South Africans versus Rommel: The Untold Story of the Desert War in World War II

385 Pages·2017·13.401 MB·English

by  David Brock Katz

S O U T H
A F R I C A N S
V E R S U S
R O M M E L
THE
UNTOLD STORY
OF THE DESERT WAR IN
WORLD WAR II
D AV I D B R O C K K A T Z
STACKPOLE
BOOKS
Guilford, Connecticut
To Jack and Miriam
To my daughter Jacqueline
To my compadre and l’amour de ma vie, Adina
My past, my future, and my present
Published by Stackpole Books
An imprint of Globe Pequot
Trade Division of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
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Copyright © 2018 by David Brock Katz
Maps © 2018 Rowman & Littlefield
Photos courtesy of Ditsong: National Museum of Military History
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Katz, David Brock, author.
Title: South Africans versus Rommel : the untold story of the desert war in
World War II / David Brock Katz.
Description: Lanham, Maryland : Stackpole Books, an imprint of Globe Pequot,
2017. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017033969 (print) | LCCN 2017035145 (ebook) | ISBN
9780811766081 (e-book) | ISBN 9780811717816 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: World War, 1939-1945—South Africa.
Classification: LCC D766.97 (ebook) | LCC D766.97 .K38 2017 (print) | DDC
940.54/1268 —dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017033969
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48- 1992.
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Acknowledgments .............................. iv
Introduction................................. viii
Chapter 1: F rom Unity, Strength.......................... 1
Chapter 2: Th e East African Campaign July 1940–June 1941 ... 31
Chapter 3: Th e Clash of Military Doctrine ................. 61
Chapter 4: O peration Crusader: Buildup to North Africa’s
Largest Tank Battle .......................... 91
Chapter 5: O peration Crusader: The Destruction of the 5th
South African Infantry Brigade at Sidi Rezegh ..... 111
Chapter 6: The Gazala Battles 1942: Rommel on the Rampage. 155
Chapter 7: T obruk 1942: The Surrender of the 2nd South
African Division............................ 183
Chapter 8: E l Alamein: South Africa’s Swan Song in Africa.... 217
Postscript ................................. 247
Epilogue.................................. 255
Abbreviations............................... 259
Sources.................................... 261
Endnotes .................................. 281
Index..................................... 342
Acknowledgments
I have been fortunate to meet many caring and informed indi-
viduals who have given generously of their time and knowledge. A large
proportion of the research was undertaken using primary documents
contained at the South African National Defence Force Documentation
Centre (Military Archives) (DODA) in Pretoria. Deputy Director Louise
Jooste heads up the archive and her kindness included the provision of tea
and biscuits on many of my visits. Ms. Jooste took an avid interest in my
progress and insisted that the assistance I received from her staff be first
class. Steve de Agreila was always available and offered invaluable advice
on finding the most elusive documents. His banter, command of many
languages, and general accommodating demeanor makes a visit to the
reading room at the documentation center a pleasure. Gerald Prinsloo,
the custodian of an incredible collection of unpublished photographs,
was unstinting with his time and patience. Ms. M. Borain, the librarian,
provides another example of the friendly and helpful manner that one is
greeted with on a visit to the documentation center. Evert Kleynhans,
in his capacity as an employee of DODA, often furnished me with tid-
bits he had come across that he thought might be relevant to the topic.
The flames of completing our master’s degrees together at the Saldanha
Military Academy have forged our friendship.
The reading room at DODA presents many opportunities besides
that of rewarding research. I was fortunate to make the acquaintance of
Dr. Anne Samson at DODA, who was also busily undertaking research
at the time. Anne has generously provided archival material from the
National Archives in the United Kingdom whenever she comes across
something that she believes will be of interest. We share many common
interests, and she has been extremely helpful in obtaining some vital
documentation for the production of this book. The pursuit of research
has transported me to many new places, including numerous visits to
iv
Acknowledgments v
the South African National Archives in Pretoria, the Stellenbosch Uys
Krige Archive, the University of Cape Town Library, the University
of Witwatersrand Library, the University of Pretoria Library, and the
National Archives of the United Kingdom. I would like to extend my
thanks to all these excellent institutions, which not only make essential
research possible, but through their professionalism make it a joy.
