African manpower statistics for the british forces in east africa, 19141918. Vol 8 no 6 december 1991 south african military history. In 1915, the defence forces established the south african overseas expeditionary force for war service outside southern africa. The 6th south african armoured division was the second armoured division of the south african army and was formed during world war ii. South africa world war ii britannica encyclopedia britannica. More than 100 million soldiersincluding 16 million americansfought in wwii.
Personnel records consisting of service cards, personal, officers and medical files1. More than a million african soldiers fought for colonial powers in world war ii. World war ii service records and or death certificates south africa. The south african infantry corps is the largest combat corps within the south african army. South african service records soldiers and their units. Schweikert building20 visagie streetpretoriatelephone. The impact of the first world war on south african blacks by albert grundlingh. One of the obstacles genealogists face when researching south african history is the difficulty of consulting primary sources, not only because they may not be readily available, but often interpreting the script can be a daunting task. The second world wars eurocentric history must be widened to give subsaharan africans and many other world peoples their due.
At the battle of delville, one of the engagements of the battle of the. South australians are included but more complete records for south australians are in the records of the sa red cross information bureau held by slsa see above. At that point, the country was led by the united party, a coalition of the national party np of j b m hertzog and the south african party sap of j c smuts. Jun 06, 2012 how west africa helped win world war ii. Congo, the rwandan genocide, and the making of a continental catastrophe. South african constabulary and transvaal police records of conduct and service attestation forms of cape colonials registers of the red cross for boer dead, wounded and sick. Military history journal vol 8 no 6 december 1991 south african prisoners of war on the long marches 19441945. South africa in world war ii world war ii database. Established in early 1943, it was based on a nucleus of men from the former 1st sa infantry division who had returned to. The unit originated as the infantry branch of the union defence forces in 19. During 1944 the german army found itself retreating on all fronts as the second world war 19391945 began to draw to a close. Smuts s faction narrowly won the crucial parliamentary debate, and hertzog and his followers left the party. World war ii toolbox contains a list of repositories, online books, and records resources for all branches of the military.
I hope you enjoy the experience and visit again soon. Records of military agencies relating to african americans from the post world war i period to the korean war, reference information paper. The commonwealth war graves commission has records of 11,023 known south africans who died during world war ii. Soldiers in african forces under british control the national archives.
To look for records of a person involved in the boer, or south african, war please. Hertzog wanted south africa to remain neutral, but smuts opted for joining the british war effort. You might find your south african ancestors name, address, and phone number in these. South african world war ii participants geni family tree. South african firefly of the 6th armoured division in italy, 1944. Infantry, artillery, services, mounted units, engineering units, medical units, motor cycle corps, british and imperial units, etc. Research find a person military resources libguides.
From the marco polo bridge incident of july 7 to the eventual surrender of japan on august 15, 1945, the second world war ravaged asia and europe alike, with bloodshed and bombardment spreading as far as hawaii. Military records in south africa south africa ancestors. Maps of world war ii arranges wwii maps by place and date. Websitesedit second world war dead soldiers in african forces. Hertzog and general jan smuts about the right of south africa to remain neutral in war, their views were not identical as to what would happen if britain were to be attacked. Ships with a number of books on the south african navy, especially south africas navy the first fifty years by commodore j c goosen sm published in 1973. Consider that the book shelves on south african history are stuffed full of books on the border war and not one single book is dedicated to the history of the south african native military corps in world war 2. It is maintained by myself during my limited spare time so please read the disclaimer. World war 2 officially started on september 1, 1939, after germany invaded poland, and it continued until 1945 when both japan and germany surrendered. During world war ii, many south africans saw military service. Soldiers who fought in world war one and world war two record cards, personal files. Transcriptions of south african documents for genealogy. John vorster and other members of ossewabrandwag strongly objected to south africas participation in world war ii and actively carried out sabotage against jan smuts government.
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 indians, nearly 9,000 were killed in action. Privately run, unofficial website on the south african air force. Commonwealth war graves commission this searchable site lists the 1. The south africa roll of honour 19141918 records the names of over 11,000 south african born soldiers who died during the first world war between 1914 and 1918. Jun 06, 2015 still, in world war 1 they fought for the king. Smutss faction narrowly won the crucial parliamentary debate, and hertzog and his followers left the party, many rejoining the national party faction malan had. Others claim the war began on july 7, 1937, when the japanese empire invaded china. This index consists of south african military records extracted from various sources. From the marco polo bridge incident of july 7 to the eventual surrender of japan on august 15, 1945, the second world war ravaged asia and europe alike, with bloodshed and. The creation of a tank corps was consubstantial with equipment being received from the allies, especially of us origin.
The most impressive monument for african victims of the world war i 19141918 is not to be found in africa but in france. Look in wo 126 and wo 127 for records of units raised in south africa which. Military history of south africa during world war ii wikipedia. South africas remotenessit lies thousands of miles distant from major african cities such as lagos and cairo and more than 6,000 miles 10,000 km away from most of europe, north america, and eastern asia, where its major trading partners are locatedhelped reinforce the official system of apartheid for a large part of the 20th century. South africans in ww1, ww2 and korean war public group. About south africa, military index, 1853 2004 this index consists of south african military records extracted from various sources. Also where can i obtain a south african death world war ii service records and or death certificates south africa page 1 rootschat. South africa, the southernmost country on the african continent, renowned for its varied topography, great natural beauty, and cultural diversity, all of which have made the country a favored destination for travelers since the legal ending of apartheid afrikaans. Researching individuals in ww1 records national archives. Search the first world war army medal index cards wo 372 for a soldier. Records of military agencies relating to african americans from the postworld war i period to the korean war, reference information paper.
