Southern Air Command was a
formation of the
South African Air Force
The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...
, active from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. Throughout its existence, it had its headquarters at
Silvermine, in the
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope (), commonly referred to as the Cape Province () and colloquially as The Cape (), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa. It encompassed the old Cape Co ...
.
Coastal Command
During the
Second World War
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 ...
, a predecessor formation had been Coastal Command. 27 Squadron was formed from 33 Flight at St Albans in Port Elizabeth on 1 July 1942 and was deployed as a
torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...
/ coastal reconnaissance squadron patrolling the South African coast flying aged
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...
s as part of Coastal Command. The command consisted of
27 Squadron SAAF at
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay (; ; ) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the List of cities in Namibia, second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of of land.
The bay is a ...
and Rooikop and a detachment at Aus;
6 Squadron SAAF at Eerste River;
23 Squadron SAAF at Darling;
25 Squadron SAAF at Port Elizabeth and East London;
22 Squadron SAAF at Lombazi and Matubatuba;
29 Squadron SAAF also at Lombazi and
10 Squadron SAAF at Durban and
Isipingo.
By the end of World War II, SAAF aircraft in conjunction with British and Dutch aircraft stationed in South Africa, had intercepted seventeen enemy ships, assisted in the rescue of 437 survivors of sunken ships and attacked 26 of the 36 enemy submarines that operated around the South African coast and had flown 15,000 coastal patrol sorties by August 1945.
Maritime Command and Southern Command
After a reorganisation in the early 1980s that ended the existence of
Maritime Air Command SAAF, the command was created. It included nine squadrons (three reserve), based at
AFS Port Elizabeth
Air Force Station Port Elizabeth is a South African Air Force facility situated on the north-eastern side of the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport main runway. It was downgraded from an Air Force Base in the early 1990s.
It is home to C ...
,
Cape Town Airport, and
AFB Ysterplaat
Air Force Base Ysterplaat is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is located in the Cape Town suburb of Ysterplaat, on the southwestern coast of South Africa.
The name ''Ysterplaat'' is Afrikaans from the Dutch "Ijzerplaats", meaning ...
. These squadrons included two of
Aermacchi MB.326s,
35 Squadron SAAF (
Avro Shackleton),
27 Squadron SAAF (
Piaggio P.166),
22 Squadron SAAF of Wasps and Alouettes,
30 Squadron SAAF of Super Frelons and Pumas,
16 Squadron SAAF (Alouettes),
25 Squadron SAAF flying Dakotas from Ysterplaat, and
88 Maritime Training School (Ysterplaat).
By the early 1990s the command had shrunk to four squadrons - two of Dakotas (25 and 35 Squadrons), 27 Squadron with Piaggio P.166As, and a squadron of
Aérospatiale Alouette III
The Aérospatiale Alouette III (, ''Lark''; company designations SA 316 and SA 319) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by France, French aircraft company Sud Aviation. During its production life, it proved to be a popular ro ...
s.
[Lindsey Peacock, 'The World's Air Forces,' p.152.]
See also
*
History of the South African Air Force
Notes
References
* {{cite book, last=Martin, first=H.J. (Lt-Gen), title=South Africa at War: Military and Industrial Organisation and Operations in connection with the conduct of War: 1939-1945 (South African Forces World War II: Volume VII), year=1979, publisher=Purnell, location=Cape Town, isbn=0-86843-025-0, author2=Orpen, N.D., page=282
* Peacock, Lindsay, and Bob Munro. The World's Air Forces: An Illustrated Review of the Air Forces of the World. Salamander Books, 1991.
Air force units and formations of South Africa
Disbanded military units and formations in Cape Town
Military units and formations established in the 1980s
Military units and formations disestablished in 1993