Hamish Patterson, a gentleman of immense knowledge from the
Ditsong National Museum of Military History, was most helpful in
allowing me the extensive use of their Sidi Rezegh archive. Ilze Cloete of
the Ditsong National Museum of Military History Library generously
gave of her time to assist me in locating many of the previously unpub-
lished photographs that appear in this book. She was kind enough to go
out of her way to provide photos, never before seen by the public and that
now adorn some of the pages of this book. Lieutenant Jacobus van Aarde
helped me with translating certain texts from English into Afrikaans, and
Professor Deon Fourie took time out of his busy schedule to offer invalu-
able insight and guidance. Professor Paul Harris of the Department of
War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst sent me his only
copy of a rare, out-of-print book that he had authored. He did this despite
the fact that I was a perfect stranger from a foreign country, fully trusting
that I would return the book when I was finished. Needless to say, I con-
tinued to make use of his generosity, and he has read some of my articles,
once again offering important insight and guidance. My thanks again to
Evert Kleynhans, Tony Garcia, and Will Gordon for reading some of my
chapters and providing valuable insights and necessary editing advice.
The Dean of the Military Academy at Saldanha, Professor Sam
Tshehla, believed in my commitment and generously opened the door
to my academic pursuits, making good on the one force principle and
affording me the same opportunity as my permanent force colleagues.
The South African National Defence Force has provided me with a first-
class education and has enabled me to undertake projects of this nature.
Andries Fokkens ensured my smooth yearly registration at the academy
and tackled his administrative task with humor and vigor beyond that
demanded by his scope of work. Lieutenant Herman Warden took care
of all the administrative tasks during my residential visits. The Saldanha
Military Academy is a center of military history excellence and is truly
a national treasure. Lieutenant- Colonel (Prof.) Ian van der Waag has
vi Acknowledgments
dispensed invaluable guidance throughout my academic career as well as
in the formulation of this book. Through his untiring efforts, I was able
to obtain my master’s degree with distinction and, during the program,
produce three published academic articles. He guided me through three
conference presentations, one of which, a personal highlight in my life,
was at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April 2014.
Professor Andre Wessels of the Journal of Contemporary History
afforded me the opportunity to publish a piece on Tobruk.1 Professor
Abel Esterhuyse took a keen interest in my article about South African
Second World War historiography for inclusion in Scientia Militaria.2 In
June 2012 Professor Karen Harris of the Historical Association of South
Africa approved my presentation paper on the Union War Histories
Section as a historical source, and in April 2014 Dr. Simon Trew (Royal
Military Academy Sandhurst) and Dr. Marcus Faullam (Kings College)
approved my presentation paper on South African War policy in 1944. A
thank you to the South African Military History Society for providing
me with an opportunity to present a paper on the fall of Tobruk in 1942.
My thanks to Professor Tim Stapleton for publishing two of my pieces
in the 1914–1918- online International Encyclopedia of the First World
War.3 All these opportunities allowed me, directly or indirectly, to test
and develop some of the ideas that appear in this book.
An enterprise of this nature requires a strong network of friends to
facilitate its final production. A book is not a book unless published.
I have been very privileged to make the acquaintance of Dave Reisch
of Stackpole Books. I am indeed fortunate that from inception, he has
believed in the project, and his guidance has helped shape the subject
matter to be of interest to a wider audience. In Dave’s words, he has
assisted me with the aim of allowing me to produce the best book that
I am capable of producing. Although we are separated by many miles
and reside on two different continents, this has not stopped Dave from
offering encouragement and advice on demand. He has done so despite
being inordinately busy and subject to the strains and stresses of a business
merger. I look forward to many more future ventures as proof that soldiers
and soldiering are truly a universal language and the bond of comradeship
between soldiers transcends politics and international boundaries.
Producing a book of this nature requires a huge investment in time and
is impossible without sound backing from the home front. My dear wife
Acknowledgments vii
Adina has endured endless hours of me absenting myself to work on this
book in my study. She has stayed up late at night reading my manuscripts
and correcting them. She has faithfully accompanied me to venues near
and far to listen to my presentations on the subject and offer advice on
their improvement. She has listened attentively at many a breakfast and
dinner to my latest theories on history and doctrine. Over the years, she
has absorbed the subject matter and has even become an expert on some
issues. She has been my greatest critic and also my biggest motivator.
