I have been delving into material from Scientia Militeria and came across an article in the magazine that describes how the South African Tank Corps (SATC) with its Harley-Davidson's was formed. I have given a short extraction of this article below. This information helped me understand how the SATC was deployed in East Africa, Madagascar and particularly in North Africa.
FURTIVE STEPS TOWARDS ARMOUR IN THE UNION DEFENCE FORCE
The origins of the SATC can be traced back to the beginning of 1925, when discussions centred on the possible formation of a South African Armoured Car Section within the UDF. The establishment of an armoured force could offer the UDF the ability to conduct long, aggressive, reconnaissance. Highly mobile formations, of which armoured cars would form the backbone, were characterised by speed, circuit of action, reliability, and silence. These qualities would prove invaluable in the African terrain, where economy of force would prove the prevailing factor which decided the outcomes of battles.
By the end of February 1925, the UDF General Staff decided to import two Crossley Armoured Cars from Britain. The acquisition of the two Crossley Armoured Cars, at £ 2600 each, can be seen as the first furtive steps, aimed at the provisional establishment of a permanent armoured car section in the UDF. Upon delivery to the UDF, the Crossley Armoured Cars commenced their first trial run at the Artillery Barracks in Pretoria. The mobility which these armoured cars promised the UDF was recognised immediately. The mobility of the Crossley’s and the firepower offered by its machine guns was demonstrated between 1926 and 1929 on three separate occasions at the Quaggapoort firing range.
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| A Photo of a Crossley Armoured Car |
During October 1925, Van Ryneveld sent a proposed peace time establishment table for the Armoured Car Section to Col H.S. Wakefield, the Adjutant General (AG). The peace time establishment of the section would comprise of 11 men, and two armoured cars. This means that South Africa had in fact established an experimental mechanised force well before the British. The men, once trained, would be qualified as both gunners and drivers of the armoured cars.
By October 1930, the QMG handed one Crossley armoured car over to the Commandant of the SA Military College, for the sole purpose of crew training amongst the instructors of the College. They relied on a British War Office manual of 1921, titled “Armoured Car Training”. The British manual was, however, suited for armoured car training in European conditions alone, and did not allow for training in southern African conditions. The UDF thus had to borrow ideas and concepts around armoured car training from the British manual, and adapt it to meet the specific peculiarities of the South African conditions. The UDF’s theoretical approach, and practical employment, to armoured warfare, and the employment on armoured cars in such an instance, was derived from the British Army. The practise of using British manuals for training purposes, of various military arms, in the UDF prevailed until the late 1930s, and effectively prevented South African innovation in terms of theoretical thinking around the training and deployment of its forces.
By July 1931 it was decided to commission both Crossley cars and form an UDF armour car detachment, and the entire staff of the Small Arms Branch of the SA Military College received ‘adequate’ training in the use of these vehicles. Training in the use of these cars remained rudimentary at best, and theoretical recourse was still taken to the British War Office manual of 1921 regarding training and employment of armoured cars. Thus, by the end of 1931, the use of armoured cars within the UDF remained at an experimental stage when compared to developments in the United Kingdom and Germany.
During 1932 there was a renewed drive within the UDF to test the operational efficiency of the Crossley armoured cars, in order to gauge their offensive capabilities. Despite previous exercises at Quaggapoort, the Crossley armoured cars had to date neither been deployed over a considerable distance nor under operational circumstances. The CGS decided by August 1932 to test the operational durability and efficiency of the vehicles in the extreme distances and climate of the South West Africa Protectorate. Ovamboland was chosen as the best geographical area to test the vehicles, owing to the ruggedness of the terrain and the challenge which it would pose to the crews and vehicles alike. Upon the successful completion of the Ovamboland tests during August 1932 by Capt J.B. Kriegler, a lengthy report was submitted which highlighted the shortcomings of the Crossley armoured cars’ operational performance.
For the next seven years, there was no expansion in the use of the armoured cars, nor attempts to grasp this new promise of mobility within the UDF. By January 1939, Van Ryneveld gave authority for the manufacture of 22 locally produced armoured cars suited for the specific needs and realities of the operational environment of the UDF. These vehicles were the first South Africa produced armoured cars, and their design and manufacture was thus entirely geared to meeting UDF requirements in terms of bush warfare. He gave strict orders that the armoured cars would have to be ready for experimental and training purposes by the end of July 1939. Upon completion of the production of the 22 armoured cars, based on a Ford chassis with a Marmon-Herrington drive, Van Ryneveld decided that the SA Military College would conduct the necessary experimental testing in conjunction with the SSB Demonstration Company. It was decided that the newly-established armoured car company would be attached to the SA Military College for administrative and training purposes. Appropriately the CGS tasked the AG to draft a provisional establishment for the armoured car company as soon as possible.
DECLARATION OF WAR – IMPETUS FOR GROWTH IN UDF AND SATC
The German Wehrmacht invaded Poland on Friday, 1 September 1939, and matters changed dramatically for the UDF. South Africa followed Britain and declared war against Germany on 6 September 1939. The South African declaration of war provided the impetus needed to correct the severe state of unpreparedness which existed in the UDF.
The UDF greeted the news of the outbreak of war with considerable eagerness, despite several shortcomings in its ranks. A period of rapid reorganisation was started immediately, in order to rectify problems regarding organisation, training, equipment, arms and armament, including its armoured fighting capability.
FORMATION OF ARMOURED CAR COMPANIES
During September 1939, a UDF Committee under the leadership of Lt Col W.H.E. Poole was tasked to conduct a test, and subsequently, report on the newly developed South African armoured cars. These vehicles were driven by a Ford V8 engine, had a 134-inch, 5-ton, chassis, and included a superior Marmon Herington drive. Delivery was taken at Johannesburg on 18 September 1939.
