#southafrica #military #gear
In the early 1980s Johann Niemoller was an elite soldier in one of the world’s most renown SF units. The South African ‘Recces’ made a name for themselves through inhuman feats of endurance and discipline.

Most American viewers will be familiar with the US Army’s Vietnam era LRRPs (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols). These US special forces conducted extremely dangerous patrols, with teams of 46 men spending up to 5 days behind enemy lines. LRRPs gathered valuable intelligence by capturing enemy troops, conducting surveillance, and occasionally raiding key objectives.

By contrast SADF Recce’s usually worked in teams of 2, with a typical mission lasting 60 or even 90+ days. Unlike their American counterparts, Recces operated hundreds or thousands of km in enemy territory. So deep that there was no hope of air support or helicopter extraction. As Johann puts it “You were your own rescue team.”

Challenging arid conditions made these deep penetrations logistically perilous as well. There were few natural water sources, and most were heavily monitored by local paramilitaries who had spent their entire lives hunting, tracking, and living on the land.

Facing this, Recces used ferrying systems to hike water into hostile territory and create caches along their routes. Every calorie of food and ounce of water was meticulously planned in advance. Extreme discipline was required simply to live in these conditions, but the Recces managed not only to live, but also to perform incredible athletic feats like hiking the equivalent of a marathon every day with a 60kg, 80kg, or 100kg pack.

Needless to say we are delighted to work with Johann to bring back one of the most famous pieces of kit from the SADF Recce teams. Known simply as “the Niemoller rig” this unique harness system is designed to carry 1015kg of lifecritical equipment without compromising mobility, stealth, or comfort. Packed with hardwon knowledge and dozens of small touches, original Niemoller webbings were made to order for their operators by Niemoller and a small handful of assistants.

Almost 40 years later, Niemoller is once again supervising the production of this legendary piece of history. Cutting and sewing operations have begun in South Africa. Our limited batch of Niemoller webbing is available now, and will begin shipping in early 2025.

Get yours here: https://kommandostore.com/collections...


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The Niemoller Rig: Iconic SADF Recce Webbing