Month: February 2023

The ‘PK’ as it should be remembered

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SAS President Kruger Remembrance Parade – Hermanus 18 Feb 2023

Finally, in 2022 post Covid, some ‘official’ parades to remember the SAS President Kruger stated to re-appear in South Africa, and in my hometown the TS Birkenhead Sea Cadets based in Hawston along with their SA Navy oversight took the initiative, and again in 2023 with the Covid restrictions dropped they stepped up a gear.

Their annual parade in Hermanus is cleared with the municipality and the site (the Cenotaph at the Old Harbour) prepared and made ready – an appropriate location with its two naval defensive guns facing landward as a symbol of peace. The TS Birkenhead Sea Cadets also working in conjunction with the South African Navy Veterans Association, and with the assistance of the South African Legion and the Memorable Order of Tin Hats – Seagull Shellhole, Hermanus.

The Parade was run by Lt Noel Dreyer with Cmdr Glenn Von Zeil in attendance. Lt Dreyer was himself a survivor of the sinking of the PK and two other survivors of the sinking were also in attendance.

The religious services were handled by MOTH Seagull Shellhole’s Padre – MOTH Craig Hounsom. After the PK wreath, and naval association wreaths were laid, I laid the wreath on behalf of the SA Legion and MOTH Stephan Loubser – Seagull Adjutant – laid the MOTH wreath on behalf of our shell-hole in Hermanus.

I was asked to speak, and here’s my speech for those interested:

Three Ships – By Peter Dickens

Thank you for the honour of allowing me to speak today. 

The month of February is particularly significant one for The South African Navy, in some circles it’s known as ‘the three ships’ months. Reason being is that three significant ships were lost in South Africa’s military history, in three wars – one in the 1st World War, the SS Mendi, one in the 2nd World War, the HMSAS Southern Floe and one in the Cold War, the SAS President Kruger.

So, allow me to talk a little about all three.

On the 21st February 1917, the SS Mendi, carrying 811, 5th Battalion South African Labour Corps personnel – men and officers to the Western Front sank in the English Channel when it was struck mid-ships by a larger freight ship – the SS Darro – in poor sea conditions ignoring the fog condition regulations and travelling at speed. It sank in 20 minutes. Whilst sinking the South African troops assembled on the deck knowing that there not enough life-boats for them all and the water was at freezing point (it was after all mid-winter) – they bravely faced their fate by performing a ‘death dance’ in their traditional way.  The sinking took the lives of 616 South African soldiers and 30 British along with it, black and white but mainly black.

Why the colour differentiation, because the Hertzog Nationalist government refused to write it into their remembrance history as they were ‘black’, and it was only in 1994 that this ship and the men who perished with her were officially and appropriately recognised again – the date now marks our National Forces Day.

The Second ship, the HMSAS Southern Floe was a South African whaler converted into a mine-sweeper and was undergoing mine-sweeping operations in the Mediterranean, as part of the North African theatre of operations near Alexander in Egypt during World War 2. Late at night on the 10th/11th February 1941 – it inadvertently struck a sea-mine. The ship sank and all lives were lost, except for one person Leading Stoker C J Jones who was found in the middle of the sea clutching onto debris, the ships emblem floated ashore later as its only token of existence – the ship’s emblem is now in the national war museum. In all 25 South Africans lost their lives in the sinking.

The fate and remembrance of this ship too was lost to politics, the Nationalist government under Malan and others refused to recognise it, as they regarded the Second World War as ‘Jan Smuts’ war and a ‘British war’ and those participating in it as ‘traitors’ to the Afrikaner Nationalist cause.

The third ship lost, was the SAS President Kruger during what is now regarded as the Cold War. It was lost on the 18th February 1982 during a submarine defence exercise when it was inadvertently struck by its supply vessel, the SAS Tafelberg – mess 12, the Petty Officers mess took the hit and the PK also sank quickly into freezing cold seas in poor conditions with the loss of 16 souls – mostly Petty Officers. Had it not been for discipline and quick reactions of support vessels to pull the survivors out the freezing water and high seas so quickly the toll may well have been higher – a startling testament to the South African Navy.

But it was also to suffer the same political fates as the SS Mendi and the HMSAS Southern Floe, the Nationalist government was extremely embarrassed by the loss of the PK, this was the first and only time in history a Navy had sunk its own flagship, as the President Kruger was – it’s Force 3 Frigates now reduced to only 2. As a result, the SA navy under the Nationalists never really commemorated the loss officially. 

