Search results for ""30 Degrees South Publishers""

This comprehensive military atlas covers every aspect of the Boer War in some 230 full-colour maps, diagrams and detailed ORBATs. Maps covering the conflict on a strategic, operational and tactical level guide the reader through each stage of the war, from Kruger’s invasions of Natal and Griqualand West, through the famous battles of the conventional period, to the vast ‘drives’ of the Guerrilla War phase which broke the back of the Bittereinders and brought the war to an end. By showing where every operation and battle fitted into the bigger picture, the reader is able to understand how and why any given action was fought, and how the war was ultimately won by Lord Kitchener’s men. Utilising standard NATO symbols to represent the various units involved, all the maps in this unique resource were drawn specially for the Atlas, and combine contemporary military maps with modern 1:50000 survey maps to ensure unprecedented levels of accuracy and detail. A detailed time line helps explain how the war unfolded, and the maps are organised into sections which cover the various fronts. The Atlas is also lavishly illustrated with contemporary photographs and drawings, as well as modern-day photographs to show how the battlefields look today, and to illustrate some of the many monuments erected to commemorate the men who fought and died. Though some of the battles covered are well known, this work also provides detail on many others which – though major actions – are almost forgotten today. The operations and smaller battles of the long and bitter Guerrilla War are also exhaustively covered. Other maps depict the details of the vast lines of blockhouses which were constructed across hundreds of miles of South Africa, and the critical role these played in the latter stages of the conflict. Whether you are new to the war, or a well-read enthusiast, The Boer War Atlas is an indispensable guide to understanding how this highly mis-understood war was fought.

Read more less

"The aftermath...After the dust had settled, the smell of gun powder had dispersed, the crashing sound of mortars and RPG7s had faded away ... what ghosts returned with young South African soldiers of the border war generation who fought at the tip of the spear against the communist threat on South Africa's border?Young 'parabats', manufactured by the formidable factory of 1 Parachute Battalion, had been rushed to the forefront of the action in the Border War. Now in the same civilian clothes they had worn before, many returning troops found they were not the same young men as before. For many South African troepies from different military units and phases of the bush war, the dust and the smoke took years to settle; parts of their souls were forever connected to, and travelled back, to a time when birds erupted from trees in a smoke filled battle zone, like bats out of hell ... to the smell of the ambush, the head count after the contact, visions of the conventional battle fields of Angola, chasing hot spoor trails in Namibia. Forever standing guard over lost comrades, and even dead enemies. This is the aftermath, the beginning of a long personal battle ... but now there is no help from a platoon buddy or a watchful platoon sergeant. In this new battle, on this new journey, you walk alone.

Read more less

Takes you back in time and uncovers the rich history of a South African icon - Robben Island - a desolate little island off that coast of Cape Town in the bleak Atlantic, that has come to symbolise to the world the very essence of the struggle for freedom. This title also includes detailed maps, colour photographs and route guides.

Read more less

Using archival sources and private documents recently unearthed, Come Back to Portofino chronicles the journey taken by volunteers in the 6th South African Armoured Division. From training camps in Egypt through to the blissful summer of 1945 the ‘Div’ left its mark on towns and villages across Italy. From Monte Cassino to the outskirts of Venice and the River Po, the campaign lasted exactly twelve months. During the advance through Rome up to Florence, it was a case of constant movement and violent contact with the enemy. Experiences which left an enduring impression on returned soldiers included the periods of rest at Siena and Lucca as well as the four miserable winter months in the northern Apennines. Overall, the casualty rate was surprisingly low considering the ideal ambush country and mountain defences which had to be overcome. In the rifle companies however, the rate of attrition was high and replacements were few. Among the South Africans who are buried in Italy, there are those who died in vehicle accidents, from drowning and falling out of windows or from suicide. For the ordinary soldier the most important part of everyday life was contact with home or foraging for food and wine, and even enjoying the company of signorine when operations permitted. Nevertheless, it was not one long happy camping trip as was often portrayed in the press. The cast is made up of the famous regiments and ordinary South Africans who participated in these epic events. About the AuthorJames Bourhill is a property valuer but his passion has always been history and travel. Currently these two interests are combined in his research for a D.Phil in history.

Read more less

Battles of the Anglo-Boer War series provides an accessible guide to some of the major campaigns, battles and battlefields of this historic conflict in KwaZulu-Natal. The books are written for the general reader as well as for historians seeking fresh insights into the events leading up to, during and after the battles. The text is supported by contemporary accounts and photographs, some of which have never previously been published. Maps show in detail the routes and dispositions of the opposing forces for each battle.After almost two weeks of continuous fighting in the Colenso region, General Buller finally broke through, in the rugged Thukela Heights area, to relieve Ladysmith. The Boers fought back heroically but they were eventually overwhelmed by the numerical superiority of the British forces.

