The General Dan Pienaar Artillery Regiment (formerly the Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment) is a reserve

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

regiment 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 ...

of the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

History

Origin

The First Regiment

In 1854 the Free-State became an independent Republic. The British forces withdrew, leaving behind four 9-pounder garrison guns in the Queen's Fort in Bloemfontein. This was for many years the only ordnance the Free State Republic had. The Free State Artillery Corps was subsequently founded in 1864 on a request by President

Johannes Henricus Brand Sir Johannes Henricus Brand, (popularly known as Sir Jan Brand and sometimes as Sir John Henry Brand or Jan Henrick Brand; 6 December 1823 – 14 July 1888) was a South African lawyer and politician who served as the fourth state president ...

and housed in Queen's Fort.

=Anglo Boer War

= By the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War, the corps was commanded by Major Richard Friedrich Wilhelm Albrecht. The unit (in 1898 some 160 men, 24 cannons of various calibers) served on the Western front, Natal front and into the Guerrilla phase of the War. The unit played a major role in every major battle of the war where Free State forces fought.

The Second Regiment

In 1922, 3 Permanent Battery was formed. This unit was split up on 1 July 1926 into two units namely 4 Burgher Battery and 5 Burgher Battery. In 1932 these two were renamed ''1 Oranje-Vrystaat Veldartillerie'' and ''2 Oranje Vrystaat Veldartillerie''.

=World War 2

= On 1 February 1940 these units were joined as ''12th Field Battery'' and saw service in Egypt. They took heavy casualties at Tobruk and El-Alamein. On 18 April 1946 the unit was renamed ''6 Field Artillery Regiment''.

Post WW 2

Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment was based at Tempe, Bloemfontein, but relocated to

Kroonstad Kroonstad (Afrikaans directly translated "Crown City") is the third largest city in the Free State (after Bloemfontein and Welkom) and lies two hours' drive on the N1 from Gauteng. Maokeng is an area within Kroonstad, and is occasionally used ...

in 2007. The relocation coincided with the revitalization of the unit through the joining of Army Territorial Reserve members with the closing of the Commandos.

Name Change

In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa. The Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment became the General Dan Pienaar Artillery Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia. The current honorific is a remembrance of Major General

Dan Pienaar Major General Daniel Hermanus Pienaar (27 August 1893 – 19 December 1942) was a South African World War II military commander. Early life and career He was born in Ladybrand, Orange Free State and in his youth grew up in Natal. His family ...

, who served in both World Wars and was more known as commander of the

1st South African Infantry Division The 1st South African Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the South African Army, 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 D ...

, which served the Allied forces and was part of the victorious forces that took part in 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 station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

(October 1942).

Battle honours

* Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 * Tobruk * El-Alamein * South-West Africa

Officers Commanding

*1991-1997 Lt Col Paul H. Fick *1986-1991 Cmdt Danie Acker *1984-1986 Cmdt Gerhard Groenewoud *1979-1984 Cmdt Chris Biel *1974-1978 Cmdt BC Stevens *2007 - 2009 Lt Col Botha *2009 - 2014 Maj Smart *2014 - 2019 Maj Scheurkogel

RSM

2007–Present MWO H.Beyers

Freedom of the city

Bloemfontein 2012 Ladysmith

Insignia

References

Bibliography

* Ultima Ratio Regum; the Artillery History of South-Africa, South-African Army Information Bureau 1987 * Swemmer D, Die Geskiedenis van die Vrystaatse Artillerie, Unpublished Manuscript, 1946 * Barnard,S.L.(ed) van der Westhuizen,G. Smit, L. Vrystaatse Artillerie: Die Geskiedenis van 6 Veldregiment {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Artillery regiments of South Africa Military units and formations established in 1854 1854 establishments in South Africa