Hans is what you call a very cool customer and a natural born story teller! One of the best episodes for an all round picture of our life during the war. Thank you!
Hello guys. I'm a 70s SA kid and met my besties at school when the influx of Rhodesian started here in '79 - '81. I endured my early 20's listening to my Rhodie mate's fathers saying: "Watch .... (the same will happen in SA)". Whether you consider them right or wrong, I held them in the highest esteem and wished at least a couple of these guys to be my surrogate dads (I'm from a single parent household). Very unfortunately the particular gents in question haven't been with us any more for quite some time now. To my point: Because of the tales I've gleaned over the years, I'm an avid follower of your episodes. But unlike when I heard the stories in my flippant youth, I'm finding now in my older years that there's something lacking from your stories which, as your brothers become fewer, you'll need to address increasingly urgently: an increasing portion of guys younger than yourselves can't follow the geography of it all. (Names have changed, spoken African names aren't easy to spell, etc.). I don't know if I'm making any sense? Simple fix: A chronological written list of place names in the blurb. Uber fix: A time stamped of place names in the blurb. Old & new names would perhaps be even better. This would be so cool to add perspective to those of us that weren't there (unfortunately, most likely to be the growing portion of your listeners). This would allow us to contextualise on Google Maps, understand which borders/threats etc. might have been at play in the locality, get an idea of the topology in the area, do more of our own reading, etc... Obviously, the above is well meant and intended to be constructive. So I really hope it's not misconstrued. Thanks again guys, not just for the channel but for being amongst those that added another dimension to my teens and young adult years. 🙂
Geez, what a great memory Hans has! I can’t remember half of the guys in my troop let alone every school buddy. Can’t say it’s my age as I was also born in 1955 😂. Great chat Hans, thanks for your experiences. Top production John…
John/Hannes, please thank Hans for sharing and being so open with his life history!🙏🙏 Such wonderful and interesting and sad histories. Life is crazier than fiction! Thank you, I'm ever so grateful to learn from you all.
Another wonderful storyteller. Hans takes you right there. He looks like a Boer War Kruger, feels like a Rhodie, and yet he was born and partly brought up as a German. There was an Irish song written about this sort of confusion: 'It was the biggest mix up you have ever seen . . . '.
Great to hear Hans tell his stories about life as a PO and then SB operator. It is refreshing to hear the funny side of what was a very stressful and scary time for us 18 to 22 year olds. I am looking forward to Part 2. Thanks Hans and John
Thanks John van Zyl and Hans Sittig, a fellow Prince Edward School Boy, a year behind me. An absolutely fascinating and superb episode. I can hardly wait for the follow up. Cheers Steve Ingram.
Wow!, had you come over earlier, we would have been borders at Macheke junior. Remember going to your dad's farm, in the 90's the yard was immaculate!, wood squared off, ground swept clean etc. Very impressive!
Excellent talk gentlemen, the brutalities of war are quite shocking & hard to digest coming from a country that has fortunately never experienced any type of war on home soil! Also, I'm always astonished when I hear the term "Surf Club" in Rhodesia, considering it's landlocked!! He. He. He.
This guy is awesome!! Fascinating stories would be fun to have a beer with! Thanks guys! an interesting history lesson! Makes me want to look up pictures of old British motorbikes too! Thanks Hans
Nice chat Hans and John. Yes doing SB/GC work was great. Interesting, My inlaws bought a section of the Cawoods farm and they were and still are neighbours on the other side of the Umzingwane river. Take care, light up another smoke and so will I and we look forward to the next episode. God Bless. From Scouter Bravo Byo.
Some of us only had home made catty's and later a pellet gun (air rifle). Anything bigger there surely would have been a few less mates (chinas) around to fight the war when we got older
@@itslogical8459 ja for sure i started with a catty and moved to a dianna bb gun and then to a bsa pellet gun. the catty was the go to as it was light and not easily damaged and if we were with the farm staff kids fishing or hunting then there was very little chance of accidents or anything. the 410 was for monkeys in tree the .22hornet was for monkeys pigs baboons and pot. in fairness it only came out after weeks of good behaviour
@@itslogical8459 i was born after the war in 86 so i enjoyed nthe remnants of rhodesia as it wore off, in relative safety till 2000 when it all kicked off
Excellent interview. When it first started I thought I was listening to my own early days. Single mother/adopted/took step fathers name/boarding school etc. Thought Morris Depot training was good fun. In fact I once thought to myself it wasn't dissimilar to being a newboy boarder at school in SA apart from the fact that I was being paid and could drink beer. Some translation/explanations - Witblits/Boom/CMED/Sadza/Pookie/Tin = Moonshine/Marijuana/Central Mechanical and Electrical Dept (looked after our vehicles etc)/Maize Meal/Mine vehicle/Russian TM anti-tank mine etc (just for the non ex Rhodie servicemen). There the comparison ends as I don't have any stories worth recounting. Reg No.8361 D Troop Support Unit.
