Южноафриканская армия: история и современность.

Branch of the South African National Defence Force

The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army, who is subordinate to the Chief of the SANDF. Formed in 1912, as the Union Defence Force in the Union of South Africa, through the amalgamation of the South African colonial forces following the unification of South Africa. It evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by Boer Commando (militia) forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies. Following the ascension to power of the National Party, the Army's long standing Commonwealth ties were afterwards cut. The South African Army was fundamentally changed by the end of Apartheid and its preceding upheavals, as the South African Defence Force became the SANDF. This process also led to the rank and age balance of the army deteriorating desperately, though this has greatly improved. During its history, the South African Army has fought in a number of major wars, including the First and Second World Wars, Rhodesian Bush War, and the long and bitter Border War. The South African Army has also been involved in many peacekeeping operations such as in the Lesotho intervention, Central African Republic Civil War, and multiple counter insurgencies in Africa; often under the auspices of the United Nations, or as part of wider African Union operations in Southern Africa. It also played a key role in controlling sectarian political violence inside South Africa during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

After the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, General Jan Smuts, the Union's first Minister of Defence, placed a high priority on creating a unified military out of the separate armies of the union's four provinces (the British Cape Colonial Forces, and the forces of the Natal Colony, the Transvaal, and the Orange River Colony). The Defence Act (No. 13) of 1912 established a Union Defence Force (UDF) that included a Permanent Force (or standing army) of career soldiers, an Active Citizen Force of temporary conscripts and volunteers as well as a Cadet organisation. The 1912 law also obliged all white males between seventeen and sixty years of age to serve in the military, but this was not strictly enforced as there were a large number of volunteers. Instead, half of the white males aged from 17 to 25 were drafted by lots into the ACF. For training purposes, the Union was divided into 15 military districts. The authorised strength of the ACF and Coast Garrison Force was 25,155 and by 31 December actual strength stood at 23,462.

Following the British declaration of war against Germany on 4 August 1914, South Africa was an extension of the British war effort due to her status as a Dominion within the Empire. Although self governing, South Africa, along with other Dominions such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, were only semi independent from Britain. General Louis Botha, the then prime minister, faced widespread Afrikaner opposition to fighting alongside Great Britain so soon after the Second Boer War, and had to quell a military rebellion by some of the more extremist elements before he could send an expeditionary force of some 67,000 troops to invade German South West Africa (now Namibia). The German troops stationed there eventually surrendered to the South African forces in July 1915. In 1920 South Africa received a League of Nations mandate to govern the former German colony and to prepare it for independence within a few years, however South African occupation continued, illegally, until 1990. Later, the South African Infantry Brigade, and various other supporting units such as the South African Native Labour Corps, were deployed to France in order to fight on the Western Front as the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force under British command. The 1st South African Brigade consisted of four infantry battalion sized regiments, representing men from all four provinces of the Union of South Africa, as well as Rhodesia. The 1st Regiment was from the Cape Province, the 2nd Regiment was from Natal and the Orange Free State and the 3rd Regiment was from Transvaal and Rhodesia. The 4th Regiment was called the South African Scottish and was raised from members of the Transvaal Scottish and the Cape Town Highlanders; they wore the Atholl Murray tartan. Supporting units included five batteries of heavy artillery, a field ambulance unit, a Royal Engineers signals company and a military hospital. The most costly action that the South African forces on the Western Front fought in was the Battle of Delville Wood in 1916 – of the 3,000 men from the brigade who entered the wood, only 768 emerged unscathed. Another tragic loss of life for the South African forces during the war was the Mendi sinking on 21 February 1917, when the troopship Mendi – while transporting 607 members of the South African Native Labour Corps from Britain to France – was struck and cut almost in half by another ship. In addition, the war against the German and Askari forces in German East Africa also involved more than 20,000 South African troops; they fought under General Jan Smuts's command when he directed the British campaign against there in 1915. (During the war, the army was led by General Smuts, who had re joined the army from his position as Minister of Defence on the outbreak of the war.) Coloured South Africans also saw notable action with the Cape Corps in Palestine. With a population of roughly 6 million, between 1914 1918, over 250,000 South Africans of all races voluntarily served their country. Thousands more served in the British Army directly, with over 3,000 joining the British Royal Flying Corps and over 100 volunteering for the Royal Navy. More than 146,000 whites, 83,000 black Africans and 2,500 Coloureds and Asians also served in either German South West Africa, East Africa, the Middle East, or on the Western Front in Europe. Suffering roughly 19,000 casualties, over 7,000 South Africans were killed, and nearly 12,000 were wounded during the course of the war. Eight South Africans won the Victoria Cross for gallantry, the Empire’s highest and prestigious military medal. The Battle of Delville Wood and the sinking of the SS Mendi being the greatest single incidents of loss of life.

