Magazine Publication – Gerry van Tonder

A War Life Saver

In their armed fight to overthrow the minority white Rhodesian government, late in 1972 Soviet- and Communist Chinese-sponsored insurgents added landmines to their hitherto very limited weaponry. Most rural roads throughout the country were unpaved; perfect for this indiscriminate type of warfare.

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Against the Red Tide Part 1: 27th British Commonwealth Brigade’s Korean War

By Gerry van Tonder

"Against the Red Tide Part 1" highlights the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade's pivotal role in the Korean War. Deploying from Hong Kong and integrating units from the Commonwealth, they played a key part in defending the Pusan Perimeter and advancing into North Korea. Their journey from the Inchon landing through to the Chinese intervention underscores the brigade's resilience and strategic impact amidst coalition forces, navigating the harsh realities of warfare and complex logistical challenges in a pivotal Cold War conflict.

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Against the Red Tide Part 2: 27th British Commonwealth Brigade’s Korean War

By Gerry van Tonder

"Against the Red Tide Part 2" narrates the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade's enduring struggle in the Korean War through 1951. Tasked with covering retreats and serving as the rearguard for Seoul's evacuation, the brigade faced daunting challenges against Chinese forces. Their heroic stands, particularly at the Imjin River and Kapyong, where they sustained heavy casualties but demonstrated extraordinary heroism, are highlighted. The brigade's significant contributions were recognized with a change in command and an American Presidential Unit citation for their actions near Kapyong, reflecting their critical role in the UN's military campaign.

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Ahead of Her Time: Lady Sarah Wilson

By Gerry van Tonder

Lady Sarah Spencer-Churchill, an aristocrat and Winston Churchill's aunt, broke Victorian norms as one of the first female war correspondents during the Second Boer War. She reported on the Siege of Mafeking for the Daily Mail, served as a nurse, and even engaged in espionage. Captured by the Boers but undeterred, Lady Sarah's adventurous spirit and defiance of societal expectations marked her as a pioneering figure. Her contributions to journalism and wartime nursing left a legacy of challenging gender barriers. She passed away in 1929, a woman truly ahead of her time.

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Battle of Elands River

By Gerry van Tonder

By August 1900, ten months after the outbreak of hostilities between British forces and those of the Transvaal and Orange Free State Boer republics in South Africa, Her Majesty’s troops were starting to gain the ascendency across the subcontinent in what became known as the Second Boer War.

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Canada’s First Stand: Battle of Vimy Ridge

By Gerry van Tonder

"Canada’s First Stand: Battle of Vimy Ridge" marks a defining moment for Canada during WWI, showcasing its military prowess and national unity. In April 1917, the Canadian Corps, for the first time fighting together, captured Vimy Ridge through a well-coordinated attack planned by Lt Gen Sir Julian Byng. This victory, achieved at great cost, symbolized Canada's emergence as a nation with a significant role on the global stage, contributing to its path towards legislative independence and fostering a deep sense of national pride.

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Chariot of Fire: Israeli Merkava Tank

By Gerry van Tonder

For many analysts, the Valley of Tears tank battle between Israeli and Syrian armour that took place on the Golan Heights in October 1973 was one of history’s greatest. On the Hebrew holy day of Yom Kippur, on 6 October Egyptian and Syrian forces simultaneously attacked Israeli-occupied Sinai and the Golan Heights respectively.

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Deadly Efficient Mobile Warfare: Rhodesian SAS

By Gerry van Tonder

From 1941 to 1980, ‘C’ (Rhodesia) Squadron was an integral and highly esteemed member of the Special Air Service (SAS) family. Inspired by the rapid Long Range Desert Group’s (LRDG) vehicle-borne rescue of elements of the SAS, whose first mission into German-held territory ended in failure as a result of severe sandstorms, No. 8 (Guards) Commando officer David Sterling developed the extremely successful SAS operational tactic that centred on small, heavily armed and mobile strike units.

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Forgotten Airmen

By Gerry van Tonder

From May 1940 to March 1954, the Royal Air Force (RAF) had a functional presence in the self-governing British colony in Africa, Southern Rhodesia. As part of the Empire Air Training Scheme, the Rhodesian Air Training Group (RATG) was activated for the training of RAF and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) pilot cadets, navigators, air observers and air gunners.

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Homegrown Solutions: Rhodesian Military Vehicles 1965–80

By Gerry van Tonder

In the 1960s, the right-wing minority government of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) refused to acquiesce to calls for majority rule, electing instead to unilaterally declare itself independent of Britain on 11 November 1965. Almost immediately, nationalist insurgents started to cross into Rhodesia from Zambia to use military means to force the government into submission.

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Ironclads Across the Veld

By Gerry van Tonder

As long ago as 1847—and again in 1849—James Anderson, of Edinburgh, prepared and patented a series of plans, and further submitted a working model of his defensive rolling stock for the inspection of British engineers and artillery officers. The British Government, though, could not see its way clear to adopt the invention, so Anderson went abroad with his idea, with the result that these ‘ironclad trains’ were used in Europe on the field of battle for the first time in the Franco-Prussian War (1870).

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Pearson’s Holdouts: Siege of Eshowe Anglo-Zulu War

By Gerry van Tonder

As commander of one of the three self-contained columns constituting Lord Chelmsford’s invasion force into Zululand in January 1879, Colonel Charles Pearson diligently studied his commander’s instructions. Notwithstanding the ominous and very real possibility of having “the whole Zulu force” descend on his Eshowe garrison, the quintessential Victorian army officer’s response was unequivocal.

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