The Pretoria Armour Regiment is a reserve armoured regiment of the South African Army.
SANDF Pretoria Regiment emblem
Image: SANDF Armour squadron emblems
Tanks of the Pretoria Regiment, 1944
SANDF Oliphant mark 2 main battle tank at AAD 2016
6th South African Armoured Division
The 6th South African Armoured Division was the second armoured division of the South African Army and was formed during World War II. Established in early 1943, it was based on a nucleus of men from the former 1st South African Infantry Division who had returned to South Africa after the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942. The division was initially transferred to Egypt for training, after which it served in the Allied campaign in Italy during 1944 and 1945. In Italy, the division was initially deployed as part of the British Eighth Army, under command of Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese, and was then transferred to the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, for the remainder of the Italian Campaign. The division operated as a strongly reinforced division and was frequently used to spearhead the advance of the Corps and Army to which it was attached. They returned home after the end of the war in Italy and were disbanded in 1946. The division was also briefly active after the war from 1 July 1948 to 1 November 1949.
Sherman Firefly as operated by the division in Italy.
Troops of the 6th South African Armoured Division arriving in Taranto, Italy. April 1944
Field Marshal JC Smuts (Prime Minister), Major-General Poole (GOC) and Lieutenant-General Sir Pierre van Ryneveld (SA Chief of Staff), in Chiusi, Italy, 24 June 1944. The visit was to discuss the implications of the surrender of A Coy, First City/Cape Town Highlanders.
South African Sherman tanks disabled in the fight to take the Perugia Highlands. 1944