The 6th South African Armoured Division was the second
armoured
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
of the
South African Army and was formed 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 ...
. Established in early 1943, it was based on a nucleus of men from the former
1st South African Infantry Division
The 1st South African Infantry Division was an infantry division of the army of the Union of South Africa. During World War II the division served in East Africa from 1940 to 1941 and in the Western Desert Campaign from 1941 to 1942. The di ...
who had returned to South Africa after the
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...
in late 1942. The division was initially transferred to
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
for training, after which it served in the
Allied campaign in Italy during 1944 and 1945. In Italy, the division was initially deployed as part of the
British Eighth Army
The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces ...
, under command of
Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese
Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Baronet, (27 October 1894 – 22 January 1978) was a senior British Army officer who saw distinguished active service during both the world wars. He is probably most notable during the ...
, and was then transferred to the
U.S. Fifth Army, under
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Mark W. Clark
Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He was the youngest four-star general in the US Army during World War II.
During World War I ...
, for the remainder of the Italian Campaign. The division operated as a strongly reinforced division and was frequently used to spearhead the advance of the Corps and Army to which it was attached. They returned home after the end of the war in Italy and were disbanded in 1946. The division was also briefly active after the war from 1 July 1948 to 1 November 1949.
Founding
The possibility of forming a South African armoured division was discussed as early as April 1941 between Major-General
George Brink
Lieutenant General George Edwin Brink, (27 September 1889 – 30 April 1971) was a South African military commander.
Early life
Brink was born at Jagersfontein, Orange Free State, on 27 September 1889 and was educated at Grey College, Bl ...
, Commander of the
1st South African Infantry Division
The 1st South African Infantry Division was an infantry division of the army of the Union of South Africa. During World War II the division served in East Africa from 1940 to 1941 and in the Western Desert Campaign from 1941 to 1942. The di ...
and Prime Minister (
Field Marshal)
Smuts. At this time, South Africa was struggling to maintain the manpower levels needed to sustain two infantry divisions in the field. The
3rd Division was based in South Africa and was to provide the pool from which reinforcements were drawn to supplement the 1st and 2nd Divisions. All South Africans serving outside of South Africa were volunteers and far fewer men than expected volunteered their services and the view was held that if this trend continued, it would be necessary to convert one infantry division to an armoured division, as an armoured division would require fewer men. Later, the vision was to establish two armoured divisions, as lower manpower levels became more pronounced.
[Orpen (1975) p. 1]
After the
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...
, the 1st Infantry Division was withdrawn to Quassasin with the understanding that its 1st Brigade would return to South Africa to regroup with the 7th Infantry Brigade (at this time the 7th Infantry Brigade was in
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
) to form the 1st South African Armoured Division. 1st Infantry Division's 2nd and 3rd Brigades would remain in Egypt to form the 6th South African Armoured Division which would replace the 2nd Infantry Division which had been captured 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 ...
in June 1942.
By January 1943, the Allied leaders had decided at the
Casablanca Conference
The Casablanca Conference (codenamed SYMBOL) or Anfa Conference was held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, French Morocco, from January 14 to 24, 1943, to plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of World War II. In attendance were ...
to pursue the war by
invading Sicily, reducing the need for the number of armoured divisions as compared to those needed in the
Western Desert.
[Orpen (1975) p. 2] This, together with further manpower shortages led to the plans for a 1st South African Armoured Division being abandoned, with only the 6th Division being considered viable. All of the 1st South African Infantry Division brigades were returned to South Africa for re-training and amalgamation with other units to form the nucleus of the armoured division. The division was officially formed in South Africa on 1 February 1943 with Major-General
W.H.E. Poole as commander and sailed for
Port Tewfik
The Suez Port is an Egyptian port located at the southern boundary of the Suez Canal. It is bordered by the imaginary line extending from Ras-El-Adabieh to Moussa sources including the North Coast until the entrance of Suez Canal. Originally ''Por ...
in Suez on 30 April 1943 as a two brigade division, comprising
11th Armoured Brigade and
12th Motorised Brigade.
[Orpen (1975) p. 3, 7]
Egypt
Training began in the desert at Khataba, north west of Cairo
[Klein (1946) p. 232] and was focused on tank operations and integrating the Rhodesian elements into the division. In addition, the lack of manpower had forced the merging of numerous units and much of the training time was spent on marrying up drills between the new composite units.
