1 Recce - Alexander Strachan

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      Depending on the circumstances, they would be picked up by a helicopter after the operation. If not, the team would first put considerable distance between themselves and the target before again concealing themselves in a daytime hide before first light (between dawn and sunrise). There they would wait for darkness before moving to a predetermined landing zone where the chopper would pick them up. With each operation, the target, the terrain and enemy movements would inevitably determine what procedure would be followed.

      When 1 Recce operators were deployed in foreign countries, they knew full well that their presence there was unwanted and illegal, and that they would be hunted down mercilessly if they were discovered. To avoid this possibility, they were preferably deployed clandestinely in smaller teams. But they could also be deployed as part of a larger attack force such as Unita, which had lots of firepower. Larger groups were more defiant and the task would be executed aggressively, after which the force would return to safety. In such cases (where there was a strong offensive capability) it would indeed be possible to move during the day with scouts.

      Night work and nightime operations were second nature to the members of 1 Recce, as they were schooled in this from the outset. Their training during the rehearsal phase’s night-work programme would be done at exactly the same time as that scheduled for the execution of the operation. If the target had to be attacked at 02:00, for example, the rehearsal would also take place at 02:00 so that the operators could become accustomed to the conditions under which they were going to work.

      Almost all operations were conducted at night, preferably during dark-moon periods. In fact, the night and foul weather conditions were the 1 Recce operator’s greatest friend and ally. Years of employment under such conditions made him a master of night warfare.

      A well-trained soldier moves more easily at night with the stars as direction indicators. It is cooler, too, and there are fewer eyes that may spot you; you can relax more and focus better. Aids such as night-vision goggles could be used to improve visibility in the dark. But at the most basic level the Recce operator ‘saw’ with his ears and nose at night and let himself be guided by these senses.

      The person who looks at light from the darkness at night has an advantage – his eyes have adjusted to the dark, and the target is clearly visible. On the other hand, it is much harder to look from light at an object in the dark.

      At night you can also get much closer to the target without being spotted; this is vital in the case of reconnaissance work and intelligence gathering. In daytime, by contrast, the playing fields are level: both sides can see and react equally well, all the more so if the enemy is entrenched in a base or building.

      The Recces regularly used ‘black is beautiful’ camouflage cream to mask their identities, but the disguise was only effective from a distance; at close quarters, the enemy would recognise their true features through the camouflage cream. The blackening of their skins did give them an advantage when they and the enemy ran into each other unexpectedly in the bush. The momentary confusion on the part of the enemy made them hesitate before firing. The South African team could then swiftly jump into action with small arms and RPG-7s.

      In the same way that the Recce operator regarded the night as his confidant, he treasured the African bush as a precious ally. While outsiders experienced the bush with its wild animals, reptiles and impenetrability as hostile, the Recces saw it as a friendly and supportive environment on which they depended for their survival. They existed in total harmony with the bush and used its waterholes, shadows, shelter, food and vegetation to survive from day to day in a war situation.

      Hence the young Recce learnt from very early on not to rebel against the bush or try to fight it. The bush was neutral, not hostile towards you, and your relationship with it was determined exclusively by your own attitude. It was only once you had learnt to notice the cobwebs and umbrella thorns from your subconscious that you knew you had finally merged with the bush – from now on you were at one with it. Now every twig became a toothbrush, every berry a sweet to suck on, every seemingly dry riverbed an inexhaustible water source.

      By now you knew that the hot sun on your cheek could enable you to determine direction and stay on course without consulting your compass; also that the direction in which an anthill sloped at the top showed you where north is.

      The sweat on your body had dried and you now smelt like the veld, like the dust, the trees, the leaves and the creepers. Once you experienced this level of comfort you did not survive in the bush, you thrived in it, as a seasoned Recce operator has rightly remarked.

      At this level of situational awareness, every spoor sent out a signal, every sound helped to fill in the bigger picture. Your actions were subconsciously calculated, your feet moved effortlessly over the dry branches without making one snap. You slipped soundlessly through the shadows and melted into the dark patches. You smelt the grass, you smelt the dew, the soil was soft and accommodating. Your ears were constantly cocked and you heard the crickets, and then, when they abruptly fell silent, you knew …

      1 Recce was primarily an airborne unit, which meant that parachute capabilities played an integral role. The three daggers on the 1 Recce shoulder flash signified land, sea and air, while the compass rose indicated that operations could be conducted in all directions, by day and by night (hence the black-and-white shoulder flash). Prospective operators were exposed to all the techniques during their training.

      For a typical airborne attack, the Recces would be transported to the target area in a camouflaged C-130/C-160 aircraft. It flies at a low altitude, barely above the treeline, to evade detection by enemy radar. In the dark it is invisible to the naked eye. The heavily armed 1 Recce operators on board have been rubbed in with ‘black is beautiful’; their static-line parachutes are attached to the overhead cable, and the chutes and equipment have been checked. Now just a few red lights are on inside the plane. Only when it is very close to the target will it bounce up to the jump altitude of about 183 m above ground level, when the dispatchers open the jump doors. The wind immediately rushes noisily into the cargo hold and tears at clothes and equipment.

      Then the aircraft bounces up to the jump altitude. The sudden upward thrust presses the jumpers floorwards until the aircraft stabilises at the new altitude. The red light above the open door goes on, and the dispatchers call out: ‘Stand in the door!’ As soon as the green light switches on, the Recces jump out in quick succession. Their parachutes deploy, and suddenly they hang in absolute silence. In the available moonlight they see the other parachutes around them and the aircraft flying off.

      The low jump altitude means that the earth approaches very rapidly. Then they land one after the other on the unmarked drop zone. Here and there branches creak as some of the jumpers fall through trees. Now it is completely quiet, and the group is ready for action.

      The attack force would lie motionless for a short while to listen for any enemy movement. Then they swiftly roll up the parachutes and move to a predetermined rendezvous point, where the chutes are usually first cut up and then concealed. Thereafter, still under the cover of night, they move stealthily towards the target. On completion of the night attack, the team move to a pick-up point from where, if possible, they will be extracted by a chopper before first light. The longer they remain on the ground, the higher the risk becomes.

      In the case of reconnaissance and smaller sabotage teams they could reach the target by alternative means, namely high-altitude infiltration methods. The C-130/C-160 aircraft would then fly the same route and at the same altitude as civilian aircraft (10 668 m) to avoid attracting attention and to evade radar detection. They would usually also fly at the same times as the commercial airlines’ flights.

      In such cases there would only be a very small group of Recce operators in the large aircraft. They wear specially designed jump helmets and masks that are connected to an oxygen system. The operators are camouflaged with ‘black is beautiful’, their backpacks heavily laden with rations, water, explosives and other items for the mission deep behind enemy lines that may last a few weeks.

      Ten minutes before jump time the parachutes and equipment are checked by the dispatchers. All lights have been switched off; only a few red lights are on. Three minutes before jump time the flight engineer opens the loading ramp

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