Origin of 7 Division from existing and new Brigades
7 Division and 17, 18 and 19 Brigades were established on 1 April 1965.[1] Difficulties with manning levels saw the disestablishment of 7 Division on 1 November 1967 and its replacement by the Army Task Force (HQ) and 16 Brigade.
Re-designated Headquarters
On 2 April 1971, a small band of officers (Brigadier Webster, Colonel Klaus Von Lieres, Colonel Hugh Hardingham, Major Barry York, Major Gerrie Moolman, Captain Bertie Suter, and Captain Manus Bothma) were summoned to meet with Major General Stapelberg (Combat General, Witwatersrand Command) to inaugurate the establishment of 7 Division, South African Army. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Transvaal Irish Regiment in Johannesburg.
From 1 September 1972 Army Task Force Headquarters was redesignated HQ 7 Division.[2][3]
Sister Divisions
Two years later, it was decided to organise the Army's conventional force into two divisions, 7th and 8th South African Armoured Divisions, under a Corps Headquarters. Both were primarily reserve (Citizen Force) formations, though the division and brigade HQs were Permanent Force. The headquarters of these two divisions were established on 1 August 1974. 1 South African Corps itself was established in August 1974 and was active until 30 January 1994.[4]
SADF 7th Division original structure c.1974SADF original 7 Division patch badge 1970's
It appears from Colonel Lionel Crook's book on 71 Brigade[5] that two of 7 Division's three brigades were redesignations of 17th and 18th Brigades. 71 Motorised Brigade was the former 17 Brigade, 72 Brigade was the former 18 Brigade, and 73 Brigade was a new formation.[5]
Divisional Level Attached Units
Artillery, maintenance, engineers, signals and provost (Military Police)
SADF 7 Division 7 Medium Artillery Regiment Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division University of Potchefstroom Regiment Flash
SADF 7 Division 19 Rocket Regiment Flash
SADF 7 Division 11 Maintenance Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division 15 Maintenance Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division 30 Maintenance Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division 6 Field Engineer Flash
SADF 7 Division 7 Signals Group Flash
SADF 7 Division Provost Company Flash. During 1998, this unit was re-named to 17 Provost Company and transferred to 1 Provost Regiment of the Military Police Division. This was the same time that units of the division were transferred to Type Formations of the SA Army.
SADF era 73 Brigade regiment Molopo insignia tupper flash
SADF End state certificate 73 Brigade from 1998. Note how different the Brigade units were at this stage.
SADF 73 Brigade Pretoria Highlanders Commemorative letter
Mobilisation and Exercises
7 Division had its own Mobilisation Centre based at de Brug near Bloemfontein.
SADF 7th Division Mobilisation Centre
7 Division's major training exercises were held at Lohatla Army Battle School in the Northern Cape, called Quick Silver and Thunder Chariot, one of the most notable was the Thunder Chariot of 1984:[7]
SADF 7 Division Exercise Thunder Chariot 1984
Command Theatres
In the early 1980s, the Army was restructured to counter all forms of insurgency while at the same time maintaining a credible conventional force. To meet these requirements, the Army was subdivided into conventional and counterinsurgency forces. The Citizen Force, through the 7th and 8th Divisions, provided the Conventional Defence Force. In 1984 Northern Transvaal Command was subdivided and Far North Command (Pietersburg) formed. These two new Commands were regarded as theatres and as such also had responsibility for conventional operations (and units) within their areas.[8] Far North Command had 73 Motorised Brigade within its area; it is not clear how much influence HQ 7 SA Division then had over that Brigade.
