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Suid-Afrika in die Eerste Wêreldoorlog
Geplaatst: 23 Feb 2006 10:29 Onderwerp: Suid-Afrika in die Eerste Wêreldoorlog
TOE Engeland op 4 Augustus 1914 tot die stryd toetree, was Suid-Afrika, wat destyds ’n deel van die Britse ryk was, outomaties ook in die oorlog betrokke. Die besluit van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering van genl. Louis Botha om Engeland daadwerklik te steun deur Duits-Suidwes-Afrika (tans Namibië) aan te val, lei egter tot die sogenaamde Rebellie van 1914.
Wat as protesbeweging in Transvaal en die Oranje-Vrystaat begin het, ontwikkel tot ’n poging deur die opstandelinge om die onafhanklikheid te herstel wat die Boererepublieke met die eeuwisseling in die Anglo-Boereoorlog verloor het.
Nadat die opstand onderdruk was, het genl. Botha in April 1915 met 50.000 man die Duitse gebied, waar die Duitsers 4000 weerbare manne gehad het, uit drie rigtings binnegeval. In Julie is die Duitse hoofmag tot oorgawe gedwing. Die verliese van die Suid-Afrikaanse troepe was 269 dooies en 263 gewondes. Duitse vrywilligers is toegelaat om na hul plase terug te keer terwyl gereelde soldate geïnterneer is.
’n Afdeling Suid-Afrikaanse vrywilligers het in Frankryk saam met die Engelse geveg en in Julie 1916 in die Dellville-bos tydens die veldslag aan die Somme swaar verliese gely vanweë heldhaftige verdediging.
Teen die begin van 1916 het 7500 man (blankes) reeds na Europa vertrek en teen April het die getal tot 11.000 aangegroei. Dit was afgesien van die duisende swartmense wat agter die front in Frankryk gaan werk het.
Ná die ekspedisie in Suidwes het genl. Botha besluit om die Engelse in Oos-Afrika te help. Genl. Jan Smuts het met 24.000 man teen die Duitsers onder genl. Paul von Lettow Vorbeck opgetrek. Met latere versterkings en verliese bygereken, het nagenoeg 50.000 Suid-Afrikaners in Duits-Oos-Afrika geveg. Die klimaat en verliese aan malaria het hierdie veldtog moeilik en duur gemaak. En hoewel die gebied teen die einde van die oorlog verower was, kon die Duitse hoofmag, wat in getalsterkte veel minder as die Suid-Afrikaners was, nooit tot oorgawe gedwing word nie. Von Lettow het tot in November 1918 die stryd voortgesit.
Daar is bereken dat sowat 12 000 Suid-Afrikaners in die Eerste Wêreldorlog gesneuwel het. Dit is ’n groot aantal, maar die sterftesyfer word verdwerg deur die net minder as ’n miljoen vir die Britse ryk in sy geheel.
Die getalle van die ander lande se gesneuweldes: Frankryk byna 1,4 miljoen; Italië byna ’n halfmiljoen; Rusland 1,7 miljoen; die VSA 115.000; Duitsland 1,8 miljoen; Oostenryk-Hongarye 1,2 miljoen en Turkye 32.000. Sowat dubbel soveel as hierdie syfers is gewond.
In het Zuid_Afrikaans
Geplaatst: 29 Sep 2007 19:10 Onderwerp:
South African Battle Honours:
AS a dominion in the British Empire, South Africa was automatically committed by Britain's declarations of war against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey. The Union Defence Forces, which consisted of a small army and an aviation corps, fought in one campaign. The South African Overseas Expeditionary Force, which was formed specially for war service, fought in four other campaigns. More than 250 000 men and women of all races served in the war.
Battle honours were authorised in 1926 and 1927. In a break with tradition, they were granted not only to mounted and infantry regiments and the aviation corps, but to artillery and medical units too. Unfortunately, as the expeditionary force units had been disbanded at the end of the war, and no system had been devised to link them to the regular UDF units, most of their honours exist only on paper. A few were re-granted in 1978 to a new unit which was officially regarded as the successor to one of the World War I regiments.
South African land forces, supported during the last few months of the campaign by the newly formed aviation corps, invaded and conquered German South West Africa (now Namibia) in a drawn-out campaign that lasted from September 1914 until July 1915. Two battle honours were granted to the land forces and aviation corps:
South West Africa 1914-15 (or 1914-18, or 1915) • Gibeon.
The commando units (which made up the bulk of the fighting forces) were granted a separate honour in 1938:
Two mounted brigades, two infantry brigades and other units served under British command in operations against German forces in German East Africa (now Tanzania), Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and northern Moзambique, from December 1915 until November 1918. They earned four battle honours:
Kilimanjaro • Behobeho • Nyangao • East Africa 1915-17 (or 1915-18, or 1916, or 1916-17, or 1916-18, or 1917-18).
The police, which contributed a unit to the campaign, displayed the theatre honour as "German East Africa 1916-18".
Another infantry brigade took part in British operations against the Senussi in western Egypt from January to March 1916. It earned two battle honours:
Agagiya • Egypt 1916.
From Egypt, the infantry brigade, plus artillery and medical units, were sent to France, to fight under British command against German forces on the Western Front from July 1916 until November 1918. The brigade was wiped out and re-formed three times during this campaign. The expeditionary forces earned 22 battle honours, but none of the units survived to receive them:
Somme 1916 ( or 1916-18) • Bazentin • Pozieres • Flers Courcelettes • Thiepval • Delville Wood • Ancre 1916 • Arras 1917 • Scarpe 1917 • Bullecourt • Menin Road • Lys • Passchendaele • Messines 1918 • Hindenburg Line • Kemmel • Cambrai 1918 • Pursuit to Mons • Selle • Sambre • France and Flanders 1916-18.
From mid-1917 until November 1918, South African artillery and infantry units fought under British command in operations against Turkish forces in Palestine (now Israel). They earned eight battle honours:
Gaza • El Mughar • Nebi Samwil • Tel Asur • Megiddo • Sharon • Nablus • Palestine 1917-18 (or 1918).
Geplaatst: 20 Jun 2018 10:42 Onderwerp:
The Old and the Bold - Lieutenant-General The Hon. J. C. Smuts - First East African Despatch - London Gazette #29630 - Tuesday, 20th June, 1916
http://www.25throyalfusiliers.co.uk/east_africa_despatch_1.html via http://www.centenaryww1orange.com.au/events/20-june-1916/
Staat ook hier: http://forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/viewtopic.php?p=440003#440003