Legacy Conversations - Major Pierre Lundberg - 4 Recce

Major Pierre Lundberg speaks to us about his time as a 4 Recce Operator. He had a distinguished career starting as a paratrooper and founder of the Paratrooper Pathfinder Unit. If you have questions for Pierre, please leave them below. Subscribe and activate the bell to be informed of new episodes
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Website - www.legacy-conversations.org
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[@hennies9509]

A very nice talk by Major Lundberg. The thing that made me nearly spit out my coffee was when he acknowledged that they could not have done what they had done without their support staff. Storeman, signalers, cooks, admin, drivers, medics and many more. I was at 4 Recce for a couple of months as a storeman. I worked my butt of some weekends as well but then I got transferred out but I could never be acknowledged as I did not serve there for 2 years but I had a friend that was also a Nation Service Man that was allowed to join. Remember a NSM time period was 2 years, basics 3 months and 2nd phase 6 months which in total is 9 months. So that leaves us with 1 year and 3 months, so we never could be acknowledged but some could. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth till this day. I have cancer and am dying so I suppose it is not worth worrying about. But I loved every moment of being there.

[@mingus445_gaming]

@@zippitydoohdangtwang pretty low on the rambo scale ....................................................................................

[@maurineerasmus1598]

Hennie Swart, I pray that you be healed of that cancer in Jesus name. Adriaan Erasmus

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

Vasbyt boet. I lost my mom last year June to cancer. Do your family a favour, write a will now if you don't have one. I'm sorry I sound so callous, but it helps the family when dealing with bloodyminded South African bureaucracy if you still live here. I saw one ou who had lost his father punch a Home Affairs clerk out of sheer frustration.

[@markscholtz3043]

Pierre thank you for your interesting story. You are the epitome of an Officer and Gentleman. A natural born leader. May life treat you well. Well Done.

[@fransfourie1752]

Nice casual and interesting interview, Pierre. Great soldier, intelligent officer, and great friend! Great sense of humor! Thanks Pierre!

[@SA-yy2sq]

Great interview Pierre. I was fortunate enough to train with Pathfinders on course at Medics in Pta, during 84. I only have fond memories of them Paras. Good bunch of blokes and surprisingly all English with a volunteer from the UK. What a difference from Bloemies. They certainly knew how to run with poles in a coordinated fashion too. YOure a true warrior at heart.

[@ricklobb]

Salute and Respect Pierre, really great story, thanks for your honesty and humour.

[@louisstopforth5886]

Thank you Pierre en Koos for making these interesting pod casts, no hot air but actual facts , hats off another good episode.

[@matthewbutterworth8377]

When you receive kudos from the likes of Frans Fourie, Rick Lobb and Kevin Johnson - it says a hell of a lot!!! Well played Koos and Pierre - thoroughly enjoyed.

[@robgillies1500]

Thank you Major Lundburg for this very interesting account of your exceptional career as Special Forces operator and your service in Rhodesia.

[@trevorpalmer1891]

Great Interview We forget the division of the English-speaking and Afrikaans speaking which was born out of the Boer war, I was an English-speaking person of Afrikaans descent which made it a bit easier, even in business let alone the military even in Rhodesia!

[@glenvanzyl8985]

I was Navy, PF till 89 diving division in Walvis Bay, proud to have done my time in a professional defence force

[@ewaldwatson4446]

At his age I would still not mess with this guy!

[@useryggfdcc]

I listened to the whole interview. Interesting times back in the mid '70 into the '80. I personally know two operators from 5 Recce, don't know eachother, different time period but both lost their parents in the same way, murdered by criminals in SA. Super interesting series to preserve the history of the SADF. Groete uit Kanada .

[@pauldanos6917]

Thank you Koos and Major Pierre Lundberg, i enjoyed very much.

[@Cerberus1409]

A privilege to know and spent time with Pierre on our Harley’s

[@ianharries9480]

Wonderful interview Pierre, thank you.

[@arthureley5491]

Thanks for your honest, intelligent, interesting chat. Take care and God bless.

[@belindavanfleet9065]

Well done, Pierre. Great to finally be able to find out more about what you did back then.

[@johnphillips5607]

A very interesting military career! Enjoyed the candour and sincerity. Reminded us all again that we are a resilient people, given our past and present, and we should always be proud of that. Could not agree more.

[@kennethschwartz1653]

Perrie , Enjoy this story, having heard many of them. I'm proud you eventually joined the Moth after nagging you to join Steelhelment for a long time. Now you have joined the 2nd best Shellhole Mils bomb. Regards Blackie.

