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The State Artillery Regiment (formerly the Transvaalse Staatsartillerie) is a reserve
artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
of the
South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, 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 Servi ...
.


History


The original Transvaalse Staatsartillerie

The first attempt by the
South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...
(''Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek'' or ''ZAR'') to form a professional full-time artillery unit was ''Batterij Dingaan'' ( Dingaan Battery), which could be seen as the forerunner of the Transvaalse Staatsartillerie. The use of artillery pieces was not completely foreign to the
Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...
s and that they had used the few that they had to great effect during some battles that occurred during the
Great Trek The Great Trek (, ) was a northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial adminis ...
. However, prior to the formation of ''Batterij Dingaan'', all artillery units of the ZAR were part-time volunteers, organised under its
commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...
system. In 1874, President Thomas Francois Burgers purchased some artillery pieces, for the intended permanent artillery corps of the ZAR, in Europe and also recruited a number of European officers in order to assist in the organisation and development of this corps, due to the lack of adequately trained and experienced artillery officers in the ZAR. The first artillery pieces purchased were 4
Krupp Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp (formerly Fried. Krupp AG and Friedrich Krupp GmbH), trade name, trading as Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century as well as Germany's premier weapons manufacturer dur ...
6,5 cm
mountain gun Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for mountain warfare and other areas where wheeled transport is not possible. They are generally capable of being taken apart to make smaller loads for transport by horses, humans, mules, tractors, or ...
s and one obsolete French
Mitrailleuse A mitrailleuse (; from French ''mitraille'', " grapeshot") is a type of volley gun with barrels of rifle calibre that can fire either all rounds at once or in rapid succession. The earliest true mitrailleuse was invented in 1851 by Belgian Army ...
. The unit was commanded by Captain Otto Riedell, a former Austrian artillery officer. However, after the British annexation of the ZAR on 12 April 1877, ''Batterij Dingaan'' was disbanded. The members of the battery, most of who were not citizens of the ZAR, joined the three British volunteer corps, which had been created in order to assist the
garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
with the defence of
Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...
. Shortly after the British occupation of the ZAR ended in 1881, the executive council of the ZAR mandated the formation of the ''Artillerie Korps van de Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek'' (Artillery Corps of the South African Republic). During the same year the executive council also mandated the formation of the ''Transvaalsche Rijdende Politie Korps'' (Transvaal Mounted Police Corps). This police force was amalgamated with the artillery corps in 1882 under the name of ''Transvaalsche Artillerie Corps'' (Transvaal Artillery Corps). However, this amalgamation was found to be unfeasible and the artillery and policing functions were subsequently separated again. The artillery formation was named the ''Staatsartillerie van de Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek'' (State Artillery of the South African Republic) and had a strictly military function and structure. Batteries of the Staatsartillerie went on to serve in the Malaboch War (1894) and the Mahoeba War (1894–1895).


