Military history of South Africa
Part of a series on the |
Military history of South Africa |
---|
Conflicts |
National Defence Force |
Historical forces |
Lists |
The military history of South Africa chronicles a vast time period and complex events from the dawn of history until the present time. It covers civil wars and wars of aggression and of
Prehistory
Before the arrival of any European settlers in South Africa the southern part of Africa was inhabited by the San people. As far as the military history of South Africa is concerned, African tribes frequently waged war against each other and made alliances for survival. The succession of Bantu immigrants from Central Africa during the time of the Bantu expansion initially led to the formation of merged tribes such as the Masarwa. After some time Bantu immigrants of greater strength invaded much of the traditional San territories. Archeological research suggests that each Bantu succession had better weapons than their predecessors enabling them to dominate the eastern parts of South Africa thereby forcing the Khoisan into less desirable parts of the country.[1]
In about the middle of the 18th Century, several clashes occurred between the Khoisan and the advancing Bantu tribes known as the Batlapin and the more powerful Barolong. These invaders would take as slaves those who had been conquered and referred to them as the Balala. During battle the defenders were armed with strong bows, and poisoned arrows; they also used the assegai and battle-axe, and protected their bodies with a small shield. In a fight in the open plain, they had little chance in defeating the invaders, though when attacked on a mountain or among rocks they managed to beat off their enemies.[1]
Khoikhoi-Dutch Wars
The arrival of the permanent settlements of Europeans, under the
Anglo-Dutch rivalry
Castle of Good Hope
During 1664, tensions between England and the Netherlands rose with rumours of war being imminent – that same year, Commander Zacharias Wagenaer was instructed to build a pentagonal castle out of stone at 33°55′33″S 18°25′40″E / 33.925806°S 18.427758°E. On 26 April 1679, the five bastions were built. The Castle of Good Hope is a fortification which was built on the original coastline of Table Bay and now, because of land reclamation, seems nearer the centre of Cape Town, South Africa. Built by the VOC between 1666 and 1679, the Castle is the oldest building in South Africa. The Castle acted as local headquarters for the South African Army in the Western Cape, but today houses the Castle Military Museum and ceremonial facilities for the traditional Cape Regiments.[5]
Battle of Muizenberg
The
The British assumed control of the
Xhosa wars
The Xhosa Wars (also known as the Kaffir Wars or Cape Frontier Wars) were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa Kingdom, and the British Empire as well as European settlers with their Khoi allies, from 1779 and 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The Xhosa Kingdom was the first kingdom the British encountered in South Africa. The wars were responsible for the Xhosa people's loss of most of their land, and the incorporation of its people into European-controlled territories.[9]
Ndwandwe-Zulu War
The
The Ndwandwe and the Zulus met again in combat at the
Mfecane
The Mfecane resulted from the rise to power of
Battles between Voortrekkers and Zulus
The
The
The Anglo-Zulu War
The
At the
The Battle of Intombe was fought on 12 March 1879, between British and Zulu forces. The Siege of Eshowe took place during a three-pronged attack on the Impis of Cetshwayo at Ulundi. The Battle of Gingindlovu (uMgungundlovu) was fought between a British relief column sent to break the Siege of Eshowe and the Impis of Cetshwayo on 2 April 1879. The battle restored the British commanders' confidence in their army and their ability to defeat Zulu. With the last resistance removed, they were able to advance and relieve Eshowe. The Battle of Hlobane was a total disaster for the British; 15 officers and 110 men were killed, a further 8 wounded and 100 native soldiers died. The Battle of Kambula took place in 1879 when a Zulu army attacked the British camp at Kambula, resulting in a massive Zulu defeat. The Battle of Ulundi took place at the Zulu capital of Ulundi on 4 July 1879 and proved to be the decisive battle that finally broke the military power of the Zulu nation.[citation needed]
Boer Wars
First Anglo-Boer War
The
Jameson Raid
The Jameson Raid (29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a raid on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic carried out by Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895–96. It was intended to trigger an uprising by the primarily British expatriate workers (known as Uitlanders, or in English "Foreigners") in the Transvaal but failed to do so. Though the raid was ineffective and no uprising took place, it did much to bring about the Second Boer War and the Second Matabele War.
