A sight of a shot out SADF #Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicle none of us likes to see. This weekend we pause to remember the four members from B Company, 1 SAI including two Cousins acting as the MAG Gunner team, who were Killed in Action in South Eastern Angola on 14 Feb 1988 during a contact with elements of the 59th FAPLA Brigade (Angola’s armed forces) during Operation #Hooper.

Their Ratel Armoured Personnel Carrier, Callsign 22C was hit on the left hand side and knocked out by a #ZU-23-2 Soviet 23mm Anti-aircraft gun deployed in the ground role. On the right hand side where the Groenewald Cousins sat, a large hole was ripped out of the vehicle. It appeared that the Ratel had also been struck by a South African discarding sabot anti-tank round. The casualties were:

84269315BG Corporal Jan Hendrik Kleynhans. He was 19
85263262BG Rifleman Andre Schalk Groenewald. He was 18.
84358266BG Rifleman Pieter Henrich Groenewald. He was 19.
84477751BG Rifleman Vincent Vernon Nieuwenhuizen. He was 19

Thank you to Graham Du Toit and his tireless work keeping the honour roll current and relevant to us all – information and image supplied by Graham.