20 Battles. Searching for a South African Way of War, 1913-2013

20 Battles: Searching for a South African Way of War, 1913-2013, combines both battlefield drama and crisp analysis and provides a perspective on the South African way of war.
Kleynhans, Evert; Brock Katz, David
23006
978-1-92-824822-4
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new
€19.95 *

Title: 20 Battles
Subtitle: Searching for a South African Way of War, 1913-2013
Authors: Evert Kleynhans, David Brock Katz
Imprint: Delta Books
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
Johannesburg, South Africa 2023
ISBN 9781928248224 / ISBN 978-1-92-824822-4
Softcover, 15 x 23 cm, 338 pages, several b/w photographs and maps

About: 20 Battles. Searching for a South African Way of War, 1913-2013

In 20 Battles: In Search of a South African Way of War, 1913-2013, the authors seek to address a glaring lacuna in the historiography of South Africa's unique manoeuvre doctrine. Some of the more important battles that shaped - or should have shaped - our operational military philosophy can be found in these pages. The examples chosen place a lens on instances where South African manoeuvre doctrine progressed, remained static or even regressed during the course of the battle.

However, this ever-evolving doctrine runs like a golden thread through these pivotal engagements, giving a clue as to where our military ideas come from, where they are now and how they will develop in the future. History is an indispensable tool for soldiers and soldiering, giving insight into the mistakes committed in the past in the hope of ensuring that they can be avoided in the future. More importantly, history gives an insight into what is possible under adverse conditions. These battles represent the foundation stones on which our military doctrine can be built, and we hoped that their reintroduction will again reveal South Africa's unique way of war.

The title of 20 Battles: In Search of a South African Way of War, 1913-2013, may be misleading to the casual observer, for 20 Battles in fact goes far beyond mere battlefield analysis. The book uses a select mixture of battles and operations from contemporary South African military history to analyse organisational and doctrinal changes in the defence force over the span of a century. In doing so, it moves between the tactical and the operational levels while critically evaluating the evolution of the South African way of war.

Dr Evert Kleynhans is a senior lecturer in the Department of Military History at the Faculty of Military Science at Stellenbosch University (SU). He is the author of Hitlers Spies: Secret Agents and the Intelligence War in South Africa (2021) and The Naval War in South African Waters, 1939-1945 (2022). He is also the editor of Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies.

Dr David Brock Katz is an author and historian, in addition to being a part-time lecturer and research fellow in the Department of Military History at the Faculty of Military Science at SU. Katz is also an active member of the Andrew Mlangeni Regiment. He is the author of South Africans vs Rommel (2019) and General Jan Smuts and his First World War in Africa: 1914-1917 (2022).

Content: 20 Battles. Searching for a South African Way of War, 1913-2013

List of maps
List of abbreviations
Preface
Industrial Strikes, 1913-1914
Sandfontein, 1914
Otavifontein, 1915
Kilimanjaro, 1916
Delville Wood, 1916
Rand Revolt, 1922
Bondelswarts Rebellion, 1922
Southern Ethiopia, 1941
Combolcia and Amba Alagi, 1941
Sidi Rezegh, 1941
Tobruk, 1942
Celleno, 1944
Chiusi, 1944
Ongulumbashe, 1966
Operation Savannah, 1975-1976
Cassinga, 1978
Operation Protea, 1981
Cuito Cuanavale, 1987-1988
Operation Boleas, 1998
Bangui, 2013

Conclusion
Sources
Acknowledgements
Index
About the authors

List of maps: 20 Battles. Searching for a South African Way of War, 1913-2013

The Battle of Sandfontein, 1914
The Battle at Otavifontein, 1915
The Battle at Kilimanjaro, 1916
The Battle of Delville Wood, 1916
The Rand Revolt, 1922
The Bondelswarts Rebellion, 1922
The Offensive Operations in Southern Ethiopia, 1941
The Batde of Combolcia, 1941
The Batde of Amba Alagi, 1941
The Battle of Sidi Rezegh, 1941
The Battle of Tobruk, 1942
The Batde of Celleno, 1944
The Battle of Chiusi, 1944
Operation Savannah, 1975-1976
The Attack on Cassinga, 1978
Operation Protea, 1981
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, 1987-1988
The Battle of Bangui, 2013