War Stories: Up Close and Personal in Third World Conflicts

by Venter, Al J.

• ISBN13: 9781869194109
• ISBN10: 1869194101
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-15
• Publisher: Intl Pub Marketing

Summary

Venter'¬"s choice of military events is eclectic. He has four chapters on Afghanistan, three on Somalia, several on how Lisbon fought its desperate rearguard colonial wars in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea as well as several on the Rhodesian War. These include a tribute to his old friend Ron Reid-Dale, founder-commander of the Selous Scouts, a vivid profile of the RLI '¬ÜIncredibles'¬" in a cross-border strike on enemy positions in Mozambique as well as a chapter by Colonel Brian Robinson, longest serving commander of the Rhodesian SAS. Venter also draws heavily on his experiences as a military correspondent for Britain'¬"s Jane'¬"s Information Group in the Middle East: he accompanied the IDF when it went into Beirut in 1982. Neall Ellis who flew helicopter gunships against the rebels in Sierra Leone and is currently flying support missions in Russian Mi-8s in Afghanistan, Al Venter going into combat with a bunch of South African '¬ÜParabats'¬" in a strike against enemy positions in Angola (where he was subsequently wounded), Mike Hoare'¬"s aborted invasion of the Seychelles a quarter of a century ago, an American mercenary in Iraq as well as a United States Navy rescue mission in Somalia are among more than 30 chapters that appear in this new book. The book is illustrated with more than 100 photographs and follows the publication of his earlier military titles War Dog(2006) and Barrel of a Gun(2010), both published by Casemate in the US and Britain.

Author Biography

Al J. Venter is known as a war correspondent, documentary filmmaker, and author of more than 40 books. He served as an African and Middle East correspondent for various publications in the stable of Britain's Jane's Information Group. In a career that-has lasted almost half a century, he has reported on a number of Africa's bloodiest conflicts.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 1
Introduction - Back to Africa	p. 14
Chapter
Into Angola With Charlie Company	p. 29
Seychelles Mercenary Invasion: Mike Hoare and Associates	p. 57
Operation Impossible - On the Run Across Southern Africa	p. 75
Wartime Hunting in Africa	p. 92
Africa's Backyard Firearms Factories	p. 106
Zanzibar's Bloody Revolt	p. 117
America's Secret Rescue Mission in Somalia	p. 137
Somalia: Still burning	p. 145
Angolan Skirmish with 44 Parachute Brigade	p. 159
Ron Reid-Daly - A Tribute to the Man and his Scouts	p. 179
Living on the Edge in Beirut	p. 206
SWAPO'S First Attacks in South West Africa	p. 221
Waiting in the Ground in Kosovo for the Deminers	p. 241
Gunship for Hire: Sierra Leone (August 2000)	p. 248
Portugal's Wars in Africa	p. 258
Death of a Guerrilla Fighter	p. 273
The War in Portuguese Guinea	p. 282
Jungle Patrol	p. 296
In the Heart of an African Military Struggle	p. 312
Six Soviet Choppers Ambushed in Angola	p. 326
Willem Steenkamp - Reporting on South Africa's Border Wars	p. 339
"The Incredibles": The Rhodesian Light Infantry	p. 360
Surviving Africa	p. 381
An American Hostage of Hizbollah	p. 402
Greg Lovett - An American Soldier of Fortune in Iraq	p. 422
Freetown: Diamonds, a Civil War and Amputees	p. 439
Into the Bush War with the Rhodesian SAS	p. 457
Air Wing in Africa's Mountain Kingdom	p. 479
Abbreviations	p. 487
Acknowledgements	p. 491
Index	p. 494
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