Here is some interesting information about the Union Defence Force (UDF) of South Africa Harley Davidson's in East Africa during the Second World War.
The 1st Battalion SA Tank Corps (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, and three motorcycle companies, and at full strength would comprise of 58 officers and 1063 other ranks.
During May 1940, 1st Battalion SATC started to receive the first batch of the locally produced Marmon Herrington armoured cars.
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| South African Marmon-Herrington Mark 1 Armoured Car |
The UDF ordered nearly 4,500 motorcycles from the Harley-Davidson factory in Milwaukee in August of 1940. A large number of these motorcycles were supplied to the 3 Motorcycle Companies attached to the Battalion. A large number of Harley-Davidson's were also supplied to the Signal Corps to be used by dispatch riders. The photo below depicts a number of dispatch riders on their 750cc Harley-Davidson's (the Solo model).
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| A photo of a number of Dispatch Riders on their Harley-Davidson's at their training camp (source unknown) |
The formation of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade Group was authorised on 13 May 1940 and placed under the command of Col John Daniel. Various Units from across South Africa was assigned to the 1st South African Infantry Brigade, among others, the 1st Battalion SA Tank Corps with it's 3 Motorcycle Companies.
PRELUDE TO THE EAST AFRICA CAMPAIGN, WW2
The map below depicts the area controlled by the Allied and Axis forces early in 1940.
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| Africa Map Ealry in 1940 (Source, Wikipedia). |
The battle for East Africa started in June 1940 with the Italians in East Africa moving against Allied forces in Rhodesia, Sudan and Kenya. By August 1940 Italy has managed to capture British Somali Land. The Italians then focused their attention to the naval sphere and engaged the British Eastern Fleet - the Italian Central Command (Comando Centrale) was not prepared for a prolonged war or to occupy extensive areas of the African continent in the summer of 1940.
England Prime Minister Winston Churchill criticised General Archibald Wavell concerning the loss of British Somali Land. It was Wavell's Middle East Command which was responsible for the loss of the colony. Because of the low casualty rate, Churchill fretted that the British had abandoned the colony without enough of a fight.
In response to this criticism, Wavell claimed that Somali land was a textbook withdrawal in the face of superior numbers. He pointed out to Churchill that "A bloody butcher's bill is not the sign of a good tactician." According to Churchill's staff, Wavell's retort moved Churchill to greater fury than they had ever seen before.
THE BRITISH COUNTER-OFFENSIVE
After the fall of British Somali Land, General Archibald Wavell's plan for the counter-offensive by British Commonwealth forces - Wavell planned for Lieutenant-General William Platt to advance southward from the Sudan, through Eritrea, and into Ethiopia and for Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham to advance northwards from Kenya, through Italian Somali land, and into Ethiopia. While Platt advanced from the north and Cunningham from the south, Wavell planned for a third force to be landed in British Somali land in an amphibious assault and to then re-take that colony prior to advancing into Ethiopia. According to the plan, all three forces were to ultimately join forces at the capital of Italian East Africa, Addis Ababa.
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| Northern front: Allied advances in East Africa in 1941 (by Wikipedia) |
UNION DEFENCE FORCES (SA) IN THE CAMPAIGN
To prepare for the counter-offencive, the Union Defence Force (SA) started to amass forces in Kenya. On 1 June 1940, the first UDF unit arrived in Mombasa, Kenya. By the end of July 1940, the 1st South African Infantry Brigade Group joined the first unit. On 13 August 1940, the 1st South African Division was formed. This division included the 1st, 2nd, and 5th South African Infantry Brigade Groups. By the end of the year, approximately 27,000 South Africans were serving in East Africa. The South Africans were either in the 1st South African Division, the 11th African Division, or 12th African Division. Each South African brigade group consisted of three rifle battalions, an armoured car company, and supporting signal, engineer, and medical units.
After undergoing extensive training in South Africa, the UDF No's 1 and 2 Motorcycle Companies sailed from Durban to Mombasa in September 1940. The frontier between northern Kenya and Italian East Africa was their first wartime destination, as this was where the initial exchanges of war in East Africa occurred. Campaign headquarters were established at Gilgil, north-west of Nairobi.
While at Gilgil, General Jan Smuts paid the troops a visit (see photograph below). In the photo General Smuts is inspecting a number of the 1,200cc Harley-Davidson's with sidecars.
