Commands and Military Areas

[craigen]

Hi All

I am trying to trace the lineage of the various UDF/SADF/SANDF Territorial Commands (part of a badge reference exercise). Can anyone help confirm or tidy up the list below?

Below that is a list of the early Military Districts. Was there any direct relationship between individual Military Areas and later Commands? Were there any distinctive insignia that were directly tied to any of the Military Areas, rather than to the component units?

Commands
Far North Command
Eastern Transvaal Command
SWA Command
Cape Command (later WP Cmd?)
Western Province Command
Eastern Province and Border Command (later EP Cmd?)
Eastern Province Command HQ
Natal Command HQ
Central Command (later OFS Cmd?)
Orange Free State Command HQ
Western Transvaal Command (later NW Districts/NW Cmd?)
North Western Districts HQ - later NW Command HQ (Cloth type)
North Western Command HQ
Northern Command (later N Tvl Cmd?)
Northern Transvaal Command HQ
Witwatersrand Command (later Gauteng Command?)
Gauteng Command (prev Witwatersrand Cmd or Wits and N Tvl?)
North West Cape Command
Northern Cape Command
Outeniqua Command (later SWD Cmd?)
South Western Districts Command
Southern Cape Command Prev South Western Districts Command
Walvisbaai Command
Military Area Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay Military Area (Equiv to Command)

UDF Military Districts
Military District No. 1 / Militair Distrikt No.1
Military District No. 1A / Militair Subdistrikt No. 1A
Military District No. 2 / Militair Distrikt No. 2
Military District No. 3 / Militair Distrikt No. 3
Military District No. 4 / Militair Distrikt No. 4
Military District No. 5 / Militair Distrikt No. 5
Military District No. 6 / Militair Distrikt No. 6
Military District No. 7 / Militair Distrikt No. 7
Military District No. 8 / Militair Distrikt No. 8
Military District No. 9 / Militair Distrikt No. 9
Military District No. 10 / Militair Distrikt No. 10
Military District No. 11 / Militair Distrikt No. 11
Military District No. 12 / Militair Distrikt No. 12
Military District No. 13 / Militair Distrikt No. 13

Thanks for any help.

Regards
Craig

[Brian Conyngham]

Hi Craig

An interesting project and I am sure will be of real interest to collectors.

I will see what I can find, I am sure there is a section of the UDF in one of Neil Orphens WW2 books.

Brian

[craigen]

Hi Brian

Thanks for that. It is surprisingly difficult to find useful info and I will not be able to get to the archives any time soon, so I would appreciate anything that you do manage to unearth.

Regards
Craig

[Arthur R]

Originally Posted by craigen

Below that is a list of the early Military Districts. Was there any direct relationship between individual Military Areas and later Commands? Were there any distinctive insignia that were directly tied to any of the Military Areas, rather than to the component units?

There was certainly a direct relationship between the original military districts and the later commands.

In broad outline : there were originally (1913) about thirteen military districts, whose boundaries were adjusted from time to time. In 1926, they were reduced to six by means of amalgamations. In 1934, they were renamed 'commands' and given names instead of numbers. Names were changed from time to time, and new commands were created from time to time, by subdividing existing areas. They were discontinued in the late 1990s, when the SANDF went over to the joint services system.

The only distinctive insignia that I know of were the shoulder flashes, which were introduced in 1966, and cap badges which were introduced in the 1980s.

As far as lineage goes, I have some notes somewhere. If I can find them, I can post the details here.

[Arthur R]

Found my notes. Here they are, but very much a case of E & OE !

Fourteen military districts were established wef 1 January 1913. They were numbered 1, 1A and 2-13. They were reduced to twelve in 1919, but apparently increased to thirteen or fourteen a year or two later. On 1 April 1926, they were reduced to six.

I don't have details of the various changes made between 1913 and 1926, but they were published in the Government Gazette. If you have access to gazettes from that period, e.g. in one of the national libraries, you ought to be able to reconstruct the various changes that were made between 1913 and 1926, if you need them.

From 1926, the story as I have it was :

* MD No 1 (1926) -> Cape Comd 1934 -> Cape Fortress Comd 1942 -> Cape Comd 1946 -> Western Province Comd 1959 -> closed 1998.
* MD No 2 (1926) -> Eastern Province Comd 1934 -> Eastern Province & Border Comd 1946 -> Eastern Province Comd 1959 -> closed 1998.
* MD No 3 (1926) -> Natal Comd 1934 -> Natal Fortress Comd 1942 -> Natal Comd 1946 -> closed 1998.
* MD No 4 (1926) -> OFS Comd 1934 -> Central Comd 1939(?) -> OFS Comd 1959 -> closed 1998.
* MDs No 5 and 6 (1926) -> Transvaal Comd 1934 -> Roberts Heights & Transvaal Comd c1936 -> Voortrekkerhoogte & Transvaal Comd 1939 -> Transvaal Comd c1940 -> Northern Comd 1946 -> Northern Transvaal Comd 1959 -> closed 1998.

* Witwatersrand Comd (1937) -> Gauteng Comd c1995 -> closed 1998.
* South West Africa Comd (1939) -> became SWA Territory Force 1980.
* Outeniqua Fortress Comd (1940?) -> closed 1946 -> reopened as Outeniqua Comd 1953 -> SW Districts Comd 1959 -> Southern Cape Comd 1968(?) -> closed 1986.

* Western Transvaal Comd (1950) -> North Western Districts Comd 1968 -> North West Comd 19?? -> closed 1998.
* North Western Cape Comd (1951) -> closed 1968.

* Walvis Bay Comd (1964) -> incorporated into SWA Comd 1968.

* SA Army Logistics Comd (1982).
* Eastern Transvaal Comd (1983) -> closed 1998.
* Far North Comd (1986) -> closed 1998.
* Northern Cape Comd (1986) -> closed 1998.

[Brian Conyngham]

Arthur

That is great info, thanks for posting this info...more comprehensive than what I had.

Brian

[Alex Rice]

Hi Ous
This is an interesting topic. I didn't ever think about this before but a display of the badges would make a nice project. Can any of you guys post the various command badges?
Cheers,
Alex

[Brian Conyngham]

Alex

The later SADF "Tupperware" flashes had Command Bars added above the Unit/Regiment/Command flashes. Three that I know were: Natal had the two Gnues/ Wilderbeest, Cape Town had the Mountain and Northern Transvaal had the Barbertan Daisies. I think the area around Potchefstroon (Western Transvaal) had crossed miners picks, stand to be corrected on that one. Andrews book covers this.

On the "step outs" they had small separate bars made to be placed above the shoulder flashes.

Brian