[@christodeconing1283]

Nice talk Pierre, much respect. Well done! Kind regards Christo de Coning

[@SeanFinland]

Interesting. Thanks Pierre and Koos. As a medic from 7 Medical Battalion you mentioned names of members of my unit you trained up. Cpl Fiddler HC RIP, Col Blunden former OC 7 Med and Olla. That was a before my time. Good to hear a bit of history about my seniors. 👍

[@boxtapper8550]

What caught my attention was when the Major spoke about "Fire Force". I was part of 8 SAI Upington Bravo Co from 1980 to1982 + 1 month. One border tour we were tasked with doing follow up OPs on Pumas but mostly on Buffels . We were told we are now referred to as a group called fire force. We were very successful at this and had a general (first time I saw one ) fly out in a gunship to congratulate us on the number of kills ( it was eighter 31 or 32 in one month ). I forget the year but we at one time did a follow up on Swapo special forces called Volcano. They were targeting outlaying farms & we engaged a splinter group of the original 300. While doing my camps with DLI I (1983 to 1994 ) I meet another troop that was trained as anti tank but found himself doing patrols. As it turned out , he along with 9 others were doing a patrol when they came to a clearing and realized that about 100M away was a large group of guys that was clearly Terrs eating breakfast. My friends group stopped , the terrs stood up & my friends group cleared out of there . This , as it turned out was the original 300 strong Swapo's Volcano group that we had contact with. Apparently after this it would appear the the 300 broke into 2 groups & then into smaller groups to avoid us doing follow UPs. What a small world it is sometimes . Thank you for another good video. Salute.

[@kempvdwesthuizen9245]

Thank you Pierre. Enjoyed the interview, although far too short. Would have liked to hear more detail on your military career. Respect. Thanx Koos

[@baranjen]

Excellent interview. Fantastic to see you Pierre. Hopefully catch-up for a beer one of these days again. Thank you Koos for all you are doing to capture these memories.

[@cedriccarr679]

What an honest account of ones military career. Man of many talents.......

[@Jim-c8j]

Koos en Major Lundberg, wow what a truly humble person you are Sir. I really want to say that your recognition and praise of those who where not operators but without whom the operators could not have done their work is a statement that only comes from a true operator and obviously a gentleman! I once heard a person call storemen cupboard****** and jam stealers. I found this so sad as he had obviously learned this from someone else as he although having passed Zimbabwe Rhodesian SAS selection and training never was baptized into fire as it were because the war had ended! Maybe his outlook towards others less than himself would have been different had he face difficult circumstances under enemy fire! Thank you again Major en Koos.

[@dawidmomberg8757]

What a humble person.

[@paulveenendaal1062]

Thanks, that was quite informative Pierre. Vastly different from our Comparex days in Rivonia. Just shows, one never knows another's history.

[@robertschweppenhauser9891]

Cream of the crop...

[@jacobusmeyer1343]

Him being a sktr snoeks/nothing but a troep started. Never trekked rank, made him special amongst his troops, which are the actual force. ( In the plane there was quiet freedom, no rank to be respectful next to you. Troop or geneneral next to each other are fukin bang now,together. Was nice to see them sweating for a change after made you the trooper, sweating so much in general training next to you .Only master in the plane , jump master/ or dispatcher as called in my time, respected for that fairly short time. Love those " snippets",bike and car in the Flossy to CT.. 😂.Even me one liner have so many( refused second, line uitklaar winked,one week),to tell. So many " snippets" about Landman, Lynch,Holtzhausen, Helberg, Kemp, Blaauw, Human , Pietersen, Beneke , Archie of course. Grebe , Baard , later plus respect, but not in direct. Special kind of mankind Lundberg, oom Ronnie and AO van Zyl.Priveledge to know and has known. Acoy, member.

[@betelwoodworking9952]

Our outfit in pic. 1982, G coy, valk 4. He was 1st Lt and a pathfinder at that stadium

[@cobuscrouse4195]

Majoor,my neef Andre Bester was deel van die path finders. 78-79. Hy was ook deel van Echo in Rhodesia. As ek reg is.

[@royalordinance]

Interesting: When the Yanks needed harsh, no-nonsense training before entering the middle-east cauldron, they called the Recces and Scouts. Makes Sense.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

They forced the guys to buy decent takkies.. those Puma brand army takkies were terrible, and my shin splints were so bad that I was sent to Universitas Hospital in Bloem where they injected a dye into my legs to see how bad the problem was. The screen lit up like Times Square! The doctors thought I might end up on permanent light duties, or even be reclassified down from G1-K1! Then, typical army, I had to WALK all 7 km or so back to camp, and School of Armour was at the top of the hill... I chucked those takkies away and never had shin splints again.

[@nicloubser]

Nice one Pierre!!

[@fergusderwin6400]

I was at school with Bruce Fidler. He was head boy in 1980 at Florida park. I took my sone to the war memorial in Joburg zoo and his name is on the memorial

[@AW-rj6qf]

Salute / Saluut.

[@kentsta804]

MAXIMUM respect

[@fthedems7547]

Pathies HaHo Airborne....All The Way!!

[@mvubu6823]

45 badged operators of 4-recce until until 1990? That can't be true, I've met at least 200.😂😂😂 You dodged a massive bullet not joining the CCB (excuse the pun). That would have wrecked your life.