File type:mp4
"Mussolini, his removal from power, Hitler's rescue, his cruel death" by Robin Smith
Zoomlecture given from Howick,KZN on 14 December 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Covers Mussolini's rise to power with the help of the Black Shirts, his ambitions to expand
the Italian Empire, his take over of the government and his forming a pact with Hitler. His unsuccessful
invasion of Greece, and his loss of popularity and his removal from power via the King and his imprisonment.
The lecture covers the negotiations with the Allies about the surrender of Italy and the failure at the last
minute which resulted in the Germans taking over the northern sections of Italy. It covers his
rescue by German troopers from his prison and his reinstatement in a northern province of Italy,
until the war was about to end with his fleeing to the north, being captured by the partisans
and shot. Long after the war his body was entombed in a memorial in his home town. An excellent
talk putting together the big picture.
Link to video file:Mussolini Pt1
File size:59 MBytes (31 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Mussolini Pt2
File size:57 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
"The Wolfpacks off South Africa's coast" by Dylan Fourie
Zoomlecture given from Port Elizabeth on 11 December 2023 hosted by SAMHSEC Branch.
Operation Eisbar: German submarine offensive off the South African coast in 1942
By 1942, Allied anti-submarine operations in the North Atlantic limited the
employment of German submarines in that theatre. Because of the amount of
shipping which rounded the Cape of Good Hope, Operation Eisbar was aimed at
disrupting shipping off the South African coast. By December 1942, an
estimated 310 000 tons of shipping had been sunk through Operation Eisbar.
The lecture covered the organisation from the military parties as well as stories from some of the survivors
of the 82 ships sunk.
Link to video file:U-boats Pt1
File size:30 MBytes (20 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:U-boats Pt2
File size:30 MBytes (20 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Robey Leibbrandt and Operation Weissdorn - The plot against Jan Smuts" by Andriza Liebenberg
Zoomlecture given from Johannesburg on 16 November 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Operation Weissdorn was a plot by the German Abwehr to assassinate Jan Smuts and to be implemented by Robey Leibbrandt,
a South African Olympic boxer who was recruited and trained while participating in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
The lecture covered the movements of Robey and his eventual formation of the National Socialist Rebels in opposition to the Ossewabrandwag.
Link to video file:Robey Leibbrandt Pt1
File size:47 MBytes (28 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Robey Leibbrandt Pt2
File size:27 MBytes (17 minutes)
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"Feeding an Army: South Africa 1914-1918" by Dr Anne Samson
Zoomlecture given from UK on 19 October 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
A Comparison of Logistics across the various SA Theatres: German South West Africa (GSWA), German East Africa (GEA), Egypt, Palestine and the Western Front.
The lecture covered the ration requirements specified for the different armies
and the challenges in getting those supplies to the forces taking into account logistic challenges caused
by the lack of infrastructure and wartime conditions. Different forces from different regions required
different diets and this led to the withdrawl of some groups as their dietary requirements could not be met and they were
getting ill because of the incompatibility with the available foods. Getting water to the units or men and horses was a major challenge in the desert areas. The lecture also covered the adminstrative organisation that had to be created to supply the armies.
Link to video file:Feeding an Army
File size:89 MBytes (38 minutes)
File type:mp4
"South African Air Force, Warsaw Airlift, 13 August - 16 October 1944" by Martin and Jean Urry
Zoomlecture given from Johannesburg on 15 September 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
On 3 August 1944, the Polish partisans in Warsaw called for urgent help from the Allies.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill decided to send assistance.
He ordered 205 Group, commanded by a South African officer, Brigadier J T (Jimmy) Durrant,
to start with extensive flights to Warsaw, despite the extremely difficult circumstances
that would seriously hamper these supply flights. This operation became known as the
Warsaw Airlift. It involved 85 aircraft dropping some 485 containers (72 tons) of supplies.
The lecture covers the history of the airlift and the fate of many of the crews that crashed in the venture.
Every year there are commemorative services in South Africa and Poland to honour those involved.
The lecture included details of some of these services and the close bond between the South African
and Polish communities.
Link to video file:Warsaw Airlift Pt1
File size:49 MBytes (31 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Warsaw Airlift Pt2
File size:41 MBytes (25 minutes)
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"Electronic Warfare(EW):the South African experience" by Dr Brian Austin
Zoomlecture given from UK on 17 August 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Dominating and controlling communications via radio is an important part of winning a war. Dr Austin reviewed the systems
that were developed in South Africa to monitor and disrupt the insurgents communications. He described the various elements
needed in Electronic Warfare and how these were implimented by the SADF in its border war.
