German infantry moving into Tobruk. For any queries regarding military history, contact the Department of Defence Archives at the South African Military Records Centre via email at sandfdoc@mweb.co.za. After consideration by Cunningham and Auchinleck, the division was permitted three days for training and was required to be available for the commencement of Crusader on 18 November, subject to Brink confirming that the division was ready for operations. XIII Corps was known as the "Western Desert Force" until it formally became XIII Corps in October 1941. Transvaal Horse Artillery, attached S.A.M.R. W. Owen) marched on Namaraputh with the objective of taking the town of Kalam (Map 1: Point 4). [105], At 0540 on 4 November, after repeated attempts at breaking through the Axis lines – Lt-Col Reeves-Moore lead the South African armoured cars into the rear of the Axis positions, "....the eager children of any mechanized pursuit... scampered at dawn into the open desert beyond the mines and trenches and guns, to make their exuberant mischief amid the disintegrating enemy". [101] During the order group to issue these instructions, Pienaar again voiced an objection to orders – on the grounds that he had insufficient transport to make the move in the required time. Born in 1792 at Jalapa, Vera Cruz, Mexico, Santa Anna was the son of middle-class parents. [32], The division advance commenced at 0600 on 18 November with uneventful progress through the empty desert, save for two air attacks by Italian aircraft (Point 1 on Map 3). In April 1941, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel made its capture the main objective of his first offensive in North Africa. The Italians maintained a well established outpost at Turbi Hills, from which they had clear observation of any vehicle or troop movements in the Dida Galgalla. [2] On 4 September, General Hertzog resigned and was replaced by General Smuts  – and two days later, on 6 September South Africa declared war against Germany. [102] The South Africans were now stretched on a wider front, between the Australians and 51st Division in the north and the Indian 4th Division on Ruweisat Ridge, with 5th SA Brigade on the right, 3rd SA Brigade on its left and 1st SA Brigade being pulled back as the divisional reserve. The Nazis also described the troops as being "caught like rats in a trap", hence they proudly became The Rats of Tobruk. Jan Smuts. [44], By 1315 a major tank battle was underway between Axis forces and 7 Armoured Division. I would not exchange my war experiences of the Anglo-Boer War and the last Great War for all the gold on the Rand. By nightfall, all that remained of 5 SA Brigade was "...little groups of disconsolate prisoners.....between frequent flares and the light of burning ammunition. [40], By late morning, the 15th Panzer had launched their attack with 150 tanks aimed to link up with the Ariette Division and panzers were cutting through the rear of 7th Armoured Division into the support B Echelons. [95], The two South African brigades advanced with 40mm Bofors guns marking the lines of advance between the respective battalions[93] and the first objectives on the Corps objective line called "Oxalic" were occupied by the Natal Mounted Rifles at 2350. XXXIX No CLVII October 1940, Lieutenant-General William Havelock Ramsden, Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade, Marmon-Herrington Armored Car | World War II Database, "Overview – South Africa Defence Act, No. In this attack, 4th Armoured Brigade HQ had been destroyed (captured) and by nightfall, the SA 5th Brigade as well as the 6th New Zealand Brigade had been tasked to hurry in support of 7 Armoured Div at Sidi Rezeg (Advance 3 on Map 3), with the 5th SA Bde tasked to occupy Point 178, three miles south of Sidi Rezeg. The division then consisted of the 2nd and 5th SA Brigades (located at Marsabit), the 25th East African Brigade (at Lokitaung) as well as six companies of the 2nd Abyssinian Irregulars. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-surrender-at-tobruk-libya. [91] The South Africans were to attack towards the south west with 2nd SA Infantry Brigade (Brig. [20], The Division HQ, Division troops and 5 SA Infantry Brigade arrived in Suez, after an eleven-day voyage from Mombassa on 3 May 1941. The. "[98] By the evening of 26 October (as from the H-Hour on the 23rd), the South Africans had suffered 600 casualties, as compared to 2,000 in the 51st Division, 1,000 Australians and a similar number of New Zealanders. [28] In addition, Brink continued to express his displeasure at the fact that the 1st Division was being utilised to construct defensive positions, instead of training in order to prepare for operations. [62] Auchinleck recommended to Ritchie that the forthcoming battle was to be fought west of Tobruk, and not on the frontier. Advance elements of the 1st SA Brigade had now met elements of 5 Brigade, but the brigades never physically linked up. After three days of fighting, supported by the SAAF, the enemy withdrew from El Yibo on the night of 17 January and on the afternoon of 18 January, the 2nd Field Force Battalion, which had been moved up from the brigade reserve, entered an abandoned El Sardu. controlled flight into ground [water] in a turn due to loss of airspeed from the lowered under-carriage; (c.) pilot fatigue. Chased by Axis tanks, driving east on the Via Balbia, the first elements reached Tobruk during the night of 13/14 June. -The 2nd South African Infantry Divisionalso took part in a number of actions in North Africa during 1942, but on 21 June 1942 two complete infantry brigades of the division, as well as most of the