Fearless under Fire – Stephen Dunkley
A5, 193p.
R170.00
Fearless under fire is not the first, the last nor will it be the last book on the fascinating subject of animals at war. While this book covers animals of various countries that have participated in many wars and fulfilled a multitude of roles it is to the best of my knowledge one of the few that emphasises and highlights the extraordinary role that South African, Portuguese and Rhodesian animals and have played in Southern African military history as either combatants or mascots.
Horses and Dogs in particular have served with distinction in the SADF, Portuguese and Rhodesian armies with specialist units such as the Doggies, Berede, SWASpes, Grey Scouts and Dragoons and while its normally the man that goes to war Fearless Under Fire also brings to the fore the women of the Rhodesian Women’s Services who served with Greys Scouts and the Rhodesian Engineers.
Fearless under Fire will hopefully be the catalyst for a follow up book specifically focusing on specialist units and the animals that have distinguished themselves in African Wars, as well as K9 dogs and handlers that have saved the lives of civilians in need as there are still so many stories out there to be told of their bravery and dedication.
All profits from the sale of Fearless Under Fire will be donated to the Bush War museum situated at Voortrekkerhoogte to have a commemorative plaque designed, made and displayed for all those animals that served during the Bush war of 1966 – 1989.