Willem Ratte
| Willem Ratte | |
|---|---|
| Born |
14 February 1948 Paarl, South Africa |
| Allegiance |
 Rhodesia South Africa
|
| Service/branch |
 Rhodesian Army South African Army
|
| Years of service | 1973–1978  Rhodesian Army1979–1991 South African Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | 32 Battalion Reconnaissance |
| Battles/wars |
Rhodesian Bush War South African Border War |
| Awards | Rhodesian SAS Wings on Chest |
Wilhelm Friedrich Ratte (born 14 February 1948 in Paarl, Western Cape) the youngest son born to a South African mother and German father. He is a former member of the elite Rhodesian Special Air Service of the Rhodesian Army, and former Lieutenant Colonel in 32 Battalion, the most decorated unit in the South African Defence Force.
Wilhelm Friedrich Ratte was born on 14 February 1948 in Paarl, a town located 60 kilometers east of Cape Town, to a South African mother of German descent, Hertha Stoltz and a German father, William Joseph Ratte from Recklinghausen. He was the youngest son and attended school in Germany and South Africa. Wilhelm Ratte was named after his grandfather and lived with his foster parents Heinrich and Maria Gears while attending school in Germany. He graduated from high school in South Africa in 1964. In 1972 he became a school teacher and moved to Namibia where he taught at a German school in Windhoek.
Ratte volunteered to join the Rhodesian Army in 1973 and was in the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later transferred to the elite Rhodesian Special Air Service. After six years in the Rhodesian Army and before the 1980 disbandment of the Rhodesian Special Air Service, Ratte left and joined the South African Defence Force. He was transferred to the elite 32 Battalion in 1979 with the rank of lieutenant. His command and reconnaissance skills during reconnaissance operations such as "Project Spiderweb" earned him a promotion in 1984 to the rank of captain and in 1985 promoted again to the rank of major. In 1990 he was again promoted, this time to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He resigned in 1991. He was referred to by Eeben Barlow as being "simply the finest, most professional soldier ever trained by the South African Defence Force."
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