The affair brought Anglo-Boer relations to a dangerous low, and the ill feeling was heightened by the "Kruger telegram" from the German Emperor, Wilhelm II. It congratulated Paul Kruger for defeating the raid, as well as appearing to recognise the Boer republic and offer support. The emperor was already perceived as anti-British, and a naval arms race had started between Germany and Britain. Consequently, the telegram alarmed and angered the British.
Second Anglo-Boer War
The
In all, the war resulted in around 75,000 deaths: 22,000 British and imperial soldiers (7,792 battle casualties, the rest through disease), 6,000–7,000
The Boers referred to the two wars as the Freedom Wars. Those Boers who wanted to continue the fight were known as "
World War I
Bonds with the British Empire
The Union of South Africa, which came into being in 1910, tied closely to the British Empire, joined Great Britain and the allies against the German Empire. Prime Minister Louis Botha and Defence Minister Jan Smuts, both former Second Boer War generals who had fought against the British then, now became active and respected members of the Imperial War Cabinet. (See Jan Smuts during World War I.)
The
Military action against Germany during World War I
The Union Defence Force saw action in a number of places:
- It dispatched its army to German South-West Africa in World War I.)
- A military expedition under General East African Campaign (World War I)).
- 1st South African Brigade troops were shipped to France to fight on the Western Front. The most costly battle that the South African forces on the Western Front fought in was the Battle of Delville Wood in 1916. (See South African Army in World War I and South African Overseas Expeditionary Force.)
- South Africans also saw action with the Cape Corps as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine. (See Cape Corps 1915–1991)
Military contributions and casualties in World War I
More than 146,000 whites, 83,000 blacks and 2,500 people of mixed race ("
There is no question that South Africa greatly assisted the Allies, and Great Britain in particular, in capturing the two German colonies of German South West Africa and German East Africa as well as in battles in Western Europe and the Middle East. South Africa's ports and harbours, such as at Cape Town, Durban, and Simon's Town, were also important rest-stops, refuelling-stations, and served as strategic assets to the British Royal Navy during the war, helping to keep the vital sea lanes to the British Raj open.
World War II
Political choices at outbreak of war
On the eve of
Hertzog's problem was that South Africa was constitutionally obligated to support Great Britain against
Declaration of war against the Axis
On 4 September 1939, the United Party caucus refused to accept Hertzog's stance of neutrality in World War II and deposed him in favour of Smuts. Upon becoming Prime Minister of South Africa, Smuts declared South Africa officially at war with Germany and the Axis. Smuts immediately set about fortifying South Africa against any possible German sea invasion because of South Africa's global strategic importance controlling the long sea route around the Cape of Good Hope.
Smuts took severe action against the pro-Nazi South African
Prime Minister and Field Marshal Smuts
Prime Minister
Military contributions in World War II
South Africa and its military forces contributed in many theatres of war. South Africa's contribution consisted mainly of supplying troops, airmen and material for the
- The South African Army and East African Campaign. The converted Junkers Ju 86s of 12 Squadron, South African Air Force, carried out the first bombing raid of the campaign on a concentration of tanks at Moyale at 8 am on 11 June 1940, mere hours after Italy's declaration of war.[16]: 37
- Another important victory that the South Africans participated in was the capture of Malagasy (now known as Madagascar) from the control of the Vichy French. British troops aided by South African soldiers, staged their attack from South Africa, landing on the strategic island on 4 May 1942[17]: 387 to preclude its seizure by the Japanese.
- The South African 1st Infantry Division took part in several actions in East Africa (1940) and North Africa (1941 and 1942), including the Battle of El Alamein, before being withdrawn to South Africa.
- The South African 2nd Infantry Division also 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 South African 3rd Infantry Division never took an active part in any battles but instead organised and trained the South African home defence forces, performed garrison duties and supplied replacements for the South African 1st Infantry Division and the South African 2nd Infantry Division. However, one of this division's constituent brigades – 7 SA Motorised Brigade – did take part in the invasion of Madagascarin 1942.
