PDF
« Previous

Wannenburg , Frederick Gerhardus (F G)

Next »
Photo of Wannenburg Photo of Wannenburg
Identity
Person No.
33795
Old ROH no.
1629
Service No.
67437996PE
Last Name
Wannenburg 2
First Name
Frederick Gerhardus
Initials
F G
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1951 (±1 yr) 254
Age at Death
24
Death Record
Date of Death
07 December 1975 135
Cause code
DOW 2,734
Died of wounds
Cause of Death
Died of wounds 2,436
Died of wounds, received during Operation Quipico, a forerunner to the battle at Bridge 14, he was part of a 10 man Recce team, landed by helicopter. They advanced in single file with Botes leading, Wannenberg second in the line, followed by Capt Venter. As they neared a road, Capt Venter moved forward and told Wannenberg to stop, who, in turn, told Botes. At that moment they were caught in heavy fire (ambush) and Wannenberg was hit several times and Capt Venter was wounded in the hand. They were unable to raise Cela by radio and so walked back to a river nearby. Only the following morning were they able to summon a chopper but Wannenberg had already died of his wounds
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Sergeant
Regiment
1 Reconnaissance Commando 15
Later renamed 1 Reconnaissance Regiment (1996)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,838
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,873
Locality
North West 534
Cemetery
RUSTENBURG (DONKERHOEK) CEMETERY 32
Grave Reference
OLD SEC 231 1
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 Silver
Honoris Crux Silver (HCS)
South Africa · awarded 1975-12-07
Posthumously awarded the Honoris Crux Silver (HCS) for actions on 7 December 1975 with 1 Reconnaissance Regiment during Operation Quipico, a forerunner of the fighting at Bridge 14. He was second in a ten-man recce team landed by helicopter; the patrol was ambushed near a road and he was hit several times. He died of wounds before a helicopter could extract the team the following morning. Listed among Honoris Crux Silver recipients: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoris_Crux_Silver
Military Merit Medal
Military Merit Medal (MMM)
South Africa
Listed with this post-nominal on the SASFA In Memoriam PDF. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf
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. F. G. Wannenburg

Research notes

SASFA In Memoriam (operators): confirmed Special Forces operator. SASFA: Wannenberg Wannies HCS(p) MMM KIA 1975. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf SASFA spelling Wannenberg; ROH LastName Wannenburg left. 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "32 (Buffalo) Battalion"; Regiment was "1 Reconnaissance Regiment". SAWGP Regiment 1 Reconnaissance Commando with no separate unit. | Willem Steenkamp, Borderstrike! South Africa into Angola 1975–1980, 3rd ed. (Just Done Productions, 2006, ISBN 978-1-920169-00-8): named in the Savannah-era recce narrative; Appendix B lists related Honoris Crux Silver awards of this period. Already recorded as HCS. | Diedericks, André. Journey Without Boundaries: The operational life and experiences of a SA Special Forces Small Team Operator. Just Done Productions, Durban, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-920169-58-9): 7 December 1975 at Ebo, two Pumas passed overhead on a Special Forces deployment that included Sgt “Wannies” Wannenburg; he was killed that night.
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

Posthumously awarded the Honoris Crux Silver (HCS) for actions on 7 December 1975 with 1 Reconnaissance Regiment during Operation Quipico, a forerunner of the fighting at Bridge 14. He was second in a ten-man recce team landed by helicopter; the patrol was ambushed near a road and he was hit several times. He died of wounds before a helicopter could extract the team the following morning. Listed among Honoris Crux Silver recipients: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoris_Crux_Silver

External References
Stories 1
on 17 November 2001 · via source
Cuban and Fapla reinforcements had arrived in the first week of December near Bridge 14, which was located on the Nhia river, on the route from Cela to Quibala. Here they set up an HQ and ammunition dump just north of the river. A patrol from "1 Recce Commando" tried to reach the site on foot, but was unable to cross the river, now swollen by heavy rain. Two nights later, on 7 December, they were landed on the north side by helicopter, but soon after passing a cattle kraal they were spotted by the enemy and fired on with machine-guns. Sergeant Frederick Wannenburg, their leader, was unable to return fire from his position, so moved from cover to cover, firing continuously. Caught eventually in a cross-fire he was wounded in the stomach and several other places. Sgt. Major Johannes Conradie then took over command, regrouped the men and sent out a flanking party which closed with the enemy and, although under heavy fire at close range, forced them to retreat. By the time a helicopter could be called in to evacuate the patrol Wannenburg had died. Both he and Conradie were awarded the Honoris Crux.
Dedications

No dedications have been added yet.