Military service in the South African Defence Force [Archive]

2RHPZ

06-10-2004, 06:29 PM

'UNDER FRIENDLY FIRE'

INTRODUCTION

This chapter contains extracts from the enquiry into an incident at Okalongo
Base, Sector 10 (Owamboland) on 29 March 1986. I have translated most of the
extracts, preferring to leave the wording as close to the originals as possible.
I have left the names and identifying data unchanged. Corporal Swart later
recanted his account, which is presented here in colour.

SYNOPSIS

In summary, the action appears to have been that one or two of the garrison were
annoyed and became drunk. Smith started off the event by throwing the first
grenade, to which the garrison went overboard in their reaction. De Klerk then
seems to have become involved in a spree, and seems to spend most of the time
during of the incident moving between throwing grenades over the West wall,
fetching more ammunition, and then throwing grenades over the South wall. Smith
then joined in again. One of them threw a grenade at the Section Leaders Tent,
in which Blom was injured. Swart and Pretorius were either tricked or invited
into becoming involved. As the stakes rise, the antagonists seem to decide to
ease off on what they were doing, which they had finished by the time the
helicopter gunship arrived. They then made rather ineffectual attempts to cover
up what they had done. I am rather struck that, considering the eventual
conclusion that there was no enemy attack, the observers must have been spotting
their own mortar rounds landing, which must have almost been a self-fulfilling
prophesy. The more they directed fire, the more enemy weapons would appear to
have been fired at them, but presumably without enemy weapons appearing to land
anywhere near the camp. Also, in spite of the camp expecting to be on the
receiving end of a bombardment, their response does appear to be very
uncoordinated.

BACKGROUND TO THE CHARACTERS INVOLVED

Lance-Corporal De Klerk was medically unfit because his left hand was in
plaster. Lance-Corporal De Klerk was overheard saying that he was dissatisfied
with Major Ferreira's actions towards him and Rifleman Smith and the drivers. It
seems that Rifleman Smith was a storeman. He got his hand grenade from the SACC
when they cleared out without handing it back in. Rifleman Smith had a grievance
against Major Ferreira who had given him an extra 69 days of National Service as
punishment for an unspecified misdemeanour. Major Ferreira was on detached duty
to 53 Bn and was stationed at Okalongo Base as Base Commander.

THAT NIGHT: THE CANTEEN

That evening, from about eight o'clock to 10 o'clock, soldiers from 'Echo' and
'Foxtrot' Company were drinking in the canteen. It seems to have been a party,
and they were drinking excessively, more than the 'legal' two beers each per
night. They were getting nosier, and at one stage, when Van Vuuren, Lategan,
Grove, and Olivier were standing on a table, leading the others in a singsong.
Hardwick was in the audience. Major Ferreira came into the canteen and told them
to keep the noise down; he didn't mind them having a party but they should keep
the noise down. Major Ferreira then left the canteen and when he was out of the
door, Lategan yelled. Major Ferreira immediately came back into the canteen and
ordered them all to leave the canteen and fall in outside. He told them to clean
up the canteen and go to bed. They started to clean the canteen. While they were
busy, Lance-Corporal De Klerk came along and invited them along to sing song and
barbecue at a fire in front of a tent near the West Wall.