SADF 73 Brigade with Far North Command Flash
SADF 73 Brigade with Chief of the Army Command Flash
In the latter half of 1991 the official division designation of 7 Division was altered to 7 South African Infantry Division.[9]
7 South African Infantry Division with Chief of Army Command
Regiment Potchefstroom Universiteit with 7 South African Infantry Division Command
Transvaal State Artillery with 7 South African Infantry Division Command
11 Maintenance Unit with 7 South African Infantry Division Command
Regiment de la Rey 1st Battalion with 7 South African Infantry Division
SADF 7 SA Infantry Division Pocket badge
Divisional restructuring
Between 1992 until 1 April 1997, the Army reduced each division's size while creating a third divisional headquarters, 9th South African Division. Divisional headquarters remained in the Johannesburg area (7 Division).[10] These 3 Divisions each now consisted of:
a reconnaissance battalion,
two anti-aircraft defence battalions (AA guns),
two battalions of artillery (G-5s and G-6s),
a battalion of 127mm MRLs,
an engineer battalion,
two battalions of Olifant MBTs,
two infantry battalions mounted in Ratel ICVs, and
finally two infantry battalions mounted in Buffel APCs.
Divisions re-designated as Brigades and returned to 7 South African Infantry Division
74 Brigade
8th South African Armoured Division's Brigades were disbanded in 1992 and the Battalions and Regiments came to answer directly to the Divisional headquarters. The Division itself was effectively disbanded on 1 April 1997, when its former units became part of 7 South African Division as 74 Brigade.
Early SANDF era 7 Division 74 Brigade with 7 Infantry Division tupper flash
75 Brigade
9th South African Division, (the previous 71 Brigade) was also effectively disbanded on 1 April 1997, when its former units became part of 7 South African Infantry Division again. They were all amalgamated into the 7th South African Infantry Division on 1 April 1997, and became 75 Brigade.[11]
SANDF 9 Division redesignated as 75 Brigade with 7 Division
Final Divisional Structure
SADF 7 South African Infantry Division structure
Disbandment
7 South African Infantry Division itself was disbanded on 1 April 1999 and all army battalions were assigned to 'type' formations, in accordance with the recommendations of the South African Defence Review 1998.[12]
1 2 3 Crook, Lionel (1994). Greenbank, Michele (ed.). 71 Motorised Brigade: a history of the headquarters 71 Motorised Brigade and of the citizen force units under its command. Brackenfell, South Africa: L. Crook in conjunction with the South African Legion. ISBN978-0-620-16524-2. OCLC35814757.
↑ Engelbrecht, Leon (17 February 2010). "Fact file: 7 SA Division". defenceweb.co.za. efenceWeb. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
Additional reading
John Keegan, World Armies, p.639, cited in Lt Cdr Carl T. Orbann USN, 'South African Defense Policy,' Thesis for the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA., June 1984. Keegan edited this volume, though a different author wrote the section on the South African Army. There are at least three errors in the listing of 7 and 8 Divisions described as being as of the date of the book (1979 or 1983). Two towns are misspelt, and one regiment still has the royal title incorporated despite the 'Royal' prefix having been dropped after 1965. Thus it is not clear how accurate the South African order-of-battle section is.
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SADF 1 Locating Regiment Flash
SADF 7 Division 7 Light Anti aircraft Regiment Flash. This regiment with Regiment Vaalriver(35mm) and 6 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment(20mm) provided Divisional anti-aircraft support.
SADF 7 Division Cape Garrison Artillery Flash
SADF 7 Division Regiment Vaalrivier Flash
SADF 7 Division 7 Medium Artillery Regiment Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division University of Potchefstroom Regiment Flash
SADF 7 Division 19 Rocket Regiment Flash
SADF 7 Division 11 Maintenance Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division 15 Maintenance Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division 30 Maintenance Unit Flash
SADF 7 Division 6 Field Engineer Flash
SADF 7 Division 7 Signals Group Flash
SADF 7 Division Provost Company Flash. During 1998, this unit was re-named to 17 Provost Company and transferred to 1 Provost Regiment of the Military Police Division. This was the same time that units of the division were transferred to Type Formations of the SA Army.
SADF 7 Division 14 Field Workshop Flash
