Military history of South Africa during World War II

Prior to the war, Afrikaner nationalist movements styled after German Nazism such as the Grey Shirts, the Ossewabrandwag, and Oswald Pirow's New Order had been popular in South Africa.

[1] On 4 September 1939, the United Party caucus refused to accept Hertzog's stance of neutrality in World War II and deposed him in favour of Smuts.

Future Prime Minister John Vorster, and other members of the pro-Nazi/anti-British Ossewabrandwag strongly objected to South Africa's participation in the war.

[3]"At an hour to be determined by the German High Command, Afrikaners would then blow up all rail and road bridges connecting the Transvaal with Natal.

The railway personnel, the Police and 26,000 mine workers and employees have been penetrated as the rest of the State services with Ossewabrandwag members and would go on strike.

[3] Field Marshal Jan Smuts was the only important non-British general whose advice was constantly sought by United Kingdom's war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

In addition the declaration of war on Germany had the support of only a narrow majority in the South African parliament and was far from universally popular.

Instead, in an attempt to free up as many whites as possible for the fighting and technical arms, a number of corps were formed to provide drivers and pioneers, drawn from the more acceptable Cape Coloured and Indian populations.

South Africa's contribution consisted mainly of supplying troops, airmen and materiel for the North African campaign (the Desert War) and the Italian Campaign as well as to Allied ships that docked at its crucial ports adjoining the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean that converge at the tip of Southern Africa.

About 334,000 men volunteered for full-time service in the South African Army during the war (including some 211,000 white, 77,000 black and 46,000 coloured and Indian servicemen).