{"product_id":"philistine-a-professional-soldier-in-africa-9781919534701","title":"Philistine: A professional Soldier in Africa","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs one of the Specialist Pathfinders of 44 Parachute Brigade during cross-border operations into Angola in the early 1980s, they operated ahead of main forces, conducted reconnaissance, target marking, demolitions, and covert insertion tasks during the Border War. Missions included helicopter deployments, long-range patrols, infrastructure sabotage, and contact with FAPLA and SWAPO elements inside Angola within the structure of the South African Defence Force.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author assumes familiarity with the tools and trade of soldiering and records operations as experienced\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lived record of the Angolan Bush War as part of the South African Border War, presented with historical precision and the dark humour of airborne troops but not with political reframing or retrospective moralising. Executed precisely and restrained in explanation. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers of military memoirs, airborne forces history, special operations, African war history, and studies of the 44 Parachute Brigade and its Pathfinders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVolume 1 establishes the foundation for subsequent volumes covering additional theatres of War\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pilgrim Scribes Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/23\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781919534701\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 302\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.26lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.82d","brand":"Mark Griffiths","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52774288457909,"sku":"9781919534701","price":29.74,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/philistine-a-professional-soldier-in-africa-9781919534701","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}