2nd Infantry Brigade (South Africa)

2nd South African Infantry Brigade
Active	13 Aug 1940 – 1 Jan 1943
Disbanded	1 January 1943
Country	South Africa
Allegiance	Union of South Africa
Branch	South African Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Brigade
Commanders
Commander October 1942	Brig. W.H.E. Poole

The 2nd South African Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the army of the Union of South Africa during World War II. The Brigade formed part of the South African 1st Infantry Division and was formed on 13 August 1940. It served in East Africa and the Western Desert and was disbanded on 1 January 1943.

In the East African Campaign, the Brigade was led by Brigadier F.L.A. Buchanan and consisted of:

• 1st Natal Mounted Rifles
• 1st Field Force Battalion
• 2nd Field Force Battalion
• No. 2 S.A. Armoured Car Company
• 12th Field Company, SA Corps of Engineers
• 12th Field Ambulance, SA Medical Corps
• No. 2 Mobile General Workshops, SA Technical Services Corps
• 3 Brigade Signals Company, SA Corps of Signals

During the Western Desert Campaign (at the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein), the Officer Commanding was Brig. W.H.E. Poole and the brigade comprised the following units:

• 1st Cape Town Highlanders SA Infantry Corps
• 1st Natal Mounted Rifles SA Infantry Corps
• 1st Field Force Battalion SA Infantry Corps
• 2nd Field Force Battalion SA Infantry Corps
• B Company (Machine Gun), Die Middelandse Regiment SA Infantry Corps
• 4th Company (Machine Gun), Regiment President Steyn SA Infantry Corps
• 1st and 2nd Anti-Tank Batteries SA Artillery Corps
• 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (less two Troops) SA Artillery Corps
• 1st, 3rd and 14th Field Batteries of 1st Field Regt SA Artillery Corps

Bibliography

• Orpen, N. East Africa and the Abyssinian Campaigns: South African Forces World War II: Volume I. 1968, Purnell, Cape Town. (Referred to as Orpen Vol I in references)
• Orpen, N. War in the Desert: South African Forces World War II: Volume III. 1971, Purnell, Cape Town. (Referred to as Orpen Vol III in references)