Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival, by Wynand du Toit

Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival, by Wynand du Toit. Self-published South Africa, 2016. ISBN 9781928349525 / ISBN 978-1-928349-52-5

Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival, by Wynand du Toit. Self-published South Africa, 2016. ISBN 9781928349525 / ISBN 978-1-928349-52-5

At the time the story of Wynand du Toit's memoir 'Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival' steps in, black nationalism had risen under the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) and the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) in South Africa and South West Africa.

In 1965, the first incidents of armed resistance occurred in South West Africa. The military wing of SWAPO, called the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), established a base at Ongulumbashe, in northern South West Africa, from where they intended to launch their armed struggle. However, the South African Police were quick to attack the base successfully. This set the stage for a war that would continue over the next thirty years. The Army was involved soon, and when the Portuguese left Angola in 1975, it created a vacuum which saw an entirely different situation arising. The Cubans rushed to Angola in aid of the newly established MPLA Government, while the South African Defence Force, at the request of the United States, invaded southern Angola to counter the Cuban threat, as well as establish Jonas Savimbi's Unita Party. Over the next months and years the war escalated to new heights. There was a sudden demand for more and better arms and an even bigger demand for specialist groups within the existing military. This was quickly changed from a conventional to a counter-insurgency force. In 1968, a Special Forces group was born with the first "unconventional warfare" course. In 1969, Captain Jan Breytenbach and General Fritz Loots were the first commanders of this group. These two gentlemen are considered the fathers of the South African Special Forces. The first group was 1 Reconnaissance Commando, followed by 4 Reconnaissance Commando. Later it was changed to Reconnaissance Regiments, and referred to as the Recces, with 1 Recce in Durban, 4 Recce in Langebaan, 5 Recce in Phalaborwa. 2 Recce were members of the civilian force, and 3 Recce was disbanded. The brave and daring exploits of the Recces became legendary, and was rated at the time on the same operational levels as the SAS, SBS, the Marines, the Seals and the Green Berets. As the war on the border between South West Africa and Angola developed, it became known as the Bush War, or Border War, a war mainly fought between South Africa and the Russian backed Cuban forces. And here is my story. The story that was my life. The story which I have written to the best of my recollection and experience. This book was not written to discuss the technical and/or tactical aspects of Operation Argon, but to give the reader an inside glimpse into a part of my life that determined the remaining part of it. The psychological effects of these two and a half years have been huge, and I am still experiencing the effects today, thirty years later. And it will probably continue to do so for the rest of my life. With the production and release of the documentary Plot for Peace, I realised that the time has come to write this book, to take the reader on an intriguing journey behind the scenes that few people knew about. This is where the quote from Tennyson's poem The Charge of the Light Brigade: "Yours is not to reason why, Yours is but to do or die..." is so superbly depicted in a true life story. My own, in Judas Goat. My life and the lives of Corporal Rowland Liebenberg and Corporal Louis van Breda. I acknowledge the role that my fellow operators played. This story is not about your selfless service, it's not about your respective heroics, that is why I did not elaborate your roles in Operation Argon, but rather concentrated on my own emotions, how I experienced it, and where my weaknesses and strengths were highlighted. A large part of my story cannot give documentary proof. It is based on my experience and the information conveyed to me by many sources, with whom I physically came into contact over the course of many years. Everything in this book reflects my perception of the truth, and what had actually happened. In the end it is for the reader to decide what is truth and what is not.

This is an excerpt from the military memoir 'Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival', by Wynand du Toit.

Title: Judas Goat
Subtitle: Betrayal for the sake of survival
Author: Wynand du Toit
Genre: Military memoirs
Publisher: Wynand du Toit
South Africa, 2016
ISBN 9781928349525 / ISBN 978-1-928349-52-5
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 199 pages, several b/w photos

du Toit, Wynand im Namibiana-Buchangebot

Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival

Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival

'Judas goat: Betrayal for the sake of survival' takes the reader on a failed operation of the South African Special Forces in Angola and a journey of hardship and suffering.