32 Battalion (sometimes nicknamed Buffalo Battalion or Os Terriveis - Portuguese for The Terrible Ones) was a highly decorated infantry battalion of the South African Army, composed of black and white officers and NCO's. It was disbanded in 1993 on the request of the ANC prior to the elections of 1994. Binomial name Syncerus caffer (Sparrman, 1779) Subspecies The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a bovid from the family of the Bovidae. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. ... The South African Army is the army of South Africa. ... ANC redirects here. ...

Founded in 1975 by Colonel Sybie van der Spuy and 2 Reconnaissance Regiment of the South African Special Forces, it was initially commanded for a short period by Lt-Colonel Jan Breytenbach, but was forged into the formidable combat machine that it became under the inspired leadership and command of Colonel Eddie Viljoen, and thereafter Colonel Deon Ferreira - both of whom were unofficially known within the battalion by the nickname "Big Daddy" - a term of affectionate respect from the battalion. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lieutenant Colonel (Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grades spelling) is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine corps and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a Major and below a Colonel. ... Jan Breytenbach was appointed by the Founder of the South African Special Forces - General Frits Loots - as the first commander of 1 Reconnaissance Commando - the first unit founded within the South African Special Forces. ...

The battalion was considered to be one of the premier units of the old South African Defence Force (SADF). It was also one of the most decorated units during the South African Border War, with a total of fourteen Honoris Crux medals for bravery awarded to its members. The only unit which superseded this total was the South African Special Forces, whose Operators were awarded forty-six Honoris Crux medals during the South African Border War. The South African Defence Force (SADF) were the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. ... Combatants Republic of Angola, Republic of Cuba, SWAPO, USSR, East Germany, Republic of Zambia Republic of South Africa, UNITA Scope of operations Operational Area: The South African Border War The South African Border War refers to the conflict that took place from 1966 to 1989 in South-West Africa (now... The Honoris Crux was a South African military decoration that was in use from 1952 to 2003. ...

History

After the victory of the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA) in the Angolan Civil War in 1975, many troops of its main rival, the Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (FNLA), found refuge in the then South African-controlled South-West Africa. The MPLA flag The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimiento Popular de Libertação de Angola) is an Angolan political party that has ruled the country since independence in 1975. ... Combatants MPLA SWAPO Republic of Cuba U.S.S.R. AAF Mozambique[1] UNITA FNLA COMIRA Portugal Republic of South Africa Republic of Zaire U.S.A. France Commanders José Eduardo dos Santos Jonas Savimbi Casualties Civilians killed = hundreds of thousands The Angolan Civil War was a conflict that devastated... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... External links Party website Categories: Politics stubs | Angolan political parties ... South-West Africa is the former name (1884-1990) of Namibia under German (as German South-West Africa, Deutsch Süd-West Afrika) and (from 1915) South African administration when it was conquered from the Germans during World War I. Following the war, the Treaty of Versailles declared the territory...

From these troops, Colonel Sybie van der Spuy's 2 Reconnaissance Regiment, and later, Lt-Colonel Jan Breytenbach, formed a unit that was initially known as Bravo Group but later renamed 32 Battalion. Initially, Bravo Group consisted of two infantry companies, a mortar platoon, an anti-tank section and a machine gun platoon, but 32 Battalion was expanded to 6 infantry companies, a recce wing, and a support company consisting of a 81mm mortars, anti-tank and machine gun sections. Platoon of the German Bundeswehr. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Unlike other SADF units, 32 Battalion was mainly deployed in southern Angola, acting as a buffer between the SADF's regular forces and its enemies. The unit was also used to assist the anti-communist movement of UNITA. Although it was mainly used as a counter-insurgency force it was eventually also used as a semi-conventional force, especially during the later phases of the war - particularly at the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. As such, its involvement in the Angolan/Namibian border war was greater than that of any other unit of the SADF and it is claimed that they caused more enemy casualties than any other SADF unit. A UNITA sticker The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, commonly known by the acronymn, UNITA, derived from its Portuguese name União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, is an Angolan political faction and a former rebel force. ... Combatants FAPLA, Military of Cuba, SWAPO SADF, UNITA Commanders Cuba: Leopoldo Cintra SADF: Col. ...

The battalion primarily consisted of black Angolan soldiers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) led by white South African officers and NCOs, although there was also a number of officers from countries such as the United Kingdom, Rhodesia, Portugal and the United States in the unit, especially in its early stages. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ...

After Namibian independence in 1989, the unit was withdrawn to South Africa where it was used in the counter-insurgency role and later also in the South African townships. At the end of its era in Namibia, the unit had developed into a Battle Group equipped with Ratel 90 anti tank, 127mm Valkiri multiple rocket launchers and 20mm AA weapons. Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Children in a township near Cape Town in 1989 In South Africa, the term township usually refers to the (often underdeveloped) urban residential areas that, under Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites (principally black Africans and Coloureds, who were put into separate townships or locations) who lived near or worked... The Ratel is the basic Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) of the South African National Defence Forces mechanized infantry battalions, and is named after an African animal known in English as the Honey Badger, which has a reputation as a ferocious fighter. ... The Valkiri (Valkyrie) is a South African self-propelled multiple rocket launcher developed in the 1980s by Somchem, a division of the Denel corporation. ...

As one of the results of the negotiations between the National Party and the African National Congress, the unit was disbanded in March 1993 and were retired to the squalid town of Pomfret, South Africa.^[1] The National Party (Afrikaans: Nasionale Party) (with its members sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats) was the governing party of South Africa from June 4th 1948 until May 9th 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. ... For political parties with similar names in other countries, see Northern Rhodesian African National Congress and Zambian African National Congress. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Pomfret is a desert town, the site of an old asbestos mine, on the edge of the Kalahari desert in northwest South Africa. ...

Many former soldiers of 32 Battalion were involved in the failed attempt to mount a coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004.

In fiction

In the film Blood Diamond, Leonardo DiCaprio's character "Danny Archer" was a former member of 32 Battalion. Blood Diamond is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 adventure/drama/thriller film. ... Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio, possibly the hottest actor ever to grace the screen, (born November 11, 1974[1]) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor well known for his roles in blockbuster movies such as William Shakespeares Romeo + Juliet (1996), Titanic (1997), The...

See also

• South African Special Forces Brigade ("Recces")
• List of operations of the South African Border War
• http://www.recce.co.za/ South African Special Forces League

Special Forces insignia - the Compass Rose Official force name South African Special Forces Nickname Recces Branch Joint Operations Chain of Command Chief of Joint Operations, SANDF Description South Africas main Special Operations Force Specialisations Conducting Airborne operations, conducting direct action operations, conducting raids, Counter-Terrorism, underwater reconnaissance, infiltrating and... This List of operations of the South African Border War details the military operations conducted by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War: Operation Savannah (1975) Operation Bruilof (1978) Operation Seiljag (1978) Operation Reindeer (1978) Operation Protea (1981) Operation Daisy (1981) Operation Askari (1983) Operation Wallpaper...

External links

• Official Website of the 32Bn VA
• "The Terrible Ones"