World War II

South Africa at war.

Please do read to the end as it will help you to understand the times we lived in.

The following article on World War II is taken from the internet:

            World War II, or the Second World War (often abbreviated as WWII or WW2), was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, which involved most of the world's nations, including all of the great powers: eventually forming two opposing military alliances, the Allies and the Axis.   It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million military personnel mobilised.   In a state of "total war," the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources.   Marked by significant events involving the mass death of civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it was the deadliest conflict in human history, resulting in 50 million to over 70 million fatalities.

        During the Second World War many South Africans saw military service.   The Union of South Africa participated with the British Commonwealth in North Africa against Erwin Rommel and his Nazi forces, and many South African pilots joined the Royal Air Force and fought against the Axis powers in the European Theatre.   On the eve of World War II the Union of South Africa found itself in a unique political and military quandary.   While it was closely allied with Great Britain, being a co-equal Dominion under the 1931 Statute of Westminster with its head of state being the British king, the South African Prime Minister on September 1, 1939 was Barry Herzog — the leader of the pro-Afrikaner and anti-British National party that had joined in a unity government as the United Party.

            Herzog's problem was that South Africa was constitutionally obligated to support Great Britain against Nazi Germany.   The Polish-British Common Defence Pact obligated Britain, and in turn its dominions, to help Poland if attacked by the Nazis.   After Hitler's forces attacked Poland on the night of 31 August 1939, Britain declared war on Germany within a few days.   A short but furious debate unfolded in South Africa, especially in the halls of power in the Parliament of South Africa.   It pitted those who sought to enter the war on Britain's side — led by the pro-Allied/pro-British African General (later Field Marshal) and former Prime Minister Jan Smuts — against Herzog, who wished to keep South Africa "neutral", if not actually pro-Axis.

            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.   Upon becoming Prime Minister of South Africa, he declared South Africa officially at war with Germany and the Axis.   Smuts immediately set about fortifying South Africa against any possible German sea invasion because of South Africa's global strategic importance controlling the long sea route around the Cape of Good Hope.

            John Vorster and other members of Ossewabrandwag strongly objected to South Africa's participation in World War II and actively carried out sabotage against Jan Smuts' government.   Smuts took severe action against the pro-Nazi South African Ossewabrandwag movement and jailed its leaders — including Vorster — for the duration of the war.   Mr B J Vorster was later to become a Prime Minister of South Africa.

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            My dad had joined the S A Defence Force on 15th Jan 1941 and was discharged on 24th June 1944.   So much had happened during this time, and the person in our family who had suffered the most was my mother.   At one stage she was on the point of a total nervous breakdown when Doctor Goldberg arranged with the army to grant my dad compassionate leave to come home for a while.   My dad had met and befriended a man by the name of Harvey Bradfield, a farmer from the Eastern Cape who was in the army with him, and my dad was so impressed with what he heard about that part of the country that, when he was discharged, he would sell “Maizefield” and move down.

A farm in the Alexandria district, E C

            I am not certain at what point Daddy came down to the Eastern Cape to Mr Bradfield who was farming on “Harmony” in the Alexandria district, but when he came down he found a farm for sale in that district in the area called “Skietrug”.   Arrangements were made with the owner, Billy Potgieter, that as soon as Daddy could sell “Maizefield”, he would take over “Janedale”, lock, stock and barrel.   After that, and on his discharge from the army, things moved fast and “Maizefield” was sold to a Lebanese family.

            There was great excitement in our family as this would be a new beginning for us.   Although we children knew no other home but “Maizefield” and had very happy memories of living there, the last few years, with the war and political tensions, caused a lot of unpleasantness.

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