More political fate was to befall the SAS President Kruger – and even the HMSAS Southern Floe again – as the new African Nationalists only wanted to recognise the loss of ‘Black’ service personnel and the SS Mendi – the other sinkings not recognised – with literally no regard given to the men who actively served their country – South Africa, who had no regard for politics whatsoever – so what about them?

Image: SAS President Kruger by Derrick Dickens (copyright)

Thankfully the task of remembrance is with the veterans and very thankfully it’s not the responsibility of politicians. Politicians as we have seen, can and will readily politicise the war dead for their own aims and rhetoric – and completely miss the point and dishonour the fallen.

I am proud to stand with men, who in their service to their country recognise and remember all who were lost serving for their country, regardless of colour, culture or politics. I know of three PK survivors personally – Cameron Kinnear, a fellow Legionnaire and Lt Noel Dreyer standing here and Chris Lochner also standing here today, and is with them that the memory of not only their colleagues lost trapped in the ship, but they also carry the trauma of that night with them – it is within them as military veterans that the flame of remembrance is carried, and it with us as their comrades in arms with whom the solum act of remembrance lies.

I thank Lt Noel Dreyer for allowing me the privilege of reading the Honour Roll.

The 16 souls we remember today who were lost on the SAS President Kruger as follows:

Chief Petty Officer Johannes Petrus Booysen
Chief Petty Officer Hartmut Wilfried Smit
Chief Petty Officer Willem Marthinus Gerhardus Van Tonder
Chief Petty Officer Donald Webb
Petty Officer Stephanus Petrus Bothma
Petty Officer Graham Alexander Frank Brind
Petty Officer Robin Centlivre Bulterman
Petty Officer Granville Williams De Villiers
Petty Officer Evert Koen
Petty Officer Hjalmar Lotter
Petty Officer Roy Anthony McMaster
Petty Officer Roy Frederick Skeates
Petty Officer William Russel Smith
Petty Officer Michael Richard Bruce Whiteley
Petty Officer Coenraad Johannes Wium
Able Seaman Gilbert Timothy Benjamin

To the TS Birkenhead Sea Cadets under your South African Navy oversight on officially commemorating the SAS President Kruger – as an army officer I can only give you the highest naval praise, and it’s a signal used to tell other ships the fleet that a particular ship has performed a noble, exceptional or brave deed …  the signal is Bravo Zulu … BZ. 

I thank you young men and women and boys and girls for an excellent parade and commemoration on behalf of The South African Legion and the Memorable Order of Tin Hats.

Captain Peter Dickens (Retired)

For more reading on ‘the three ships’ follow these links

SS Mendi – World War 1: Let us die like brothers … the silent voices of the SS Mendi finally heard

HMSAS Southern Floe – World War 2: ‘A sole survivor and a ship’s crest’; the South African Navy’s first loss – HMSAS Southern Floe

SAS President Kruger – Cold War: “Out of the Storm came Courage” … the tragedy of the PK

Blood Oaths on the Führer principle

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The National Socialist Rebels and the Ossewabrandwag

Not frequently referred to in the Nazification of the Afrikaner right is Robey Leibbrandt’s own organisation for even more radicalised Afrikaners seeking more militant action than that offered by the Ossewabrandwag – the National Socialist Rebels.

Robey Leibbrandt

So how did that come about? Simply put, when Robey Leibbrandt was put ashore in South Africa by the Nazi German state for ‘Operation Weissdorn’ he was under the impression that he was to meet with the Ossewabrandwag leadership and inform them that he was now the only legitimate leader of the Afrikaner nation and take over control of the Ossewabrandwag.

Such was his megalomania, thuggery and aggression that even the radio operator who was earmarked to come ashore with him refused to do so, citing fear for his life and remained on-board the yacht instead (the Captain and crew were also relieved to get rid of Leibbrandt such an annoyance he had become). Naturally when Leibbrandt was finally able to get to the leader of the Ossewabrandwag to inform him of the leadership change as specified by his German handlers, Dr Johannes (Hans) van Rensburg, the leader and Kommandant General of the Ossewabrandwag would have none of it and refused to recognise Robey Leibbrandt outright, a row broke out and the two became irreconcilable. 

So, no matter, Robey Leibbrandt would find within the Ossewabrandwag supporters who staunchly followed National Socialism, start his own organisation and he would overcome the leadership crisis by getting them to swear alliance to him in person – in blood. Taking a leaf out of his hero’s book, Adolf Hitler who used a similar oath to get the German military establishment to swear sole allegiance to him as the sole and legitimate leader of the German Volk by name, so too did Robey Leibbrandt get his followers to swear allegiance to him as the only legitimate Afrikaner leader, by name.