Hans makes mention of his radio messages being picked up & relayed by an Umvukwes farmer call-sign 266A. Just for the record, that was Derek Johns who was a Police Reservist and maintained an almost 24/7/365 listening post on a variety of radio equipment and across many channels. He was a legend of his time and, although he probably never fired a shot in anger, his contribution was immense. Old Rhodie "toppies" like me will also recall his daughter Vera Johns, who was Miss Rhodesia back in the day. I was stationed with Hans at Goromonzi, good to see he's still alive & kicking! No doubt his stories regarding that station are still coming.
Now that was an interesting and well-told narrative. Although I was not in Rhodesia itself, for some time in 1976 I was in Mpacha in the Caprivi Strip which was just kilometres away, working with the SADF anti-ZIPRA EW effort. Op Falcon was a combined SADF/ Rhodesian EW effort. Sadly that got canned that year in the Vorster/Kissinger detente debacle, although the SADF EW operation continued in SWA under Op Brush. Albeit in EW, now I know how hot the war actually was internally in Rhodesia in that year. Regrettably it only got hotter, both internally and externally. In Rhodesia, the police certainly had their hands full of unusual duties and responsibilities, including the disposal of the yields of successful COIN operations. We look forward to Episodes 2 and 3. RMY
Hi David Do you have or have you read Blue and Old Gold. Brilliant history of the BSAP. I served in the bsap and my great grandfather was one of the pioneer policeman.
@@Thepuppy7 I happen to own it. love it. I seek out all they books I can on it. A salute, to you for your service. Man, your Great Grand Father must have seen alot. I have read a little on the Pioneer columns and the Matabele war. rough times.
My wife parents farm is mentioned here and also Morbi. Mimi must get in touch with Hans so he can give her some content for her book about her time in the BSAP working for Morbi as a radio operator. Her book is going to be .303 which was her callsign in those days. Thanks guys Beaver Shaw
Hi Beaver, How you guys doing. Our Love to Mimi (a Friend from junior school and neigbour in Beit Bridge. Life long family friends) I married Jeanette Smith 43 years ago now. Take care and hope to meet up some time. Peter and Jeanette Rossiter😊
Hello Hans and John. Small world, I was at Rusambo the night we got revved by that large group. Five of us were deployed buy 45 a few days earlier when we hit a mine. One bloke was cassevacked which left four of us to carry on regardless. We received int probably from you Hans via our OC that a large group was on the move through our area. We found a very well worn path near the Ruya river and decided to set up an ambush position there. Some three to four days later at about eight in the evening the ambush was initiated with a claymore and all hell broke loose it was obviously a very large group that we had hit. From memory we only accounted for four of our opposition as we later learned that we had initiated the ambush on the advance party leaving the main group to give us a hard time. We were choppered back to Rusambo and the OC gave four crates of Castle and Lion for the four kills. We were all getting on the turps in the last of those smaller buildings when the attack happened. From memory we had an RLI mortar stick with us. I do remember a ship load of incoming fire.
Small world...I was with int aff out of concession...mid 75 building and running protected villages until elections in 1980...recall Julian twine...he used to take...bsap constables away for his r and r...famba in bush...years later Julian won award saving guys ambushed in Lake Kariba...maybe Binga area...names come flowing back....was based at Bari PV 1 where s b...had staff in tent at back of our barracks...Brian Timmer amongst many others thru the years...often went to umvukwees and sipollio and centenary for shopping...memories memories👍👍👍
Thanks for memories....took over as QRep Darwin as nspo for 18 months 1977/78, also under Mr Van Vyk and Les, then Dave Young and Chris Aitken. Rusambo was midst beautiful scenery going through the valley
As you said Hans, that smell of burning human bodies has a distinct smell, especially when mixed with Frantan or phosphorus. The other smell that l can detect today instantly, is the smell of burning cotton cloth
I like the interviews with SB guys, Hanz seems like a tough man. They had a interesting job. I'm under the impression not all of the Troopies liked Special branch personnel, is this true?
