100% Genuine South West Africa Koevoet "Swallow Tail" Cap ("Kiko") XL 7 5/8

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100% Genuine South West Africa Koevoet "Swallow Tail" Cap ("Kiko") XL 7 5/8 

Here we have an olive green "swallow tail" cap (also called a "kiko") that was used by the elite Koevoet counterinsurgency unit. Members of this force wore uniquely patterned camouflage during the early years of the unit's existence, but then switched to their characteristic olive green uniforms (this was done so they would not be mistaken for the insurgents they were fighting).

This "kiko" is a rare XL size (European size 60 or U.S. size 7 5/8) and is in excellent condition. Koevoet olive green uniforms are hard to find and this is especially true of the "kiko" caps worn by members of the unit. We obtained this rare item as part of a collection of South African militaria. We have carefully verified the authenticity of each item and can guarantee they are 100% genuine.

Koevoet (Afrikaans for "crowbar"), also known as "Operation K" or "Ops K" and officially known as the "South West Africa Police Counterinsurgency Unit" (SWAPOL-COIN), was a Elite police counterinsurgency unit in South West Africa (now Namibia) during the 1970s and 1980s.

During the latter stages of the Rhodesian Bush War (1965-1980), members of the South African Police (SAP) fought on the side of the white-minority Rhodesian government as "volunteers." Most of them wore camouflage uniforms designed for use in the Caprivi Strip area of South West Africa (this was to later become the standard SAP camouflage pattern). The skills, practical experience and knowledge of counterinsurgency operations they attained in Rhodesia helped them organize special operations units designed to hunt down and kill left-wing insurgents from the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) in Namibia.

The best of these units was Koevoet. During its existence, Koevoet proved to be one of the deadliest and most effective counterinsurgency units in history. This paramilitary police unit was formed in 1978 by Colonel Hans Dreyer, a veteran of the Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS). Dreyer is said to have been especially inspired by the Selous Scouts, an elite unit of the Rhodesian Security Forces that demonstrated how small units could have an effect disproportionate to their size and manpower.

The unit was based in the around the Namibia-Angola border and the Caprivi Strip. Most of its members were black policemen led by white officers. Some mercenaries and Angolan rebels were also known to have served in the unit, along with former SWAPO insurgents who were given a second chance by the South African authorities, in exchange for serving in the unit.

Koevoet was certainly one of the deadliest counterinsurgency units in history. While it never had more than 1000 policemen and officers, the unit succeeded in killing or capturing over 3000 insurgents per year. The unit was disbanded in 1989 when the United Nations finally convinced South Africa to grant Namibia independence.