Springboks, Troepies and Cadres: Stories of the South African Army, 1912-2012

By David Williams

From its beginning in 1912 as a small, ill-equipped organisation, the South African Army went on to play a major part in two world wars. By the 1980s it had become one of the world's most effective armies. Springboks, Troepies and Cadres offers a gripping record of the army's hundred-year existence. It is based on the stories of a divergent group of soldiers - from general officers and majors to ordinary foot soldiers. Historical battles, including Delville Wood (World War I), El Alamein (World War II) and Cuito Cuanavale (Border War), come alive in these first-hand accounts which bring home the realities of war. The author also takes a hard look at the army since 1994 and the challenges it faces today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tafelberg
• Release date: Sep 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9780624047995

David Williams

David Williams was a writer best known for his crime-novel series featuring the banker Mark Treasure and police inspector DI Parry. After serving as Naval Officer in the Second World War, Williams completed a History degree at St Johns College, Oxford before embarking on a career in advertising. He became a full-time fiction writer in 1978. Williams wrote twenty-three novels, seventeen of which were part of the Mark Treasure series of whodunnits which began with Unholy Writ (1976). His experience in both the Anglican Church and the advertising world informed and inspired his work throughout his career. Two of Williams' books were shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award, and in 1988 he was elected to the Detection Club.