Neall Ellis is a South African military aviator and mercenary. Raised in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

, he joined the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

after a brief stint in the

Rhodesian Army The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...

. As a helicopter pilot he was awarded the

Honoris Crux Honoris Crux may refer to one of five South African military decorations. A set of four classes of Honoris Crux decorations—the Honoris Crux Diamond, Honoris Crux Gold, Honoris Crux Silver and Honoris Crux of 1975—together replaced the discontin ...

decoration in 1983, and later attained field rank. After retiring from the SAAF he contracted for various private military corporations, including

Executive Outcomes Executive Outcomes is a private military company (PMC) founded in South Africa in 1989 by Eeben Barlow, a former lieutenant-colonel of the South African Defence Force. It later became part of the South African-based holding company Strategic Res ...

and

Sandline International Sandline International was a private military company (PMC) based in London, established in the early 1990s. It was involved in conflicts in Papua New Guinea in 1997 and had a contract with the government under then-Prime Minister Julius Chan, ...

. During the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

, he and his

Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been ...

crew held off

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

(RUF) forces almost single-handedly.''Combat & Survival'' magazine 12/06 September 2000 pp. 26–32 with photos He also provided fire support for British troops during

Operation Barras Operation Barras was a British Army operation that took place in Sierra Leone on 10 September 2000, during the late stages of Sierra Leone Civil War, the nation's civil war. The operation aimed to release five British soldiers of the Royal Ir ...

References

External links

* https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/british-officer-advised-gunship-killers-699306.html * http://www.shadowcompanythemovie.com/about_featured3.html * http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2000/s229144.htm * http://www.cracked.com/article_19472_the-5-craziest-soldiers-fortune-to-ever-cash-paycheck.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Neall Living people Foreign volunteers in the Rhodesian Security Forces Helicopter pilots People from Johannesburg Rhodesian military personnel of the Bush War Rhodesian mercenaries South African aviators South African emigrants to Rhodesia South African mercenaries South African military personnel of the Border War South African people of Dutch descent South African people of British descent University of Natal alumni 1949 births