- The South African 6th Armoured Divisionfought in numerous actions in Italy from 1944 to 1945.
- The South African Air Force Warsaw uprising[18]: 246 and reconnaissance missions ahead of the Russian advances in the Lvov-Cracow area.[18]: 242
- Numerous South African airmen also volunteered service to the RAF, some serving with distinction.
- South Africa contributed to the war effort against Japan, supplying men and manning ships in naval engagements against the Japanese.[19]
Of the 334,000 men volunteered for full-time service in the South African Army during the war (including some 211,000 whites, 77,000 blacks and 46,000 "coloureds" and Asians), nearly 9,000 were killed in action.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has records of 11,023 known South African war dead during World War II.[20]
However, not all South Africans supported the war effort. The
Korean War
In the
- 2 Sqn had a long and distinguished record of service in Korea flying F-51D Mustangs and later F-86F Sabres. Their role was mainly flying ground attack and interdiction missions as one of the squadrons making up the USAF's 18th Fighter Bomber Wing.
- During the war the squadron flew a grand total of 12 067 sorties for a loss of 34 pilots and two other ranks. Aircraft losses amounted to 74 out of 97 Mustangs and four out of 22 Sabres. Pilots and men of the squadron received a total of 797 medals including 2 Silver Stars – the highest award to non-American nationals – 3 Legions of Merit, 55 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 40 Bronze Stars. 8 pilots became POW's. Casualties: 20 KIA 16 WIA.[22]
Some sources[23] list 35 deaths from 2 Squadron.
Simonstown Agreement
The Simonstown Agreement was a naval co-operation agreement between the United Kingdom and South Africa signed 30 June 1955. Under the agreement, the Royal Navy gave up its naval base at Simonstown, South Africa, and transferred command of the South African Navy to the government of South Africa. In return, South Africa promised the use of the Simonstown base to Royal Navy ships.
South Africa and Israel
South African undercover activity abroad
- In 1981, the UN Security Council in 1982, concluded that South African defence agencies had been involved in the attempted takeover, including supplying weapons and ammunition. See History of Seychelles.
South Africa and weapons of mass destruction
From the 1960s to the 1990s, South Africa pursued research into
South African strategy was, if political and military instability in Southern Africa became unmanageable, to conduct a nuclear weapon test in a location such as the Kalahari desert, where an underground testing site had been prepared, to demonstrate its capability and resolve—and thereby highlight the peril of intensified conflict in the region—and then invite a larger power such as the United States to intervene.
Before the anticipated changeover to a majority-elected African National Congress–led government in the 1990s, the South African government dismantled all of its nuclear weapons, the first state in the world which voluntarily gave up all nuclear arms it had developed itself. The country has been a signatory of the Biological Weapons Convention since 1975, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since 1991, and the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1995. In February 2019, South Africa ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, becoming the first country to have had nuclear weapons, disarmed them and gone on to sign the treaty.
South African Border War
Between 1966 and 1989, South Africa waged a long and bitter counter-insurgency campaign against the
SADF expeditionary forces targeted guerrilla bases, refugees, and rural infrastructure in
The South African Border War was closely linked to the
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale proved to be a major turning point for both conflicts, as it resulted in the
Production of military equipment by South Africa
South Africa has produced a variety of significant weapons, vehicles and planes for its own uses as well as for international export. Some have been established weapons produced under licence and in other instances South Africa has innovated and manufactured its own weapons and vehicles. The predominant manufacturer of weapons is Denel.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Armscor produced a great deal of South Africa's armament as South Africa was under UN sanctions. It was during this time that Armscor contracted with Gerald Bull's Space Research Corporation for advanced 155mm howitzer designs, which it eventually produced, used, and exported to countries such as Iraq.
