Four Ball One Tracer

By Roelf van Heerden and Andrew Hudson

Brutally honest and devoid of hyperbole, this is Roelf van Heerden's Executive Outcomes. / Unapologetic, unassuming and forthright, the combat exploits of Executive Outcomes (EO) in Angola and Sierra Leone are recounted for the first time by a battlefield commander who was physically on the ground during all their major combat operations. From fighting UNITA for the critical oil installations and diamond fields of Angola to the offensive against the RUF in Sierra Leone to capture the Kono diamond fields and the palace coup which ousted Captain Valentine Strasser, van Heerden was at the forefront. He tells of the tragedy of child soldiers, illegal diamond mining and the curse of government soldiers who turn on their own people; he tells of RUF atrocities, the harrowing attempt to rescue a downed EO pilot and the poignant efforts to recover the remains of EO soldiers killed in action. Coupled with van Heerden's gripping expose', hitherto unpublished photographs, order of battle charts and battle maps offer unprecedented access to the major actions as they took place on the ground during the heydays of EO.

 

About the author

Andrew Hudson holds three post-graduate degrees, works internationally and enjoys travelling. He divides his time between earning an income, indulging his passion for collecting books on conflict in Africa and road running in weird and wonderful locations. Roelf van Heerden decided at a young age that the vastness and unpredictability of the wild African outdoors were far superior to the confines of an office. With his sights set firmly on the next high ground, the next mountain range and the next mirage, he set off on his life's adventure as a soldier.