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Roxo (paulo) , Francisco Daniel (F D)

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Photo of Roxo (paulo) Photo of Roxo (paulo)
Identity
Person No.
32757
Service No.
75014399N
Last Name
Roxo (paulo) 1
First Name
Francisco Daniel
Initials
F D
Date of Birth
01 February 1933 113
Age at Death
43
Death Record
Date of Death
23 August 1976 133
Cause code
ACC 1,584
Accident
Cause of Death
During a patrol near the Okavango river 2
During a patrol near the Okavango river, his Wolf hit a landmine and was tipped over, killing one man and crushing Roxo beneath it. The rest of the crew tried to lift it free, but it was too heavy. Danny Roxo, in keeping with his dauntless character, decided to make the best of things, lighting a cigarette and smoking it calmly until it was finished, then he died - still pinned beneath the Wolf. He had not complained once, nor uttered a single groan or moan, although the pain must have been excruciating
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Regiment
1 Reconnaissance Commando 15
Later renamed 1 Reconnaissance Regiment (1996)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,839
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
THABA TSHWANE (NEW) MILITARY CEMETERY 592
Grave Reference
Grave 898 3
Coordinates
-25.78214, 28.12179 OSM
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (Reconnaissance)
Status
Permanent Force (Regular), some sub-units Citizen Force
The first South African Special Forces unit, established at Oudtshoorn, Cape Province, 1 October 1972. Special Forces operate as their own branch within the SANDF (not part of the Army/Navy). Some Reconnaissance Commandos had Citizen Force (reserve) components alongside the standing Permanent Force structure -- needs further research to determine which applies to a specific record/era.
Awards
Honoris Crux (1975)
Honoris Crux (1975) (HC)
South Africa · awarded 1975-11-01
Awarded the Honoris Crux (1975) for bravery during Operation Savannah on 1 November 1975 (Battle of Bridge 14). Wikipedia lists S Sgt D. Paulo (Danny Roxo), 1 Reconnaissance Regiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoris_Crux_(1975)
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

Daniel Roxo was born in Mogadouro, Tras-os-Montes. As a young man he migrated to Niassa Province in 1951, where he settled as a professional hunter and safari guide. When the Mozambican War of Independence broke out in 1964 Roxo formed his African trackers, servants, and European acquaintances into a private militia, hunting FRELIMO combatants for government bounties. Disillusioned by Portugal's promise to hand Mozambique to Samora Machel's incoming government, Roxo supported an abortive coup d'etat by anti-FRELIMO forces in Lourenco Marques on September 7, 1974. He emigrated to South Africa the following November, joining the South African Defence Force. After completing Special Forces selection, Danny was seconded to Bravo Group (later 32 Battalion).

Research notes

SASFA In Memoriam (operators): confirmed Special Forces operator. SASFA: Roxo (Paulo) Danny HC KIA 1976. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf | Bushwar Books 23 Aug 2026: gives Roxo post-nominal HC (Honoris Crux) and rank Staff Sergeant; age 43 confirmed. Unit given as "reconnaissance" (no number) vs ROH 8th Infantry — not overwritten. | Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 23 Aug 2026 (direct paste): ServiceNo suffix PN, not N (matches Soeiro's PN suffix); confirms rank Staff Sergeant, HC post-nominal, age 43. 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. 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "8th Infantry"; Regiment was "1 Reconnaissance Regiment". SAWGP Regiment 1 Reconnaissance Commando with no separate unit.
12 Sep 2026: Thaba Tshwane (New) Military Cemetery Grave 898 headstone photo (John Dovey, Downloads\Roxo Memorial.jpeg). Inscribed "S Sgt Francisco Daniel Roxo, HC", born 01.02.1933, died 23.08.1976. DateBirth filled 1933-02-01 (age 43 confirmed). Shared stone with Sgt P G Silva Soeiro (33044, same date) and Sgt José Correia Pinto Ribeiro (32677, 25.08.1976). Epitaphs: "Only the dead see the end of war." / "É grande a admiração que deixaram. É maior, Forçosamente, a paz das suas almas." / "Ons sal julle nie vergeet nie." Recce, dagger-in-wreath, and Angola/Mucusso buffalo badges.
12 Sep 2026: merged duplicate PersonNumber 48808 (Sandham 23 Aug 2026 Wikipedia/warinangola stub) into this SAWGP Grave 898 record. Absorbed ServiceNo 75014399N (Wikipedia/warinangola form; Graham/pantser 75014399PN stays off — that PN-suffix number remains on Paulo 32445). HC and Pro Patria already on this record (48808's duplicate award rows deleted). mike-sandham / war-in-angola / wikipedia PersonExternalSource rows remapped here. 48808 deleted.
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

Daniel was awarded the Honoris Crux for bravery during Operation Savannah, 1 November 1975, for an action during the Battle of Bridge 14, an engagement during which he single-handedly killed eleven enemy soldiers. Bridge 14 was situated on the Nhia River, en route from from Cela to Quibala. South African mechanized contingents deploying to the south had routed a FAPLA unit some time prior, and the retreating Angolans had demolished the existing structure. However, since Colonel Jan Breytenbach could not actually ascertain this from his forward positions, he ordered Roxo to conduct a more thorough reconnaissance. Roxo subsequently arrived at the river with four Eland-90 armoured cars; his patrol came under heavy mortar fire from an opposite bank and two of the vehicles withdrew, leaving Roxo

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