The period of training was finally concluded by a series of training exercises, ''Exercise Cape Town'' being the first from 1 to 3 December for the
11th Armoured Brigade (11th Armd Bde) and ''Exercise Durban'' from 5 to 7 December for the 12th Motorised Brigade (12th Mot Bde). Training was concluded with ''Exercise Tussle'' as a
British III Corps operation finishing on 21 January 1944
[Orpen (1975) p. 20] and on 23 January the division moved to
Helwan.
By now, the division had been in Egypt for months due to indecision related to its role.
On 3 March 1944, the division was instructed to move to
Palestine and the advance parties left on 7 March. On 12 March however, this movement order was countermanded and the division was instructed to move to Italy. One year after arriving in the Middle East, the division embarked from Alexandria between 14 and 16 April to arrive in
Taranto
Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...
, Italy on 20 and 21 April 1944.
[Orpen pp. 24–25]
Italy: Eighth Army
Detachment of 12th Motorised Brigade
Regrouping was still in progress after arrival in Italy, when the 12th Motorised Brigade with artillery and support elements was ordered to move to the area of Isernia to prepare to relieve the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade in the Cassino area and to come under command of the
2nd New Zealand Division in the
British X Corps.
[Theunissen] These were the first division troops to enter combat in Italy.
The South African Brigade held these positions until after the fall of
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...
and the breakout from the
Anzio beachhead
The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...
, when they were withdrawn and reunited with the division.
[Klein (1946) p. 234]
Initial advance after the fall of Rome
Having formed part of
British Eighth Army
The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces ...
's reserve, the division was moved forward and attached to the Canadian I Corps after the Canadians and
Polish II Corps
The Polish II Corps ( pl, Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought wit ...
had breached the
Hitler Line north of
Cassino. After Rome had been taken by the Allies in early June 1944, the division was ordered to move up the Via Casalina to take over the spearhead of the Eighth Army's
British XIII Corps
XIII Corps was a corps-sized formation of the British Army that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First World War and was reformed for service during the World War II, Second World War, serving in ...
.
[Holland (2008) p. 217] To bring the division up to a full complement of three brigades, the
British 24th Guards Brigade was placed under command, an association which lasted to the spring of 1945.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2), p. 208.] The division advanced with the
Tiber River
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Ri ...
to the east and
Lake Bolsena
Lake Bolsena ( it, Lago di Bolsena) is a lake of volcanic origin in the northern part of the province of Viterbo called ''Alto Lazio'' ("Upper Latium") or ''Tuscia'' in central Italy. It is the largest volcanic lake in Europe. Roman historic ...
to the west at a rate of per day, outstripping their flanking units.
[Doherty (2007) p. 116] On 10 June the Armoured Brigade which was leading the advance, came up against the anti-tank screen of the newly arrived German 365th Infantry Division south of
Celleno
Celleno is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 1 297 inhabitants in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Lazio, located about northwest of Rome and about north of Viterbo. It was the site of the first battle by South African troops in Italy ...
. For the first (and only) time Brigadier Furstenburg was able to deploy all three of his armoured regiments and his motorised infantry battalion in battle to gain an important victory. Lieutenant-Colonel Papa Brits (Special Service Battalion
SB and Lieutenant-Colonel Bob Reeves-Moore (Imperial Light Horse / Kimberley Regiment
LH/KR received
DSOs for their leadership in the defeat of elements of the 365th Division.
11th Armd Bde's success permeated the whole division and on 12 June the division took
Orvieto, having advanced in ten days. However, their daily rate of advance had been slowed considerably by consistently being in contact with the enemy.
[Doherty (2007) p. 117]
By 17 June, the
Imperial Light Horse
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas ...
of the 11th Armd Bde had been stopped by the parachutists of the
Hermann Göring Division Hermann or Herrmann may refer to:
* Hermann (name), list of people with this name
* Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language
* Éditions Hermann, French publisher
* Hermann, Miss ...
on their first attempt to enter
Chiusi
Chiusi ( Etruscan: ''Clevsin''; Umbrian: ''Camars''; Ancient Greek: ''Klysion'', ''Κλύσιον''; Latin: ''Clusium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy.
History
Clusium (''Clevsin'' in Etruscan) was one ...
but by 23 June, the town had been taken by the
Cape Town Highlanders
The Cape Town Highlanders is a reserve mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army.