THAT NIGHT: THE FIRE

Having been sent away from the canteen, Lance-Corporal Blom and Hardwick went to
their tent and sat there talking to each other. Smuts, Smith, Lance-Corporal De
Klerk and Swart joined them. Grove went to the Section Leaders tent where he sat
and talked with Lance-Corporal De Klerk. Corporal Swart was already in bed.
Around the fire, the soldiers were drinking beer and singing. Smith joked about
how the guys would jump ('skrik') if the base was attacked. He said that he
would love to throw a grenade over the wall to give the guys a fright. Olivier
and Raas and Lance-Corporal Blom heard him say this, but they didn't think he
would do it, and that it was just big talk. Lance-Corporal Blom left the fire
when it was time for him to go on duty. Smith walked to his tent to fetch his
grenade. He returned to the fire and said that he was going to throw the
grenade, and they should not be alarmed. Hardwick and Olivier decided to leave
and moved to a tent about 50 m from the fire where they sat or lay talking,
waiting to see what Smith would do. Then they got scared and Olivier said they
should move to their own tent. At 22H40 Lloyd was standing guard at Alpha bunker
when Rifleman Smith approached him with an M26 grenade in his right hand. Lloyd
saw that the safety pin had already been removed. Rifleman Smith told Lloyd not
to be afraid; he was going to throw the grenade because he wanted to get Major
Ferreira back for the extra 69 days that he had to do. Smith put his 'fire
bucket' (Mug) of brandy down on the ground, and he went outside the bunker and
Lloyd saw him throw the grenade outside the base. Smith told Lloyd not to tell
anybody that he had thrown the grenade. BANG! Hardwick and Olivier had run about
20 m towards their own tent, and as they ran past the Lieutenants' tent, they
heard an explosion and immediately Olivier realised that Smith had thrown the
grenade. Just before they reached their tent, they heard a second explosion.
They ran into their tent and grabbed their chest webbing and ran to the North
bunker. When they arrived at the North bunker, Hardwick heard more explosions
and thought that they were being revved. At 22H35 Captain Minnaar and Major
Ferreira were brushing their teeth in the officers' bathroom. Major Ferreira
heard a dull explosion West of the base. It sounded like a mortar leaving a
mortar pipe. Lance-Corporal Blom, who had heard part of the conversation at the
fire, was in the Ops. Room busy taking over watch duties when he heard an
explosion.

FIRST EXPLOSION - FIRST REACTIONS

After throwing the grenade, Smith ran back to his tent. When he got back to his
tent, chaos broke out. [The mortars started to fire as did the troops on the
West wall.] While Corporal Grove and others were talking, they heard an
explosion. About five to 10 seconds after the explosion, Rifleman Smith came
running into the tent and jumped into his sleeping bag. He told them to keep
quiet and act as though they knew nothing of the explosion because he had thrown
the grenade. Smith lay on his bed and half passed out when he felt a rifle butt
strike his cheek. Corporal Grove stood over him and said that he must grab his
rifle and go to the wall. He went to the fire at the West wall where he found
Captain Minnaar and other troops and they fired blindly into the dark. Captain
Minnaar told them to cease fire and keep their heads down. When the grenade
exploded, everybody ran to the bunkers and started shooting. The mortars also
started shooting. Lloyd heard explosions inside and outside the bunkers. He was
scared and lay down with his hands over his head. After a while, the order came
to stop fire and the firing stopped. Corporal Swart was in bed in his tent when
he heard an explosion. He immediately got up and grabbed his chest webbing and
rifle and ran to the third bunker on the South wall. The troops and mortars
began to shoot and Corporal Swart then heard other explosions inside the base.
Corporal Pretorius was in the Officers' Bar. He had drunk quite a lot, about six
beers and four double brandies. At 22H35 he heard an explosion on the West side
of the base. He left the bar along with Lieutenant Bothma and Corporal Van Zyl.
Corporal Pretorius said they were being attacked and Lieutenant Bothma argued
that it was their own forces firing mortars. After some running around Corporal
Pretorius eventually arrived at his bunker on the South wall opposite the
helipad. OLIVIER: [Immediately the mortars began to fire illumination and the
troops on the walls began to fire their rifles.] Olivier grabbed his chest
webbing and grabbed his rifle and ran to the North wall. As they reached the
wall, Olivier heard other explosions in the base, and he thought that it was a
real attack. The explosions continued for about an hour and then it became
quiet. FERREIRA: The Captain and Major Ferreira started to move slowly towards
the Ops. Room when they heard another explosion and small arms fire. Major
Ferreira saw that the mortars started to shoot illumination and then he ran to
the Ops. Room. VAN RHYN: Lance-Corporal Van Rhyn was awakened by an explosion
and saw troops running to the walls with their rifles. He also took his rifle
and went to a bunker in the North wall. They still heard explosions at the West
side of the base. RAAS: [After the explosion,] Everyone ran to their positions
in the bunkers because they thought that they were being attacked. Raas ran to
the second bunker on the West side and [at that stage] the mortars and the
troops in the bunkers had already begun to shoot. When Raas got to the bunker,
they were ordered to shoot to the West side because the attack was coming from
that direction.

