Witwatersrand Command

The Witwatersrand Command was a Command of the South African Army. It was one of the ten regional commands, which, with the Walvis Bay Military Area, made up the Territorial Force.

Witwatersrand Command
The Drill Hall,[1] Johannesburg, South Africa
TypeCommand (military formation)

History

Origin

Based in Johannesburg, it was responsible for the security of the region, forming the primary level of command for military operations in support of the Police. It also provided logistic, administrative and service support to units and formations operating in its area of responsibility.[2][3]

When 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment SAA became operational in 1966 with its headquarters at Brakpan, it was originally administratively responsible to Headquarters Witwatersrand Command, but was later transferred to I South African Corps.

SADF era Witwatersrand Command insignia

In 1987, the command headquarters installation was the target of a bomb by Umkhonto we Sizwe operative, Hein Grosskopf.[4]

Groups and Commando Units
SADF era Wits Command Commando Structure

Group 16 (Marievale)

Group 17 (Midvaal)

Group 18 (Doornkop)

Group 41 (Primrose)

Group 42 (Lenz)

Leadership
Leadership of Wits Command
From Commanding Officers To
1936 Major-General Christoffel Venter CB DFC & bar[5] 1936
c. 1939 Lt Col Charlie Ross[1] 7 February 2021
c. 1945 Maj Gen Bertram Frank Armstrong[6][7] 7 February 2021
August 1940 Lt Col William E.C. Tanner
(Later Major General William Tanner CMG)[8]:Footnote 4		 October 1940
1974 Brigadier G.W. Germishuizen[9] 7 February 2021
1987 Brigadier Joffel van der Westhuizen[10] 7 February 2021
From Command Sgts Major To

References
  1. "The Drill Hall - Historical Snippets". heritageportal.co.za. Retrieved 24 December 2014. quoting Col D.R. Smitherman OBE ED
  2. "Unit Profiles: Witwatersrand Command". Warinangola.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  3. "Leër Kommandemente - Army Commands". sadf.info. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  4. "Hein Grosskopf recounts 1987 bomb attack". news24.com archives. NASPERS. 21 November 2000.
  5. Who's Who of Southern Africa 1959. Ken Donaldson (Pty) Ltd. 1959. p. 589.
  6. Hancock, William Keith (2007). Van Der Poel, Jean (ed.). Selections from the Smuts Papers Volume III August 1945 - October 1950. Selections from the Smuts Papers (annotated ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521033701. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  7. 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.
  8. Uys, Ian S. (December 1986). "The South Africans at Delville Wood". Military History Journal. The South African Military History Society. 7 (2). ISSN 0026-4016. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  9. Els, Paul. We Fear Naught but God (3rd ed.).
  10. "Volume 2, Chapter 5, Sub-Section 22, Paragraph 161b". TRC Final Report. SABC. p. 440. Retrieved 24 December 2014.


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