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Grobler , Coert Nicolaas (C N)

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Identity
Person No.
30543
Old ROH no.
530
Service No.
67428813PE
Last Name
First Name
Coert Nicolaas
Initials
C N
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
31
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,779
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, shot down south-east of Cuvelai in Angola, in Aerospatiale SA3330 Puma C #132 together with 2 other members of the SAAF and 12 soldiers of 1 Parachute Battalion
Military Service
Branch
Air Force
Rank
Flight Sergeant
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,830
South African Defence Force
Awards
Pro Patria Medal
South Africa
Pro Patria Medal warrant, Government Gazette No. 5171 (25 Jun 1976), Rule 5, as amended by GG No. 5575 (3 Jun 1977); discontinued by GG No. 25213 (25 Jul 2003, Schedule corrected by GG No. 26778, 17 Sep 2004) for service on/after 27 Apr 2003. Gazette extracts: https://rohsa.co.za/award.php?id=24
Notes

Son of Mrs. A. A. Grobler

Research notes


5 Sep 2026: Unit "31 Squadron" (a squadron, SAAF's regiment-equivalent) promoted to Regiment, per John's decision. Corps (South African Air Force) unchanged.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Air Force" was CLEARED as a duplicate. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word repeating what the Branch column already says. Secondary Unit is for sub-units -- a company, a squadron, a commando -- and this record's branch of service is unchanged at "Air Force".

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 2
by Peter on 31 December 2007 · via source
F/Sgt Grobler was one of the three SAAF crew members of a SA-330C Puma helicopter, # 132, transporting men from 1 Parachute Battalion, when his helicopter was shot down by enemy 23 mm AA fire south-east of Cuvelai in Angola, crashing inverted. None of the Parabats or SAAF crew survived.
by RIP Frans van Staden on 28 January 2010 · via source
I was a platoon commander at 32Bn and flew in this aircraft about 30 minutes before it was shot down. It was an older L-model Puma helicopter as I recall and I joked with Grobler about flying in "this old aircraft", to which he jokingly responded that he was going to beat me up for insulting his chopper. It flew as the last Puma in the formation of eight when it transported our company, but moved to the fifth position when it transported A Coy, 1 Para later that afternoon. It was shot down by saturated fire of several 14,5mm weapons, which we took from the enemy the following day.
Dedications 1
by CN Grobler on 02 July 2002 · via source
Hierdie is my oom ek het hom nie geken nie maar die familie s? ek is soos hy, in 'n mate mis ek hom al het ek hom nooit geken nie, maar ons dra die selfde naam en geaardheid so s? hulle.Een ding is verseker, as God iets weg vat sit iets in sy plek terug.Sien oom eendag. CN Grobler.