19 with a Bullet - A South African paratrooper in Angola (ISBN 9781920143312)

 19 with a Bullet - A South African paratrooper in Angola (ISBN 9781920143312)

A fast-moving, action-packed account of Granger Korff's two years' service during 1980/81 with 1 Parachute Battalion at the height of the South African 'bush war' in South West Africa (Namibia) and Angola. Apart from the 'standard' counter-insurgency activities of Fireforce operations, ambushing and patrols, to contact and destroying SWAPO guerrillas, he was involved in several massive South African Defence Force (SADF) conventional cross-border operations, such as Protea, Daisy and Carnation,into Angola to take on FAPLA (Angolan MPLA troops) and their Cuban and Soviet allies. Having grown up as an East Rand rebel street-fighter, Korff's military 'career' is marred with controversy. He grew up in the mining town of Benoni, a quiet child initially, before 'enjoying' a colourful school career as a musician and quickfisted rebel, attending a string of different schools for a string of different reasons. He graduated in 1979-alone from the public library. In 1985, plagued by his demons from the bush war, he travelled to the USA on a four-month boxing/vacation walkabout where he haunted the mean streets of Los Angeles, scrapping and boxing to survive. Ike Turner and Mickey Rourke were his drinking buddies and he almost became Jake LaMotta's ('The Raging Bull') son-in-law. Twenty-four years later, Granger still lives in LA, where he runs a small plumbing business.