Marines w highly trained. Instructors went thru Mafafa Skool and only best made it and went on to train troops. Being of Navy intake, instructors were well targeted at Mafafa skool, Oudshoorn, by army instructors, and us "duikbote" had to prove ourselves. This 9 mnths of being targets, made us better and harder instructors than most army instructors, and a good few were asked to consider bat selection, amongst others and short service. I think of my platoon more often as I get older, Gary Simpson ( LMG), Bleeze,( manic buffel driver), Donsie Vermaak ( wat n stut), van Staden(LMG), Bennie Beukes(bul of an inside centre), Skinner, Carstens( who took a round thru his nutbag), De Jager ( smallest oke who could carry his own weight in kit for 30km w out complaints), etc etc . I do hope you all have had good and happy lives. You were the best platoon as all evaluations showed. I am still as proud of you all now, 42 years later, as I was of you in 1981. May God keep you safe, to the end
@@theobvious1958 What's that supposed to mean? Actually, there was no apartheid, because South Africa was not a unitary state. The tribal leaders DEMANDED separate development (to protect their heritages, cultures and languages), hence there were WHITE South Africa and nine self-governing black territories. Some of them even declared their homelands independent republics. 99% of black people in WHITE South Africa were migrant labourers with whom white South Africans got along wonderfully well. And then there was the never-elected, Russian terrorist group known as the ANC (led by the arch-terrorist Nelson Mandela) who CAUSED apartheid, as white South Africa then needed to protect its citizens from the barbaric, heinous ANC terrorists, by introducing, among other measures, apartheid (in WHITE South Africa). The terrorist onslaught was instigated and financed by Communist Russia at the time, in an attempt to destabilise the incredibly powerful WHITE South Africa, in an attempt to gain control of the Cape sea route as an important Cold War goal. Get educated before you attempt to stir the apartheid pot, because your ignorance makes you look extremely foolish in public.
@Shotgunlr le Roux. I don't have to read about it. I was there. In the Marines, in Southern Angola in 1981. 32 Battalion, Most of them Black, from Angola had seen their families slaughtered by the Communists, Cuban and Angolan. The South African forces were there at the request of Dr Jonas Savimbi (a Black man) to prevent his country from being taken over by the Communists. Unfortunately a second front developed, the revolutionary uprising in the heart of South Africa and we had to leave Savimbi to fight his own battles. I fought side by side with many black soldiers. They were brave men. I salute them for their courage.
Richard Palmer Very refreshing to see someone who knows the facts.....the SADF worked to support Savimbi who spent 20 years fighting for Angolan freedom and independence. Sadly the US threw money at Roberto Holden who was all talk and no show, then when he began to hire mercenaries and the bad press started (especially after the executions in Luanda) the US backed away. The leftist smear campaign wanted the world to believe the SADF was all white racists who hated the blacks. Yet many blacks served side by side with whites in the SADF. Most people will never understand Africa unless the go there. Thanks !!! You must have some great stories.
oil and diamonds boet, money talks. Staff sgt was looking for a volunteer one night...so we went to guard an airfield near Eenhana with a Ratel20. i saw an american cargo plane land and refuel . How did my commander know the plane is coming in ? Who payed for the fuel ? What was transported ?
That's not true, the US supported both the FNLA and UNITA but mainly the latter. The Chinese wholeheartedly supported HR as a proxy to the Soviets supporting the MPLA. Note: The MPLA had split from the FNLA and was led by Agostinho Neto.
Wish I could meet some my fellow marines from 1989 we were awsome😅 this was our reality knowing that our country and its civilians were at risk someone had to do it to protect the people and its assets
South African soldiers were renowned for their aggressiveness. I forget which general in ww2 said (words to this effect) - give me 10 US Divisions to take the beachhead, 10 British Divisions to get off the beach and 5 South African divisions to finish the war on their own.
Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery “Give me 20 divisions American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen, and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth.”
Starting off with Ensign "Yes Piele, Wie't vir my 'n Camel ??" Van Niekerk (our Ensign for 2nd phase) briefing our platoon (3 of Eagle Co) !! That night ambush still brings goosebumps every time I've watched it over the last 22 years !!
Touwsriver during my days in training sleeping in trenches walking the kopperaalkop mountain full kit walk day and night use to love it Today SANDF everyone is so overweight and obese..
