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Harmse , Louis (L)

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Photo of Harmse
Identity
Person No.
30631
Old ROH no.
2082
Service No.
69333946PE
Last Name
Harmse 29
First Name
Louis
Initials
L
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1954 (±1 yr) 318
Age at Death
27
Death Record
Date of Death
25 August 1981 107
Cause code
KIA 14,780
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action 14,654
Killed in action, in Sector 10, jumped into a bunker holding a grenade with the pin out, a terrorist in the bunker shot him in the stomach and he dropped the grenade
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Captain
Regiment
1 South African Infantry Battalion 110
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,343
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
"E" Coy.
Defence Force
SADF 3,823
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,863
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
THABA TSHWANE (NEW) MILITARY CEMETERY 592
Grave Reference
Grave 1133 1
Coordinates
-25.78214, 28.12179 OSM
Operation
Operation
Protea
Dates
1981-08-23 to 1981-09-04
About
The largest SADF conventional operation since the Second World War at the time it was launched: a deep mechanised incursion into Cunene province, Angola, against SWAPO and Angolan (FAPLA) forces, resulting in the occupation of Xangongo and Ongiva and the capture of large quantities of Soviet-supplied FAPLA equipment.
Unit History
Part of
Infantry Formation (SAAIF) — Mechanised Infantry — Regular
Awards
Pro Patria Medal
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

Husband of Mrs. H. Harmse

Research notes

Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 25 Aug 2026: confirms Ops Protea account in full (jumped into bunker with grenade, shot in chest/stomach by insurgent, dropped grenade, Cpl Burgers recovered his body under fire and was awarded the Honoris Crux). NOTE: PersonNumber 30632 shares this identical ServiceNo (69333946PE), name, unit and age with a wholly different death (Ratel rollover, 1983-07-01) -- almost certainly a duplicate-person data error, unresolved. | Willem Steenkamp, Borderstrike! South Africa into Angola 1975–1980, 3rd ed. (Just Done Productions, 2006, ISBN 978-1-920169-00-8): OC Combat Team 2 at Smokeshell; Steenkamp writes that Harmse believed (though no-one else did) that his team’s losses there were his mistake, and pushed to go on Operation Protea the following year, where he was shot dead clearing a trench on the main objective. This record has a grenade dropped in a bunker — not overwritten.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 4
on 10 March 2006 · via source
He died in a operation in Angola in 1981. Apparently he jumped into a bunker holding a grenade with the pin out, a terrorist in the bunker shot him in the stomach and he dropped the grenade. (extracted from: http://itsouttasite.tripod.com/Military.html ) Peter Chapman
on 22 March 2010 · via source
Kapt. Louis Harmse was gered uit die loopgraaf onder spervuur, deur Kpl. Gerrit Burgers...het nog gelewe tot by "juliet" voertuig...vir Gerrit bedank en toe gesterf. Burgers het die Honoris Crux medalje ontvang vir sy heldedaad (1982) Lt JJ Grove
on 22 March 2010 · via source
Louis was 'n geharde vegter aanwie die oorlog hard gevat het. Sy vader Des het in 1975 omgekom nadat hy in 'n vliegtuig afgeskiet is in Angola tydens Operasie Savannah. Enkele jare later, tydens Operasie Smokeshell is twee van die Ratel-voertuie waaroor Louis bevel gevoer het, uitgeskiet en van sy manne is dood. Kaptein Louis Harmse se magsnommer was 69333946PE en die Datum van sy dood: 25 Augustus 1981 Lt JJ Grove
by Gert Gert Coetzee on 24 August 2010 · via source
Ja, ek het ook vir Louis en sy familie geken, ons was saam op Oudtshoorn op skool - hy Weermag toe en ek na die SAP. Hy (en ek) get gelewe vir ons beroepe. Ek is later getroud, Louis 'n bietjie later. Ons het mekaar gereeld raak geloop as hy en ek toevallig op Oudtshoorn was - hy op kursus en ek op kuier. Hy is kort na ons laaste bymekaarkom dood!
Dedications 2
on 22 March 2010 · via source
Ons het so goed oor die weg gekom...dit was maklik want hy was 'n gemoedelike ou. Louis was "smart"...een van die soldate met die meeste kennis en ondervinding wat ek ooit ontmoet het. Ek het jou net 'n kort rukkie geken maar jy het 'n blywende indruk op my gemaak...het baie by jou geleer Lt JJ Grov?
by undefined:undefined on 17 February 2019 · via War in Angola
I had the unfortunate task to take Capt Harmse back in a body bag and he were also our commander. platoon sergeant Chris Van Wyk Callsign 39Juliet Still in my thoughts RIP