SECOND REACTIONS: OPS ROOM

GROVE: [Shots were then fired from the walls and] Grove went to his tent to
fetch his rifle. After that Grove moved over to the East wall bunker. After
about fifteen minutes Grove moved over to Delta bunker. Corporal Swart, Lance-Corporal
De Klerk, Corporal Pretorius and Rifleman G.D. Kruger were in the third bunker
on the South Wall. Kruger didn't have a rifle, so Lance-Corporal De Klerk gave
him his and his chest webbing. Lance-Corporal De Klerk left the bunker saying he
was going to fetch more ammunition. They heard explosions again and it was clear
that they were from inside the base. Lance-Corporal De Klerk ran back into the
bunker with ammunition and grenades. He told them to keep their heads down
because he was going to throw grenades. He pulled the pin out of the grenade
with his left thumb and index finger, and threw the M26 grenade towards the
helipad. The grenade exploded. He gave them ammunition and left the bunker.
Again they heard explosions inside and outside the base. Corporal Pretorius also
left the bunker saying he was going to fetch more ammunition. He returned with
three signal flares and ammunition. Klerk then came down along the wall and
loaded up with ammunition. During this there were continual explosions inside
and outside the base. Staff Myburgh and Lance-Corporal De Klerk returned to
Delta bunker later to see that everything was all right. The Staff and Lance-Corporal
De Klerk then walked further. After a while Lance-Corporal De Klerk arrived with
an M26 grenade in his right hand. He said that the Captain had told him to get
rid of the grenade. He pulled out the pin with his left thumb and index finger,
and threw the grenade over the wall. Then he went away. The explosions stopped
and Grove went back to his tent. After a while they received the order 'cease
fire' and Raas called to the other bunkers that they should cease fire. Just
after the order, Raas saw Rifleman Smith, who was also in their bunker, throw a
grenade out of the base. Smith told everyone that another bomb had fallen, and
that they should start to shoot again. After that, Captain Minnaar came to the
bunker and asked why they were shooting when there was no specific target. Smith
told him that a bomb had just fallen in front of them. Captain Minnaar told them
to shoot only if they saw something move and if they could identify it.

SMITH MOVES TO THE STORE

At that stage the mortarists came running around the mess shouting 'Storeman
Storeman'. Smith then screamed that he would be with them now. Smith then left
the bunker. When Smith had gone, there were no more explosions. The mortarists
called for the storeman and Smith went to the ammunition store where he issued
mortar bombs, 7.62 mm and 5.56 mm rounds and RPG bombs. Lance-Corporal De Klerk
then came into the store and Smith saw him take M26 grenades from the box and
Smith saw him throw them inside the base. Then it fell silent, and there was
just rifle fire from the North bunker. Smith saw Lance-Corporal De Klerk run
into his ammunition store and take four or five M26 grenades from a box and run
out with them. Smith moved out of the store with the mortarists and helped them
carry a box of 81 mortar bombs. When Smith had come out of the ammunition store,
he saw Lance-Corporal De Klerk throw an M26 grenade behind the QM store. He
moved further and there were two explosions after each other from his direction.
After a while Lance-Corporal De Klerk came back to the ammo store and Smith saw
him take M26 grenades and go out again. He had not been out long when Smith
heard three explosions near the ammunition store. After that, De Klerk was in
the store a couple of times, and each time he took some M26 grenades. After a
while, Lance-Corporal De Klerk came running to the bunkers and asked for Foxtrot
troops. Raas saw that Lance-Corporal De Klerk had an M26 grenade in his hand,
and Lieutenant Kitshoff told him not to 'play the GV (Grensvegter)'. Lance-Corporal
De Klerk ran straight to the bunkers at the North wall. Raas heard a couple more
explosions inside the base. Lance-Corporal De Klerk then returned to the bunker
again and said that he was going to throw another two grenades. Corporal Swart
watched him do this. Lance-Corporal De Klerk then handed Corporal Swart a
grenade and left the bunker and Corporal Swart saw that he had other grenades in
his pockets. They heard explosions from the area of the mess. They fired the
signal flares up and loaded magazines. Then there was silence and Corporal Swart
heard them scream 'Cease Fire VALK 3 fall in'. At 22H40 Major Ferreira heard a
definite decrease in the explosions and he gave the order to cease fire. He
contacted the platoon commander, Lieutenant Bothma, and instructed him to
assemble VALK 3 to commence investigation West of the base. Smith took three
grenades from the box and threw them inside the base. There was a continuous
commotion in the store. Smith was inside the store when he heard explosions near
the mess. He stayed in the store until everything became quiet.