Close to/or maybe the last intake of Marines before they were disbanded? Political situations changed and it cost plenty to train these fine troops over 9 months. Crying shame they were disbanded. Salute!
Very sad to see. I just cant fathom have everything went to shit. What a great generation this was and now only a skeleton is left. Hard to have any hope for a better future here.
L0st I live in the Midwest of the USA and I have had an obsession with SA since I was a kid. I’m finally going the summer of 2020. I have a friend In Pretoria, she’s been teaching me Afrikaans. She’s told me of the sad state of the RSA. My heart goes out to you.
L0st They just lost the will, due to decades of pressure, and could see no hope for the future. Also like the rest of us, they thought politicians told the truth. Saw the same in Rhodesia. Seeing same thing happen in the Western Nations. How do stop it? Tell the truth, and learn to shoot straight.
The National Service in SA was limited to white citizens blacks and coloured people had to volunteer. Black soldiers were never regarded as cannon fodder, in fact they could serve as officers and other ranks in the units of the SADF. Some most of the most elite units were made up from a majority of black volunteers, such as 32 Bn. And let's not forget the brave police men from Koevoet!
Just quick question why did the SADF often not wear helmets? I understand not wearing plates and vests there heavy bulky hot and hinder mobility. At this point in time Kevlar helmets were cheap light weight and available.
HI Jay, In 2 words, the heat. The temperature gets into the 50's Celsius in the dry season, normally in the high 40's. I have seen guys get inflammation of the brain just by dipping their bush-hats in water to cool down, let alone walking around with a helmet on your head. In any case speed is king, the SADF infantry and Marines were intensively trained in rapid and aggressive movement. We were deployed on foot, deep into neighboring countries, operating with little or no comms, which equates to no support. I was fortunate to be in Echo Company Platoon 14 SA Marines in 1983 to 1984. The tactic was to catch insurgents in their own countries, before they crossed the border into South West Africa or South Africa. This was very effective, in keeping the war out of our country, but because we were patrolling constantly, we could do little to help the local communities who suffered terribly being tortured and murdered by the so-called "freedom fighters".
Those are 1000ft flares. Used for night illumination and in some cases, signals. Can be seen during the night ambush. floating down on a parachute. 3:14
I served 1988 to 1990. Touwsriver (Blou vitterjoel in die koffie) but we were based in Simonstown on top of the hill.Van Niekerk and his brother!! BRUTAL!! Ensign Giyani!! (LOVED HIM) I was a personal assistant to Lieutenant Commander Clark officers training company.
Fool, we had blacks and coloured as well as Indians, Malaysians etc - on passes we had to seperate the blacks and Indians - had one coy arrested as they stole a buffel and went to the 'Flats....most of 32nd was black African
+Teru Mikami The SA Marines were trained by combat veterans for combat. 15 years of war and they knew how to train. The US Marines were very well equipped and well funded, their training was very intensive as well. It will be very difficult to make a call as to who would be better.
SA Marines were formed after WW1. Definitely in existence 1980/1 - border duty No more black web belts? Painted black in 1981/2 in memory of the first Marine casualty killed on the border
Yasssss....the lifesaving Dixie en pukstel....those were the real deal Soldiers indeed, look at how lean and fit they are? As compared to today's KFC ambassadors and fukd up light duties.... Lol...
Boy oh boy don't say that - or else our Northern Cousins aka the "Dutch" of the Netherlands will come on you like a ton of bricks - they hate it when we call our language Flemish. But yeah it is extremely similar. LOL
Well I am glad I didn’t have to do 2 years in the SAFF. I haven’t a clue what they are saying when they are talking that gobblygook. It was a dying language then and except for a million white people in RSA now it is dead. Why RSA bothered with the language amazed me.
You sent poisoned food to shops of people who supported you to sell to guerrillas so that they can die from poison you were ruthless and you made sure in the villages you have shopkeepers who will do that for you.
I feel for you oke. You obviously grew up under the new world chosen dispensation ? Besides your tall tale being BS, can you tell me what is more ruthless than planting bombs on stations or in schools ?? Innocent soft targets that cannot fight back ?? Get a grip thandeka. Facts are facts....not the propaganda you've been fed. Ex 7 SAI & SAP.