Internal guerrilla activity during apartheid
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it was common for anti-apartheid political movements to form military wings, such as
Though fought on a much smaller scale than the South African Border War, the SADF's operations against MK and APLA mirrored several important aspects of that conflict. Much like PLAN, for example, MK often sought sanctuary in states adjacent to South Africa's borders.[41] The SADF retaliated with targeted assassinations of MK personnel on foreign soil, and a combination of air strikes and special forces raids on MK bases in Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, and Lesotho.[41]
Both MK and APLA were disbanded and integrated with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) following the abolition of apartheid.[49]
Modern Afrikaner separatist militias
The
During the Negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa, the AWB stormed the venue, the Kempton Park World Trade Centre, breaking through the glass front of the building with an armoured car. The invaders took over the main conference hall, threatening delegates and painting slogans on the walls and left again after a short period. In 1994, before the advent of majority rule, the AWB again gained international notoriety in its attempt to defend the dictatorial government of Lucas Mangope in the homeland of Bophuthatswana, who opposed the upcoming elections and the dissolution of "his" homeland. The AWB, along with a contingent of about 90 Afrikaner Volksfront militiamen entered the capital of Mmabatho on 10 and 11 March. Terre'Blanche was sentenced for the attempted murder of security guard, Paul Motshabi, but he only served three years. In June 2004, he was released from prison. Terre'blanche claimed that while in prison, he re-discovered God and has dropped some of his more violent and racist policies. He preached reconciliation as 'prescribed by God' in his later years. Terre'Blanche was murdered on his farm on 3 April 2010.
Present military: South African National Defence Force
The
As of 2004, the integration process was considered complete, with the integrated personnel having been incorporated into a slightly modified structure very similar to that of the SADF, with the latter's structure and equipment for the most part being retained.
The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the
Some of the Traditional South African Regiments have been serving the country for over a hundred and fifty years under various iterations of political systems and different governments.
Arms Deal
The South African Department of Defence's Strategic Defence Acquisition (known as the Arms Deal) aimed to modernise its defence equipment, which included the purchase of corvettes, submarines, light utility helicopters, lead-in fighter trainers and advanced light fighter aircraft. This saw the SANDF being provided with modern equipment.
Peacekeeping
Recent peacekeeping actions by the South African military include the South African intervention in Lesotho[a] in order to restore the democratically elected government after a coup, as well as extensive contributions to the United Nations peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. An operation to Sudan has recently[when?] begun and is scheduled to be increased to Brigade strength.[when?][citation needed]
Issues that face the SANDF include a severe shortage of pilots and naval combat officers, due to the replacement of white officers from the former SADF with appointments from the old liberation forces and emigration.[]
Recently, the SANDF has been involved in combat in both the Central African Republic (Bangui) as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FIB)). The performance of the SANDF soldiers in combat in these two theatres has gone a long way towards silencing critics of the combat effectiveness of the actual soldiers but has refocused the debate on that of the political leadership as well as the procurement and recruitment issues that still abound.
Four armed services make up the forces of the SANDF:
See also
- List of wars involving South Africa
- British logistics in the Boer War
- List of conflicts in Africa
- Permanent Force
- South African Air Force
- South African Air Force Museum
- South African Army
- South African Defence Force (1957–1994)
- South African National Museum of Military History
- South African National Defence Force (1994–present)
- South African Navy
- South African Police Service
- South African resistance to war
Notes
- ^ Operation BOLEAS
References
- ^ a b Ethnography and Condition of South Africa Before A.D. 1505, George McCall Theal, London 1919.
- ^ "What to Know About the Khoisan, South Africa's First People". the culture trip. 20 February 2018.
- ^ "Chronology of the 1600s at the Cape". sahistory.org.za. 21 November 2006. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
- ^ Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 16, Nr 3, A short chronicle of warfare in South Africa, compiled by the Military Information Bureau, Page 40
- ^ "Castle of Good Hope". castleofgoodhope.co.za. 20 November 2006.
- ^ "Colonial Expeditions – East Indies". Naval History of Great Britain, Vol. I. p. 300. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
- ^ "Capture of the Cape of Good Hope". Naval History of Great Britain, Vol. I. p. 301. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
- ^ "Colonial Expeditions – East Indies". Naval History of Great Britain, Vol. I. p. 302. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
- ^ "Summary of the Boer-Xhosa Wars". Lecture on Southern Africa 1800–1875. 20 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006.