History Origins
Descendants of Scottish immigrants to South Africa raised the Cape Town Highlanders in 1885. On 24 April of the same year, their se ...
.
[Doherty (2007) p. 126] During this attack on Chiusi, "A" Company of
First City/
Cape Town Highlanders
The Cape Town Highlanders is a reserve mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army.
History Origins
Descendants of Scottish immigrants to South Africa raised the Cape Town Highlanders in 1885. On 24 April of the same year, their se ...
was leading the attack up the terraces around the town. During the night of 21–22 June, the company was surrounded by strong German infantry elements closely supported by tanks and its surviving members were forced to surrender by noon on 22 June. Since the disaster of the surrender of the
2nd Infantry Division 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 ...
two years previously, the surrender of South African troops in the field had become a sensitive matter. This prompted
Prime Minister Smuts, who had been meeting the
British Chiefs of Staff on 21 June, to divert his aircraft to
Orvieto airfield on his way back to South Africa to discuss the political and military consequences of this event with the division command.
Crossing the Albert Line
By 28 June, after stiff fighting, the
Albert Line (referred to as the Trasimene Line by the Allies) had been broken and the Allies streamed north
with the 24th Guards Brigade reaching
Chianciano and the 11th Armd Bde pushing north of
Lake Montepulciano.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 45] The Eighth Army's XIII Corps advance on
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
was led by the
British 6th Armoured Division on the right,
British 4th Infantry Division in the centre and the South African 6th Armoured Division on the left. The division advanced in two columns through
Rapolano and
Palazzuolo until they encountered the
LXXVI Panzer Corps
The LXXVI Panzer Corps (''LXXVI Panzerkorps'', 76th Armoured Corps) was a panzer corps of Nazi Germany during World War II. The headquarters were formed in France under Army Group D on 29 June 1943 as LXXVI Army Corps but renamed a month later. I ...
on the Georg Line, a delaying position on the north side of Route 73.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 76]
The strength of the Panzer Corps was not known initially and the leading elements of XIII Corps continued to probe forward expecting the German line to crumble under pressure without the need to launch a full-scale attack.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 75] The Corps fed in more battalions in an attempt to secure the Monte Lignano high ground and fighting for the hill continued on 6 and 7 July, but the
15th Panzer Grenadier Division continued to hold the heights.
The South African Division had been stopped on the left flank with the two Infantry Brigades spread over a front, the armour having been withdrawn into reserve because of the difficult terrain. On 7 July, 2 New Zealand Division was brought forward from reserve and their attack together with the British 6th Armoured Division eventually took the high ground and caused the German Corps to withdraw towards the Heinrich Line behind the
River Arno on 15 July. The South African Division could then continue their advance, directed on an axis towards
Radda-Greve on the western side of the
Chianti Mountains.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 88]
The division made good progress, advancing with two brigades leading the advance: the 12th Mot Bde astride the road defining the division's axis of advance and the Guards Bde on the right flank, on the slopes of the Chianti highlands. Radda was secured on the night of 17 July and orders were then received for the division to secure the heights of the Chianti Highlands. The Guards Bde took Mt. Maione by a night attack on the night of 18/19 July supported by the tanks of the
Pretoria Regiment
The Pretoria Armour Regiment (formerly the Pretoria Regiment) is a reserve armoured regiment of the South African Army.
History Origin
The regiment was formed in Pretoria on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) – a unit of t ...
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 89] while 12th Mot Bde attacked to take Mt. St. Michele (Pt 892) on 20 July. The division now held the heights of the Chianti range, dominating the
Arno Valley
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.
Source and route
The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...
and the advances to
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
.
Florence
On 20 July
General Kirkman, XIII Corps commander, issued orders for a "...powerful thrust to seize all crossings across the River Arno to the west of Florence."
This effort was to be concentrated on the 6th South African Armoured Division front. The advance was to be led by the South African Division with the 4th Infantry Division to its right, supported on the flanks by the 6th British Armoured Division and the
8th Indian Infantry Division
The 8th Mountain Division was raised as the 8th Indian Infantry division of the British Indian Army. It is now part of the Indian Army and specialises in mountain warfare.
The 8th Indian Infantry Division was formed as an infantry division in ...
.