That's marxist-speak. There is no such thing as "Wrong side of history", if that was the case, the USSR would be considered on that side from a purely objective view.
Marines w highly trained. Instructors went thru Mafafa Skool and only best made it and went on to train troops. Being of Navy intake, instructors were well targeted at Mafafa skool, Oudshoorn, by army instructors, and us "duikbote" had to prove ourselves. This 9 mnths of being targets, made us better and harder instructors than most army instructors, and a good few were asked to consider bat selection, amongst others and short service. I think of my platoon more often as I get older, Gary Simpson ( LMG), Bleeze,( manic buffel driver), Donsie Vermaak ( wat n stut), van Staden(LMG), Bennie Beukes(bul of an inside centre), Skinner, Carstens( who took a round thru his nutbag), De Jager ( smallest oke who could carry his own weight in kit for 30km w out complaints), etc etc . I do hope you all have had good and happy lives. You were the best platoon as all evaluations showed. I am still as proud of you all now, 42 years later, as I was of you in 1981. May God keep you safe, to the end
Fantastic, yet sad at the same time. When young men were still young men of courage and valour. #Respect - 2nd Lt, Military Intelligence, 1973
then you lost apartheid?!
@@theobvious1958 What's that supposed to mean? Actually, there was no apartheid, because South Africa was not a unitary state. The tribal leaders DEMANDED separate development (to protect their heritages, cultures and languages), hence there were WHITE South Africa and nine self-governing black territories. Some of them even declared their homelands independent republics. 99% of black people in WHITE South Africa were migrant labourers with whom white South Africans got along wonderfully well. And then there was the never-elected, Russian terrorist group known as the ANC (led by the arch-terrorist Nelson Mandela) who CAUSED apartheid, as white South Africa then needed to protect its citizens from the barbaric, heinous ANC terrorists, by introducing, among other measures, apartheid (in WHITE South Africa). The terrorist onslaught was instigated and financed by Communist Russia at the time, in an attempt to destabilise the incredibly powerful WHITE South Africa, in an attempt to gain control of the Cape sea route as an important Cold War goal. Get educated before you attempt to stir the apartheid pot, because your ignorance makes you look extremely foolish in public.
we were proud of you boys
@Shotgunlr le Roux. I don't have to read about it. I was there. In the Marines, in Southern Angola in 1981. 32 Battalion, Most of them Black, from Angola had seen their families slaughtered by the Communists, Cuban and Angolan. The South African forces were there at the request of Dr Jonas Savimbi (a Black man) to prevent his country from being taken over by the Communists. Unfortunately a second front developed, the revolutionary uprising in the heart of South Africa and we had to leave Savimbi to fight his own battles. I fought side by side with many black soldiers. They were brave men. I salute them for their courage.
Richard Palmer Very refreshing to see someone who knows the facts.....the SADF worked to support Savimbi who spent 20 years fighting for Angolan freedom and independence. Sadly the US threw money at Roberto Holden who was all talk and no show, then when he began to hire mercenaries and the bad press started (especially after the executions in Luanda) the US backed away. The leftist smear campaign wanted the world to believe the SADF was all white racists who hated the blacks. Yet many blacks served side by side with whites in the SADF. Most people will never understand Africa unless the go there. Thanks !!! You must have some great stories.
Richard, you're forgetting that it was also the CIA that was creating issues which then backfired and caused the second front you mentioned....
oil and diamonds boet, money talks. Staff sgt was looking for a volunteer one night...so we went to guard an airfield near Eenhana with a Ratel20. i saw an american cargo plane land and refuel . How did my commander know the plane is coming in ? Who payed for the fuel ? What was transported ?
That's not true, the US supported both the FNLA and UNITA but mainly the latter. The Chinese wholeheartedly supported HR as a proxy to the Soviets supporting the MPLA. Note: The MPLA had split from the FNLA and was led by Agostinho Neto.
Complete horse shit.
Wish I could meet some my fellow marines from 1989 we were awsome😅 this was our reality knowing that our country and its civilians were at risk someone had to do it to protect the people and its assets
I was at Touws in 1984. Some of the guys picked up serious injuries in that camp. A few lost limbs and broken backs. Nearly 40 years ago.
South African soldiers were renowned for their aggressiveness. I forget which general in ww2 said (words to this effect) - give me 10 US Divisions to take the beachhead, 10 British Divisions to get off the beach and 5 South African divisions to finish the war on their own.
Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery
“Give me 20 divisions American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen, and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth.”
That's the one!!
Himmler also remarked that if he had the SADF Germany would have taken the world...go figure!
Field Marshall Montgomery
The one guy who was in Angola said he feared an SADF soldier more than an American atomic bomb
Wow, many memories.
SA Navy Marines 84/86....👏👏
Starting off with Ensign "Yes Piele, Wie't vir my 'n Camel ??" Van Niekerk (our Ensign for 2nd phase) briefing our platoon (3 of Eagle Co) !! That night ambush still brings goosebumps every time I've watched it over the last 22 years !!
I will never forget the "call sign" Kom hier fokker!!!!! 😳 That time it was a freaking insult!! Now we can just 😂
Is that the training camp at touwsrivier? I served 85-87, eagle company. happy memories!
Yes it was.
yeah i realised after i watched the whole video and it told me so! :) no snow when i was there, just bloody hot. I was the july intake though.
Yep, same time for me :)
Respect from Igboland West Africa.
Touwsriver during my days in training sleeping in trenches walking the kopperaalkop mountain full kit walk day and night use to love it
Today SANDF everyone is so overweight and obese..
Close to/or maybe the last intake of Marines before they were disbanded? Political situations changed and it cost plenty to train these fine troops over 9 months.
Crying shame they were disbanded. Salute!
2nd to last intake as I know it
Sade how the country has gone down hill now
Very sad to see. I just cant fathom have everything went to shit. What a great generation this was and now only a skeleton is left. Hard to have any hope for a better future here.
L0st I live in the Midwest of the USA and I have had an obsession with SA since I was a kid. I’m finally going the summer of 2020. I have a friend In Pretoria, she’s been teaching me Afrikaans. She’s told me of the sad state of the RSA. My heart goes out to you.
L0st They just lost the will, due to decades of pressure, and could see no hope for the future.
Also like the rest of us, they thought politicians told the truth.
Saw the same in Rhodesia.
Seeing same thing happen in the Western Nations.
How do stop it?
Tell the truth, and learn to shoot straight.
To the team that trained here, do any of you keep in touch? We're did you all end up serving? Do any of you still live in SA?
The National Service in SA was limited to white citizens blacks and coloured people had to volunteer. Black soldiers were never regarded as cannon fodder, in fact they could serve as officers and other ranks in the units of the SADF. Some most of the most elite units were made up from a majority of black volunteers, such as 32 Bn. And let's not forget the brave police men from Koevoet!
@@MeragRealm how many are there now and are they any good?
marines 85-87 ... memories
Ons was die beste weer mag in die Afrika kontinent
Great video, memories from my 87/88 tour....Viking company. Vas byt.....
Hey brother hoozit 87/88 viking company. Hope you well!
Amazed at how spotless the aluminum "varkpan" looks. (17:01) Mine just had scorch marks, dents etc that I could never remove :)
stainless steel varkpan boetie
dai aluminium is dixies
Just quick question why did the SADF often not wear helmets? I understand not wearing plates and vests there heavy bulky hot and hinder mobility. At this point in time Kevlar helmets were cheap light weight and available.
HI Jay, In 2 words, the heat. The temperature gets into the 50's Celsius in the dry season, normally in the high 40's. I have seen guys get inflammation of the brain just by dipping their bush-hats in water to cool down, let alone walking around with a helmet on your head. In any case speed is king, the SADF infantry and Marines were intensively trained in rapid and aggressive movement. We were deployed on foot, deep into neighboring countries, operating with little or no comms, which equates to no support. I was fortunate to be in Echo Company Platoon 14 SA Marines in 1983 to 1984. The tactic was to catch insurgents in their own countries, before they crossed the border into South West Africa or South Africa. This was very effective, in keeping the war out of our country, but because we were patrolling constantly, we could do little to help the local communities who suffered terribly being tortured and murdered by the so-called "freedom fighters".
Those are 1000ft flares. Used for night illumination and in some cases, signals. Can be seen during the night ambush. floating down on a parachute. 3:14
why put brow people inside the platoon?
DelNegro10 idiot. sadf is multicultural.
and ur point is what ?DelNegro10
Karl van rooyen
forbid
+DelNegro10 ...fuckin racist!
