A Breed Apart. The Inside Story of a Recce's Special Forces Training Year

Title: A Breed Apart
Subtitle: The Inside Story of a Recce's Special Forces Training Year
Author: Johan Raath
Genre: War memoirs
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers South Africa
Imprint: Delta Books
Johannesburg-Cape Town, South Africa 2022
ISBN 9781928248248 / ISBN 978-1-92-824824-8
Softcover, 15 x 23 cm, 304 pages, numerous b/w and colour photographs

About: A Breed Apart. The Inside Story of a Recce's Special Forces Training Year

Writing a book about military events that occurred more than 36 years ago is no easy feat. And the Recces were and are a secretive lot at the best of times, so written accounts of these events are few and far between. Fortunately, the 'cycles' that did their training together are a tight-knit bunch, and each member remembers certain events that were burned into their DNA through blood, sweat, tears and dust. In A Breed Apart, former Special Forces operator Johan Raath offers a rare insider's view on the training he and other young soldiers received in the mid-1980s. Drawing on the reminiscences of his fellow Recces, he describes the phases of selection and training, and offers valuable insights into what makes a successful operator, and how things turned out in action back then.

Content: A Breed Apart. The Inside Story of a Recce's Special Forces Training Year

Acknowledgments
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1. The Crux
2. Basics - The Recce Way
3. Special Forces Orientation
4. Special Forces Selection
5. Special Forces Individual
6. Seaborne/Water Orientation
7. Know Your Enemy (Dark Phase)
8. Parachute Course
9. Air Operations (Air Orientation)
10. Demolitions and Mine Warfare
11. Bushcraft, Tracking and Survival
12. Minor Tactics (Guerrilla/Unconventional Warfare)
13. Urban Warfare
14. Life after the Basic Recce Cycle and Beyond
Conclusion (1988 to 1990)
Epilogue
The Members of Recce Cycle 86/01
Rest in Peace (Others)
South African Special Forces Mission and Vision
Index