 CEMETERY_mitton_mj.JPG)
Identity
Person No.
31912
Old ROH no.
964
Service No.
83496166BG
Last Name
First Name
Marius Johannes
Initials
M J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
20
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
Unknown
Cause of Death
During an attack on the FAPLA 16 Bde, south of Chimbinga River, he engaged an enemy tank with the 20mm cannon on the Ratel and while so engaged, the Ratel was hit head on by a round from another tank, and knocked out. Mitton tried to help the driver out but he had been killed. Although seriously wounded, Mitton managed to exit the Ratel. He was evacuated to 1 Mil but died on 25 Nov from multiple organ failure. Both he and the driver were recommended for posthumous awards of the Honorus Crux
Military Service
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Unit History
Notes
Son of Mrs. M. H. Mitton, of Carletonville
Research notes
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Army" 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 "Army".
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
SADF.info Border Roll of Honour
open source ↗
SADF.info Border RoH
- South African War Graves Project open source ↗
-
The War in Angola
open source ↗
War In Angola Roll of Honour (warinangola.com, tabid=1175), pages 66-76 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories 2
On 11 November 1987 the leading elements of Combat Group Charlie (4SAI) came under small-arms fire during the afternoon during their attack on FAPLA. They replied with their vehicle machine-guns, causing serious casualties. One Ratel of A Company found itself face to face with a T-55. The gunner, Rifleman Marius Mitton, had immediately started to fire at the tank with a cool and deliberate mind aimed at the weak junction between the turret and the hull. With his 20mm armour-piercing ammunition, he kept up his rate of fire until the tank started to brew and burst out in flames. Unfortunately though, another T-55 hit the Ratel of Rfn. Mitton with its 100mm gun, its 100mm projectile smashed through the windscreen and killed the driver of the Ratel outright with Rfn. Mitton fatally wounded. Rfn. Mitton realized that the Ratel was lost but not that the driver had been killed. He elevated the 20mm gun to allow the driver to escape through his hatch, and then tried to see whether the driver needed help, but could not see him in the smoking vehicle. He struggled out of his own hatch and fell off the Ratel. Several members of the section dragged him and the wounded section leader clear of the burning Ratel and gave first aid until they were evacuated. He died on 25 November 1987 of his wounds in 1 Military Hospital, Pretoria G.
The Driver of the Ratel was Piet Schutte who died on impact.
Dedications
No dedications have been added yet.