The division's advance was slowed at the approaches to
Greve due to heavy mining, where a number of tanks were lost but eventually the 11th Armd Bde succeeded in capturing Mercatale, which was defended by the German
356th Infantry Division supported by
Tiger tanks. The division advanced through Greve and were again stopped by the German
4th Parachute Division on the River Greve
[Jackson (2004 Vol II) p. 90] on 24 July.
[Orpen (1975) p. 149] The division had, however, outflanked the German Parachute Division, who then withdrew during the night of 24/25 July, allowing the South African, New Zealand and Indian Divisions to advance to the Paula Line which was reached on 28 July.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 91]
Kirkman again placed the South African and New Zealand Divisions as the spearhead of his Corps advance, this time to break the Paula Line and to take Florence. The New Zealand Division would carry out the main assault and the South African Division would neutralise the enemy on the high ground west of
Impruneta
Impruneta is a town and '' comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany. The population is about 15,000.
Name and production
The name Impruneta is derived from ''inprunetis'' meaning "within the pine woods", and ...
and then clear Route 2 into Florence. The attack was scheduled for 30 July 1944.
[Jackson (1986) p. 92] General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Harold Alexander
Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, (10 December 1891 – 16 June 1969) was a senior British Army officer who served with distinction in both the First and the Second World War and, afterwards, as Governor G ...
, commander of
Allied Armies in Italy
The Allied Armies in Italy (AAI) was the title of the highest Allied field headquarters in Italy, during the middle part of the Italian campaign of World War II. In the early and later stages of the campaign the headquarters was known as the ...
, had indicated that he had no intention of fighting in Florence and so Kirkman gave orders for the by-passing of the city.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 94] On 31 July the heavy artillery support for the attack had resulted in an ammunition shortage and Kirkman ordered a 24-hour pause for fresh supplies to arrive.
The
Desert Air Force
The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 ...
flew over 100 sorties per day on 31 July and 1 August in support of the attack and by 3 August columns of South African, New Zealand and 4th Infantry Divisions were advancing towards Florence. By 4 August, advance parties were exploring the outskirts of Florence to find that all bridges across the Arno River viable for military transport had been destroyed.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 95] An
Imperial Light Horse
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas ...
/
Kimberley Regiment
The Kimberley Regiment is an infantry 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.
History Volunteer Forces on the Diamo ...
patrol however found the smaller
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge", ) is a Middle Ages, medieval stone closed-spandrel Circular segment, segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the ...
bridge intact and crossed it under heavy shelling, entering into the centre of the city at 4 am, to be the first allied troops to enter Florence.
[Orpen (1975) p. 164]
After reaching Florence, General Pool recorded in a Special Order of the Day, that the division had "... covered since leaving its concentration area at Taranto, its artillery had fired 201,500 rounds, the Divisional Engineers had built sixty five bridges (one a day!) and had made 196 major deviations necessitated by 'blows' and demolitions. The signallers had laid of telephone cable."
[Orpen (1975) p. 167] The division was then withdrawn into Eighth Army reserve for rest and maintenance in the
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...
/
Castelnuovo area
[Dohertey (2007) p. 132] until 17 August, when orders were issued for the division to be transferred from British XIII Corps to
U.S. IV Corps to partially replace divisions withdrawn to the
U.S. Seventh Army
The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fran ...
for the
assault of southern France.
The 6th South African Armoured Division was assigned to their new Corps in the U.S. Fifth Army as from 22 August 1944 and was replaced in XIII Corps by the
British 6th Armoured Division.
[Orpen (1975) p. 185]
Italy: Fifth Army
Crossing the Arno River
To continue the main Allied thrust north from Florence, the
Arno River first had to be crossed. Reconnaissance patrols from the First City/Cape Town Highlanders
C/CTHfound suitable crossing points close to Le Piagge allowing the 12th Mot Bde to cross during the night of 28/29 August under light enemy artillery fire.
[Orpen (1975) p. 191] Reports from prisoners indicated that the German forces in front of the division were withdrawing, and this was confirmed by the sound of demolitions ahead of them.
The 12th Brigade, as well as the Guards Brigade were tasked to send fighting patrols forward to determine the extent of the withdrawal. Reports indicated that the Germans had withdrawn across a wide front to what was to later become known as the
Gothic Line. The division crossed the river thanks to
Bailey bridge
A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British for military use during the Second World War and saw extensive use by British, Canadian and American military engineering units. ...
s erected between the damaged abutments by the South African Engineers.