- ^ "Zulu Civil War – Shaka Zulu". eshowe.com. 20 November 2006. Archived from the original on 14 January 2007.
- ^ "Background to the Mfecane". countrystudies.us/south-africa U.S. Library of Congress. 20 November 2006.
- ^ "Zulu Rise & Mfecane". bbc.co.uk The Story of Africa. 20 November 2006.
- ^ "The Battle of Italeni". The South African Military History Society: Military History Journal – Vol 4 No 5. 20 November 2006.
- ^ "This Day in History: 16 December 1838". sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology. 20 November 2006. Archived from the original on 28 April 2006.
- ^ "Boers believed their God won the Battle of Blood River". Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ Brown, J.A. (1970). A Gathering of Eagles: The Campaigns of the South African Air Force in Italian East Africa 1940–1941. Cape Town: Purnell.
- ^ Brown, J.A. (1974). Eagles Strike: Campaigns of the South African Air Force in Egypt, Cyrenaica, Libya, Tunisia, Tripolitana and Madagascar 1941–1943. Cape Town: Purnell.
- ^ a b c Orpen, N.; Martin, H.J. (1977). Eagles Victorious. Cape Town: Purnell.
- ^ "South Africa and the War against Japan 1941–1945". South African Military History Society (Military History Journal – Vol 10 No 3). 21 November 2006.
- ^ "Commonwealth War Graves Commission". cwgc.org. 1 March 2007.
- ISBN 0-86843-025-0.
- ^ "South Africa in the Korean War". korean-war.com. 20 November 2006. Archived from the original on 1 November 2006.
- ^ Dovey, John. "SA Roll of Honour: List People: Korea". ROH Database. Just Done Productions Publishing. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ISBN 9781920188481.
- ^ "The 22 September 1979 Event" (PDF). Interagency Intelligence Memorandum. National Security Archive. December 1979. p. 10 (paragraph 30). MORI DocID: 1108245. Retrieved 1 November 2006.
- ^ Aftergood, Steven; Garbose, Jonathan. "RSA Nuclear Weapons Program". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ISSN 0096-3402. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ "South Africa Nuclear Overview". Nuclear Threat Initiative. 28 September 2015.
- ^ Mizroch, Amir (2 November 2006). "Late SA president P.W. Botha felt Israel had betrayed him". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ McGreal, Chris (7 February 2006). "Brothers in arms – Israel's secret pact with Pretoria". The Guardian.
- PBS Newshour. 2 May 2005. Archived from the originalon 11 December 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ISBN 9781920188481.
- ^ "Nuclear Weapons Program". www.globalsecurity.org.
- ^ André Wessels, "The war for Southern Africa (1966–1989) that continues to fascinate and haunt us." Historia 62.1 (2017): 73–91. online
- ISBN 978-1868121670.
- ISBN 978-1857285253.
- ISBN 978-0313395703.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-86486-115-3.
- ISBN 978-1920169008.
- ^ ISBN 978-1472509710.
- ^ ISBN 978-1439216187.
- ISBN 978-0415647106.
- ISBN 978-0230117778.
- ISBN 978-0415193795.
- ISBN 978-1878379573.
- ISBN 978-0230606494.
- ISBN 9780896802131.
- ISBN 978-0313313578.
- ^ "Final Integration Report: SANDF briefing | Parliament of South Africa monitored". Pmg.org.za. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
Sources
- South Africa. Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009.
Further reading
- Liebenberg, Ian (Fall 1997). "The integration of the military in post-liberation South Africa: The contribution of revolutionary armies". Armed Forces & Society. 24 (1). Sage Publications, Inc.: 105–132. S2CID 145284963.
- ISBN 978-1850436898.
- Stapleton, Timothy J. (9 April 2010). A Military History of South Africa: From the Dutch-Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid: From the Dutch-Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid. Praeger. ISBN 978-0313365898.
- Wessels, André (9 January 2018). "The war for Southern Africa (1966–1989) that continues to fascinate and haunt us". Southern Journal for Contemporary History. 42 (2): 24–47. .
External links
- "The South African National Museum of Military History". Archived from the original on 11 March 2001. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - "The South African Military History Society".