The 4th South African Infantry Brigade was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

of the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

of the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The Brigade formed part of the South African 2nd Infantry Division. The brigade served in the Western Desert Campaign until it was captured by German and Italian forces at

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

on 21 June 1942. It appears to have been formed within the

Orange Free State Command Orange Free State Command was a command of the South African Army, active from to . Its headquarters was at Bloemfontein, seemingly for a period at the Tempe airfield, later to become the Tempe Military Base. History Origin Union Defence Fo ...

, as it was within the command boundaries on 3 September 1939. On that day it comprised Regiment President Steyn,

Regiment Louw Wepener A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

Regiment De Wet Chief Albert Luthuli Regiment (formerly Regiment De Wet) is a reserve infantry battalion of the South African Army. History Origins Regiment de Wet was one of six Afrikaans-speaking Citizen Force regiments established as part of the expansion ...

, and 4 Field Company SAEC).

Order of battle

Order of Battle as at 20 June 1942Agar-Hamilton Appendix B * 2nd

Royal Durban Light Infantry The Durban Light Infantry is a Motorised Infantry regiment of the South African Army. It lost its status as a Mechanised infantry regiment in 2010 in line with the rationalisation of resources. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equival ...

Umvoti Mounted Rifles The Umvoti Mounted Rifles (named after the Umvoti River) is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It ...

* The Kaffrarian Rifles

Citations

{{SA Army Units

Bibliography

* Agar-Hamilton, J.A.I. & Turner, L.F.C. ''Crisis in the Desert: May - July 1942.'' 1952, Oxford University Press, Cape Town. Infantry brigades of South Africa in World War II Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942