Her constant praise and encouragement have spurred me on even in the
darkest hours. This book is as much a product of her unstinting support
and encouragement as it is of any of my efforts.
Introduction
This book is the first of a kind in that it covers South Africa’s
war in East and North Africa in a single volume. However, it is by no
means a complete history. Some events, especially those which involve
the South Africans, are dealt with in detail, while other facets of the
desert war receive less attention. The Union Defence Force in the Second
World War made tremendous sacrifices, all but forgotten in South Africa
and Britain. Britain owes a debt to the South Africans who voluntarily
came to her aid during her darkest hour. Modern-day South Africans,
who enjoy the fruits of a democratic country, should not forget that black
and white South African soldiers took up arms and fought side by side
against fascist tyranny in the hope that a better and freer South Africa
would emerge as a result of their sacrifices. Fortunately, there is a small
but perceptible shift within South Africa in recognizing the personal
sacrifice of these men and women, and there are signs of reclamation of
the memory of their sacrifice for the new national identity.
South Africa rendered service to the British Empire when it played
a fundamental role in ridding East Africa of its Italian presence. The
Union Defence Force’s mobility, coupled with its maneuver style of war-
fare, demoralized the more numerous, but less agile, Italian defenders
whenever they met on the battlefield. Their fully motorized infantry bri-
gades, a modern version of their old mounted infantry, often outflanked
and enfiladed the static Italian defenders. South Africa had deep roots
tapping into maneuver warfare and could trace their military genetics to
the Boer mounted infantry of previous centuries. Trucks, armored cars,
and tanks replaced the sturdy ponies of yesteryear in East Africa, and by
using some of the same military formulas of their forbears, they quickly
overcame the Italian defenders at a relatively low cost in lives and mate-
rial. The conquest of East Africa was a vindication for South Africa’s way
of war, and for the first time this book attempts to describe the evolution
viii
Introduction ix
of South Africa’s unique war doctrine by comparing it with that of its
allies and enemies.
Unfortunately, the British had negligible use in North Africa for
the South African penchant for mobility and often misused the Union
Defence Force in a static role. The British failure to institute combined
arms warfare left the sometimes hapless South Africans to their own
devices. The natural role for the highly mobile South Africans would have
been integration with the British armor formations, but this proved to be
a step beyond British vision and command capability. Despite misman-
agement, the South Africans played a significant role at the tipping point
in Operation Crusader. The sacrifice of the 5th South African Infantry
Brigade at Sidi Rezegh on November 23, 1941, blunted the armored edge
of Rommel’s Panzer Divisions. Again, the South Africans suffered a
grievous loss when the 2nd South African Infantry Division surrendered
at Tobruk on June 21, 1942. They fell victim to a last-minute and poorly
executed decision by the British to defend Tobruk. This decision was a
political one and it took place against better military judgment. British
failure at the operational level resulted in the commitment of a fully
motorized South African division to a static defense. British obscura-
tion further compounded the inept fumbling of an inexperienced South
African general at the tactical level. The disaster at Tobruk gave Rommel
his greatest victory and severely shook the confidence of the Allied pow-
ers. This book reexamines South Africa’s role at Sidi Rezegh and Tobruk
and seeks new insights into the grievous and needless losses suffered in
these two battles.
Britain’s clumsy operational conduct of the desert war, coupled with
poor tactics, cost the South Africans dearly in both life and limb. In the
wake of the Tobruk fiasco, ordinary South African soldiers and their
commanders had scant belief in Britain’s ability to beat Rommel. The
British High Command also harbored doubts and believed that the South
Africans were past their fighting best. Despite flagging morale and bat-
tered confidence, South Africans manned the front lines at El Alamein,
and once again, they were at the tipping point that marked the end of
Rommel’s advance into Egypt. South African troops found their com-
posure and held fast at El Alamein on July 1–3, 1942. They broke the
spirit of the crack veteran German 90th Light Division, as they tried to
bypass and cut off El Alamein, and caused a rare state of panic among