The Honoris Crux (Cross of Honour) was South Africa's premier
gallantry decoration awarded to members of the SA Defence Force
between 1952 and 2003. The stories behind over 300 of these awards
and other medals for bravery are graphically told - ranging from
outstanding valour in all types of warfare to exceptional heroism
displayed in saving lives. For these soldiers, sailors and airmen
the common denominator was courage. One reads of a SAAF helicopter
pilot who noticed that a friend's gunship was under heavy fire, so
switched on his lights to attract fire away from his comrade. The
same pilot was later to land in an enemy camp to rescue the crew of
a downed helicopter who were being chased by a patrol. A jet pilot
whose Buccaneer was out of ammunition dive-bombed enemy tanks to
keep them from overrunning his forces. The heroism of the Special
Forces, or Recces, became legendary. We read the unbelievable but
true stories of two-man teams who crept into enemy camps, sometimes
hundreds of kilometres from their bases, to gather vital
information. If discovered they had to extricate themselves from
impossible situations, such as the frogman team which attacked an
enemy bridge then fought their way out - against small-arms fire
and hand grenades, as well as crocodiles. The naval heroes range
from the seaman who remained inside the sinking SAS President
Kruger to rescue friends, to the frogmen who went inside the
sinking MV Oceanos to ensure that no one was left behind. The
author has interviewed many of the medal recipients and invariably
found them to be modest about their heroic exploits. He has
included some of the events in which the SA Police were involved,
acting as part of the country's security forces in combating
terrorism. In many cases he has recorded the subsequent lives of
the medal recipients. The awards were made irrespective of race,
colour or creed, despite most of the events taking place during the
apartheid years. Men from diverse backgrounds learned to live and
fight together, especially among the Special Forces, where their
lives often depended on each other. The award of the HC Gold to a
black Recce attests to that. During a period of five months on five
occasions he approached the enemy on his own and fought to the
death, thereby displaying total disregard for his own safety. This
new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, to include not
only new information but additional photographs, too.
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