VALK 3 COMMANDER IS TOLD TO FALL IN

Blom heard more explosions after which the mortar fire and rifle fire began. He
ran outside, and was on his way to the bunker, when he heard Lieutenant Bothma
call for him. He went to Lieutenant Bothma and was told to get the VALK
together. He tried to get hold of the VALK but the whole base was in chaos and
he couldn't get them together. He shouted for the VALK the whole time and
eventually he managed to get a group together. Then they all lay in the Ops Room
while there were more explosions.

MORE EXPLOSIONS TO THE WEST OF THE BASE

At 22H48, while they were busy talking, Major Ferreira heard more explosions in
the general West of the base. Small arms fire started again, after which the
mortars launched a counter bombardment. After about three minutes Major Ferreira
called a cease fire again. He went out to tell the VALK 3 Commander to go out
again in the general Western direction. Major Ferreira organized ammunition
replenishment. He then went to the mess to investigate possible explosion marks
and saw various holes in the ground characteristic of explosion marks South and
West of the mess. Someone on the East wall started to fire single shots, and
then everyone began to shoot again. At that stage, the four of us heard
explosions in the area of the Section Leaders' tents. After a while Lance-Corporal
Blom ran to his tent to go and get his chest webbing. When he was to the left of
his tent, he heard an explosion to his right and he fell flat. He felt a burning
pain in his right side and left leg. He stood up and felt that he was bleeding
and ran into his tent. Everything was dark inside his tent and he felt for his
bed and he felt that everything in the area of the explosion had been blown to
pieces. While he was busy searching in the dark for his chest webbing, Corporal
Pretorius ran into the tent.

L/CPL BLOM'S TENT IS HIT

Lance-Corporal Blom got his chest webbing and went back to the Ops. Room. When
he got back to the Ops Room, he told Lieutenant Bothma that he was wounded and
that he was going for medical treatment. He went to the signal room in the Ops
room where the medics were with other wounded. After a while Lance-Corporal De
Klerk ran into their bunker again and said 'duck' and he threw a grenade inside
the base in the direction of the electricity generators. Lance-Corporal De Klerk
gave Corporal Pretorius an M26 grenade. Pretorius threw it towards the helipad.
Corporal Swart admits receiving an M26 hand grenade from Lance-Corporal De Klerk
and throwing it at the helipad on the South side of the base. Lance-Corporal De
Klerk threw another grenade in the base. Then everything fell silent. Lance-Corporal
De Klerk left the bunker with Corporal Pretorius. Those remaining sat in the
bunker and talked. Corporal Pretorius ran in and told Corporal Swart to go and
see what their tent looked like. Corporal Swart went and saw that it had been
hit by a grenade.

THERE IS A LULL IN THE EXPLOSIONS

At 22H59, while Major Ferreira still stood at the mess, he again heard
explosions and at 22H59 accompanied with small arms fire and mortar fire. Major
Ferreira then immediately moved back to the Ops Room and shortly after this the
first casualty came in. It was Lance-Corporal Blom who had a light shrapnel
wound on his ribs and shortly after that Rifleman O'Neil came in with a shoulder
wound. The fire leader, Corporal Majiet, gave Major Ferreira regular feedback
that he saw explosions West of the camp. This later changed as though they were
being attacked from all four sides. Lieutenant Bothma then gave an order that
all the VALK troops must report at the Ops Room. When he got to the Ops Room,
Hardwick was told that one of the VALK troops had been wounded and he went to
the doctor to give assistance. The doctor did not need assistance and Lieutenant
Bothma sent Hardwick to the ammunition store to get magazine rounds. After
giving the magazine rounds to Lieutenant Bothma, Hardwick went to the Ops room
and assisted the doctor because there were other troops wounded. He stayed there
until the explosions stopped. After this, the serious casualties were brought
in. They were Preen with a bullet wound and Moult with injuries to the back of
his head. Both bled a great deal. In between, Major Ferreira spoke with
Commandant van der Walt on the radio who informed Major Ferreira that a 'Dragon'
(Helicopter gunship?) was on its way. After communication was established with
the Dragon, the pilot asked that air illumination flares should be launched on
request, and two were fired by Corporal Van Zyl. When they had fired the first
flare, the pilot asked that the mortar fire stop, but the small arms fire
continued. The Dragon fired about 30 shots after which its weapons jammed. The
pilot said that he would return to base after a spotter (plane) arrived to
direct their mortar fire. Meanwhile, at 23H50 Major Ferreira ordered cease fire.
After seeing the doctor, Lance-Corporal Blom went back to the Ops. Room. He and
Lieutenant Bothma then ran to the ammunition store where they found Rifleman
Smith. They counted two boxes of 'Instant Light' and went to the South side
bunker. At that stage the explosions stopped. At OOHO5 2 or three explosions
were heard within the base and those were the last. Meanwhile the spotter plane
arrived and the Dragon departed. The spotter plane departed at 02H30.