The blood signature oath read as follows:

“I stand before God and swear this sacred oath that I, as an Afrikaner, will faithfully serve my Volk and Vaderland with my whole heart, body, soul and mind, along the lines indicated to me by the leader of the National Socialist Rebels in the person of Robey Leibbrandt and no one else, from now until death. The deep seriousness with which I recognise myself as a National Socialist Rebel finds expression in the blood with which I forever bind my person through the medium of my signature. I am nothing. My Volk is all. God be with us. The Vierkleur on High.”

Ossewabrandwag on parade holding old ZAR Republic VierKleur flags

Not to miss out on the legitimacy of Adolf Hitler as the supreme leader (can’t usurp the Führer), the blood oath also partly read as follows:

“All my fight and striving is for the freedom and independence of the Afrikaner people of South Africa and for the building up of a National Socialist State in accordance with the ideas of Adolf Hitler.”

Hans van Rensberg

The enemy of my enemy is my friend

Posing a significant threat to the Ossewabrandwag – both in terms of drawing members, ideology and in leadership and overall control of the Afrikaner right-wing, the Ossewabrandwag would engage the tried old philosophy of the ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ and sell out the National Socialist Rebels and Robey Leibbrandt to the British. Yup, they used the British, their stated enemy, to get rid of them, and given the oath they only need to get rid of the leader.

According to Dr Garth Benneyworth, British Intelligence documents he uncovered in the British National Archives, whilst in the UK in 2005, revealed that Hans van Rensburg sold out Robey Leibbrandt’s base of operations to the British SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) who in turn tipped off General Jan Smuts, which in turn led to Leibbrandt’s capture by the Union of South Africa’s security forces on Christmas Eve, 1941.

Charged and found guilty of High Treason, Robey Leibbrandt was sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life in prison by General Jan Smuts, the South African premier, some sources say it was because Smuts and Leibbrandt’s father served together during the South African War (1899-1902) and Smuts had a high regard for Leibbrand’s Dad, other sources point to Smuts not wanting the blood of yet another Jopie Fourie martyr on his hands. In any event, when the National Party government came to power in 1948, Leibbrandt was officially pardoned and walked out a free man – much to the disgust of the hundreds of thousands of South African’s who had fought against Nazism during the war.

In conclusion

Now, for those out there who still believe the Ossewabrandwag was just a ‘cultural’ organisation, anti-British only, think of it this way – what if Johannes van Rensburg had abided the Nazi German requirement that Robey Leibbrandt, a pure Nazi thug, take control of the Ossewabrandwag and ultimately leadership of the Afrikaner right. What if he stepped aside? Could have happened, only it did not – but why?

The answer simply is both Robey Leibbrandt and Johannes van Rensburg where equally megalomanic – both admired Adolf Hitler, both admired National Socialism and both abided the ‘Blut und Boden’ principle and the ‘Führer’ principle, both had Stormjaers (Stormtroopers) as followers, both were Afrikaner Christian Nationalists, both were anti-Semitic, both were fierce anti-Communists, both were anti-British/Judaeo Capital, both had secret oaths and ceremonies and both were wired into the Nazi spy network directly supporting the Nazi war effort. The only difference; Leibbrandt was a thug and Dr Hans van Rensburg was a skilled politician.

It was always going to be bloody power struggle for sole dictatorship such is the nature of the National Socialist ideology (like Adolf Hitler – the ‘skilled politician’ exterminated Ernst Röhm – the ‘thug’) – and that’s exactly what happened – the Ossewabrandwag wanted Robey Leibbrandt dead (the inner circle of the Ossewabrandwag even issued the instruction for his ‘liquidation’) and no doubt Leibbrandt and the National Socialist Rebels wanted Dr Hans van Rensburg dead.

Written and researched by Peter Dickens 

For more on the South African organisations flirting with Nazism, here are some easy links to previous Observation Posts;

The Ossewabrandwag “Mein Kampf shows the way to greatness for South Africa” – The Ossewabrandwag

Robey Leibbrand: Treason! Robey Leibbrandt

The New Order: South Africa’s Nazi ‘Neuordnung’ and Oswald Pirow

The South African Christian National Socialist Movement (SANP) Greyshirts; South Africa’s Nazi Party; The ‘Gryshemde’

The Broederbond; Education Whiteout! The Broederbond

Primary References:

Dr Evert Kleynhans – Hitler’s Spies, Secret agents and the intelligence war in South Africa, 1939-1945. Published 2021

Dr Garth Benneyworth – Sol Plaatje University – Correspondence 16/2/2023