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Natal Command

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Natal Command
Part of
Durban, South Africa
Site information
TypeCommand (military formation)
Location
Map
Coordinates29°50′20.2878″S 31°2′4.0488″E / 29.838968833°S 31.034458000°E / -29.838968833; 31.034458000
Garrison information
Current commander
None
Past commanders
See Leadership table

Natal Command was a Command of the South African Army. It was headquartered in Durban, South Africa. By the 1980s, it was responsible for the security of the region, forming the primary level of command for military operations in support of the Police. It also provided logistic, administrative and service support to units and formations operating in its area of responsibility.[2]

History

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Origin

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Union Defence Force

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Under the Union Defence Force, South Africa was originally divided into 9 military districts. Lieutenant Colonel J. Daniel SAStC was Officer Commanding on 3 September 1939.[3] The command included the 1st South African Brigade at Pietermaritzburg with two battalions of the Royal Natal Carabineers and the Umvoti Mounted Rifles, the 7th South African Infantry Brigade (including the Natal Mounted Rifles), two batteries of the South African Permanent Garrison Artillery, and the Natal Field Artillery on 3 September 1939.[1][4]

Brigadiers Harold Willmott and Deon Ferreira[5] served as officers commanding Natal Command after the Second World War.

SADF

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From August 1974 84 Motorised Brigade was based at the Old Fort Road Military Base in Durban. While the brigade was part of 8th South African Armoured Division rather than Natal Command, its units were mostly located within the command's boundaries. These included the Durban Light Infantry (located nearby in their historic buildings within the Greyville Racecourse), the Durban Regiment, 84 Signal Unit SACS, 15 Maintenance Unit SAOSC,[6] 19 Field Engineer Regiment SAEC, and Natal Field Artillery. Other units seemingly associated with the brigade included the First City Regiment and Regiment Port Natal, both infantry units.

SADF era Natal Command insignia

In the early 1980s, the command included headquarters at Durban, 5 South African Infantry Battalion at Ladysmith, 15 Maintenance Unit in Durban, and two Commandos, the Tugela Commando and the Umvoti Commando,[a] both based in Durban.[7] It seems reasonably clear that in the research for World Armies a number of units assigned to the command at the time were missed.

84 Motorised Brigade became 9 South African Division in 1992, and later 75 Brigade, before disbanding c. 1999 with the creation of the 'type' formations.

Groups and Commandos

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SADF era Natal Command Commando structure

For Territorial forces a structure of "groups" was established during the 1980s. Each of these regional groups fell under the authority of a Command and exercised operational control over a number of units, mostly Commandos.

Natal Command had three Groups (originally four) under command.

Group 9 (Pietermaritzburg)

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Group 10 (Montclair)

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Group 11 (Dundee)

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Group 27 (Eshowe)

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SANDF

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SANDF director of facilities Brigadier General G Mngadi said the beach front property, formerly occupied by Headquarters Natal Command and later by the Joint Operations Division's eastern Joint Tactical Headquarters, “was leased by the National Department of Public Works for the South African Defence Force on a 99 year lease from the erstwhile Durban Corporation, now known as the Ethekweni Municipality.” Mngadi says that as a result of the consolidation of the facilities footprint in Durban, the facility had become superfluous and was returned to the city on October 16, 2009.[8]