supporting units, were captured at the fall of Tobruk. The possibility of forming a South African armoured division was discussed as early as April 1941 between Major-General George Brink, Commander of the South African 1st Infantry Division and Prime Minister (Field Marshal) Smuts. Of these ships HMAS Waterhen was sunk on 30 June following being hit by dive bombers and HMAS Parramatta was torpedoed by a U‐boat off Tobruk on 27 November. By 8 January 1942, the division was 5,570 men under-strength of the approved establishment of 23,187. [12] The convoy cast off on 17 July 1940. These were to be taken in a two brigade assault, by first attacking Mega (Map 1: Point 2) and then Moyale (Map 1: Point 3). With the use of artillery, dive-bombers, and his panzer forces, Rommel pushed past the Allies. Multiple sources suggest that Somali troops may be fighting alongside Eritrean forces in the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Brink feared that the division would be split up and deployed piece-meal to fill these gaps, as had happened in East Africa. In the end, 26 soldiers were convicted, some for rape but others for offenses including looting. Maj Gen H.B. When Neville Chamberlain declared war on 3 September 1939, the Union Defence Force consisted of 5,385 Permanent Force members, 14,631 Citizen Force members and 122,000 Commandos of which only 39,000 were considered suited for field deployment. The forces of the Dominions of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were composed exclusively of troops from those countries and, "Death Sunday" in German, referring also to ", The 5th SA Infantry Brigade went into battle on 23 November 41 with a strength of 5,700 men. On 13 July, the 1st South African Brigade Group under command of Colonel John Daniel was issued its movement order and it assembled at Zonderwater for the farewell parade, with General Smuts taking the salute  – ironically, that Sunday being celebrated as "Delville Wood Day". [61] On 25 January the 1st Brigade was deployed to Tobruk, tasked to fight a delaying action with the 38th Indian Infantry Brigade against the Axis who had by now started a new advance from Msus. [73] With the road being unable to accommodate two divisions, elements of the 50th Division broke out in a south westerly direction in a wide sweep eventually turning back east towards the Allied lines. [13] The Division HQ landed at Mombasa on 11 November 1940.[14]. [88] Pienaar had also been falsely accused of supporting the retreat to the Delta and engaging the Axis from behind the Suez Canal – he remained resolved to fight, stating to an American war correspondent at Alam Halfa in July 1942 "....Here I stop, I've retreated far enough, whether we hold the damn thing or not! Unable to resist any longer, South African General Henrik Klopper ordered his officers to surrender early on the morning of the 21st. It was the first time soldiers had been convicted of rape since the 2016 rampage at the Terrain Hotel, where five international aid workers were gang-raped and a local journalist was killed. Spain’s King Charles III would not consent to a treaty of alliance with the United States. [46] Against the German tanks, the South African infantry had no real means of defence with limited Anti-Tank capabilities, they were compelled to use 25-pounders in a direct fire role. Unable to resist any longer, South African General Henrik Klopper ordered his officers to surrender early on the morning of the 21st. The division was also briefly active after the war from 1 July 1948 to 1 November 1949.[1]. Poole) on the right and 3rd SA Infantry Brigade (Brig. After the battle of Sidi Rezegh (23 November 1941), many South Africans were marched for three days to an Italian POW camp west of Tobruk. They were sent to work on the extension of the railway to Tobruk. The 1st SA Brigade was expected later the morning, from its night march from El Gubi. For the 1st South African Division, the war had ended. -The 1st South African Infantry Divisiontook part in several actions in East Africa in 1940, North Africa in 1941 and 1942, including the Second Battle of El Alamein, before being withdrawn to South Africa. The “phoney war” luckily granted more time and by 22 September a policy paper had been submitted calling for the formation of two "Forces" and was approved in mid October, laying the foundations for the formation of 1 and 2 SA Divisions. The formation of the 1st South Africa Infantry Brigade Group was approved on 13 May 1940. W.H.E. In early December, British Empire forces - an armoured division and two infantry divisions - launched a counterstrike codenamed... Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Maseko became a prisoner of war on 21 June 1942 when Major-General Hendrik Klopper, commander of the South African 2nd Infantry Division surrendered the Tobruk Garrison with 32,000 men to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. On 21 June 1942, 35,000 Allied troops (including the South African 2nd Division) surrendered to General Enea Navarrini. I know what war means – seven years of my life have been spent in wars. At Vitoria, Spain, a massive allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish force under British General Arthur Wellesley routs the French, effectively ending the Peninsular War. 1st Permanent Force Artillery Battery S.A.M.R. 1st SA Infantry Brigade was deployed further south and was responsible for creating an anti-tank screen to protect the left flank of the South African attack[92] (See Map 4). [57] But the pressure was too great and an eastward withdrawal was inevitable. 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