Platoon 3. A Mechanised Ratel soldiers story

Title: Platoon 3
Subtitle: Mechanised Ratel soldiers story
Author: Tim Ramsden
Genre: War memoires
Publisher: 30 Degrees South Publishers (Pty) Ltd.
Pinetown, South Africa 2018
ISBN 9781928359098 / ISBN 978-1-92-8359-09-8
Softcover, 15 x 24 cm, 502 pages, several b/w photos, 1 maps

About: Platoon 3. A Mechanised Ratel soldiers story

Platoon 3. A Mechanised Ratel soldiers story is common to tens of thousands young South African men, called up, broken down, trained and thrust into action. In 1984, as an eighteen-year-old school leaver, Tim Ramsden was conscripted into a chaotic world of strict order, intense discipline and subtle brain washing, moulding him into a proud well trained 1-SAI Ratel soldier. On the South West African / Namibian / Angolan border patrolling through the bush under heavy rainfall and extreme heat, the platoon formed unbreakable bonds of camaraderie.

The sheer fear of lying in nightly ambush positions and burying massacred dead in Angola, added to the insanities of the border war. While stemming the flow of refugees from war torn Mozambique, three soldiers from Platoon 3 were captured and held as POW’s in Maputo in the notorious former Portuguese prison, Machava. Called up as a Citizen Force mechanised soldier in 1988, the author along with some of Platoon 3 joined an armoured battle group hurriedly formed to repel two Cuban armoured brigades threatening to invade South West Africa / Namibia east of Ruacana.

Tim Ramsden, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1965, was educated at Treverton College, a boarding school in Mooi River, Natal, before doing his mandatory term of two years National Service. He later worked as a manager in retail before embarking on a five-year backpacking adventure through thirty-five countries. He now lives in Newmarket, Canada and still holds a keen interest for travel, adventure and the magic of Africa.

Content: Platoon 3. A Mechanised Ratel soldiers story

Author's Note
Introduction
From Ciwie to 'Roofie' (new recruit)
Our new company - Bravo Coy
De Brug: preparing for battle
A State of Emergency: in Tembisa Township
Bloemfontein: last days with 1-SAI
Middelburg - with 4-SAI
Our unknown history South-West African - Angolan border
Adjusting to a new setting
A long patrol and a dugout on the Yati
And the rains came
Etosha National Park: Ambushing the enemy
Patrols between beacons on the Yati
Our very own base camp
Actions of stupidity and more rain
An unforgettable scene
April fools
Going home at last
Guarding an ammo dump: An overdue pass
Mischief in the barracks: Life in the Intelligence house
Kostini Base: Kruger National Park
Leaderless: A dark shadow of doubt
Cause for celebration
Refugees: 40 days left to serve
Farewell to the Kruger
Farewell to National Service
Mozambique: A journey through hell
Soldiering on 1988
Operation Desert Fox
On the outside in Oshigambo
The frightening truth
After the war was over: Revisiting Namibia fifteen years on
Glossary
Bibliography
Credits