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| General Smuts Inspecting SA Forces in East Africa, Scientia Militaria |
THE COUNTER-OFFENCIVE AND THE H-D's ROLE IN IT
The British counter-offencive commenced in January 1941. The UDF forces were attached to the Allied forces under command of Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham. In January 1941, Cunningham decided to launch his first attacks across the Kenyan border directly into southern Ethiopia. Although he realised that the approaching wet season would preclude a direct advance this way to Addis Ababa, he hoped that this action would cause Ethiopians in southern Ethiopia to rise up in rebellion against the Italians. It was also anticipated that this action would pin Italian forces in the area and prevent them being sent as reinforcements when the main offencive was started in Jubaland. Cunningham sent the South African 1st Division (composed of 2nd and 5th South African and 21st East African brigades) and an independent East African brigade into the Galla-Sidamo Province.As part of this force, the UDF No's 1 and 2 Motorcycle Companies moved on to Moyale, Nanyuki and the Chalbi Desert in northern Kenya before crossing the border into southern Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).
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| Members of a South African Motor-Cycle Company on patrol in Kenya (www.ibiblio.org) |
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| Morass of mud at Melka Galla after rain (source - unknown) |
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| Two and a half miles in eight days -in the Chalbi Desert after rain (source: unkown) |
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| South African armoured cars cross the Juba River over 'Union Bridge', ibiblio.org. |
Battling on into Abyssinia, No's 1 and 2 Motorcycle Companies had to contend with intermittent shelling for days. The motorcyclists rose to the action with distinction in spite of the extremely difficult geographical conditions with which they had to contend: torrential rains, skidding through mud and sometimes becoming bogged down to such an extent that some could not pull their machines out, while others had to resort to walking with their motorcycles between their legs with engines revving and exhaust pipes and silencers burning their legs. At times, machines fell on top of the riders in their effort to ‘battle on’. Others struggled without avail to extricate their motorcycles from the deep mud and had to walk back to camp on foot. They would return in the days that followed to try to salvage their bogged-down machines - not always with success.
On 1 February 1941, this force captured Gorai and El Gumu and on 2 February 1941, they took Fort Hobok. Notice the two UDF Harley Davidson's (the 750cc Solo Model) in the back of the picture taken at Fort Hobok.
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| South Africans in Hobok Fort after its capture, Feb 1941 (Government Photographer - South African War Museum) |
In a mere three months, Nos 1 and 2 South African Motorcycle Companies have ridden in the region of 1 700 km through Kenya and onwards through to southern Abyssinia and back in heat and rain, and over indescribably bad roads and tracks. In March 1941, part of No 1 Motorcycle Company was dispatched by road to Mogadishu and thence to Addis Ababa for police duties.
Addis Ababa, the capital, was captured in April 1941 and Italian East Africa surrendered the following month. The photo below depicts a number of the UDF (SA) 750cc Harley-Davidson's along with other troops, celebrating their victory over the Italians in East Africa.
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| South African motorcycle crew after whipping the Italians in Africa |
No 1 Motorcycle Company arrived in Addis Ababa after a long and gruelling journey towards the end of April 1941 and were stationed in Addis Ababa to maintain law and order and to patrol the streets in that town, duties which they performed admirably until August 1941, when the newly formed Civil Police took control. On leaving Addis Ababa, some of the company’s motorcycles were handed over to the Civil Police by the South African authorities for the town’s police patrols.
THE NEXT STOP FOR THE UDF's HARLEY-DAVIDSON's – NORTH AFRICA AND MADAGASCAR
When the East African campaign ended, part of No 1 Motorcycle Company left with No 2 Motorcycle Company for the Middle East in September 1941, where they were seconded to the South African Armoured Cars for participation in the operations against the German General Rommel in Egypt and Libya in the Western Desert of North Africa.
This needs to be confirmed, but it seems to me that No 3 Motorcycle Company was dispatched to participate in the Battle of Madagascar in May 1942. I could ascertain that 'A' Squadron of 1 Armoured Car Company was part of the 7th South African Motorised Brigade that was shipped to Madagascar on the 24th April 1942. The Armoured Car Company was definitely equipped with motorcycles, as motorcycles are mentioned in several situation reports of the Battle of Madagascar. There are also photographs of troops on Harley-Davidson's from the Battle of Madagascar. However, I have not been able to find any reference that these Harley-Davidson's were from No 3 Motorcycle Company.
SOURCES FOR POST
The sources for this article came from:
- Wikipedia East African Campaign (World War II)
- Harleys in Khaki
- ARMOURED WARFARE THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN EAST AFRICA, 1940-1941, by Evert Philippus Kleynhans (a Master of Military Science (Military History) Thesis in the Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University)
- Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Article "Die Geskiedenis van die SAW in beeld (1912-1987)" Volume 17, No 3 of 1987.
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