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Paulus , Andreas (A)

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No photograph available — remembrance poppy
Identity
Person No.
32447
Service No.
Unknown
Last Name
First Name
Andreas
Initials
A
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
22
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, in Operation Sceptic, in contact with the enemy at Smokeshell
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,834
South African Defence Force
Memorial
Memorial
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Coordinates
Panel
On the panel
1980 Army. Right column. 39th name from the top (Paulus A.)
Operation
Operation
Dates
1980-06-01 to 1980-06-30
About
Large mechanised operation into southern Angola against SWAPO bases around Chifufia and Mongua, notable as an early large-scale combat use of the Ratel infantry fighting vehicle and Olifant tank.
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

Of Owambo

Research notes

SADF Wall of Remembrance (Voortrekker Monument): named on photograph "1980 Army (Abel–Ralikwatha). Photograph: South African War Graves Project.". 1980 Army. Right column. 39th name from the top (Paulus A.). | Service No 75014399PN is shared in ROH with 3 other unrelated people (PersonNumbers 32445, 32446, 32448, 32449 minus self) spanning 1976-1984 — a pre-existing data-quality issue, flagged by Mike Sandham (23 Aug 2026 omissions email), not resolved. SN CORRECTION 25 Aug 2026: ServiceNo 75014399PN cleared -- the pantser.cmvo.org.za SADF deaths PDF lists that number under "PAULO, " (S SGT, Sterf 23 08 76), matching PersonNumber 32445 (Paulo, DateDeath 1976-08-23) by surname and exact date, not this record. Original value: "75014399PN". Left as an unresolved collision otherwise -- this correction is specific to this one PDF-confirmed case, not a general claim this record's other data is wrong.
4 Sep 2026: Regiment leftover "South African Army" cleared -- that's the service branch (Army, as distinct from Navy/Air Force), not a specific regiment; the actual unit ("32 (Buffalo) Battalion") is already captured in Unit. Per John's decision, the 52 records with no better Unit info were left as-is.
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
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