[Klein (1946) p. 256] Under sporadic shelling and some units encountering light resistance, the operation was completed by 3 September.
[Orpen (1975) p.195] General Pool, observing the lack of resistance ahead of the division, encouraged a rapid advance, but this was countermanded in order not to compromise the surprise of the main 5th Army attack north of Florence.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 264] The order to wait and hold the Albano Massif until further notice was deeply resented by the division command and was considered representative of the persistent inflexibility displayed by the Fifth Army leadership.
[Orpen (1975) p.196]
Apennines
The Eighth Army offensive on the German held
Gothic Line was assigned the codename and had commenced on 25 August 1944.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p.225] intercepts had shown that the Allies had a significant numerical superiority in manpower, armour, air and artillery, although there were concerns regarding the relative inferiority of Allied tank armour and gun power as compared to German equipment.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p.228][Hinsley (1988 Vol 3 Part II) p. 335] The U.S. Fifth Army attack was launched on 10 September against the mountain bastions south of
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
and was led by
U.S. II Corps. As part of the plan, the 6th SA Armoured Division was ordered to advance along Route 64 leading to Vergato and Bologna and to capture the twin peaks of Monte Sole and Caprara di Marzabotto.
[Klein (1946) p. 244] The division's 24th Guards Brigade were first to encounter the Gothic Line defences when the Brigade met strong resistance from two battalions of the
Lehr Brigade as well as two battalions of the
362nd Infantry Division, fighting from strongly fortified positions which had been prepared throughout the previous winter.
After being ordered to hold the Albano Massif, the 11th Armd Bde was forced due to the terrain to operate dismounted from their tanks in order to contain the German 362nd Infantry Division. By 22 September, demolitions were again heard and it became evident that the Germans had started withdrawing to Green Line II, the next layer of the Gothic Line defences.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p.299] Operation officially ended on 21 September 1944.
Gothic Line battles
The South African advance re-commenced with the division heading north on Route 64 with
US II Corps to their right and
U.S. 34th Infantry Division on the left. Reports had been received that the
16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division had taken over from the German 362nd Infantry Division and that they were now defending the front ahead of the South African Division.
[Orpen (1975) p. 208] By 28 September, the division was advancing on three widely separated axis, retreating German forces were demolishing bridges, culverts and roads and this, with traffic congestion on limited roads made passage extremely slow.
[Orpen (1975) p. 209–211] It was then decided to hand over Route 66 to Task Force 92, as the South African Engineers were not able to maintain the three parallel routes simultaneously. This permitted the Guards Brigade to re-unite with the 11th Armd Bde in protecting the US II Corps western flank.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 349] Monte Vigese dominated the division's main line of advance. Two days of extended fighting in drenching rain against elements of the 36th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment brought no break through and Poole then decided to pause and prepare a divisional attack on the mountain, to be led by 12th Mot Bde with 11th Armd and Guards Brigades in support. After an extremely heavy artillery bombardment of more than 10,000 shells, the attack succeeded.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 396]
After this battle, the division was withdrawn for rest and maintenance. It was reassigned from
U.S. IV Corps to direct command by the U.S. Fifth Army to enable the Army commander,
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Mark W. Clark
Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He was the youngest four-star general in the US Army during World War II.
During World War I ...
, to coordinate the division's advance more closely with that of U.S. II Corps.
[Fischer (1989) p. 363] In addition, the division was heavily reinforced with artillery and taking Combat Command B, an armoured brigade from
U.S. 1st Armored Division
The 1st Armored Division, nicknamed "Old Ironsides," is a combined arms division of the United States Army. The division is part of III Armored Corps and operates out of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. It was the first armored division of the ...
, under command. The division's major task became that of thrusting north towards
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
covering the flank of the U.S. 34th Division. Combat Command B was to advance on Route 64, the 24th Guards Brigade along the Setta Valley road, with 11th and 12th Bdes covering the high ground between the two. Opposing the advance was the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division.
By 25 October the division had waded the Setta Creek and taken Hill 501 below Mt. Sole, but the Guards Bde attack on Mt. Sole was halted by torrential rains.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 418] The following day the continuing rains had turned to floods, isolating the division elements on Hill 501 and suspending all air support from
U.S. XXII Tactical Air Command.
[Martin & Orpen (1978) p.342][Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 235n] Mt. Sole was not attacked again and the division was returned to U.S. IV Corps command on 4 November.
