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Smit , Florence Cornelius (F C)

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Photo of Smit
Identity
Person No.
32989
Old ROH no.
1997
Service No.
80200249BG
Last Name
Smit 145
First Name
Florence Cornelius
Initials
F C
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1963 (±1 yr) 331
Age at Death
18
Death Record
Date of Death
24 August 1981 107
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action 14,654
Killed in action, during the attack on "target yankee" during Ops Protea. He was rifleman 4 of Bravo section, platoon 1. He was part of the assault group and was busy with guard duties when a booby trap exploded above his head. It was not known whether it was electrically detonated or set off by a Ratel. He was evacuated by the Bravo section vehicle
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
1 South African Infantry Battalion 111
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,857
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Mpumalanga 425
Cemetery
MIDDELBURG (WEST) CEMETERY 15
Grave Reference
1 1
Coordinates
-25.764, 29.44846 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

Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Smit

Research notes

Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 24 Aug 2026: Killed in Action during the attack on "Target Yankee" in Southern Angola during Ops Protea. He was attached to Bravo Section, Platoon 1 that formed part of the assault group carrying out guard duties. When a Ratel drove past him, a booby trap that had been placed in a tree exploded just above his head, killing him instantly. It was not known whether the device was remotely detonated or whether it was detonated by the Ratel as it drove past and disturbed the tree branches.
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
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