Much of the information was drawn from a recent book written by two former Directors of Signals in the SADF
who had first hand involvement in setting up the system.
His explanations were clear and structured and persons wanting to get an undestanding of electronic warfare
would find this lecture enlightening.
Link to video file:Electronic warfare in Africa Pt1
File size:40 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Electronic warfare in Africa Pt2
File size:16 MBytes (15 minutes)
File type:mp4
"A History of the Gallipoli Campaign in 13 Objects" by Ian Binnie
Zoomlecture given from UK on 13 July 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Ian describes the events of this WW1 campaign which are illustrated by 13 objects that
were in use at that time.
Link to video file:Gallipoli Pt1
File size:44 MBytes (33 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Gallipoli Pt2
File size:58 MBytes (28 minutes)
File type:mp4
"German Navy capital ships in WW2" by Helmoed Heitman
Zoomlecture given from Cape Town on 10 July hosted by SAMHSEC Branch.
German Navy capital ships in WW2: the fates of Graf Spee, Bismarck and Scharnhorst are well known, but the actions and fates of the other capital ships less so and there are some interesting bits of information even about the better known ships
Link to video file:German Navy Pt1
File size:47 MBytes (25 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:German Navy Pt2
File size:48 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Veterinary history of the Anglo-Boer War" by Dr Arnold van Dyk
Zoomlecture given from Cape Town on 8 June 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Almost half a million horses and mounts were involved in the Anglo-Boer War.
The lecture consists of short overview of sources, an introduction (mainly on horses),
services on Boer side (Theiler - ZAR and Henning - OFS), Army
Veterinary Department - including prominent officers and the 12
casualties on British side.
Link to video file:ABWvets Pt1
File size:67 MBytes (34 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:ABWvets Pt2
File size:58 MBytes (35 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Capture of General Pieter Hendrik Kritzinger on 16 Dec 1901" by Dr Arnold van Dyk
Zoomlecture given from Cape Town on 8 May 2023 hosted by SAMHSEC Branch.
General Pieter Kritzinger was probably the only senior Boer
officer to invade the Cape Colony four times during the war. He did so as
a burgher of the Rouxville commando in November 1899, during the failed
attempt of General Christiaan de Wet during the second
Boer invasion of the Cape Colony on 16 December 1900,and returned to the Cape Colony for a
third time on 15 May 1901 as a General until withdrawing 15 August 1901.
After recuperating and resting in the Ladybrand district, he made a fourth
and last attempt to invade the Cape Colony via Sand drift on the
night of 14/15 December 1901. With his commando he
crossed the Noupoort - de Aar railway line late afternoon of 16 December
1901. Whilst turning around for the third time to pick up stragglers he
was shot through the chest and captured by soldiers of the third battalion
Grenadier Guards.
Link to video file:Kritzinger Pt1
File size:44 MBytes (27 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Kritzinger Pt2
File size:55 MBytes (24 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Maynie Fleck and concentration camps in the Free State" by Dr Vicky Heunis
Zoomlecture given from Bloemfontein on 13 April 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Maynie Fleck (1877-1975): The South African associate of
the British philanthropist and pacifist, Emily Hobhouse who contributed to humanitarian aid provided
during and after the Anglo-Boer (South African) War, improving the conditions in the concentration camps and
alleviating the suffering experienced by the Boer women and
children during as well as after the Anglo-Boer.
Maynie Fleck was very involved in setting up and running humanitarian
organisations in support of the women in the Bloemfontien Concentration Camp.
Later they set up training for the women in the form of spinning and weaving schools which continued to the start of WW2.
Vicky has worked from original diaries of Fleck who recorded names of
people in the camps, their needs and organised relief for their needs. As a result the papers
provide a first hand insight to the conditions in the camps.
Anyone wanting to research concentration camps during the Boer War needs to listen to this talk.
Link to video file:Maynie Fleck Pt1
File size:56 MBytes (35 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Maynie Fleck Pt2
File size:35 MBytes (21 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Leonardo da Vinci as a military engineer" by Alan Mantle
Zoomlecture given from Johannesburg on 13 March 2023 hosted by SAMHSEC Branch.
Leonardo's work in the military arts, is another application of his creativity and part of an astonishing multitude of his talents. As a consummate innovator he not only invented war-machines, but even conceptualized them many centuries before some of the materials or even the mechanics or propulsion methods existed.