Media in category south africa in world war ii the following 44 files are in this category, out of 44 total. The commonwealth war graves commission has records of 11,023 known south african war dead during world war ii. List of south african soldiers in world war 2 answers. Can anyone help with the correct current contact details to find military records for south african soldiers in ww2.
The guide provides a broad overview of the main sources of information that exist on the subject of the boer war itself, as opposed to records of the soldiers who fought in the conflict. In june 1942 two brigades of the 2nd south african division with two composite south african battalions and four batteries of artillery, were trapped in tobruk and made prisoners of war by the germans but, under major general daniel pienaar, springbok. Mar 17, 2020 south australians are included but more complete records for south australians are in the records of the sa red cross information bureau held by slsa see above. In north africa, the us loaned the south african armoured corps tank regiments operating there 88 stuart m3a1s. Nov 15, 2018 researching individuals in ww1 records start your research. South african military records south africa rootschat. The nation did not mobilise its forces outside south africa until italys entry into the war in june 1940, when south african troops joined other commonwealth forces in operations against italianheld abyssinia now ethiopia and somaliland. Just 21 years after the last global war, the world was drawn into an even greater conflict. South african naval force in world war 2 ship histories. Military history of south africa during world war ii. 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. At the outbreak of the second world war, south africa once more pledged its support to britain, entering the war on 6 september 1939. Congo, the rwandan genocide, and the making of a continental catastrophe prunier, gerard on. Smuts took severe action against the pronazi south african ossewabrandwag movement and jailed its leaders including vorster for the duration of the war.
Max and shaun thank you so much for your information, ill down load the war diaries you suggest. Dec, 20 forces war records have exclusively released the world war ii italian prisoner of war camp nominal rolls for you to search online. Second world war and its impact, 19391948 south african. South africa, military index, 1853 search historical records. South africa war graves project over 17,500 war grave photographs. As records become public, our collections have grown to include millions of names and photos. Can someone tell me if it is possible to access wwii records for south african soldiers and if so where does one go. There were many individual regiments that served under this unit. On my dads ww2 record it states he served in the following unit. The south african navy essentially began in october 1921 by governmental decree as the south african naval service sans with locally recruited personnel enrolled in the rnvr south african division but placed on wholetime service with the sans, which was officially promulgated in the government gazette in january 1923. South africa military records genealogy familysearch wiki.
When britain declared war on germany on september 3, 1939, the united party split. Alan chanter ww2dbase although there was unanimity between premiere j. Details most often include name, rank, record date, and regiment or unit but may also include any of the following. Joe samuels, a south african veteran of the great war by bill nasson. Pre angloboer war 1853 1898 various attestation forms, muster and medal rolls are accessible, as are citations relating to awards to south africans. During the second world war some 375,000 men and women from african countries served in the allied forces. Are you looking for military records in south africa. To look for records of a person involved in the boer, or south african, war please see our research guide on british army soldiers up to 19. If you are a new visitor to the site please take a few minutes to read about our work and an explanation of the site below. They took part in campaigns in the middle east, north africa and east africa, italy and the far east. Jul 18, 2019 others claim the war began on july 7, 1937, when the japanese empire invaded china. Do you know if they kept the individual service records like the canadians did, i did some research on another ancestor, who was killed at the battle of courcelette, and the online diaries and his service records were amazing.
One of the obstacles genealogists face when researching south african history is the difficulty of consulting primary sources, not only because they may not be readily available, but often interpreting the script can be a daunting task our aim is to produce readable and intelligible. World war ii service records and or death certificates south. Jun 30, 2003 they are able to carry out research in the following areas medals, decorations and awards issued by the south african police and the south african defence force record cards and personal files where available copies can be provided. Research find a person state library of south australia. World war ii maps perrycastaneda library map collection. About 334,000 men volunteered for fulltime service in the south african army during the war including some 211,000 white, 77,000 black and 46,000 coloured and indian servicemen. During world war ii the division served in the east african campaign from 1940 to 1941 and in the western desert. 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. Military history of south africa during world war ii youtube. Hertzog preferred that south africa remain neutral in world war two, while smuts wanted to fight on the side of the allies. The british army 24th regiment memorial at isandlwana probably in 1949 at the anglozulu war battles 70th anniversary note the wreaths this was an outing by the vryheid branch of the memorable order of tin hats moths a south african exservicemens organization dating from about 1926. Nearly all men between the ages of 1845 registered during the years the draft was implemented, about 23% of the u.
You may first want to search the ww1 draft registration cards for basic information on individuals see draft cards section below. The union of south africa participated with other british commonwealth forces in battles. There is also almost nothing by way of definitive work on the unit history on the internet. South african infantry war records world war one page 2. Welcome to the south africa war graves project online database. Selected finding aids related to naras world war ii holdings. Italian campaign the 6th south african armoured division served in the italian campaign under the command of the british 8th army.
For anybody researching a prisoner of war, this could prove to be a crucial source of information, perhaps offering a missing jigsaw piece to your genealogy puzzle. World war ii united states military records, 1941 to 1945. They are able to carry out research in the following areas medals, decorations and awards issued by the south african police and the south african defence force record cards and personal files where available copies can be provided. About 334,000 men volunteered for fulltime service in the south african army during the war including some 211,000 whites, 77,000 blacks and 46,000 coloureds and indians. They took part in campaigns in the middle east, north africa and. The issue caused a split in south african politics. South africa history, capital, flag, map, population.
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