Military Despatches Vol 44 February 2021 Sorry, it’s not true 10 common misconceptions about World War II Military Manifestations Some of the most haunted battlefields Hunting bin Laden Why did it take 12 years to finally get him Operation Ivory Coast A daring Special Forces raid during the Vietnam War For the military enthusiast CONTENTS February 2021 Page 14 Click on any video below to view How much do you know about movie theme songs? Take our quiz and find out. Hipe’s Wouter de The old South African Goede interviews former Defence Force used 28’s gang boss David a mixture of English, Williams. Afrikaans, slang and techno-speak that few Special Forces - The Green Berets outside the military could hope to under- 42 stand. Some of the terms Features were humorous, some A fond farewell were clever, while others 6 TS Woltemade Covid-19 Mat- were downright crude. Ten misconceptions of WWII ric farewell. By Sub Lt. GAy- Lene PiLLAy, Executive Of- Ten things about World War II ficer, TS Woltemade. that most people believe. But Part of Hipe’s “On the how many of them are true? 43 couch” series, this is an 20 Ranks interview with one of Those left behind Ranks of the United States author Herman Charles When soldiers go off to war Army. Bosman’s most famous what happens to those that are 34 characters, Oom Schalk left to wait back home. Hunting bin Laden Quiz Lourens. Hipe spent time in A taxi driver was shot 24 Why did it take 12 years to track 31 dead in an ongoing Hanover Park, an area Military manifestations down one of the most wanted fu- war between rival taxi plagued with gang If there are such things as ghosts, gitives on the planet? And who General Knowledge organisations. violence, to view first- then it stands to reason that bat- was Osama bin Laden? This month is all about gener- hand how Project tlefields must be some of the 40 al knowledge. We ask you 25 Ceasefire is dealing with most haunted places on earth. questions, you tell us the an- A clean bill of health swer. Some of them you should the situation. 28 TS Birkenhead assists Hawston all know, others are a bit more Hipe TV brings you videos ranging from actuality to humour and every- A thousand words community preparing Paddavei difficult and will be a true test thing in between. Interviews, mini-documentaries and much more. Some of the most iconic photo- Park run course. of your general knowledge re- graphs of war that many are un- garding military matters. Check out Hipe TV and remember to like, comment, share and subscribe. aware of. 00 3 CONTENTS Page 72 Editor’s PubLiSHeR Sitrep Hipe Media eDitOR Matt Tennyson PHOtO eDitOR t’s 04h55 on 1 February and This gave me far less time Regine Lord I am sitting here writing this to work on the magazine. So it COntRibutORS editorial for the magazine. I was a bit of a tight squeeze to February in military history I Raymond Fletcher, Ryan Mur- still have to do the front cover get everything done on time. phy, Matt O’Brien, Sub Lt Gay- before I can e-mail it to every- To add to my frustration my lene Pillay, Matt Tennyson, Lt one. computer monitor decided to Head-to-Head Forged in Battle Book Review Cdr Glenn von Zeil. Once again I ask myself why call it a day. Not only was it a 46 58 69 am I doing this. I should be cost I was not planning on, it Military Despatches is pub- Pilgrim Days fast asleep in bed, not worrying also meant that I sat for 14 hours Vietnam FN FAL Assault Rifle lished on-line every month. The story of Alastair MacKen- about getting a magazine out on unable to work. Poor me, poor We look at the weapons and Used by more than 90 coun- The articles used in Military zie - from Vietnam to the British time. me, pour me another drink. Despatches are copyrighted equipment of some of the major tries, the FN FAL was forged in SAS. Then again, it’s probably be- Still, the magazine is done and may not be used without combatants during the Vietnam battle. cause I enjoy it and I trust that and it will at least go out on the prior permission from the edi- War. Battlefield Front Cover there are at least one or two first day of the month. tor. people out there that enjoy it as Yet there is no rest for the The views stated in this maga- Famous Figures 62 Members of the United States well. wicked. I will take today off zine do not necessary reflect the Special Forces - the Green January was a bit of a busy and then tomorrow start on the Operation