level: both sides can see and react equally well, all the more so if the enemy is entrenched in a base or building.

The Recces regularly used ‘black is beautiful’ camouflage cream to mask their identities, but the disguise was only effective from a distance; at close quarters, the enemy would recognise their true features through the camouflage cream. The blackening of their skins did give them an advantage when they and the enemy ran into each other unexpectedly in the bush. The momentary confusion on the part of the enemy made them hesitate before firing. The South African team could then swiftly jump into action with small arms and RPG-7s.

In the same way that the Recce operator regarded the night as his confidant, he treasured the African bush as a precious ally. While outsiders experienced the bush with its wild animals, reptiles and impenetrability as hostile, the Recces saw it as a friendly and supportive environment on which they depended for their survival. They existed in total harmony with the bush and used its waterholes, shadows, shelter, food and vegetation to survive from day to day in a war situation.

Hence the young Recce learnt from very early on not to rebel against the bush or try to fight it. The bush was neutral, not hostile towards you, and your relationship with it was determined exclusively by your own attitude. It was only once you had learnt to notice the cobwebs and umbrella thorns from your subconscious that you knew you had finally merged with the bush – from now on you were at one with it. Now every twig became a toothbrush, every berry a sweet to suck on, every seemingly dry riverbed an inexhaustible water source.

By now you knew that the hot sun on your cheek could enable you to determine direction and stay on course without consulting your compass; also that the direction in which an anthill sloped at the top showed you where north is.

The sweat on your body had dried and you now smelt like the veld, like the dust, the trees, the leaves and the creepers. Once you experienced this level of comfort you did not survive in the bush, you thrived in it, as a seasoned Recce operator has rightly remarked.

At this level of situational awareness, every spoor sent out a signal, every sound helped to fill in the bigger picture. Your actions were subconsciously calculated, your feet moved effortlessly over the dry branches without making one snap. You slipped soundlessly through the shadows and melted into the dark patches. You smelt the grass, you smelt the dew, the soil was soft and accommodating. Your ears were constantly cocked and you heard the crickets, and then, when they abruptly fell silent, you knew …

1 Recce was primarily an airborne unit, which meant that parachute capabilities played an integral role. The three daggers on the 1 Recce shoulder flash signified land, sea and air, while the compass rose indicated that operations could be conducted in all directions, by day and by night (hence the black-and-white shoulder flash). Prospective operators were exposed to all the techniques during their training.

For a typical airborne attack, the Recces would be transported to the target area in a camouflaged C-130/C-160 aircraft. It flies at a low altitude, barely above the treeline, to evade detection by enemy radar. In the dark it is invisible to the naked eye. The heavily armed 1 Recce operators on board have been rubbed in with ‘black is beautiful’; their static-line parachutes are attached to the overhead cable, and the chutes and equipment have been checked. Now just a few red lights are on inside the plane. Only when it is very close to the target will it bounce up to the jump altitude of about 183 m above ground level, when the dispatchers open the jump doors. The wind immediately rushes noisily into the cargo hold and tears at clothes and equipment.

Then the aircraft bounces up to the jump altitude. The sudden upward thrust presses the jumpers floorwards until the aircraft stabilises at the new altitude. The red light above the open door goes on, and the dispatchers call out: ‘Stand in the door!’ As soon as the green light switches on, the Recces jump out in quick succession. Their parachutes deploy, and suddenly they hang in absolute silence. In the available moonlight they see the other parachutes around them and the aircraft flying off.

The low jump altitude means that the earth approaches very rapidly. Then they land one after the other on the unmarked drop zone. Here and there branches creak as some of the jumpers fall through trees. Now it is completely quiet, and the group is ready for action.

The attack force would lie motionless for a short while to listen for any enemy movement. Then they swiftly roll up the parachutes and move to a predetermined rendezvous point, where the chutes are usually first cut up and then concealed. Thereafter, still under the cover of night, they move stealthily towards the target. On completion of the night attack, the team move to a pick-up point from where, if possible, they will be extracted by a chopper before first light. The longer they remain on the ground, the higher the risk becomes.

In the case of reconnaissance and smaller sabotage teams they could reach the target by alternative means, namely high-altitude infiltration methods. The C-130/C-160 aircraft would then fly the same route and at the same altitude as civilian aircraft (10 668 m) to avoid attracting attention and to evade radar detection. They would usually also fly at the same times as the commercial airlines’ flights.

In such cases there would only be a very small group of Recce operators in the large aircraft. They wear specially designed jump helmets and masks that are connected to an oxygen system. The operators are camouflaged with ‘black is beautiful’, their backpacks heavily laden with rations, water, explosives and other items for the mission deep behind enemy lines that may last a few weeks.

Ten minutes before jump time the parachutes and equipment are checked by the dispatchers. All lights have been switched off; only a few red lights are on. Three minutes before jump time the flight engineer opens the loading ramp at the rear of the aircraft. The wind noise is so loud that everyone now communicates only by means of hand signals. One minute before jump time the jumpers activate their oxygen bottles and disconnect them from the aircraft’s system.

The team move towards the ramp and prepare for the HAHO (high altitude high opening) jump. It is bitterly cold. At 10 668 m the temperature is around -54 degrees Celsius, depending on the atmospheric conditions. All the operators can see is the black void in which not even fires on the ground are visible. Despite the freezing cold, the men are dripping with sweat under their specially designed suits because of all of the adrenaline.

Then it is P-hour, the moment that the first jumper has to exit the aircraft. The green light flashes and the Recces dive out of the plane into the dark unknown. After about three seconds the parachutes are opened, and