We had a lot of SB guys who kept the intelligence they had gathered for themselves then tried to ambush the terrs with 6 or 7 guys so they could "claim all the glory". And then we had SB guys who would pass on all their int to the army for us to react to. Many times this int was "a lemon" which left a bitter taste in our mouths (pun intended). So a lot of our working relationship with SB depended solely on the attitude of the SB guy. SB officers who were indented with Selous Scouts had an excellent working relationship with the army, but many SB officers were loathe to share their intelligence with Territorial troops as l suppose they thought that we would stuff it up!
Hans is what you call a very cool customer and a natural born story teller! One of the best episodes for an all round picture of our life during the war. Thank you!
Hello guys. I'm a 70s SA kid and met my besties at school when the influx of Rhodesian started here in '79 - '81. I endured my early 20's listening to my Rhodie mate's fathers saying: "Watch .... (the same will happen in SA)". Whether you consider them right or wrong, I held them in the highest esteem and wished at least a couple of these guys to be my surrogate dads (I'm from a single parent household). Very unfortunately the particular gents in question haven't been with us any more for quite some time now.
To my point: Because of the tales I've gleaned over the years, I'm an avid follower of your episodes. But unlike when I heard the stories in my flippant youth, I'm finding now in my older years that there's something lacking from your stories which, as your brothers become fewer, you'll need to address increasingly urgently: an increasing portion of guys younger than yourselves can't follow the geography of it all. (Names have changed, spoken African names aren't easy to spell, etc.). I don't know if I'm making any sense?
Simple fix: A chronological written list of place names in the blurb. Uber fix: A time stamped of place names in the blurb. Old & new names would perhaps be even better. This would be so cool to add perspective to those of us that weren't there (unfortunately, most likely to be the growing portion of your listeners). This would allow us to contextualise on Google Maps, understand which borders/threats etc. might have been at play in the locality, get an idea of the topology in the area, do more of our own reading, etc...
Obviously, the above is well meant and intended to be constructive. So I really hope it's not misconstrued. Thanks again guys, not just for the channel but for being amongst those that added another dimension to my teens and young adult years. 🙂
This man is a natural in storytelling. I enjoyed every second of it. I was lying on the bed now and could visualize every moment of it. 👌🏻👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Geez, what a great memory Hans has! I can’t remember half of the guys in my troop let alone every school buddy. Can’t say it’s my age as I was also born in 1955 😂. Great chat Hans, thanks for your experiences. Top production John…
What an interesting man and BSAP compadre. I never met Hans but wish I did. Good health and long life to him.
John/Hannes, please thank Hans for sharing and being so open with his life history!🙏🙏 Such wonderful and interesting and sad histories. Life is crazier than fiction! Thank you, I'm ever so grateful to learn from you all.
Another wonderful storyteller. Hans takes you right there. He looks like a Boer War Kruger, feels like a Rhodie, and yet he was born and partly brought up as a German. There was an Irish song written about this sort of confusion: 'It was the biggest mix up you have ever seen . . . '.
Brilliant interview Hans , captivating.
God bless.
Great to hear Hans tell his stories about life as a PO and then SB operator. It is refreshing to hear the funny side of what was a very stressful and scary time for us 18 to 22 year olds. I am looking forward to Part 2. Thanks Hans and John
Great talk. Certainly brought back plenty memories of the early days of the war
A great interview- thanks Hans and John! What a good story teller👍Is Hans.!
Thanks John van Zyl and Hans Sittig, a fellow Prince Edward School Boy, a year behind me. An absolutely fascinating and superb episode. I can hardly wait for the follow up. Cheers Steve Ingram.
Wow!, had you come over earlier, we would have been borders at Macheke junior. Remember going to your dad's farm, in the 90's the yard was immaculate!, wood squared off, ground swept clean etc. Very impressive!
Excellent talk gentlemen, the brutalities of war are quite shocking & hard to digest coming from a country that has fortunately never experienced any type of war on home soil! Also, I'm always astonished when I hear the term "Surf Club" in Rhodesia, considering it's landlocked!! He. He. He.
Great interview. Can’t wait for part two. Thanks John and Hans.
