A political philosophy espoused by Afrikaners and first articulated between
World War I and World War II. Implemented as government policy after the
National Party electoral victory in 1948. Apartheid was intended to ensure continued white control by geographically and socially separating racial groups as much as possible. Unlike the American concept of segregation-‘ I separate but equal-apartheid included as one of its explicit assumptions the superiority of the white race.
APC-Armored Personnel Carrier-A general term used to describe vehicles designed to ferry infantry across the battlefield. Their light armor provides protection against artillery fragments and small-arms fire.
AWB-Afrikaner Weerstandbeweging, or Afrikaner Resistance Movement. A political movement and paramilitary group, it could be compared to the Ku
Klux Klan, or the Minutemen in America, except the Armenian groups are too liberal. Its entire political philosophy is based on white supremacy and the use of violence to maintain white rule. The AWB believes that armed resistance to the liberalizing trend of the South African government is necessary.
Battalion-A large ground unit made up of three to five companies. A battalion will have about one thousand men.
If it is a tank or an armored-infantry battalion, it will also have about fifty armored fighting vehicles.
Brigade-A ground unit of three or more battalions, with smaller specialized units attached. Sometimes an ad hoc formation, brigades combine available units for a specific task. A fast, mobile brigade might consist of one tank battalion, two motorized-infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, and an antiaircraft company.
Broederbond-Afrikaans for “band of brothers.” A secret society established in 1918. Members had to be both ideologically and racially pure
Afrikaners, committed to the reestablishment of “Afrikaner culture” and the imposition of apartheid as a governmental system. Broederbond cells permeate Afrikaner political parties, businesses, schools, and churches.
Until recently, only Broederbond members held political or party office inside South Africa’s ruling National Party.
BTR-Bronetransportr-A Russian term for a series of armored personnel carriers.
BTR-60-An eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier, it first appeared in the early 1960s. The first of a long series of similar designs, it has a boat-shaped hull and can carry fourteen men. One flaw in this design is its two gasoline engines, located behind thin armor. This was corrected in later versions.
Buffel-A wheeled personnel carrier, it is arguably the ugliest an-no red vehicle ever built. Specially designed to be mine resistant, it can carry a squad of infantry and is often used by South African paramilitary or police forces.
C4-The designation for a type of plastic explosive used by the U.S. Army and others. It can be worked like modeling clay, burned, or dropped, but will not detonate without an igniter.
C-5 Galaxy—The largest aircraft in the U.S. inventory, this monster can carry 110 tons of cargo. It can also carry troops,
but is usually used to carry items too bulky or heavy for the C-141
Starlifter.
C-130 Hercules-An American four-engine turboprop cargo plane, this successful design is used by dozens of countries around the world.
C-141 Starlifter-This four-engined transport is the standard cargo plane for the U.S. Air Force. It can carry over two hundred troops or thirty-five tons of cargo.
Cactus-A South African version of the French-designed Crotale, Cactus is a short-range surface-to-air missile system designed to protect high-value installations from air attack. It consists of a wheeled launcher vehicle with four missiles and a guidance radar, and separate command vehicle and search radar. It has a range of about five miles. Although never used in combat, the system has a good reputation.
Carl Gustav-A man-portable antitank weapon, this Swedish-designed weapon is used by many countries. It is lighter and cheaper than an antitank missile, but has shorter range and less hitting power. It can be used to attack targets other than tanks and still packs a respectable punch. In the 1982 Argentine invasion of South Georgia, British troops nearly sank a frigate with two hits from the weapon.
Chain gun—A form of automatic cannon, the gun takes its name from the fact that a bicycle chain forms part of the drive mechanism. These rapid-fire, medium-bore cannon pack a terrific punch and are often capable of defeating lightly armored vehicles.
Claymore mine-Most land mines are buried in the ground and are tripped when a vehicle or soldier passes over them. The Claymore is different.
Spikes hold it upright on the surface of the ground. It is tripped electrically, on command, and sends out a fan-shaped pattern of steel balls that shred anything in their path. It is called a “directional” mine.
Company-A ground unit of one hundred to two hundred men, made up of three or four platoons of three or four squads
each. Normally three platoons will be of the same type infantry or armored vehicles, while the fourth platoon is made up of heavy support weapons or other specialized equipment. In the cavalry, a company-sized unit is called a troop.
DivisionA large ground unit, often containing three brigades or nine maneuver battalions, plus separate support units-engineers, artillery, supply and maintenance personnel, and others. A division will have between ten and twenty thousand troops, hundreds of vehicles, and dozens of helicopters.
Eland-An older armored car still in service with the South African Army.
Designed and built in South Africa, it is based on a 1950s-vintage French design and mounts a 90mm, high velocity gun on a very small chassis. Like all armored cars, it is lightly armored, but its wheels make it faster over flat terrain than many tanks.
F-14 Tomcat-A twin-engine, two-seat, swing-wing fighter used by the
U.S.
Navy for fleet air defense. It carries a powerful radar and very long range missiles.
F/A-18 Hornet-A twin-engine, single-seat jet designed to replace the
A-7
Corsair 11. The F/AI 8A is a multi role aircraft intended to be equally adept as either an attack aircraft or an air-superiority fighter. Very maneuverable, it is designed to be launched from carriers.
G-5 guns-The best artillery piece in the world, the G-5 was designed and built in South Africa using technology stolen from several sources, including the United States. It can fire a 155mm, (six-inch) shell twenty- four and a half miles with phenomena] accuracy. The G-5 is towed behind a truck or logistics vehicle. The related G-6 mounts the same gun on a six-wheeled, lightly armored chassis.
Gun-Artillery pieces are classed as either “guns” or “howitzers.” Guns have longer barrels, which give them higher velocity and longer range, but at a cost in weight. A howitzer ha~ a shorter range, but can also fire at higher angles of elevation, making it possible to drop shells into “dead zones” behind obstacles that a gun could not hit.
Homelands—An integral part of the 1948 apartheid plan, each major tribe in Africa was assigned a geographic area that was~ ostensibly its traditional region. For the most part, they have little to do with the actual location of the tribe and are often on barren, undeveloped land.
Every black in South Africa was assigned a tribe, and thus a homeland, of which they were automatically a citizen.
The fact that an individual had never seen their particular homeland and had no desire to live there was irrelevant.
HUD-Heads Up Display-Projects important information onto a clear plastic plate directly in front of the pilot’s eyes, making it possible to avoid going “heads down” to look at cockpit instruments. The HUD is a vital aid during a fastmoving air combat. The data displayed on the windscreen includes speed, altitude, weapons status, g forces, target data, and fuel status.
IFF-Identification Friend or Foe-An airplane or ship sends a coded electronic signal out to an unknown contact. A black box on an aircraft, if it receives the proper code, responds with a signal of its own, telling the observer that the aircraft is friendly. Aircraft without the proper codes are the enemy. The codes are changed