Read more less

* A rollicking biography of Dr Leander Starr Jameson; hero, rogue and rascal of Empire and the man who inspired Kipling to write this masterpiece, If This famous poem by Rudyard Kipling is said to be based on the life of Jameson, and the suffering he endured as a result of the 1896 raid that he and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen carried out on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic. In this engaging biography in the style of Wilbur Smith-meets-Louis l'Amour, Ash recounts the life of this colonial statesman known as 'Dr Jim' or simply 'The Doctor'. He was an enigmatic man. When he died The Times estimated that his astonishing personal sway over his followers was equalled only by that of Parnell, the Irish patriot. Although probably most known for his role in 'The Jameson Raid', Jameson still had a successful political life. He died on 26 November 1917 in London. His body was laid in a vault at Kensal Green Cemetery where it remained until the end of the First World War. Ian Colvin (1923) writes that Jameson's body was then ...carried to Rhodesia and on 22 May 1920, laid in a grave cut in the granite on the top of the mountain which Rhodes had called 'The View of the World', close beside the grave of his friend. A"

Read more less

Based on the author's diaries, From Addis to the Aosta Valley is the account of Keith Ford's service in the Second World War from 1940-1945.

Read more less

This documentary comprises original combat footage from operations in which Pathfinder Company was involved as well as other military footage relevant to this elite unit. It also contains interviews with the units founder, Colonel Jan Breytenbach; its first CSM, Pete McAleese; and, the author, Graham Gillmore as well as other members of the brigade. You have read the book, now hear additional anecdotes and stories related with an 'I-was-there realism' and see never-before released footage on this company's involvement in the border conflict that strangled southern Africa for decades. Approximate running time is 90 minutes.

Read more less

The 1969 republican constitution of the Rhodesia was intended to secure recognition for Ian Smith's 1965 UDI. Given the evasion by significant nations of the trade sanctions imposed by the UN, the gamble was that this de facto recognition would become de jure.

Read more less

A kaleidoscope of human-interest stories exposing long-kept secrets, mysteries and heroics for the first time. Wars always generate stories and everybody loves a story. Rob Milne has compiled this selection of Anglo-Boer War stories from all over South Africa and recounts them in a book that saddens, mystifies, but most of all entertains. There's the devotion of the English fiancee who for 60 years sent a sprig of heather to the Lake Chrissie Post Office for her beloved's grave, the tale of the lone Boer sniper who held off the entire Guards Brigade for more than a day after the battle of Bergendal, the sighting of UFOs near Pretoria at the beginning of the war and the story of how an unfortunate British soldier ended up being buried under a toilet on a railway station. Read about Sergeant Woodward's two graves in Heidelberg and the ghosts of the British officers that still haunt the Elands River Valley. During the past 12 years since the publication of the first edition, Milne has relentlessly followed up on his stories; but sometimes the stories have followed him ...with unexpected results! There's a photo of the ghosts of the Bergendal farm girl and her British soldier lover who appeared in broad daylight on the battlefield while Milne was investigating the story in 2011. There's the unnamed Welshman who found the long-lost British paymaster's gold 60 years after the military train was ambushed and looted near Greylingstad. Learn the truth of how Churchill and his fellow officers received the daily war news in Morse code while they were prisoners of war at the State Model School in Pretoria, why Prime Minister Botha was sued after the war for stealing the 'Kruger Millions' when entrusted to his care as Commandant-General during the retreat to the Mozambican border. And there's the love story, 'The Legend of the Flowers', about Martha, a Boer girl, and a British soldier, George, which unfolded in Ventersdorp and how Martha involved the author in her story from beyond the grave. A unique and delightfully refreshing read.

Read more less

At the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War on 11 October 1899, approximately 25,000 Boers invaded the British colony of Natal from the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek and the Orange Free State. The colony was the scene of some of the most important battles of the war, as well as the Siege of Ladysmith which lasted for 118 days. In addition to maps and details of the locations of the various sites, this guide provides a brief insight into the most significant battles and events in the area. Information is also given about concentration camps, hospitals, memorials and graves, together with clear directions to places listed in the text. The maps have been specially drawn for this publication and many of the photographs were published for the first time in the first edition of this book.

Read more less

The South African Air Force (SAAF), formed on 1 February 1920, is the second oldest air force in the Commonwealth. The air arm played a major role in securing victory for the Allies during the Second World War, in the 1948/49 Berlin Airlift, and in Korea in the 1950s. The SAAF assisted Rhodesia in the 1960s and '70s, made a major contribution to the 'Border' or 'Bush' war in South West Africa and Angola, participated in the transition to a new democracy in South Africa and continuously supports South African peace missions in Africa. It has also assisted in countless relief and rescue missions in southern Africa throughout this entire period. However, the SAAF is not just about aircraft and ordnance; it is made up of people and it is in this compilation that these people, airmen and ground crew alike, find their voice. These are their stories, all told in the first person by the actual participants as unvarnished, unabbreviated and intensely immediate and personal recollections. Through their stories of heroism, duty, adventure and tragedy, the reader will follow the history of the SAAF from 1939 to the present day. To complement the stories, the final chapter includes a collection of squadron pub songs from the Second World War, Korea and the Border War.

Read more less