Great story telling Hans told as it is . Can't wait for the next episode's. Thanks once again from a Blue Job.
This guy is awesome!! Fascinating stories would be fun to have a beer with! Thanks guys! an interesting history lesson! Makes me want to look up pictures of old British motorbikes too! Thanks Hans
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@fightingmenofrhodesiaexcellent interview John! Great job Appreciate
Nice chat Hans and John. Yes doing SB/GC work was great. Interesting, My inlaws bought a section of the Cawoods farm and they were and still are neighbours on the other side of the Umzingwane river. Take care, light up another smoke and so will I and we look forward to the next episode. God Bless. From Scouter Bravo Byo.
Damn !!! Hunting with only a .22/410 O/U in the African bush. Fascinating stories and fascinating people. Another great chat. Thanks John !
I think all of kids had one, mine was a .22hornet 410 over under. Kudu and smaller were fairgame if it was less than 30m, 1inch behind the ear.
Some of us only had home made catty's and later a pellet gun (air rifle). Anything bigger there surely would have been a few less mates (chinas) around to fight the war when we got older
@@itslogical8459 ja for sure i started with a catty and moved to a dianna bb gun and then to a bsa pellet gun. the catty was the go to as it was light and not easily damaged and if we were with the farm staff kids fishing or hunting then there was very little chance of accidents or anything. the 410 was for monkeys in tree the .22hornet was for monkeys pigs baboons and pot. in fairness it only came out after weeks of good behaviour
@@itslogical8459 i was born after the war in 86 so i enjoyed nthe remnants of rhodesia as it wore off, in relative safety till 2000 when it all kicked off
@@andre51286 .......OK.....Help an American out. What is a ...catty?????
Great information and stories coming from Hans .. enjoying this episode.. Tatenda Hans and boss John .. lekker stuff and look forward to part two 🙏🏻
Brilliant and honest.. Super Appreciated 👏👏👏
Great interview barrack room humour much respect
Excellent interview. When it first started I thought I was listening to my own early days. Single mother/adopted/took step fathers name/boarding school etc. Thought Morris Depot training was good fun. In fact I once thought to myself it wasn't dissimilar to being a newboy boarder at school in SA apart from the fact that I was being paid and could drink beer. Some translation/explanations - Witblits/Boom/CMED/Sadza/Pookie/Tin = Moonshine/Marijuana/Central Mechanical and Electrical Dept (looked after our vehicles etc)/Maize Meal/Mine vehicle/Russian TM anti-tank mine etc (just for the non ex Rhodie servicemen). There the comparison ends as I don't have any stories worth recounting. Reg No.8361 D Troop Support Unit.
Great talk!
Hans makes mention of his radio messages being picked up & relayed by an Umvukwes farmer call-sign 266A. Just for the record, that was Derek Johns who was a Police Reservist and maintained an almost 24/7/365 listening post on a variety of radio equipment and across many channels. He was a legend of his time and, although he probably never fired a shot in anger, his contribution was immense. Old Rhodie "toppies" like me will also recall his daughter Vera Johns, who was Miss Rhodesia back in the day. I was stationed with Hans at Goromonzi, good to see he's still alive & kicking! No doubt his stories regarding that station are still coming.
Now that was an interesting and well-told narrative.
Although I was not in Rhodesia itself, for some time in 1976 I was in Mpacha in the Caprivi Strip which was just kilometres away, working with the SADF anti-ZIPRA EW effort.
Op Falcon was a combined SADF/ Rhodesian EW effort. Sadly that got canned that year in the Vorster/Kissinger detente debacle, although the SADF EW operation continued in SWA under Op Brush.
Albeit in EW, now
I know how hot the war actually was internally in Rhodesia in that year.
Regrettably it only got hotter, both internally and externally.
In Rhodesia, the police certainly had their hands full of unusual duties and responsibilities, including the disposal of the yields of successful COIN operations.
We look forward to Episodes 2 and 3.
RMY
It spoiled Christmas! RESPECT
I have always had an interest in the BSAP. My birth father was connected to it. often found the law enforcement angle of the war fascinating.
Hi David
Do you have or have you read Blue and Old Gold. Brilliant history of the BSAP. I served in the bsap and my great grandfather was one of the pioneer policeman.
