![]() ![]() During the next year, in 1957, through the Defence Act (No. The large scale Exercise Oranje in 1956 tried some tactical ideas about conventional operations in a simulated nuclear engagement. With the growing threat of a war in the Middle East, an armored division was constituted, along with an order for 200 Centurion tanks from Great Britain. Due to the lack of volunteers, it was disbanded in 19. The Defence Rifle Associations were disbanded and replaced by a 90,000 strong standing army, consisting of the 1st Infantry Division and the Sixth Armoured Divisions (with 5 infantry brigades and the 11th Armoured Brigade). Military service consisted of a three month draft and after that, three weeks per year for four years. The Army was therefore “afrikanerized”, with expanded military service obligations and the establishment of strict conscription laws. In 1948, the old resentment against the British influence in South Africa led to a surge of Afrikaner nationalism, favoring the growth of the National Party (NP), which won the elections the same year. Fifteen ex-British M4/105s (“Sherman 1B”) kept for training has been retired in 1965. SANDF still had also some 96 Universal Carrier Mk.2s in 1946 but 150 refurbished Mk.2s and T16s later arrived from Great Britain. The latter saw service in 1964 to train South African Armoured Corps instructors until 1968. In 1946 two Churchill AVREs, and in 1954 twenty-six Comet tanks, were ordered. M3 Stuarts were maintained for a long time in service (retired 1955) in resreve by 1961 but reactivated in 1962 for training (6th South African Division) until 1968. ![]()
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