The South African 2nd Infantry Division was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

division of the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

of the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The division was formed on 23 October 1940 and served in the

Western Desert Campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

and was captured (save for one brigade) by German and Italian forces at

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

on 21 June 1942. The remaining brigade was re-allocated to the

South African 1st Infantry Division The 1st South African Infantry Division was an infantry division of the army of the Union of South Africa. During World War II the division served in East Africa from 1940 to 1941 and in the Western Desert Campaign from 1941 to 1942. The di ...

History

The division was formed on 23 October 1940 with its divisional HQ at Voortrekkerhoogte,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. 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

Bardia and the Western Desert

The division capture of Bardia was part of the Libyan campaign against Rommel's

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

from November 1941 to January 1942. They defeated a numerically superior Axis force in a strongly fortified position with a combined infantry and tank force.

Order of battle

21 September 1941 * 3 S. A. Inf Bde. - ** Comd. Brig. C. E. BORAIN ** Tps. *** 1 I.L.H. *** 1 R.L.I *** 1 KAFF R. (under comd from 1000 hrs 25 Dec. 41) *** B & C Coys D. M. R. *** 2 S. A. Fd Coy less one sec. *** One Sec 10 S. A. Fd Coy. *** One Pl 4 Bde Sig Coy. Under comd from 1000 hrs 26 Dec. *** 5 Bde Sig Coy less one pl. *** 3 S. A. Bde 'Q' Services Coy. *** Three dets 14 S. A. Fd Amb. (Under comd from D.-1) ** with in support: *** One Regt 1 Army Tank Bde. *** Arty as arranged by C. R. A. ** Task. *** To attack BARDIA through perimeter defences as described in Para 6 (a) and in Operation Instruction No. 21 (Appx 'A'). * NORTHFORCE ** Comd. Lt. Col. J. BUTLER-PORTER 1 R.D.L.I. ** Tps. *** 1 R.D.L.I. *** Sec 2 S. A. Fd Coy. *** Pl 5 Bde Sig. Coy. *** Det 16 Fd Amb. Under comd from 1000 hrs 26 Dec. ** with in support: *** N. Z. Div Cav Regt, less one sqn. ** Tasks. *** To contain and demonstrate against enemy forces within the perimeter along the gen line of enemy defences from incl 51143960—incl 51554030, in accordance with Operation Instruction No. 22 (Appx 'C'). * KINGFORCE ** Comd. Lt. Col. W. KINGWELL D. M. R. ** Tps. *** D.M.R. less B. C. & D. Coys and one pl A. Coy. *** Two Pls 7 S. A. Armd Recce Bn. *** Det 4 S. A. Fd Coy (Under comd from 1000 hrs 26 Dec.). ** with in support: *** One Sqn N. Z. Div Car Regt. ** Task. *** To contain and demonstrate against enemy forces along the gen line of the perimeter defences from incl 51973860—excl 51143960, in accordance with Operation Instruction No. 23 (Appx 'D'). * SOUTHFORCE ** Comd. Maj. P. J. JACOBS, 7 S. A. Armd Recce Bn. ** Tps. *** 7 S. A. Armd Recce Bn, less one Coy and two pls. *** Det 4 S. A. Fd Coy *** Det 14 S. A. Fd Amb. (Under comd from 1000 hrs 26 Dec.) **Task. *** To contain and demonstrate against enemy forces along the gen line of perimeter defences from incl MARSA ER RAMLA 52423868—excl 51973860, in accordance with Operation Instruction No. 24 (Appx. 'E'). * RESERVES ** Comd. Lt. Col. R. J. PALMER, 1 S. A. P. ** Tps. *** One Regt 1 Army Tank Bde. *** 1 S.A.P. *** Sec 4 S. A. Fd Coy. *** Det 14 S. A. Fd. Amb.

"Fortress Tobruk"

Surrender

After the capture of the rest of the division, 3rd South African Infantry Brigade and the 1st Field Regiment of the Cape Field Artillery became part of the

Order of battle

Initial operational deployment: 2 December 1941

On 18 September 1941 the division was re-allocated from X Corps command to falling under General HQ command and were responsible for protecting the railway and water supply lines between

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

and

Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh (), also transliterated as Marsa Matruh ( Standard Arabic ''Marsā Maṭrūḥ'', ), is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway from the Nile ...

