Days of the Generals - Hilton Hamann

Days of the Generals; The untold story of South Africa's apartheid-era military generals - Hilton Hamann - 2001, first edition - Zebra - 242p, index - Black & white photographs - Large format paperback - Cover shows some wear - Internally clean and tightly bound.

" ...On 20 October 1986 General Malan, then Minister of Defence, was woken by the tetephone at his Waterkloof home, around 06h00 in the morning. When he picked up the phone the voice on the other end said: 'What the hell did you guys do?' It was Louis le Grange, Minster of Police. 'What do you mean?' Malan asked. Samora Machel has crashed in South Africa and he's dead, said Le Grange...."

What happened during South Africa's military involvement in Angola? Did the military leaders always see eye to eye with the politicians - and with each other? Was South Africa responsible for the death of Mazambican President Samora Machel? What was the extent of South Africa's nuclear programme? How did South Africa's military machine deal with the end of apartheid?

Based on interviews with the former generals of the South African Defence Force, Days of the Generals addresses these and many other fascinating questions. The book looks in detail at South Africa's intervention in Angola, Namibia and Mozambique. It examines the armed struggle of the ANC and the state's war against the liberation movements. It investigates chemical and biological warfare, the 'third force' and other top-secret issues.

For the first time, the generals - Magnus Malan, Constand Viljoen, Jannie Geldenhuys, George Meiring, Hein du Tiot and Chris Thirion - have opened up and given their account of events in southern Africa from the 1970s to the present. Theirs is an explosive story, giving behind-the-scence information about covert operations, secret meetings, strategic alliances and full-scale war. This is essential reading for anyone interested in southern African politics and military.