Wartime casualties and post war demobilisation weakened the UDF. New legislation in 1922 re established conscription for white males over the age of 21 for four years of military training and service and re constituted the Permanent Force. UDF troops assumed internal security tasks in South Africa and quelled several revolts against South African domination in South West Africa. South Africans suffered high casualties, especially in 1922, when an independent group of Khoikhoi – known as the Bondelswarts Herero for the black bands that they wore into battle – led one of numerous revolts; in 1925, when a mixed race population – the Basters – demanded cultural autonomy and political independence; and in 1932, when the Ovambo (Ambo) population along the border with Angola demanded an end to South African domination. During the Rand strike of 1922, 14,000 members of the ACF and certain A class reservists were called up. Expenditure cuts saw the UDF as a whole reduced. The last remaining regiment of the South Africa Mounted Riflemen was disbanded on 31 March 1926 and the number of military districts was reduced from 16 to six on 1 April 1926. The Brigade HQ of the SA Field Artillery was also disbanded. These included Cape Command (with its headquarters at the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town), Orange Free State Command, Natal Command, Witwatersrand Command (5th and 9th Brigades plus the Transvaal Horse Artillery), Robert's Heights and Transvaal Command (HQ Robert's Heights) and Eastern Province Command at East London. With the declaration of war in September 1939, the South African Army numbered only 5,353 regulars, with an additional 14,631 men of the Active Citizen Force (ACF) which gave peace time training to volunteers and in time of war would form the main body of the army. Pre war plans did not anticipate that the army would fight outside southern Africa and it was trained and equipped only for bush warfare. One of the problems to continuously face South Africa during the war was the shortage of available men. Due to its racial policies it would only consider arming men of European descent, which limited the available pool of men aged between 20 and 40 to around 320,000. In addition the declaration of war on Germany had the support of only a narrow majority in the South African parliament and was far from universally popular. Indeed, there was a significant minority actively opposed to the war and under these conditions conscription was never an option. The expansion of the army and its deployment overseas depended entirely on volunteers. The 1st South African Infantry Division took 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 2nd South African 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 3rd South African 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 – 7th South African Infantry Battalion in Phalaborwa – did take part in the invasion of Madagascar in 1942. The 6th South African Armoured Division fought in numerous actions in Italy from 1944 to 1945. 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 Cape Coloureds and Asians), about 9,000 were killed in action, though the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has records of 11,023 known South African war dead during World War II.

The two standing army brigades are Headquarters 43 South African Brigade and Headquarters 46 South African Brigade. The army has 10 general support bases, seemingly part of the South African Army Support Formation.

The Grahamstown army base houses the 6 South African Infantry Battalion (Air Assault) and the Chief Makhanda Regiment (Air Assault). Port Elizabeth is home to Chief Maqoma Regiment (Air Assault). The Mthatha army base is home to the 14 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorised Infantry). Port Elizabeth is home to the Nelson Mandela Regiment (Light Infantry). East London is home to the Buffalo Volunteer Rifles (Light Infantry).

One of the largest bases in the country is Tempe Military Base which is located in Bloemfontein and is home to 1 South African Tank Regiment, 1 Special Service Battalion (Armoured Car Regiment), the South African School of Armour (which offers decentralized training to regular and reserve regiments), 44 Parachute Regiment and 1 South African Infantry Battalion (Mechanized Infantry). The parachute training wing is also located here. Bloemfontein is also home to the Mangaung Regiment (Light Infantry), General Dan Pienaar Artillery Regiment (Artillery) and Thaba Bosiu Armoured Regiment (Tank Regiment) as well as 3 Military Hospital. Kroonstad is home to the School of Engineers, and an Army Band. Bethlehem is home to 2 Field Engineer Regiment SAEC.