AFTER IT WAS OVER

At 04H10 2 Puma helicopters landed here with Scout Troops who were off loaded
and the three casevacs; Moult, Preen and Haldego, were removed. Orders were
issued that the troops should sleep in their bunkers. After they had given
covering fire for the helicopter (chopper), Corporal Pretorius returned to his
tent and took his mattress and went to sleep in the bunker.

NEXT MORNING AND BEYOND

The next morning Hardwick heard talk in the camp that their own troops had
revved the camp and not the enemy. From a bunker in the South wall, Lance-Corporal
Van Rhyn saw Lance-Corporal De Klerk walk to a pool of water near the
electricity generators. Lance-Corporal Van Rhyn saw that he had something in his
hand that looked like a grenade and he threw it in the water. Corporal Immelman
and Rifleman Steuneman found four or five grenade pins when they moved the
portable store plates from behind the store. Immelman gave them to Smith, who
asked him to keep quiet, admitting that he had put them there. Grove noticed
that the West and South sides of the base were full of holes from when the
grenade exploded. During the day, Lance-Corporal Blom told Grove that Lance-Corporal
De Klerk admitted that he had thrown a grenade near the water tanks. That
evening, Lance-Corporal De Klerk called Grove to one side and requested him to
say that he (Grove) had thrown the grenade from Delta bunker and not him (De
Klerk), because he was medically unfit due to his left hand being in plaster.

On 30 March 1986 late in the afternoon, the Chaplain, Dominee Niewoudt came and
told Major Ferreira that the troops spoke of grenades having been thrown. Major
Ferreira started an investigation and came to the conclusion that the incident
was caused by own forces. On Saturday 5 April AO Marais of the Military Police
questioned the troops about the attack on the base. Riflemen Olivier, Smith,
Payne and Lategan were present when Smith admitted that he had thrown three
grenades in and outside the base himself, and that he had seen Lance-Corporal De
Klerk throw a grenade in the direction of the mess. Smith admitted started all
the nonsense in the base. There was absolutely no enemy attack.

CONCLUDING NOTE

I believe that at least two of those involved in this incident were
courtmarshalled and sentenced to a couple of years in Detention Barracks.

PERSONNEL INVOLVED

81241432BG Rifleman Craig Harold Hardwick - 2-6-65 - 1 Para Bn

80256167BG Corporal Coenraad Grabe Grove 4-12-1964 1 Para Bn

84407519BG Corporal Charles William Swart 16-11-65 1 Para Bn.

81203499BG Rifleman Willem Jacobus Olivier 25-1-65 1 Para Bn.

80569163BG Rifleman Frederick Petrus Jacobus Smith 2-8-63 1 Para Bn.

82341546BG Sapper Gerald Sydney Lloyd 11-7-66 25 Field Regiment

83422055BG Corporal Martinis Wessel Pretorius 13-6-64 1 Para Bn

73216707PE Major Johan Andries Ferreira - 18-9-57 1 Para Bn.

81265084BG Lance-Corporal Andre Francois Van Rhyn -13-10-65 1 Para Bn.

81339566BG Rifleman Andre Raas 1-4-65 1 Para Bn.

82586801BG Lance-Corporal Garett Craig Blom 18-7-65 1 Para Bn.