Tpr Sarel Coetzee - Tank Gunner - 61 Mech

[00:00:01][music] [music] Welcome to the Border War stories channel. My name is FPS Unical.

[00:00:20]In May 2018, I joined the expedition of the 61 Mech Veterans Association to Angola.

[00:00:28]And on this trip I met Sorl Kier.

[00:00:32]Sorl was a tank gunner and uh he was thrown into the deep end in 1987 when he was the first I think to shoot enemy tank with a tank.

[00:00:47]This guy has had quite a journey. Let's listen to his story. in metric I've received my final caller papers uh to to one SSB in blue and um that's how I I entered the the army in grade 10. I saw a picture of a tank and I told my buddies I want want to to get training on on that thing.

[00:01:13]It's just amazing. And um so it was a dream for me to to become a D gunner.

[00:01:20]And at the end of basics, I got shins in my legs and I kept quiet and eventually turn to to stress fractures. And um uh I was reclassified as G3 K Mu um basically. And um I had to talk my way into um to become a tango be but if you got a dream nothing can stop you. I was not not um completed with my my training. like the training wasn't completed and um um V um called up ESS squadron and um uh BA needed a tank gunner and um well BA said I must go with him. So I was a roofy blow like they said in in those days and I went with Oman and we were the first tank squadron to to entering Angola.

[00:02:25]Eventually I've I fired the first shot with a with a tank in Angola in in a contact on the 9th of of November 87.

[00:02:40]Well, I was only 19. I turned 19 the 5th of November and the 9th of November was at night. I was sitting in the tank and I was questioning myself uh do you got it? What it going to take in in a in a hectic situation like a contact? How how's it going to to be? Um uh one of the questions was uh are you ready to die?

[00:03:10]Um where will you go if you die? So um that night was really a big big big struggle uh right through the through the night.

[00:03:22]I I was scared. I was I was terrified.

[00:03:26]Um because you hear the the G5s shooting on the target and you can hear the explosions getting harder and louder and louder and and um uh so it's a buildup and um as a gunner I must I must get keep cool and I can't can't um lose my cool because um the distances that be fought were were uh 200 m. So um tank on tank it's it's it's pretty tough. And the other thing is um because I wasn't uh finished with my training, I've only shot two rounds with the FS round in Angola just to to to see if I I'm okay with that. Uh the third FS round that I've I've shoot was was on attack. That was a bit later um uh on the 9th of of November um a D55.

[00:04:37]I was one of a few guys who who went up with old miner with modular and then we stayed for for Wubber um and and then we came back for for operation excite. So, um yeah, I've I've I've seen terrible things. Um out on the 11th of November, our out tank hit a landmine.

[00:05:06]Um and that was also the first tank that that hit a landmine.

[00:05:14]Um and that was also very terrifying because here was sitting you sitting duck. The rest of the tanks were asked to pull pull back. Um and they fired the fire belt and I had to just carry on fighting. Um the enemy were um on the other side of the minefield and they came came for for us. Um and while I was busy, you couldn't see it was tanks. You just see dust cloud with trees felling uh fall fall down be uh in front of it.

[00:05:50]and and um you hit that that dust cloud and then the next dust cloud um and while I was just finished with a second dust cloud we've heard the sound it's like [snorts] and we knew it was another tank and it was in my blind spot. Um that tank was about 100 m from us and how it missed us is is just by the grace of God.

[00:06:20]um because you can't miss at at the range of of 100 mters. And um he turned around and I could shoot it out from from from the back. So it's it's terrifying moments, but it's difficult to to describe. You know, afterwards you you're in a shock state. And um uh then there's stuff like um the day after Christmas we were hit by lightning.

