Blood Brothers

On 10 June 1980, during the Border War, the SADF's 61 Mechanised Battalion Group attacked a complex of Swapo military bases in southern Angola. A long day of bloody fighting ensued.Second Lieutenant Paul Louw led Platoon 1, in four Ratel infantry fighting vehicles, to an objective called Smokeshell. After emerging from a dry riverbed, the young national servicemen suddenly found themselves facing a heavily defended enemy position and under deadly fire.In the ensuing chaos of that day, 12 troopies of Louw's platoon of 44 were killed and he himself was wounded. The 18-year-old HP Ferreira was shot... Weiter