Al J. Venter - Battle For Angola

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Published by Helion & Company 2017

Designed and typeset by Mach 3 Solutions Ltd ( www.mach3solutions.co.uk )

Cover designed by Paul Hewitt, Battlefield Design ( www.battlefield-design.co.uk )

Text Al J. Venter 2016

Images Al J. Venter or open source unless noted otherwise.

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The author and publisher apologize for any errors or omissions in this work, and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.

Front cover photograph originally sourced to UNITA, cameraman unknown; rear cover: top left and bottom photographs courtesy of John P. (Jack) Cann; middle left Douw Steyn; all others taken by the author.

ISBN 978-1-911096-41-2

eISBN 978-1-913118-10-5

Mobi ISBN 978-1-913118-10-5

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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To my eldest son Johan who, like his dad, shares the unusual distinction of having been blown up by a Soviet anti-tank landmine in the same war. In fact, in the exact same Angolan theatre of operations, and within a year or so of each other: At the time Johan was operational with 61 Mechanised Battalion Group just south of Cuvelai . For my part, I was perched on top of the gun turret of a Ratel-90 infantry fighting vehicle during Operation Daisy when our right front wheel triggered the bomb.

Like father, like son