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Van Den Berg , Johannes Jacobus (J J)

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Photo of Van Den Berg
Identity
Person No.
33401
Old ROH no.
1536
Service No.
78330479BG
Last Name
Van Den Berg 19
First Name
Johannes Jacobus
Initials
J J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1962 (±1 yr) 356
Age at Death
20
Death Record
Date of Death
15 April 1982 183
Cause code
MVA 2,635
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in a Military Vehicle collision 1
Died in a Military Vehicle collision, at Omaramba
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lance Corporal
Regiment
Unknown
Corps
South African Technical Services Corps 112
Later renamed Technical Service Corps
Unit
61 Mechanised Battalion Group 12
Defence Force
SADF 3,841
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
North West 534
Cemetery
KLERKSDORP (NEW) CEMETERY 39
Grave Reference
B7 1
Unit History
Role at time of death
Mechanised Infantry (combined-arms battalion group)
Status
Regular Force
Part of
South African Defence Force (1957–1994) — I South African Corps (1 SA Corps) — Battlegroups
Formed 1978 as Battle Group Juliet (SWAPO counter-insurgency, Ovamboland); formally named 61 Mechanised Battalion (Group) January 1979; disbanded 2005 at Lohatla. "Battalion Group" reflects its integral combined-arms structure: two Ratel-20-mounted infantry companies, an armoured car/tank squadron (Eland/Ratel-90, later Olifant), an integral G5 howitzer artillery battery, an 81mm mortar platoon, an anti-tank platoon, and an anti-aircraft troop -- not merely units attached for one operation. Fought at the Battle of the Lomba River, 1987. No evidence found that it was ever subordinated to or redesignated as a "61 Mechanised Brigade" -- see the note on that separate OrgEntity record.
Notes

Son of Mr. and Mrs. C. J. van den Berg, of Klerksdorp.

Research notes

MERGE 25 Aug 2026: PersonNumber 48791 ("Van den Berg") deleted as a duplicate of this record -- identical ServiceNo (78330479BG) and DateDeath (1982-04-15), surname a spelling/OCR/case variant, confirmed via the pantser.cmvo.org.za SADF deaths PDF cross-check. Same class of error as the Sekonjela/Sekonyela merge earlier the same day.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Air Force" was CLEARED. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word, and it CONTRADICTED this record's own Branch, "Army". Across the roll 787 records carried such a contradiction; judged against Corps and Regiment -- independent of both columns -- the evidence backed Branch 744 times and Unit2 not once. Branch is therefore kept and the contradicting word removed. Nothing is guessed: this man's branch of service is already recorded, and his sub-unit, if any, is simply not known.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 1
on 17 November 2009 · via source
About 150 members of an elite Swapo unit code named 'Vulcan' had infiltrated the farming area around Grootfontein, Tsumeb, Otavi and Tsintsabis. Several farmers and farm workers were killed during this incursion, as were seven members of Alpha Company of 61 Mech Bn on 15 April 1982. They were Rfn B.J. Wolfaardt, M. Petersen, J.H. Potgieter, L.P. Hough, L/Cpl J.J. van der Berg, Cpl M.J. van Jaarsveld and 2Lt D. van der Westhuizen ("Oom Daan"). Whilst on patrol the Lieutenant sent out a section (one Ratel) to follow a couple of tracks that the tracker had picked up. The Ratel hit an ambush just after 10 am. By the time backup had formed up and went to their aid a group of soldiers had been killed.
Dedications 1
on 24 October 2002 · via source
I will never forget that fateful day in SWA and I'll never forget you my friend. May God keep you until