The talk describes his early life and work and the apparent motivation that brought him into the field of Military Engineering.
It traces his activities, his movements and his role as a Military Engineer in the different periods of his life. These are the lesser known details of his work, while acting for the powerful rulers at that time.
Extracts from Leonardo's famous codices illustrate many of his military creations for defence and attack and his numerous designs that anticipated by centuries their actual realization.
Link to video file:Leonardo
File size:70 MBytes (54 minutes)
File type:mp4
"The first Swans of the South African Navy - 50 Years ago" by Commander Leon Steyn
Zoomlecture given from Cape Town on 9 March 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
1972 marked the first permanent appointment of women sailors to the South African Navy, 50 years ago.
Integrating women into the male dominated service provided many challenges for the women and
the service.
Commander Leon Steyn, Officer-in-charge of the Naval Museum in Simon's Town, detailed
the challenges and how these challenges were addressed. Information for the lecture was taken from
official records, as well as personal reminiscences of the women involved 50 years ago.
The integration of women into the Navy was complex and no simple process as its training
and operation was configured for only the male gender, especially in ships where quarters were cramped.
The evidence suggests that this first recruitment and
service of women in the Navy served an important ground-breaking
purpose to the future and expanded utilisation of women in our Navy.
Link to video file:Swans Pt1
File size:51 MBytes (31 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Swans Pt2
File size:42 MBytes (27 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Development of the Ratel Infantry Combat Vehicle" by Franco Cilliers
Zoomlecture given from Port Elizabeth on 13 February 2023 hosted by SAMHSEC Branch.
The Ratel is a South African wheeled infantry fighting vehicle designed in
response to a South African Army specification for a light armoured vehicle
providing maximum firepower and strategic mobility to mechanised infantry in
the vast distances of Southern Africa. The specifications were developed from 1970 onwards.The Ratel incorporates a
mine-protected hull, an operating range of 1,000 kilometres and a 20mm
cannon fitted with a twin-linked ammunition feed, allowing turret gunners to
rapidly swap between ammunition types during combat. Approx 1300 were produced in South Africa by the South African Defence Industry
during a period of UN sanctions.
Link to video file:Ratel Pt1
File size:33 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Ratel Pt2
File size:27 MBytes (20 minutes)
File type:mp4
"The man who claimed to have killed Kitchener: Fritz Joubert Duquesne, the Boer Spy" by Errol Back-Cunningham
Zoomlecture given from Johannesburg on 9 February 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Frederick "Fritz" Joubert Duquesne the Boer soldier, spy, saboteur,
journalist, gentleman-adventurer and after-dinner speaker who ran
the biggest German spy ring in the USA during WWII.
Link to video file:Duquesne Pt1
File size:37 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Duquesne Pt2
File size:28 MBytes (20 minutes)
File type:mp4
"General MacArthur and Korea" by Robin Smith
Zoomlecture given from Howick, KZN on 19 January 2023 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
"War is too serious a matter to be entrusted to the generals" is
attributed to French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau during the First World
War.
Politicians decide foreign policy and make the decision to go to war,
generals are required to wage war and generally expect to be left
alone to get on with winning it.
Politicians, according to their generals, constantly meddle with matters
about which they had little understanding. This
can lead to serious conflict. The removal from command of five-star General of
the Army Douglas MacArthur in Korea in 1951 is an extreme example of such
conflict.
Link to video file:MacArthur Pt1
File size:43 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:MacArthur Pt2
File size:44 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Australia's involvement in Second Boer War 1899-1902" by John Adeney
Zoomlecture given from Perth Australia on 9 January 2023 hosted by SAMHSSEC Branch.
Part 1 of John's talk dealt with Australia's role in the Second Anglo
Boer
War 1899 - 1902. Australian units were initially sent to South Africa
on a
state by state basis and Australians were the second most numerous
force
after the British. The lecture covered the numerous engagements of
Australian forces throughout the war.
Part 2 focussed on the role of the First Contingent of Western Australian Mounted Infantry.
Link to video file:Australian involvement Pt1
File size:47 MBytes (30 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Australian involvement Pt2
File size:39 MBytes (19 minutes)
File type:mp4
"WWII Dauntless Girls of S.A. Coastal Defence Artillery and
Special Signals Services." by Dr Wim Myburgh
Zoomlecture given from Pringle Bay on 8 December 2022 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
In just three days enemy activity sunk 14 ships passing the Cape.