[Fischer (1989) p. 397] As winter set in, the U.S. Fifth Army entered a period of static winter campaigning patrolling from fixed defensive positions until February 1945.
[Clark (1951) p. 379]
Spring Offensive
On 18 February the
24th Guards Brigade
The 24th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army from the First World War. It was reraised during the Second World War, as the 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards). During various designations, the brigade was active throughout the C ...
was transferred from the division to the
British 56th Infantry Division in the
British Eighth Army
The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces ...
.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 2) p. 372] This ended an enduring relationship, particularly between the armoured Pretoria Regiment and the three Guards battalions.
[Orpen (1975) p. 260] The division was relieved by the U.S. 1st Armored Division's Combat command 'A' (which took over from 12 Mot Bde) and U.S. Combat Command 'B' (relieving the 11th Armd Bde) and was withdrawn to
Lucca
Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.
Lucca is known as one ...
.
[Orpen (1975) p. 261]
The
final Italian offensive (codenamed ) plan was based on the use of three phase lines, "Green," "Brown" and "Black". The
U.S. Fifth Army, now under
Lucian K. Truscott, operating on the left and coordinated with the British Eighth Army, now commanded by
Richard L. McCreery, on the right, were to initiate the "Green" phase with primary attacks by the U.S. 1st Armored and
U.S. 10th Mountain Divisions.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 3) p. 228] In the "Brown" phase, the South African Division would assault the two peaks of Monte Sole and Monte Caprara in the centre of the U.S. II Corps (and thus Fifth Army) advance.
[Klein (1946) p. 280] If all progressed well, "Black" phase would signal the start of the break-out attempt by the armoured divisions into the
Po Valley.
The U.S. 1st Armored Division was to wheel westwards and the South African Division was to drive north west of Bologna to link-up with the Eighth Army.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 3) p. 229] Intelligence had shown that the peaks the South Africans were to attack were defended by the
German 8th Mountain Division.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 3) p. 235]
Operations related to Phase Line "Green" progressed largely to plan and Phase "Brown" was initiated on 15 April. That night the South African Division was the first of the U.S. II Corps divisions to secure their objectives, taking Mount Sole in a series of well coordinated night attacks,
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 3) p. 276] assisted by the heaviest tactical bombing support they had received to date in the campaign.
This was also the first combat experienced by the new 13th South African Motorised Brigade (13th Mot Bde) which had been sent from South Africa to replace the 24th Guards Brigade.
The battle had been fierce for all the division's troops involved and in the succeeding successful exploitation of Monte Caprara heavy losses were incurred. On 21 April, 11th Armd Brigade, who were supporting the
U.S. 349th Engineering Regiment, converged on the centre of the town of
San Matteo della Decima. Soon furious house-to-house fighting erupted which continued until nightfall and resulted in several tanks being destroyed by fire from German
Panzerfaust
The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light an ...
rockets. Poole committed all available South African troops to flush out German snipers and anti-tank positions and by 22 April all resistance had ceased.
These victories had created the opportunity for the armour to break through to Bologna as part of Phase "Black" and the South Africans linked up with the British 6th Armoured Division on 23 April
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 3) p. 258] and in the process cut the lines of retreat of the German 14th Panzer and 1st Parachute Corps between them.
[Jackson (2004 Vol VI Part 3) p. 292] In addition, in their advance to the link-up, the South African Division had destroyed the German 65th Infantry Division.
After advancing through the Po River Valley, the division was assembled southwest of
Treviso
Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Ven ...
on 29 April and were instructed to move far to the west to garrison the city of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
.
[Fischer (1989) p. 506]
General Mark Clark, the
15th Army Group
The 15th Army Group was an Army Group in World War II, composed of the British Eighth and the U.S. Fifth Armies, which apart from troops from the British Empire and U.S.A., also had whole units from other allied countries/regions; like two of ...
commander, commented on the division's achievements during the Spring Offensive, stating:
End of the war
Axis surrender
Early on 2 May the German Theatre commander, Field Marshal
Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring (30 November 1885 – 16 July 1960) was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' of the Luftwaffe during World War II who was subsequently convicted of war crimes. In a military career that spanned both world wars, Kesselring beca ...
, agreed to Field Marshal Alexander's surrender terms and broadcast orders to cease fire.