@@Thepuppy7 I happen to own it. love it. I seek out all they books I can on it. A salute, to you for your service. Man, your Great Grand Father must have seen alot. I have read a little on the Pioneer columns and the Matabele war. rough times.
Fascinating story telling. Uncle Hans can talk the hind leg off a donkey! Brilliant
I was head boy at Marandellas High and also in Sussex house, but earlier.
Great Stories !
My wife parents farm is mentioned here and also Morbi. Mimi must get in touch with Hans so he can give her some content for her book about her time in the BSAP working for Morbi as a radio operator. Her book is going to be .303 which was her callsign in those days. Thanks guys Beaver Shaw
Hi Beaver, How you guys doing. Our Love to Mimi (a Friend from junior school and neigbour in Beit Bridge. Life long family friends) I married Jeanette Smith 43 years ago now. Take care and hope to meet up some time. Peter and Jeanette Rossiter😊
Ahh yes Mashfords.......That remains indelibly printed on my memory Hans.
Hello Hans and John. Small world, I was at Rusambo the night we got revved by that large group. Five of us were deployed buy 45 a few days earlier when we hit a mine. One bloke was cassevacked which left four of us to carry on regardless. We received int probably from you Hans via our OC that a large group was on the move through our area. We found a very well worn path near the Ruya river and decided to set up an ambush position there. Some three to four days later at about eight in the evening the ambush was initiated with a claymore and all hell broke loose it was obviously a very large group that we had hit. From memory we only accounted for four of our opposition as we later learned that we had initiated the ambush on the advance party leaving the main group to give us a hard time. We were choppered back to Rusambo and the OC gave four crates of Castle and Lion for the four kills. We were all getting on the turps in the last of those smaller buildings when the attack happened. From memory we had an RLI mortar stick with us. I do remember a ship load of incoming fire.
🎉44
Flipping Heck! So good I watched it twice…. Roll on Part 2.
Excellent story teller...John
Small world...I was with int aff out of concession...mid 75 building and running protected villages until elections in 1980...recall Julian twine...he used to take...bsap constables away for his r and r...famba in bush...years later Julian won award saving guys ambushed in Lake Kariba...maybe Binga area...names come flowing back....was based at Bari PV 1 where s b...had staff in tent at back of our barracks...Brian Timmer amongst many others thru the years...often went to umvukwees and sipollio and centenary for shopping...memories memories👍👍👍
Thanks for memories....took over as QRep Darwin as nspo for 18 months 1977/78, also under Mr Van Vyk and Les, then Dave Young and Chris Aitken. Rusambo was midst beautiful scenery going through the valley
The yellow berries used for kachasu, in that area, are Massanica from the Masau trees. They were initially brought in by the slave traders.
Is this the botanical name for the maroolas jelliphants used to get drunk on?
@@warty3620 no, the Massanica's scientific name is ziziphus mauritaniana. The marula fruit is about three times larger.
Having only spoken with military men on the whole, this gives an interesting and different perspective. 👍
The c/supt macphail was my grandfather, he used to tell me stories of mukumbura and then the dorowa area
Was your grandfather living in Gwanda in the '60's into the '70's?
@@itslogical8459 quite possible, he was all over. he did 27years
@@itslogical8459 i know he had a house on hill at dorowa, marondera aswell
Bloody marvelously direct and honest. Will there be a part 2 and 3 ?
Yes
As you said Hans, that smell of burning human bodies has a distinct smell, especially when mixed with Frantan or phosphorus. The other smell that l can detect today instantly, is the smell of burning cotton cloth
We need part 2!
Part 2 & 3 already in the bag!
"The carburettor is a bitch " 😁😁😁
So were oil leaks
Evening gentlemen. Hans, did SIB and SB ever interact/share intel etc?
I like the interviews with SB guys, Hanz seems like a tough man. They had a interesting job. I'm under the impression not all of the Troopies liked Special branch personnel, is this true?
We had a lot of SB guys who kept the intelligence they had gathered for themselves then tried to ambush the terrs with 6 or 7 guys so they could "claim all the glory". And then we had SB guys who would pass on all their int to the army for us to react to. Many times this int was "a lemon" which left a bitter taste in our mouths (pun intended). So a lot of our working relationship with SB depended solely on the attitude of the SB guy. SB officers who were indented with Selous Scouts had an excellent working relationship with the army, but many SB officers were loathe to share their intelligence with Territorial troops as l suppose they thought that we would stuff it up!