Army headquarters is located at Dequar Road, Pretoria, which also houses the State Artillery Regiment (Artillery) and the Pretoria Armoured Regiment (Tank Regiment). Pretoria is home to a large joint services base called Thaba Tshwane, which is also home to the South African Army College, the National Ceremonial Guard and Band, the Military Police School, 1 Military Hospital, Madzhakandila Anti Aircraft Regiment (Air Defence Artillery), Tshwane Regiment (Motorised Infantry), and Steve Biko Artillery Regiment (airborne mortars). Just south of Thaba Tshwane and within a separate area is Technical Base Complex Centurion, which is home to Bagaka Regiment, Ukhosi Parachute Engineer Regiment, 1 Military Printing Regiment, 4 Survey and Map Regiment, and the Army Engineer Formation. Reportedly it also houses the Technical Service Training Centre, and units from the SAMHS and the SAAF. The base, whose TEK appellation may be derived from "Tegnies Basis Werkswinkel", is located at Centurion, south of Pretoria. It has a housing complex for active members. Wallmannsthal is home to 43 SA Brigade Headquarters. Centurion is home to 3 Parachute Battalion. The Joint Support Base in Wonderboom houses the School of Signals, 1 Signal Regiment, 2 Signal Regiment, 3 Electronic Workshop, 4 Signal Regiment and 5 Signal Regiment. Several army bases in Johannesburg house 21 South African Infantry Battalion, 46 South African Brigade headquarters, 6th Field Engineers Regiment, 1 Construction Regiment, 35th Engineering Supply Regiment, the Rand Light Infantry (Motorised Infantry), The Johannesburg Regiment (Motorised Infantry), the Solomon Mahlangu Regiment (Motorised Infantry), OR Tambo Regiment (Motorised Infantry), the Andrew Mlangeni Regiment (Motorised Infantry), Lenong Regiment (Motorised Infantry), the Sandfontein Artillery Regiment (Artillery) and the Johannesburg Light Horse Regiment (Armoured Car Regiment). Benoni is home to IWombe Anti Aircraft Regiment (Air Defence Artillery). Springs is home to Sekhukhune Anti Aircraft Regiment (Air Defence Artillery). The Heidelberg Army Base is home to the SA Army Gymnasium. Germiston is home to the Bambatha Rifles (Mechanized Infantry). Vereeniging is home to Galeshewe Anti Aircraft Regiment (Air Defence Artillery).

Several army bases are located in Cape Town and are home to the 9th South African Infantry Battalion (Seaborne Infantry), The Army Band, the Gonnema Regiment (Mechanized Infantry), General Jan Smuts Regiment (Mechanized Infantry), the Chief Langalibalele Rifles (Motorised Infantry), Nelson Mandela Artillery Regiment (Artillery), Autshumato Anti Aircraft Regiment (Air Defence Artillery), Blaauwberg Armoured Regiment (Armoured Car Regiment) and Ihawu Field Engineer Regiment. The Oudtshoorn army base houses the South African Infantry School.

An Army base in Kimberley is home to the Air Defence Artillery School, 10 Anti Aircraft Regiment (Air Defence Artillery), 3 South African Infantry Battalion (the basic training unit for the Army), the Kimberley Regiment (Motorised Infantry) and Madzhakandila Anti Aircraft Regiment (Air Defence Artillery). The Lohatla training area is home to the SA Army Combat Training Centre where large army field exercises take place. It also houses 101 Field Workshop and 16 Maintenance Unit. An Army base in Upington is home to 8 South African Infantry Battalion (Mechanized Infantry).

The Potchefstroom army base is home to the School of Artillery, 4 Artillery Regiment (Artillery), Artillery Mobile Regiment (Artillery), the School of Tactical Intelligence, 1 Tactical Intelligence Regiment, General de la Rey Regiment (Mechanized Infantry), Regiment Potchefstroom Universiteit (Artillery) and Molapo Armoured Regiment (Armoured Car Regiment). The Mahikeng Army base is home to 10 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorised Infantry). Orkney is home to Regiment Skoonspruit (Motorised Infantry). The Zeerust Army Base is home to 2 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorised Infantry).

Durban is home to an Army Band, the Durban Light Infantry (Mechanized Infantry), King Cetshwayo Artillery Regiment (Artillery), Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles (Tank Regiment), Umvoti Mounted Rifles (Armoured Car Regiment), the King Shaka Regiment (Motorised Infantry) and Umkhonto Field Engineer Regiment. Pietermaritzburg is home to the Ingobamakhosi Carbineers (Motorised Infantry). The Mtubatuba army base is home to 121 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorised Infantry). The Ladysmith army base is home to 5 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorized Infantry).

Middelburg Army base is home to 4 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorised Infantry). Barberton is home to General Botha Regiment (Motorised Infantry).

The Polokwane army base is home to an Army Band and Mapungubwe Regiment (Motorised Infantry). The Phalaborwa army base is home to 7 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorised Infantry). The Thohoyandou army base is home to 15 South African Infantry Battalion (Motorised Infantry). The main South African Army Headquarters are located in Salvokop, Pretoria in the Dequar Road Complex along with 102 Field Workshop SAOSC, 17 Maintenance Unit and the South African Military Health Service Military Health Department.

A budget of approximately R15.7 billion was allocated for fiscal year 2023. The vast majority of army equipment is nearing the end of its service life, with some items (like the Olifant main battle tank) dating from decades ago. The South African National Defence Force has however started to remedy the situation with the procurement of 244 Badger infantry fighting vehicles under the Hoefyster programme. Other procurements are planned and should follow in line with the guideline document – Army Vision 2020. The SANDF has launched a project called "African Warrior" which is aimed in modernising the equipment and weapons of the SANDF. The project has been very successful in recent years and the South African Army has now put in service a 21st century R4 assault rifle.

The South African Army maintains a wide variety of military equipment.