Founder of South African Special Forces passes away

The South African Special Forces community have bid their founder farewell. Col (Ret) Jan Dirk Breytenbach passed away peacefully in the company of his family at the Mediclinic George on Sunday, June 16.

He was the founding father of the Recces, 32 Battalion and 44 Parachute Brigade.

Breytenbach is not only revered as an icon by many in South Africa, but also in the international special operations world.

His no-nonsense approach to soldiering endeared him to his loyal men. In 1970 he founded the SA Special Forces, and in 1976, he was instrumental in establishing the famous 32 Battalion.

Breytenbach realised the need for the establishment of an elite, Special Forces unit in 1969, when he set out to Biafra together with comrade paratroopers Trevor Floyd, Yogi Potgieter and FC van Zyl, to assist troops with training during a civil war.

Father of the SA Special Forces

He could not openly recruit candidates, because the various units were unwilling to release their best men, so he secretly approached individuals to ask if they were interested in the selection course. On July 13, 1970, the first group reported to the unit base at Oudtshoorn. They were known as ‘Alpha Group’, and despite being 11 men, they would later become known as the ‘Dirty Dozen’.

With this group, the South African Special Forces were born. On October 1, the unit’s name was quietly changed to 1 Reconnais-sance Commando, and the Recces were born.

One of the original ‘Dirty Dozen’, Gen John More, resides in the Garden Route and he regularly visited Breytenbach and his family in Sedgefield.

He remembers his days serving under Breytenbach fondly.

“Col Breytenbach was an extremely intelligent officer and after his transfer from the unit our paths crossed several times. After his retirement to Sedgefield we kept our contact and I frequently visited him at his home.

“He will be sorely missed, not only by his family, but also by hundreds of soldiers who have had the privilege of serving under this legendary leader and officer. May he rest in peace.”

Lucky escape

Breytenbach had a lucky escape when his vehicle, a Special Forces Sabre, detonated an anti-tank landmine while on operations in southern Angola on August 29, 1981. He was blown clear in the explosion, but he immediately returned to the burning Sabre to rescue Dave Barr, his gunner.

He miraculously found Barr, who was pinned under the vehicle, and pulled him free from the exploding ammunition and burning fuel.

Barr, an American serving with the SADF, lost both legs in the incident, and like More, he remained a close friend.

“The Colonel was bigger than life for me. He was not a man, he was a giant. A giant in the military world, he was a giant as a man, as a conservationist, and so many other things.

“He was not afraid to speak his mind, he was not afraid to stand on his moral principles,” said Barr.

“Dynamic in everything he did, and a total professional, and what a privilege to have been his gunner on the Sabre in the field. Let’s never forget, when God said go back and get him, and our vehicle was a burning ball of fire, he couldn’t even see the vehicle, had no idea that I was trapped underneath, and he managed to find me and pull me out, because the good Lord told him to go. Amongst everything else, he was a devout servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Breytenbach retired from the military in 1987 and wrote several military and nature conservation books.

He is survived by his wife Rosalind, his son Richard, daughter Angela, and his grandchildren Christopher and Matthew.