61 Mech Bn Ops Hooper/Modular

A few photos taken during Ops Hooper and Ops Modular, Angola 1987/88. Most of the photographs is of 61 Mech, B-Coy members.Also displayed is the 61 dagger which can only be worn as part of uniform if you part took in an operation with 61. The memorial needle also in the video has been moved with the unit from Omuthiya in Namibie to every base used by this unit and is now displayed in the 61 Musuem at 1 South African Infantry Batalion, Tempe , Bloemfontein.

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• south
• african
• defense
• force
• sadf
• 61mech
• 61meg
• border
• war
• saw
• cuito
• cuanavale
• angola

[mompleks]

Anybody that would be willing and able to give a time line and events during the battle of the lomba (47 bgd), please contact me

[Krugerlotter]

@buffalogolf18 Staff Ogies Roelofse was the Squadron seargent major responsible for logistics etc for the entire squadron. He was not troop commander of the ZT3's at any stage. Initially the ZT3's were split up and integrated with the 90's. They were then commanded by Bary Preston and Lt Robinson who had two each under their command, as well as two 90's.

[buffalogolf18]

I served with 32 Bn Golf coy. . Johan Roelofse was the Ratel ZT 3 commander. The first batch of Matra missiles had a small problem with the photocell chips and would "lose" the target a few hundred meters before impact. Denel came up to the OPS area and rectified this and it sucessfully neutralised some T55's

[Krugerlotter]

@kelvinb369 Kelvin, you are not quite correct. There were initially only 4 of those Ratels deployed and they were still in the experimental phase at the time. They were part of 32Bn, hence the camo pattern like all 32Bn Ratels. First use was in September 1987 on the Lomba, whereafter they were sent to Menongue area, Quito Cuanavale and 26 June 88 to Calueque where they were involved in the clash with a Cuban force, but due to terrain and distance restrictions they could not be used.

[kelvinb369]

@Krugerl Its at 1:08...mate, and that would have been about May89 Oshikati I remember those Ratels when they first stated to appear about then, we thought they were beer trucks(for the morterests) or sieners, tiffys orbut they were rocket launchers or they werenew. 'Camo Ratels', obviously werent widely used and not often to be seen because of that, at the time, and then we (61) moved out from up North at the end of 89. So those vehic were probonly used in that region for about a yearIf that.

[1967ricksta]

@acrylicrebel 8

[1967ricksta]

8 SAI was and always has been in Upington, I was there in 1986. 61Mech was based in SWA.