Koos Stadler, author of Recce, did a Q&A recently with the members of the 22,000 strong ‘SWA / Angolan Border War 1966-1989’ Facebook group. These are the questions which were asked.
From Chris – Are elite soldiers born or made?
Firstly I have to honestly and truthfully state that I have never considered myself an “elite soldier”… Yes, I have been part of units that were considered ‘the elite’, and yes, I have always strived for the best in soldiering, whether it be fitness, navigation, shooting, patrol tactics, night fighting skills, etc, but the truth is, you always know your weaknesses — and in the face of the enemy you always feel fear. Having said that, I can state one thing with certainty, I was born with a gene that urged, go one kilo further, carry heavier, run faster, experience the rush…and then my father kindled the love for the bush in me. Today I don’t have the need to fight or to defend myself in combat, but I more than ever love the veld, the desert, the bush, the mountains — and I still love to push myself!
Just to qualify the “gene” thing, I do believe that I was born with the ‘reconnaissance’ gene — that contains these qualities: the aversion to rowdy parties (that I got from my mom!), the patience to sit under a tree for a whole day and just watch, the ability to “see” a target before I have actually located it — and to approach it without being seen.
If you ask me what kind of upbringing I had, the one word that describes it best is — caring. I had loving, deeply caring parents and siblings. I had an idyllic youth. Often the movie stereotype is the cast-away, orphaned, deprived, angry kid that rises to glory through sheer guts, but my experience was (at least as far as all the Small Team operators were concerned) that a steady and caring home meant a steady mind and often a well-organised and deeply motivated soldier.
From Mark – “I would love to know how does one acquire those skills, ie. “The way of the bush” in this day in age. I would love to read, hear, learn more about it so as to be able to pass those skills and knowledge on to my very young kids. Love the book and all the stories and discussions from that time. I was unfortunately or fortunately too young to have experienced this myself but love learning all about it and listening to what the “old” folks have to say about it.”
Short answer to Mark: just go out and do it! One can read all about it and perhaps go on combat or survival courses, but in the end it’s a lifestyle. I presently live in Saudi Arabia, and I go to the desert every single weekend, either to hike, run or mountain bike in the sands or the mountains. It is there to experience — the loneliness, the silence, the little skills of tracking and survival, navigation, observation and endurance — that you learn mostly through experience. My philosophy (also described in the book) has always been, “A man should totally be where he is” (as expressed by Uncle Albertus in “On the Back Roads” by Dana Snyman). So, make the very best of where you are, right now!
From Pieter – “Maybe not a question but an incident he may have remembered. It was in M’patcha in February 1980. I was a log officer responsible for replenishment of 31Bn in Zambia. We sent him frozen water in water-bottles. On his return he woke me up at 02h00 to introduce me to Lt Fronnie DuToit so I could be thanked! We had a few meals on and off over that period. Truly Inspiring soldier.”
Those were the days. I remember the frozen bottles in the heat of the bush and the heat of the moment, but I can’t remember waking Pieter up in the middle of the night to thank him…might have been to complain about the standard of the food though!
Question originally from Allan written in Afrikaans but has been translated and summarized by Koos – Allan encountered a guy that he had to take across the Cunene River by vehicle and drop on the Angolan side — allegedly to do a solo reconnaissance of enemy deployments in that area. He mentions names of others that might have been known to me, among other Noel Robey, a legendary Special Forces soldier that I knew (and still know) very well. He assumes the character that he had to drop off was a Special Forces guy, but does not know for sure. However, it has fascinated him for more than 30 years and he wants to know if I have any more info.
Dear Allan, this is indeed a very interesting story; I would certainly love to know more about it myself. However, 1983 was the year that I started Special Forces Selection and training, so I only got back into the Small Team scene by the end of 1984, which means that I wasn’t in that part of the woods (or rocky outcrops of Kaokoland, rather) during that time. I therefore cannot tell you who the mystery man was. What I can tell you, is that I know those parts of Angola like the palm of my hand as I did numerous reconnaissance missions in that area — mostly while I was with 31 Bn Recce Wing. Later on, with the highly specialised Small Teams, we deployed much deeper into Angola on missions were of a strategic nature.
From Mike – What were your thoughts on the politics behind The Border War?
My thoughts on the war are simple — or perhaps over-simplified. It was a war that needed to be fought. I didn’t fight to defend Apartheid, I didn’t fight to defend “white supremacy”, I didn’t fight against blacks… On the contrary, I fought against the unjust system of Communism that threatened the western world at the time. I fought an ideology I believed to be fundamentally unjust and in dire contrast with my beliefs. In short, I fought for my country and my people. There’s no more to it; I simply fought because it was the right thing to do.
Koos Stadler was one of South Africa’s most decorated soldiers. His personal experiences in the ‘Recces’ are documented in his book Recce, out now.
Recce is available
Follow