Ivory Coast views of Military Despatches, 52 Berets - on deployment in Af- month. I had one or two other three new magazines for next A daring raid during the Viet- the editor, the staff, or Hipe Norman Schwarzkopf ghanistan. This month’s Special projects that I had to get done month. And yes, I did say three. nam War to free American pris- Media. Decorated veteran of the Vi- Forces feature looks at this elite and that took up a good chunk Besides Military Despatches oners of war. etnam War and adviser to the unit. of my time. I also do an online magazine for South Vietnamese Army, four- Hipe! Gaming As many of you know I do Zone Radio each month. Then P.O. Box 31216, Tokai, 7966 star general and commander of a show on Zone Radio every every third month I do ‘Jim- South Africa. the United States Central Com- 68 Sunday morning from 9.00 to my’s Own’, the official mag- mand. World of Guns 12.00. I really enjoy doing it. azine for the SA Signals As- email Strip and assemble more than For the last week of January, sociation. And March will see [email protected] 230 weapons. Compete against however, I was asked to do the another issue of Jimmy’s Own. the clock. Drive Zone, the main show on And a very special issue I might back issues Zone Radio. add. To view any back issues of Series Review This meant that from Mon- Military Despatches, go to day to Friday I was on air from www.militarydespatches.co.za 70 15.00 to 18.00. This meant or click here. having to leave home at 14.00 Until next time. Dad’s Army and only getting back between The classic comedy about the 18.30 and 19.00. Matt Home Guard in World War II. 4 5 Top Ten Top Ten professional historians too.. 10 misconceptions about Many people believe that blitzkrieg was something com- pletely new or at least revolu- World War II tionary. Many are also under Ten things about World War II that most people believe. But how many of them are mis- the illusion that what happened conceptions? between 1939 and 1941 was a complete new form of warfare. istory is sometimes de- you’re going to make yourself • The German SS in World They are wrong on both ac- fined as a continuous, look good and your opposition War II, with their blonde counts. One needs to look at the systematic narrative of look bad. hair and blue eyes, were the H bigger picture. past events as relating to a par- Often what we take to be his- cream of Aryan manhood. In his article “Blitzkrieg: ticular people, country, period, tory was actually propaganda. • German war crimes during Revolution or Evolution”, person, etc., usually written as Winston Churchill also said, “In World War II were commit- Weichong Org states, “To the a chronological account. wartime, truth is so precious ted only by the SS. Germans however, blitzkrieg It is through history that that she should always be at- • The US Navy developed was never a revolution, but we know so much about past tended by a bodyguard of lies.” technology to make ships BLITZKRIEG: It was not a revolution, but rather an evolution. the incremental development events and people. This is also Joseph Goebbels. Nazi pol- invisible, in the “Philadel- of concepts and doctrines that true when it comes to military itician and Reich Minister of phia Experiment”. man SS being the cream of Ar- a years-long struggle, as in the originated from the campaigns history. Propaganda of Nazi Germany • Adolf Hitler’s real name was yan manhood. More than 60% First World War.” of Frederick the Great, Blücher, Yet often the narrative of past from 1933 to 1945, also had actually Adolf Schicklgru- of them were not even German. Frieser goes on to say that Moltke the Elder, and those of events may not accurately re- some interesting things to say ber. Let’s take a slightly more in the so-called Blitzkrieg-Denken the First World War.” late what really happened. Even about it. All very interesting, but with depth look at some other mis- (Blitzkrieg concept) developed A closer look at Prussian and eyewitness accounts will some- “If you tell a lie long enough, one slight flaw - none of the conceptions about World War only after the campaign in the German military history shows times differ. Oral history that it becomes the truth.” “The above is true. They are all mis- II. West. a number of themes that run was passed down from gener- bigger the lie, the more it will conceptions that many people The word Blitzkrieg was through it.