Book Review

South Africa at war

Book Title: 20 Battles: Searching for a South African Way of War 1913–2013

Authors:
Evert Kleynhans
David Brock Katz

ISBN: ISBN 9978-1-92824-822-4 (paperback), 978-1-92824-823-1 (e-book)

Publisher: Delta Books, Jonathan Ball Publishers, Johannesburg and Cape Town, 2023, R320*

*Book price at time of review

Review Title: South Africa at war

Reviewer:
André Wessels¹

Affiliation:
¹Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

Corresponding author: André Wessels, wesselsa@ufs.ac.za

How to cite this book review: Wessels, A. “South Africa at war.” New Contree 91 (2024): a266. https://doi.org/10.4102/nc.v91.266

Copyright Notice: © 2024. The Author(s). Licensee: AOSIS.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Across the globe, military history books are published on a daily basis; an indication of the interest shown by academics and – in particular – military history enthusiasts. In South Africa, the outpouring of books that deal with the so-called Border War of 1966–1989 (which was part of the wider War for Southern Africa of 1961–2002), continues, while in the course of the 20th century and beyond, many books have also been published on South Africa’s participation in the two world wars. The South African (Anglo-Boer) War of 1899–1902 has contributed most substantially towards the South African military historiography, but that conflict predated the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Consequently, it falls outside the parameters of Evert Kleynhans and David Brock Katz’s investigation of the evolution of South Africa’s armed forces over a century, from 1913 to 2013.

In their book, 20 Battles: Searching for a South African Way of War 1913–2013, they track the evolution of the doctrine and structure of South Africa’s armed forces, from the Union Defence Force(s) (UDF) to the South African Defence Force (SADF) – as the UDF was renamed in 1957 – and the post-1994 South African National Defence Force (SANDF); in the process, uncovering historical continuity, as well as the lessons learned from past battles and operations.

Chapter 1 is devoted to the UDF’s role in suppressing the industrial strikes in South Africa in 1913-1914. The battle at Sandfontein in September 1914, when the UDF first invaded German South West Africa (GSWA), is scrutinised in Chapter 2. The authors continue their investigation into the South African way of war when they analyse the UDF’s role at the battle of Otavifontein (July 1915), which led to the German surrender on 9 July and the end of the UDF’s GSWA campaign.

The focus then turns to German East Africa, in particular the battle at Kilimanjaro in March 1916. The well-known battle at Delville Wood (14–20 July 1916) on the Allied Western Front in France is discussed in Chapter 5. The focus then shifts back to South Africa, when in Chapter 6 the UDF’s role in the suppression of the Rand Revolt of January to March 1922 is analysed. In May and June 1922, the UDF had to return to the former GSWA, now a Class C Mandate under South African administration, and known as South West Africa (SWA); this time to play a limited role in the suppression of the Bondelswarts Rebellion, in what can be regarded as a rural counterinsurgency policing action.

Throughout the interwar years of 1919–1939, the UDF was downsized, neglected and affected by muddled thinking about future warfare, modernisation and innovation. However, the South African declaration of war against Nazi-Germany on 06 September 1939 (and later against Italy and against Japan) was the catalyst needed to transform the UDF into a modern defence force and a force that played a small but nevertheless important role in support of the Allied war effort. Chapter 8 provides a review and analysis of the UDF’s successful campaign against the Italians in southern Ethiopia (Abyssinia), 15 January to 18 February 1941. Chapter 9 further deals with the war in Ethiopia, focussing on the battles at Combolcia in April and at Amba Alagi in May 1941.

The following four chapters also deal with the UDF’s way of warfare in the Second World War. In North Africa, at the battle of Sidi Rezegh (November 1941), the South Africans adopted a static defensive posture that – as often in warfare – proved to be fatal. At Tobruk (June 1942), the UDF also sacrificed mobility, and nearly 11 000 UDF soldiers, together with some 22 000 other members of the garrison, surrendered. On 10 June 1944, at the battle of Celleno, 11 South African Armoured Brigade fought their first and only real tank battle during the Italian campaign – and won. But, soon afterwards, at the battle of Chiusi (22 June 1944), the South Africans suffered a serious reverse.

The authors correctly point out that South Africa emerged from the Second World War with an admirable military record. As was the case after the First World War, demobilisation and post-war rationalisation detrimentally affected the UDF’s nature, strength and organisation. After the National Party (NP) came to power in 1948, the UDF underwent further drastic transformation (including ‘Afrikanerisation’), and because of the NP’s policy of separate development (apartheid), South Africa increasingly became isolated internationally. To complicate matters even further for the country and its defence force, a wave of national liberation and decolonisation swept across the African continent.

The South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) was established in 1960 to bring about independence for SWA/Namibia. Its first armed clash with the South African security forces took place at Ongulumbashe on 26 August 1966 – the topic of Chapter 14. The war ‘on the border’ escalated and became intertwined with the civil war that broke out in Angola after that country became independent in 1975. Chapter 15 deals with ‘Operation Savannah’ (14 October 1975 to 27 March 1976), when the SADF invaded Angola.

The SADF had to adapt its doctrine in an effort to meet the demands of irregular warfare. Chapter 16 is devoted to the SADF’s controversial attack on Cassinga (04 May 1978), while the SADF’s highly successful cross-border ‘Operation Protea’ (23 August–02 September 1981) is analysed in Chapter 17. The next chapter deals with the battle (or rather series of clashes) at Cuito Cuanavale (August 1987–March 1988), which many years later still elicits debate and controversy.

The book’s last two chapters look at the post-1994 role of the ‘new’ SANDF. ‘Operation Boleas’ (September 1998) refers to the SANDF’s intervention in Lesotho (with forces only pulled out in May 1999). And then there was the battle of Bangui (22–24 March 2013), when a small SANDF contingent had to face an overwhelming rebel threat in the Central African Republic.

Kleynhans and Katz clearly show how South African military doctrine evolved from centuries of internecine conflict among the peoples of southern Africa, but gaining momentum in the course of the 20th century, as the UDF took part in the suppression of internal unrest, participated in two world wars and (albeit on a limited scale) the war in Korea; as the SADF then fought liberation movements, the armed forces of Angola, Cubans and other Soviet Union proxies, and as the SANDF was in due course deployed operationally. The book’s chapters indicate how and why South Africa’s unique doctrine and way of war evolved with every historical engagement and, in the process, was constantly modified and built up.

The authors correctly and convincingly point out that when South African soldiers are given the freedom to operate according to their manoeuvre doctrine, they can successfully punch above their weight and achieve stunning results, as was the case in, for example, East Africa (1916) and in southern Ethiopia (1941). However, in a war of attrition and/or when hemmed in by rigid doctrine and/or a top-down command style, the consequences can be tragic, as happened at Delville Wood (1916) and Tobruk (1942).

The excellent 20 Battles combines both battlefield drama and crisp analysis, and in the process provides a much-needed perspective on the hitherto uncodified South African way of war, thus filling a glaring lacuna in South African military historiography. The book attests to the fact that the authors did in-depth research, and their analysis of the battles and campaigns is sound and thought-provoking. This well-written book deserves the attention of anyone interested in the history of South Africa’s defence force, and how it conducted itself in sometimes dissimilar conflicts in the years 1913–2013. The book will hopefully stimulate debate and further reading. The reading list (pp. 301–309) will assist inquisitive readers in exploring the case studies and themes raised in the book in more detail. 20 Battles must also become standard reading for all SANDF members. This exceptional publication is highly recommended.