Remembering a legend: Colonel Jan Breytenbach

 

I was saddened to learn yesterday that retired Colonel Jan Breytenbach of the South African Defense Force died last June.  He was 91 years old.

Col. Breytenbach was a legend among South African soldiers during the 1970's and 1980's.  A few military men in any country can claim the honor of founding a new unit;  he founded no less than three - 1 Reconnaissance Commando in 1972, 32 Battalion in 1975, and 44 Parachute Brigade in 1978.  He "led from the front", commanding South African troops in action in Tanzania and Angola, and (early in his career) British forces in the Suez Crisis.

The Colonel was renowned for his no-nonsense, very direct, occasionally very blunt leadership style.  He never asked any of his troops to do anything he was not ready, willing and able to do himself - and better than most.  During one external operation in Angola, the officer appointed to command the operation (from Defense Headquarters in South Africa) was screwing up by the numbers, so the Colonel walked into his headquarters and simply took over without so much as a "by your leave".  The brass hats wanted to court-martial him for that, but he turned the operation around from a failure to a success, so, much as they wanted to, they couldn't really get away with it.  They did, however, ensure that he never made it to General Officer rank;  he stayed a colonel for well over a decade, and retired in that rank.  (The fact that one of his brothers supported a terrorist movement and was considered a traitor by the South African government didn't help his promotion prospects, either, despite the Colonel's outstanding combat and command history and awards.)

Colonel Breytenbach was renowned for asking forgiveness instead of permission if he felt something needed to be done.  A good example is the Pathfinder Platoon of 44 Parachute Brigade.  He felt one was needed, but could not get official permission to form it;  so he went ahead and did so anyway, equipping it with specialized vehicles and other gear, and sending it into action in Angola.  Sadly, when he left the Brigade in 1982 the Platoon was disbanded, but during its existence it established an excellent record in the field.  One of its members wrote a book about his experiences with Pathfinder Platoon and Colonel Breytenbach.  It made interesting reading.

Col. Breytenbach also wrote several books about his experiences, many of which are still available.  I've enjoyed reading them.  In particular, I recommend his account of the parachute assault on Cassinga in 1978.

Communist and terrorist propaganda has tried ever since then to portray it as a brutal attack on a refugee camp containing innocent civilians.  The truth is very different.  The Colonel commanded that operation, and tells it like it was.

Colonel Breytenbach was a remarkable man, commanding instant respect from almost everyone who knew him.  His track record was second to none, and he remains a legend in the South African Special Forces community (although a highly politically incorrect one today, in that he fought for the apartheid government there, and its successor regarded him with suspicion as having been one of their most effective and dangerous enemies).  The stories told about him are legion, and almost all of them are true (although some have doubtless been well embroidered over the years).  He might be described as a South African equivalent of US Colonel "Bull" Simons - he took no nonsense from anybody.

May he rest in peace.

Peter