Alexander Strachan 
1 Recce 
The night belongs to us

1 Recce. One of the sharpest, most versatile and deadliest specialist units in the South African Defence Force. These men – superfit and unbelievably tough – were dauntless. Time and again they put their lives on the line in covert operations that were mostly conducted under the cover of night, far behind enemy lines. For decades, the participants have kept silent about these secret missions. Now, for the first time, the Recces’ legendary commanders reveal details about their many politically sensitive operations. The award-winning author Alexander Strachan, himself a former Recce, tells the full story of 1 Recce’s formation, history and role in the Bush War. After years of myth and secrecy, this book provides an inside look at the Recces and the work they did invisibly behind the scenes.

عن المؤلف

Dr Alexander Strachan is an award-winning novelist from Harrismith in the eastern Free State. After studying languages at the then University of the Orange Free State, he obtained his doctorate in Zulu at the University of Pretoria and became a full professor in African Languages. Strachan received the Eugène Marais Prize for his debut collection of short stories, ‘n Wêreld sonder grense (1984). Along with the work of other writers such as JC Steyn, Etienne van Heerden and Koos Prinsloo, ‘n Wêreld sonder grense established border literature as a genre. Strachan’s works include the novels Die jakkalsjagter (1990), which won first prize in the De Kat/Antenne Great Novel Competition, and Die werfbobbejaan (1994), for which he received the WA Hofmeyr Prize. He was again awarded the WA Hofmeyr Prize for his novel Dwaalpoort (2010). His most recent novel, Brandwaterkom (2015), which deals with the Anglo-Boer War, won the kyk NET-Rapport Book Prize. War, and the South African Border War in particular, is a central theme in Strachan’s oeuvre. With this book, his first non-fiction work, he returns once more to the Bush War and focuses specifically on the history of 1 Recce and the unit’s role during this war. Strachan himself was a Recce.