As part of efforts to control this threat, almost 1000 young women
were recruited and trained to be part of the teams that manned the
Coastal Batteries that protected South Africa and the shipping routes
around the country, as well as being part of the teams that operated
the radar systems and the plotting rooms for monitoring the sea routes.
Wim has researched the role, the training and the
experiences of these women. Wim has recenly published a book on this subject.
Link to video file:Dauntless Girls
File size:59 MBytes (35 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Remembrance" by Kathleen Satchwell
Zoomlecture given from Johannesburg on 17 November 2022 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Kathleen follows how families, friends, the government,
and society at large treated remembering the lives of those lost
during the Great War.(WW1)
The presentation follows the families of a number of those killed and what
the families have done to come to terms with their loss.
The discussion section covers some thoughts on the design of memorials.
Link to video file:Remembrance
File size:84 MBytes (50 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Discussion on design of memorials
File size:8 MBytes (5 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Talana - History happened here today 123 years ago" by Pam McFadden
Zoomlecture given from Dundee KZN on 20 October 2022 hosted by Johannesburg Branch.
Pam McFadden, recently retired head of the Talana Museum in
Dundee, KZN, spoke about the Battle of Talana on the 123rd anniversary of the battle. This was the first battle where the British soldiers were
dressed in khaki. Pam detailed the course of the battle.
The Talana Museum, situated on the battlefield, promotes activities to keep the memories of the battle alive including the
Ghost walk and re-enactments of the battle. During the Ghost walk some of the participants report seeing the ghosts that are
reported on battlefield.
The Museum has become a significant repository for records of the Anglo Boer War.
In the discussion section of the recordings
a photo is shown that captured images of some of the ghosts and mention is made of other encounters with the ghosts on the battlefield.
Link to video file:Talana Pt1
File size:49 MBytes (35 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Talana Pt2
File size:28 MBytes (19 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Talana Discussion
File size:55 MBytes (18 minutes)
File type:mp4
"SADF Amphibious Boat Squadron" by Campbell Cooke
Zoomlecture given from Tulsa, USA on 10 October 2022 hosted by SAMHSEC Branch
The South African Navy Amphibious Boat Squadron was established in 1984 under command of 1 Marine Brigade. Project Teljoy was registered in 1987 to cross-train paratroopers in an amphibious role. This gave the SADF the capability to disrupt from seaward logistic support to forces threatening to invade the then South West Africa from Angola.
Link to video file:Boat Squadron Pt1
File size:34 MBytes (24 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Boat Squadron Pt2
File size:37 MBytes (28 minutes)
File type:mp4
"The Bruneval Radar Raid Feb 1942" by Dr Brian Austin
Zoomlecture given from the UK on 8 Septembar 2022 hosted by Johannesburg Branch
"The Bruneval Raid" was one of the most remarkable of the various landings made by British forces on
the coast of France before the almighty onslaught on "D Day" in June 1944. What made it so was its
purpose to 'steal' a German Wurzburg radar from its operating site perched on a cliff top, 130m above
the beach, near the village of Bruneval. That the raid was so successful was due to meticulous planning
and training as well as the competence of the Royal Engineers who removed, as instructed, only those
elements of the radar of interest to the 'boffins' back in England. Those RE sappers who performed that
task were trained by none other than Colonel Basil Schonland, the 'father' of South African radar.
A Discussion section was subsequently recorded covering different aspects; that this was the first parachute battalion
operation by the Allies; the information and knowledge gained from the raid; the development of Windows for
jamming radars; the planning of the raid;the discovery of radar and tests for a death beam; the casualties as a result of the raid.
Link to video file:Bruneval radar raid Pt1
File size:32 MBytes (22 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Bruneval radar raid Pt2
File size:23 MBytes (24 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Bruneval radar raid Discussion
File size:35 MBytes (28 minutes)
File type:mp4
"Crime behind the Wire: traitors, collaborators, stool pigeons" by Prof Ian van der Waag
Zoomlecture given from Stellenbosch on 11 August 2022 hosted by Johannesburg Branch
The talk related to new research into crimes committed during WW2 by POWs in Europe. Information has being gathered from debriefing reports conducted with the approximately 14000 returning South African POWs. These reports were used by the UDF to identify approx 140 servicemen
who had committed Section 4 or Section 5 crimes against their fellow prisoners or the state while they were in captivity. Many of these men were subsequently tried.
Link to video file:Crime regarding POWs Pt1
File size:50 MBytes (35 minutes)
File type:mp4
Link to video file:Crime regarding POWs Pt2
File size:30 MBytes (25 minutes)
File type:mp4