Leadership

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Natal Command[9]
FromOfficers CommandingToRibbon
1 November 1926Col J. H. Breytenbach DSO30 June 1933Distinguished Service Order DSO
1 July 1933Col K. R. Van Der Spy MC22 January 1937Military Cross MC
23 January 1937Lt Col John Daniel [3] CBE,SAStC14 February 1940Order of the British Empire CBE South African Staff Corps SAStC
15 April 1940Col B F Armstrong [10] DSO [b]11 June 1940Distinguished Service Order DSO
12 June 1940Col John Daniel [3] CBE,SAStC16 June 1944Order of the British Empire CBE South African Staff Corps SAStC
17 June 1944Col W. T. B. Tasker OBE12 January 1945Order of the British Empire OBE
13 January 1945Lt Col W. Grewe-Brown21 January 1945
15 February 1945Brig J. B. Kriegler CBE17 May 1945Order of the British Empire CBE
4 June 1945Col H. C. Daniel CBE,MC,AFC [c]18 October 1953Order of the British Empire CBE Military Cross MC Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) AFC
19 October 1953Brig W. H. Hingeston CBE30 June 1955Order of the British Empire CBE
1 July 1955Col C. S. Leisegang DSO [c]12 February 1956Distinguished Service Order DSO
16 Dec 1956Col P. J. Jacobs SM,SSA [b] [d]30 January 1958Southern Cross Medal SM Star of South Africa SSA
1 February 1958Col C. A. Frazer SM31 July 1963Southern Cross Medal SM
1 August 1963Col P. F. Van Der Hoven30 June 1966
1 July 1966Brig P. E. Ferguson SM,MC,ED31 May 1968Southern Cross Medal SM Military Cross MC Efficiency Decoration (South Africa) ED
1 June 1968Brig J. W. Blatt SM31 December 1970Southern Cross Medal SM
1 January 1971Brig I. S. Guilford SM16 January 1973Southern Cross Medal SM
17 January 1973Brig P. S. I. Jay SM31 December 1973Southern Cross Medal SM
1 January 1974Brig H. C. Davies SM31 December 1977Southern Cross Medal SM
1 January 1978Brig C. J. Lloyd SSAG,SD,SM,MMM [e] [f]21 November 1980Star of South Africa SSAG Southern Cross Decoration SD Southern Cross Medal SM Military Merit Medal MMM
22 November 1980Brig P.E.K. Bosman [2] SM31 August 1983Southern Cross Medal SM
1 September 1983Brig M. B. Anderson31 December 1985
1 January 1986Brig J. H. Pretorius SD,SM,MMM [e]31 July 1992Southern Cross Decoration SD Southern Cross Medal SM Military Merit Medal MMM
n.d.Brig Harold Willmott [5] CBE [g]n.d.Order of the British Empire CBE
14 July 1992Brig Deon Ferreira [5] PVD,SD,SM,MMM [e] [h]17 February 1995Pro Virtute Decoration PVD Southern Cross Decoration SD Southern Cross Medal SM Military Merit Medal MMM
18 February 1995Brig C. E. le Roux SD,SM,MMM [b]23 November 2000[11]Southern Cross Decoration SD Southern Cross Medal SM Military Merit Medal MMM
FromGarrison / Command Sergeants Major[12]: 11 ToRibbon
1 Jul 1927WO1 J. H. Nassey31 May 1936
1 Jun 1936WO1 S. J. Riley3 May 1940
1 May 1940WO2 K. W. Van Wijk28 Feb 1941
1 Mar 1941WO1 E. A. Aylett30 Jun 1946
1 Jul 1946WO1 K. N. Van Wijk30 Nov 1946
1 Dec 1946WO1 T. W. Rochwell31 Dec 1962
29 Jul 1966WO1 E. H. van den Bergh31 May 1971
1 Jun 1971WO1 R. H . Ueckermann30 Apr 1974
1 May 1974WO1 D. J. Maritz13 May 1982
14 May 1982WO1 P. H. Rohrbeck PMM30 Sep 1992Pro Merito Medal PMM
1 Oct 1992WO1 J. T. Moorcroft PMD,VRM [i]1 Nov 1993Pro Merito Decoration PMD Van Riebeeck Medal VRM
2 Nov 1993WO1 J.M. Goodrich PMM,MMMndPro Merito Medal PMM Military Merit Medal MMM

Notes

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  1. ↑ Incorrectly called Umvoiti Commando by Keegan
  2. 1 2 3 Later Major General
  3. 1 2 Later Brigadier
  4. ↑ Later Chief of the South African Army
  5. 1 2 3 Later Lieutenant General
  6. ↑ Later GOC South West African Territorial Force
  7. ↑ Unconfirmed by other sources[9]
  8. ↑ Later Chief of Joint Operations
  9. ↑ Later Sgt Major of the Army

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "South African Army 1939 - 1940" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Unit Profiles: Natal Command". Warinangola.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Order of Battle Union of South Africa Union Defence Forces Natal Command Staff 3 September 1939". Retrieved 24 December 2014.[dead link]
  4. ↑ "Union Defence Forces of South African — Peacetime Administrative Organization Natal Command 3 September 1939". World War II Armed Forces — Orders of Battle and Organizations. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Senior Offisiere in Bevel - Senior Officers in Command". sadf.info. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-27. Retrieved 2014-12-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ John Keegan, World Armies, cited in Lt Cdr Carl T. Orbann USN, 'South African Defense Policy,' Thesis for the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA., June 1984, 124.
  8. ↑ Engelbrecht, Leon (3 December 2009). "Old "Natal Command" site vacated". defenceweb.co.za. DefenceWeb. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  9. 1 2 Anonymous. Natal Command:A Brief History. Natal Command.
  10. ↑ Nöthling, C.J.; Meyers, E.M. (1982). "Leiers Deur die Jare (1912-1982)" (Online). Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies (in Afrikaans). 12 (2). doi:10.5787/12-2-631. ISSN 2224-0020.
  11. ↑ Anonymous. Natal Command:The Military History of Natal 1486-1990. Unpublished manuscript.
  12. ↑ Anon. Natal Command in Focus. South African Army.

See also

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