Northern Transvaal Command
| Northern Transvaal Command | |
|---|---|
 Command insignia | |
| Active | 1959–2000 |
| Country | Republic of South Africa |
| Branch | South African Army |
| Type | Command (military formation) |
| Headquarters | Pretoria, South Africa |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Pieter Grobbelaar |
Northern Transvaal Command was a command of the South African Army. It was active from 1959 to mid 2000 when it was disestablished.[citation needed] Formerly it was named Northern Command from 1946 to 1959.
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]Union Defence Force Military Districts
[edit]The command's origins may date to the formations of Military districts, No 5 and 6 in 1926, which then became Transvaal Command in 1934.[citation needed] Thereafter there were several quick name changes: Roberts Heights & Transvaal Command c. 1936; Voortrekkerhoogte & Transvaal Command 1939, and then Transvaal Command c. 1940. Later the command became Northern Command in 1946; Northern Transvaal Command in 1959. In 1939 Roberts' Heights and Transvaal Command, with its headquarters at Roberts' Heights (now Thaba Tshwane), contained 6th Infantry Brigade, 1 Field Survey Squadron SAEC, the artillery depot, parts of the Special Service Battalion, elements of the Permanent Garrison Artillery, and the Artillery School.[1]
Its headquarters was in Pretoria, and within its command boundaries, it contained a number of important Active Citizen Force field formations, notably 81 Armoured Brigade (part of 8th South African Armoured Division). Depending upon the command boundaries, it may also have included 72 Motorised Brigade with its headquarters at Johannesburg and 73 Motorised Brigade with its headquarters in the Johannesburg suburb of Kensington.
Under the SADF
[edit]In the early 1980s it became clear that the sheer size of Northern Transvaal Command's territory made command and control as well as logistical functions extremely difficult.[2] These as well as other security considerations led to the decision to subdivide Northern Transvaal Command into three Commands in 1984: Northern Transvaal Command (Pretoria); Eastern Transvaal Command, probably covering what later became the Eastern Transvaal (Nelspruit); and Far North Command (Pietersburg) (commanded in succession by Charles Lloyd and, from February 1987, Georg Meiring).[3] The two new Commands were regarded as theatres and as such also had responsibility for conventional operations (and units) within their areas. For example, Far North Command had 73 Motorised Brigade within its area.
Amalgamation with Witwatersrand Command into Gauteng Command
[edit]Groups and Commandos
[edit]
Group 15 (Voortrekkerhoogte)
[edit]Leadership
[edit]| From | Commanding Officers | To | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|
| n.d. | Col ? Pieter Grobbelaar SSA,DSO [a] [b] | n.d. |   |
| c. 1950 | Col Booysie van der Riet [4]: 98 SM,MC,SSA [c] | n.d. |   |
| 1 Jan 1964 | Col S.'Faan' Hugo SM [d] | Sep 1965 |  |
| 1965 | Brig Jannie H Burgher SM,OBE | 1966 |  |
| Dec 1966 | Brig Willem Louw SM,SSA [c] [e] | Dec 1967 | |
| 1970 | Brig Phil Pretorius SM [f] | 1975 | |
| 1975 | Brig Pieter van der Westhuizen SM,SSAG,MMM [c] | 1976 |   |
| 1978 | Brig Wolfgang Paetzold | 1980 | |
| 1980 | Maj Gen Pieter Hanekom SM | 1982 | |
| 1982 | Maj Gen Frans van den Berg SD,SM,MMM [c] | 1984 |  |
| 1984 | Brig J.P.M. 'Hans' Moller [5] SD [g] | 1988 | |
| 1988 | Brig Gert Opperman [6] SD,SM,MMM,SAStC [f] | 1993 |  |
| 1993 | Brig Anton van Graan | 1994 | |
| 1994 | Brig Wouter Lombard | 1995 | |
| 7 Apr 1995 | Brig Hennie Schultz SM,MMM | 31 Dec 1995 | |
| 1 Jan 1996 | Maj Gen Hennie Schultz SM,MMM | n.d | |
| From | Command Sgts Major | To | Ribbon |
| No known incumbents |
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Later General
- ↑ Later Commandant General of the Union Defence Force
- 1 2 3 4 Later Lieutenant General
- ↑ Officer in Command of Northern Transvaal Command on Friday 2 October 1964, during Annual Cadet Inspection and Review of Pretoria Boys High School.
- ↑ Later Chief of the South African Army
- 1 2 Later Major General
- ↑ late SACMP (20 October 1988)
References
[edit]- ↑ Niehorster[citation needed]
- ↑ "A Short History of the South African Army". rhodesia.nl. From: South African Defence Force Review 1991. 1991. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ↑ Hamann, 'Days of the Generals,' p.62, for Meiring assumption-of-command date. For a contemporary view on Far North Command, see discussion in James Roherty, 'State Security in South Africa: Civil-Military Relations Under P.W. Botha,' 1992, 98–100.
- ↑ Nöthling, C.J.; Meyers, E.M. (1982). "Leiers Deur die Jare (1912–1982)" (Online). Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies (in Afrikaans). 12 (2). doi:10.5787/12-2-631. ISSN 2224-0020.
- ↑ "SACMP Corps History 1946-1988". Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2014-12-21.
- ↑ "Gert Opperman – Who's Who SA". Retrieved 26 January 2015.