[00:06:54]Um that was also a very tire terrifying moment in my life. Um I've I've read in our uh troops diary our left tenant uh gooder said to die I've seen death I looked at death in the in the eye. Um so it's it's not only the war but all the stuff around it. And um then I got malaria um and and they didn't want to to to send me back to to the states because I was a gunner with experience and I had to um relate to the other gunners and tell them what to do and and and so um I nearly died and at the time I I didn't think the people knew knew how ill I were. Um, and and after those things, I I I I fell in a state of depression almost 2 weeks that I didn't speak to the rest of the people on my team. I just say, "Yeah, no." Um, mentally it it was really really very tough on me. I was still 19 and young. But again, the Lord were were merciful and and he sent a family member of me and he were nearby the tanks and he knew I was at the tanks and and he came through the bushes and and um just that connection with family pulled me out of that that black hole where I were. I think if I remember correct, it was the 13th of January 88. We were on our way to attack the 21st brigade and um we were moving down a a a hill.

[00:09:00]Um but it was very sandy. Well, the whole of Angola of the eastern side is very sandy. And um they said we must turn left. And we told the the the guy that the tanks can't turn uh downhill in the sand. Uh we're going to lose our our tracks.

[00:09:24]And um well he just said we must turn otherwise we're going to miss the the target.

[00:09:32]And um we tried our best but we three tanks lost their their tracks. Our tanks lost both its its tracks and um so we were sitting on this this hill and the rest of the tanks went forward. It it was late um afternoon and we were sitting there and and look at this whole fight from from Brazil. I was just glad I wasn't there.

[00:10:03]Um, but it also gave me an idea of how it looked because normally I was in the thick of of of things and there I could see and um it's it's it's a sight that it's it's difficult to to describe. You you see the traces flying, you see the explosions, you you see stuff burns.

[00:10:28]Luckily, we could follow the radios and know that that it's not our guys. Um I I think if you must see that without following the radio, um it's it's it's that won't be nice. Um, and I've I've heard a guy afterwards asked if the the they saw the the the white horses um between the vehicles [snorts] and eventually well nobody else saw it, but if you see the explosions and what happened there, it's amazing that nobody got hurt that evening. But we tried to fix the tracks during the the night and we managed to put up one of our tracks and both the other tanks tracks and they could go go on um and and enter the fight from there. And during the daylight we had to sort out one of our tracks. So what they've done, they've pulled us downhill um so that we can work on a flat basis and while we were working um the the mortars exploded where we were standing on top of the the hill and we were scrambling to get into the tank and um we're sitting there and um we just had to climb out again. Um, I've told the guys that they know we here. Um, and while we were working there, another explosions and then it's down below between the trees. Um, it was this Roy or Stalin oro um that that exploded there. And we also scrambled to get under the tank and and so lying there. And eventually we just had to to crawl out again. At that stage I ran to the tiffies. They were were there with a ARV and I uh climb on the the the ARV and they didn't want to open the hatch. I shouted and shouted and jump on the edge and they just open it slightly. Um and I said open it. I want to climb in because I don't want to be in the open. Eventually they just closed it again and I I realized that they're not going to to to come and help us and I went back there and uh space the our loader and Bob Low Marlo the driver was already busy working on on the tracks again. Uh luckily some of the units helped us and while we were working suddenly the units just just disappeared in that st I looked up and I I saw Mick and um then I realized that's why they disappeared and I shout to the other two crew members and we ran and and when we want to climb out of the the tank um it was full of units. We we had to jump in between them and just in time a loud bang uh remember my head bumped uh on on the floor of the of the tank and um that was a mick that um that that that shoot at at us. Um I remember when I crawled out again I saw that my um sight's window were would damage. So that was quite near us. Um that the scrap nail um hit hit my sides window.

[00:14:31]Um but to crawl out again was quite quite difficult because you don't know what to expect next. each time it's something different and and so and um and it was amazing that that Marius and and Jos piece just um had the courage to to climb out and and start working on on on on the track again. Um and it was quite a relief when we finished there.

[00:15:02]But then it we work quite speededly and um and and we were lucky that they I think especially the with the Mick um but it wasn't the direct heat on on on Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music]