2 Field Engineers
25 Field Engineers - Oshakati
Emblem
Sappers - Specialist engineering unit in mine removal, bridge building, demolitions, water purification and general mobile infantry role. The Sappers were normally the first in to clear a pathway and to set up infrastructure and are therefore the last out.
Mine removal
Sweeping for mines buried in the road
Dealing with captured ordanence
Mine sweeping and water purification was probably the main reason for Sappers to go to the Border. We walked the 40 km to the half-way point to Nkongo once a week and to the half-way point to Eenhana which was about 15km, this was done twice a week. We would meet the guys from the other bases at the half way points and then turn back. We would be about 5 or 6 guys at a time walking in a diagonal line across the tracks. You would walk with your mine detector and your R4. Infantry would provide cover by walking on the side of the road. At the Nkongo halfway point we would wait for the team from Nkongo to arrive.
Water purification Bladder
Water Purification Centre in Oshivelo
Buffel taken out by a mine
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The image of the guy lifting a mine is part of a series of pencil sketches commissioned for Special Forces in the early 90s and not from Peter Badcock’s Images of War. (on the bottom right you’ll see the signatures of Gen Loots and Col Breytenbach as well as an operator badge)
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteCaught again by our Special Forces Operators out there, sorry the description on the pic was from Images of War, thanks for putting it right, image removed as I'm really only into Sappers.