After the Jameson Raid

After the
Jameson Raid The Jameson Raid (Afrikaans: ''Jameson-inval'', , 29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson ...
, the government of the ZAR decided to build a
fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
around the prison in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
(see Johannesburg Fort) as well as forts to defend
Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...
. In order to man these forts, the formation of a separate ''Vesting Artillerie'' (Fortress Artillery) was proposed. In 1898, despite some resistance to this idea (mainly because of the cost), the
Volksraad The Volksraad was a people's assembly or legislature in Dutch or Afrikaans speaking government. Assembly South Africa * Volksraad (South African Republic) (1840–1902) * Volksraad (Natalia Republic), a similar assembly that existed in the Natalia ...
approved increasing the manpower of the Staatsartillerie by 100 men in order to form the ''Corps Vesting Artillerie'' (Fortress Artillery Corps). This Corps was organised as an arm of the Staatsartillerie. By 1899 the Fortress Artillery Corps had grown to a unit with 9 officers and 148 men. At this time, the Staatsartillerie was under the overall command of a lieutenant-colonel and was subdivided into several units, including: * Field Artillery Corps * Fortress Artillery Corps *
Telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
ic Section * Medical Section * Military Band (The commanding officer of the Staatsartillerie was the sole person to hold the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the armed forces of the South African Republic. It was also the highest rank after the ZAR's
Commandant-General Commandant-general is a military rank in several countries and is generally equivalent to that of major-general. Argentina Commandant general is the highest rank in the Argentine National Gendarmerie, and is held by the national director of the ...
.) With the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War, the unit was reorganised. The Fortress Artillery was disbanded and the Military band was redesignated as Medical assistants. The main armament of the Staatsartillerie consisted of C96 Krupp 77 mm Field guns, 75mm Creusot field guns, 37mm Vickers Maxim "Pom-Pom", 120mm Krupp Howitzers and the famous 4 155mm Creusot Fortress guns or "Long Toms". The unit was divided into four divisions and sent to Natal, Mafeking, Colesberg and Kimberley. The Natal Front guns was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel S.P.E. Trichardt, the Kimberley guns by Lieutenant Arthur Carlblom, the Mafeking guns by Captain Piet van der Merwe and the Colesberg guns by Lieutenant Willem Baay. With the collapse of the Boer offensive, the Staatsartillerie retreated to the Free State in order to halt Lord Roberts' advance on Pretoria. After the capture of Pretoria, they retreated with the Boer forces to the Eastern Transvaal. Due to lack of ammunition and the changing Boer strategy, the guns were dumped in the Krokodil River or blown up at
Komatipoort Komatipoort is a town situated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is 8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger National Park, just 3 km from the Mozambique borde ...
. They were reorganised as a mounted infantry unit.


During the Boer War

During the Boer War, the Staatsartillerie performed stellar service. They were the first modern artillery unit to use indirect fire ( Battle of Dalmanutha 21–27 August 1900) and the first to use their guns as fire support to the infantry. Their outstanding service led to Winston Churchill to comment "these are the finest gunners in the world....they can teach the Royal Artillery a lesson or two." It was not the Battle of Dalmanthutha where indirect was first used, – they did it first at Spioenkop (24 January 1900) and then at the Thukela Heights (12 to 27 February 1900) – six months earlier. The British then started experimenting with it during the north bank operations of the Thukela Heights. At Spioenkop, Cmdt Hendrik Prinsloo's signaller, Louis Bothma, signalled corrections from Aloe Knoll to Maj Francois Wolmarans at Louis Botha's HQ on Mt Alice. Wolmarans then relayed them to Lt von Wichmann and Lt Grothaus along the iNthabamnyama and to Gen Schalk Burger's Free State Krupp between the Twin Peaks. The regiment ceased to exist at the end of the Anglo-Boer War, in 1902.


Re-emergence

More than half a century later, in 1954, a Citizen Force artillery regiment, named ''9 Veldregiment'' (9 Field Regiment) was established in Pretoria. In 1960, it was renamed ''Transvaal Staatsartillerie'', in honour of the old regiment.


Affiliated Divisions

During the Border War, the Transvaalse Staatsartillerie was affiliated with both
7 South African Infantry Division 7 South African Infantry Division was a formation (military), formation of the South African Army, active from the 1960s to 1999. History Origin of 7 Division from existing and new Brigades 7 Division and 17, 18 and 19 Brigades were establishe ...
and
8th Armoured Division (South Africa) 8 South African Armoured Division was a formation (military), formation of the South African Army, active from the 1970s to 1999. History 8 South African Division was established as an Armoured Formation on August 1, 1974, consisting of 81 Armo ...
:


Name Change

In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa. The Transvaalse Staatsartillerie became the State Artillery Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.


Commanders

* Lt Col Tinus van Antwerp (2010–Present)


Insignia


References

{{SA Army Units Artillery regiments of South Africa Military units and formations in Pretoria Military units and formations established in 2019