. On 11 October, the Kaffrarian Rifles were detached from the division and deployed to protect the landing fields in the Daba-Fuka-Bagush area. On taking over responsibility for the Frontier area on 2 December 1941 the divisional order of battle, as part of the 8th Army was: * HQ 2nd Infantry Division (Maj-Gen I.P. de Villiers) ** One Squadron 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment * Braforce (Brig. Medley) ** 2nd South African Infantry Brigade ( Brig. W.H.E. Poole) ** 4th South African Infantry Brigade (less one battalion) (Brig. A.A. Hayton) ** 4th Field Regiment, S A Artillery ** One Battery, 5th Field Regiment, S A Artillery ** One Troop, 67th Medium Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

** One Troop, 68th Medium Regiment,

** C and D Companies, Die Middellandse Regiment * 3rd South African Infantry Brigade (Brig C.E. Borain, MC, VD): **

Imperial Light Horse Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Impe ...

** 1st

Royal Durban Light Infantry The Durban Light Infantry is a Motorised Infantry regiment of the South African Army. It lost its status as a Mechanised infantry regiment in 2010 in line with the rationalisation of resources. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equival ...

Rand Light Infantry The Rand Light Infantry (RLI) is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve unit or United States Army National Guard unit. History Origin The history ...

** 5th Field Regiment, S A Artillery (less one battery) * 6th South African Infantry Brigade (Brig. F.W. Cooper): ** 2nd Transvaal Scottish ** 1st

South African Police The South African Police (SAP) was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the ''de facto'' police force in the territory of South West Africa (Namibia) from 1939 to 1981. After South Af ...

Battalion ** 2nd

Battalion ** 1st Field Regiment,

Cape Field Artillery A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used thr ...

* Railhead Force (Lt. Col. G.E.L. L'Estrange VD): **

Umvoti Mounted Rifles The Umvoti Mounted Rifles (named after the Umvoti River) is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It is ...

** Die Middellandse Regiment ** Detachment TDS (approx 30 "I" Tanks) ** 10th Field Company, South African Engineering Corps * 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade Group

Order of battle: The Fall of Tobruk

Order of Battle as at 20 June 1942 * Division troops ** Die Middelandse Regiment (Machine-gun battalion) ** 7th South African Reconnaissance Battalion ** 2nd Field Regiment, Natal Field Artillery, South African Artillery ** 3rd Field Regiment,

Transvaal Horse Artillery Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

, South African Artillery ** 6th Anti-Tank Battery, South African Artillery ** 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment, South African Artillery ** 2nd Battery, Cape Field Artillery Composed of men from Umtata, Transkei ** 4th & 10th South African Field Companies, S A Engineers * 4th South African Infantry Brigade ** 2nd

** The Kaffrarian Rifles ** Blake Group (a composite battalion ex 1 SA Div) * 6th South African Infantry Brigade ** 1st S.A. Police Battalion ** 2nd S.A. Police Battalion ** 2nd

Transvaal Scottish Regiment Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

Theatres of operation

The theatres that the division served in were as follows: * South Africa: 23 October 1940 to 20 April 1941 * At Sea: 20 April 1941 to 6 June 1941 * Egypt: 6 June 1941 to 22 March 1942 * Libya: 22 March 1942 to 21 June 1942

Battles, actions and engagements

The division took part in the following battles, actions and engagements: *

Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Bardiyah ( or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. The name Bardia is deeply rooted in the ancient ...

: 31 December 1941 to 2 January 1942. Some 8,000 Allied prisoners of war were freed and some 6,000 Axis prisoners were taken. * Clayden's Trench (

Sollum Sallum ( various transliterations include ''El Salloum'', ''As Sallum'' or ''Sollum'') is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the far northwest corner o ...

): 11 January 1942 to 12 January 1942 *

Gazala Gazala, or ʿAyn al-Ġazāla ( ), is a small Libyan village near the coast in the northeastern portion of the country. It is located west of Tobruk. History In the late 1930s (during the Libya as Italian colony, Italian occupation of Libya), th ...

: 26 May 1942 to 21 June 1942 *

: 20 June 1942 to 21 June 1942. The number of South African prisoners taken at Tobruk has been recorded as 10,772

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* {{SA Army Units South African World War II divisions Infantry divisions of South Africa Military units and formations established in 1940 Military history of South Africa Military units and formations disestablished in 1942