[Jackson Vol. VI, pp. 332–333.] The South African Division was north east of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
by 3 May, when General
Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin delivered the surrender of the German forces in Italy to General Clark in Florence. This was followed by
Winston Churchill's announcement of the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945.
[Orpen (1975) p. 308] The division held a major victory parade at the
Monza motor racing circuit on 14 July 1945 attended by Generals Clark (
15th Army Group
The 15th Army Group was an Army Group in World War II, composed of the British Eighth and the U.S. Fifth Armies, which apart from troops from the British Empire and U.S.A., also had whole units from other allied countries/regions; like two of ...
) and
Truscott (5th Army) as well as commanders of numerous formations in the region. During this parade, numerous US awards were made to men within the division, including the rank of Commander of the
Legion of Merit being awarded to General Poole.
[Orpen (1975) p. 309]
South African brigades were then deployed to the Swiss and French borders for frontier duties with 11 SA Armd Bde along the Swiss border, 13 Mot Bde around Turin, and 12 Mot Bde in the Aosta Valley contiguous to the Franco-Italian border which was drawn on the high ground separating the two countries.
On 16 July, the Italian
Cremona and
Mantova Battle Groups were placed under command of the division to assist in these duties, allowing some of the battalions to be withdrawn for repatriation to South Africa. The two motorised brigades were amalgamated and remained responsible for guarding duties in the province of
Imperia
Imperia (; lij, Inpêia or ) is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the region of Liguria, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Imperia, and historically it was capital of the ''Intemelia'' district of Liguria. Benito Mussolini created the ...
until 18 August while the armoured brigade was amalgamated with the division artillery.
[Orpen (1975) p.310]
Riots during demobilisation
By the beginning of April 1945, it had become obvious that the war was coming to a close and that the division as well as many other South African troops serving as divisional, corps or army troops with other formations would require repatriation back to South Africa for demobilisation. On 1 May, the
Union Defence Force realised that no plans had yet been made to get all men back and instructions were prepared to move 5,000 troops per month by air commencing 1 July 1945 and 15,000 men by sea during the second half of the year, resulting in the repatriation of 45,000 troops by the end of the year. In addition to the 6th South African Armoured Division and other troops in Italy, there were thousands of recently released South African prisoners of war who had been held in Italy from the
2nd South African Infantry Division since the
Sidi Rezegh
''Sidi'' or ''Sayidi'', also Sayyidi and Sayeedi, ( ar, سيدي, Sayyīdī, Sīdī (dialectal) "milord") is an Arabic masculine title of respect. ''Sidi'' is used often to mean "saint" or "my master" in Maghrebi Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. Wi ...
and
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 ...
battles in the western desert. Their numbers had not been factored into the demobilisation plans.
The staging depot at Helwan north of Cairo was soon overcrowded and the number of troops being flown back to South Africa were substantially lower than had been planned. In addition, the expected shipping had been delayed. Food was in short supply and the standard of discipline deteriorated further as men arriving at the depot were split up alphabetically and were not retained in their unit structures.
A protest meeting was held on 20 August and as the size of the crowd increased, the meeting became more violent eventually resulting in the troops trashing, looting and burning numerous Egyptian premises, blocks of shops, motor cars, bungalows and book stalls as well as one of their own messes, and broke down and looted the
NAAFI
The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs ...
store. General Poole flew in from Italy to address the troops, promising that immediate steps were to be taken to speed up the rate of repatriation. Weeks later, the subsequent court of enquiry assessed the total cost of the damages at £22,768,431.
By 25 January 1946, 101,676 men had been ferried back to South Africa
and the last aircraft left Egypt on 26 February 1946, carrying Major General Evered Poole who arrived in Durban on 2 March 1946.
Casualties
General Poole gave the campaign statistics for South African casualties as follows: Killed: 711; Wounded: 2,675; Missing: 157; Total: 3,543.
Command and organisation
Higher formations served under
Order of battle
Order of battle as at the dates the division arrived in Italy
[Molony (2004) Vol VI Part 1 p. 256] and the end of hostilities.
Theatres of operation
Main theatres of operation:
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Battles, actions and engagements
The division colours record the following actions:
See also
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Italian campaign (World War II)
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Gothic Line
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Spring 1945 offensive in Italy
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
The Generals of WWIIItalian Campaign - 6 South African Armoured Division
{{SA Army Units
South African World War II divisions
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
Armoured units and formations of South Africa
Military units and formations established in 1943
Military units and formations disestablished in 1949