Upon delivery and after rigorous testing, the committee found the new Marmon Herrington vehicles to be vastly superior to the antiquated Crossley armoured cars. Great improvements were noted in the general speed and performance of the Marmon Herringtons. It was decided to test the performance of the vehicles in the Eastern Transvaal during a test run held in November 1939.
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| Marmon Herrington armoured car during trial run, circa 1939. |
After the successful completion of this trip, it was suggested that modifications were necessary with regards to curbing problems which arose from overheating, weak springs, an insufficient cooling system, and inadequate turret flaps and an observation post.
The suggested modifications were made to the armoured cars and during January 1940 a further test run over a distance of 1,920 km was conducted. The test showed that the problems with overheating had sufficiently been dealt with. Moreover, it was clear that a four-wheeled drive was essential, that the wireless transmitter on each car had to be improved, that an additional porthole in the rear of the turret was required, that rust proof water tanks were crucial, and that additional asbestos lining for each car was required. The necessary modifications to the experimental Marmon Herrington armoured cars were made prior to the production of new vehicles.
Thus, during the first five months of the Second World War, despite the numerous tests conducted on armoured cars in general, no organised Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) units existed in practice. By January 1940, however, the realisation that South Africa might be called upon to assist in the defence of East Africa, at the behest of Britain, served as the impetus for the creation of a permanent AFV unit.
On 31 January 1940 authority was granted for the establishment of No. 1 Armoured Car Company (ACC), which was to be located at the SA Military College. The Commandant of the SA Military College assumed overall command of the company and was directly responsible for recruitment, training, and administration of the newly-formed unit of 22 AFV’s.
During April and May 1940 a decision was made to expand this force to 4 armoured car units. The 1st Battalion SATC was formed in May 1940, and was initially situated at the SA Military College in Voortrekkerhoogte. The battalion comprised of one light tank company, two armoured car companies (ACC's), and three motorcycle companies (MCC's).
No 1 Light Tank Company was still without any light tanks and would only get its light tanks in Mombassa when they were deployed for the East Africa Campaign later in the year.
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| Tank of the Light Tank Company No 1 being rolled off it's transport in East Africa |
A steady influx of recruits necessitated the expansion of the SATC and 2nd battalion was added to its compliment. Each battalion of the SATC now consisted of three armoured car companies, and one motorcycle company, while the light tank company and a motorcycle company remaining unattached.
The tremendous increase in the ranks of the SATC, and the proposed formation of an additional three armoured car companies, meant that the AFV Training Centre (AFVTC) had to be reorganised. By October 1940, the AFVTC moved from Voortrekkerhoogte, to the newly establish AFVTC at Premier Mine.
In order to bolster the perceived fighting efficiency of the armoured units, a decision was made to reorganise the establishment of the armoured car companies so as to allow for more cars per company. It was henceforth decided that each company would comprise of 35 armoured cars and 18 scout cars.
In addition, provisional war establishment and equipment tables allowed each battalion 30 officers, 896 European other ranks and 5 attached Non-Europeans, with 23 three-ton trucks, 48 light vans, 15 cars and 16 motor-cycles (Harley-Davidson’s) for general use.
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| Graphical Depiction of 1 South African Tank Corps Structure (excluding Logistical Support Vehicles) |
Consequently, 1 SATC with its three Divisions would have been allocated in the region of 400 to 450 Harley-Davidson’s. From the photographs available of the East Africa and Madagascar Campaigns, it is clear that the MCC’s were allocated the 45 cubic inch / 750 cc Solo Harley-Davidson’s. It is highly likely that the other 50-odd motorcycles would have been a mix of the 45 cubic inch / 750 cc Solo Harley-Davidson’s and the larger 74 cubic inch / 1200 cc Harley-Davidson’s with a sidecar.
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| Graphical Depiction of Likely Armoured Car Company No 1 Structure |
Relating to the motorcycle companies – from the Great War (World War 1), the UDF has followed a doctrine of compiling its fighting forces into the following:
- Section: 9 Privates and a Lance Corporal in a Section (10 fighting men);
- Platoon: 3 @ Sections in a Platoon, with a Platoon Commander and a Platoon Sergeant (32 fighting men);
- Company: 3 @ Platoons in a Company, with a Company Commander, a Company 2IC and a Company Staff Sergeant (99 fighting men). Generally each company also had some logistic support vehicles to carry fuel, spares, ammunition, food and other supplies.
It is therefore highly likely that the Motorcycle Companies were structured as depicted below. This meant that there would have been around 120 Harley-Davidson’s in a company (there would have been 'spare' Harley-Davidson's assigned to each MCC), along with some logistical support vehicles.
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| Graphical Depiction of Likely Motor Cycle Company No 1 Structure |
CONCLUSION
All three SATC Units were deployed to East Africa during 1940. During this campaign some of the SATC Units were re-deployed to North Africa, while the remaining Unit completed the mopping-up operations in East Africa.
From what I have been able to establish so far, it seems that the Light Tank Company with the unattached Motorcycle Company and one of the SATC Battalions were assigned to one of the South African Infantry Divisions deployed in North Africa, while the remaining Battalion mopped up.
The remaining SATC Battalion was then deployed to Madagascar. At the end of the Madagascar Campaign, this Battalion was re-deployed to North Africa as well.
I have also come across information that indicates that one of the Armoured Car Companies was attached to 7th Armoured Division (also known as the Desert Rats). To me it seems likely that this ACC would have been assigned a Section of one of the MCC’s.
SOURCES
“Armoured Warfare, the South African Experience in East Africa, 1940-1941” by Evert Philippus Kleynhans in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Military Science (Military History) in the Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University.
“Die Suid-Afrikaanse Motorfietskorps” by Lt S J Ferreira
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