Photo of combat jump

[zuluzerosix]

Just curious Guy, but do you know the story behind Dr Gerald Bull's involvement in the supply of Artillary to the Africans (against U.S. Policy) during the war and how it helped defeat the Cubans; and Bull was imprisoned for it?

[Guymullins]

I know very little about it. Bull was a Canadian as far as I know, who was not appreciated in the west. He came to SA with some Base-bleed ammunition theories which we spent a lot of money developing. This eventually enabled us to produce the G5 and G6 guns, which were not too revolutionary in design, but the ammo was really superb extending the range of our artillery way beyond what the Soviet equipment could do. This enabled us to stand off their artillery and still provide very accurate fire support to our ground troops. We sold some guns and ammo to Saddam, when he was supposed to be a nice guy in return for oil which the Americans and the West were making it difficult for us to obtain at the time. When you fellows had your first war against Saddam, you were quite worried about our guns, but the Iraqui soldiers were pretty pathetic and never even got them going thank goodness. Bull was prosecuted for breaking the Arms Sanctions which the UN had against us.

[zuluzerosix]

That's right, and the CIA put him up to helping SA with the Arty. Then they left him out to dry and he went to jail. When he got out he went to work for Saddam. The SCUD was one of Bulls ideas too. Bull was working on project Babylon-a super gun that could shell Tel Aviv with neuclear tipped shells when he was assinated in Brussels, supposedly by the Mossad.

[zuluzerosix]

Did you ever run into Mad Mike Hoare?

[Guymullins]

I got the impression that the SCUD was already operating, but Bull helped with a new warhead in return for Saddam continuing with the big gun which was supposed to lob a meter wide payload into space.

[zuluzerosix]

You are probably more right than I am about the Scud...But the Babylon's sole purpose was to shell Israel, that is whay is was being built on the side of a mountain faciing towars Israel..

[Guymullins]

Did you ever run into Mad Mike Hoare?

I have met him and was tempted to go on his mad Seychelles caper in about 1981 but couldnt get leave for it, thank goodness. A workmate did, and spent a little time in jail for his trouble.Mike Hoare was the consultant for the movie The Wild Geese that Matt and I jumped in. I was of course too young for any Congo escapades but did have an uncle and aunt who owed their lives to Mike Hoares mercenaries for getting them out in one piece. They both lived to just over 100, dying peacefully in SA many years later.

[Guymullins]

You are probably more right than I am about the Scud...But the Babylon's sole purpose was to shell Israel, that is whay is was being built on the side of a mountain faciing towars Israel..

Yes, the space launch was probably necessary to be able to shoot as far as Israel.

[LRS Guy]

Excellent stuff

[Hardcore Harry]

A most awesome thread! Thanks Mike!!

Hardcore Harry

[Sgt.Raven]

Great story, picture and commentaries!
Balls of steel!

[RH]

Thanks for the good wishes , all of you. Remember that Matt Olivier on this site also jumped with me, in fact from the same aircraft. There are a few more pictures in my album. I am sorry I cannot really publish more because they have been mis-used in the past by left wing publications who have changed captions and used them as anti-SADF propaganda, so I am very wary of letting them out of my immediate control.

An excellent pic, great story, OFS job well done, and a lifelong kinship with Matt...

Many rep points inbound!

[Guymullins]

Some recent news about our MIA on this operation. One of the paratroopers, Skillie Human, was last seen exiting the door of the C130. We only found that he was missing when a roll-call was done when we returned to our bases that night. The speculation was that he had landed in the river and had either been taken by a crocodile, or had drowned or both. Late last year, a party of vets made a battlefield tour of Angola and visited the site of the battle, which has reverted to bush. They were lucky enough to meet with a local man who had been a child during the battle and had seen it all from his small village next to the camp. He could only speak Portuguese, but one of the vets was an old 32Bn soldier who could also speak the language. The man told the vets that a few days after the battle, they had pulled two bodies from the river, one was wearing a harness, the other not. We conclude that the body with the harness was Skillie and the one without one of the Cuban s who tried to flee across the river. Unfortunatly, the man could not recall where they had burried the two, but there is a new party of vets who have just this week entered Angola on a similar trip, so I have asked them to please try and pin the grave location down. If we can do that, we will make all efforts to bring the remains home at last.

[recondo82]

Hopefully Skillie will get a long overdue proper burial.

So you and Matt jumped in the movie Wild Geese? My dad took me to see that when I was thirteen. We still reference that movie 30 plus years later. Great movie despite the US bad mouthing it for being filmed in SA.

[CharliePC]

So you and Matt jumped in the movie Wild Geese? My dad took me to see that when I was thirteen. We still reference that movie 30 plus years later. Great movie despite the US bad mouthing it for being filmed in SA.

Ah- thanks for the reminder.
I just ordered it from Netflix.
How far along in the movie is the jump- what should I keep an eye out for?