Afrikaans, a language derived from Dutch, very close to Flemish. One of the 11 South African official languages.
So what was the justification for disbanding them?
How many SA Marines were there compared to the rest of the Military??
Yes, most definitely. Some of the best units were mostly "non-white". i.e 32 Battalion.
Lead by whites...
I served 1988 to 1990. Touwsriver (Blou vitterjoel in die koffie) but we were based in Simonstown on top of the hill.Van Niekerk and his brother!! BRUTAL!! Ensign Giyani!! (LOVED HIM) I was a personal assistant to Lieutenant Commander Clark officers training company.
@PCS8128 what year were you in the marines??
Where's Horace Van Khute?
Not the 32 Battalion. ;)
Love how they integrated the corps so that blacks and coloured could join.
Fool, we had blacks and coloured as well as Indians, Malaysians etc - on passes we had to seperate the blacks and Indians - had one coy arrested as they stole a buffel and went to the 'Flats....most of 32nd was black African
>32nd
hmmm...
Damn this brings back memmories...
what version of shosholosa are they singing in the end of the vid ? lekker groete uit namibie
i wonder how their training was compared to US marines.
no comparison they sucked
winett mackenzie Mackenzie Who the marines or SADF?
+Teru Mikami
The SA Marines were trained by combat veterans for combat. 15 years of war and they knew how to train.
The US Marines were very well equipped and well funded, their training was very intensive as well. It will be very difficult to make a call as to who would be better.
I can answer that question for you, we did more than one joint exercise with US marines back in '85 and '86 and they gave up soon after.
The only Person who Can Really tell, Is One Who Has Done Both, and there would be few of those, if not none at all.
Is that the current national anthem?
Nice
Toe fence jumpers leka klip hard gepoes was
SA Marines were formed after WW1.
Definitely in existence 1980/1 - border duty
No more black web belts? Painted black in 1981/2 in memory of the first Marine casualty killed on the border
yeah, mine was black too...
Mine was black1983 wenela golf campany
shotgunlr, you have your information very much wrong. please visit SA Navy Marines on facebook and you will see you "workers" fighting in that war!
Ah I remember urbanCOIN :)
Just a pity it was all for naught.
@ the CIA and MI5 as well as SWEDEN!!
Amazing number of kroeskoppe
Lol
Yes they were but they were mostly workers not real soldiers if you want more infomaition read An unpopular war from afkak to bosbevok
My dad was there
Yasssss....the lifesaving Dixie en pukstel....those were the real deal Soldiers indeed, look at how lean and fit they are? As compared to today's KFC ambassadors and fukd up light duties.... Lol...
Shame the SA Marines only came into being around the late 80`s
Rented commodities serving in a system that never liked them.
Boetie Gaan Border Toe!
Boy oh boy don't say that - or else our Northern Cousins aka the "Dutch" of the Netherlands will come on you like a ton of bricks - they hate it when we call our language Flemish. But yeah it is extremely similar.
LOL
Bandidos
no
Well I am glad I didn’t have to do 2 years in the SAFF. I haven’t a clue what they are saying when they are talking that gobblygook. It was a dying language then and except for a million white people in RSA now it is dead. Why RSA bothered with the language amazed me.
Afrikaans? Millions speak it and there is more people of colout that speaks it then white people. Is jy n Dom doos?
Sorry don’t understand not in English
Yeah. Where are they now? Cleaning the Black man's shoes?
Ever heard of emmigration ? I clean NOBODY'S shoes
A white man's army
you see racist blacks
You sent poisoned food to shops of people who supported you to sell to guerrillas so that they can die from poison you were ruthless and you made sure in the villages you have shopkeepers who will do that for you.
I feel for you oke. You obviously grew up under the new world chosen dispensation ? Besides your tall tale being BS, can you tell me what is more ruthless than planting bombs on stations or in schools ?? Innocent soft targets that cannot fight back ?? Get a grip thandeka. Facts are facts....not the propaganda you've been fed. Ex 7 SAI & SAP.
this soldiers were on the wrong side of history.
That's marxist-speak. There is no such thing as "Wrong side of history", if that was the case, the USSR would be considered on that side from a purely objective view.
50% of all armies are on the wrong side of history, doos.
Yeah becuz they lost
Oh god... Commies are not humans