Sudan Defence Force
Encyclopedia
The Sudan Defence Force was a Sudanese military unit
formed in 1925, as its name indicates, to maintain the borders of the Sudan
under the British administration. During the Second World War it also served beyond the Sudan in the East African Campaign
and in the Western Desert Campaign
.
In peacetime, the SDF comprised approximately 4,500 regular Sudanese soldiers.
During the Second World War, the SDF expanded greatly to counter the threat from the four neighbouring Italian territories: to the north-west, Libya
, and to the east, Eritrea
and the newly-conquered Abyssinia (Ethiopia
).
To accommodate the extra numbers, a new war-service battalion was formed:
In wartime, the SDF grew to as many as 20,000 men.
garrison of the Sudan
comprised a British battalion around the capital, and battalions of the Egyptian Army, both Egyptian and Sudanese, in the regional capitals.
The Sudan had been a territory loosely administered by Egypt, but in the 1880s it had fallen to the forces of the Mahdi
. From 1885 to 1898 it was ruled, de facto, by the Mahdi and his successor the Khalifa
(literally 'Successor'). Following the defeat of the Mahdists at the Battle of Omdurman
, the Sudan was reorganised as an Anglo-Egyptian Condominium. The Head of the Egyptian Army was the Governor-General and there was still a large garrison, as the territory was huge and the remoter parts, such as Darfur
, were not pacified until 1916.
In 1925, the Governor-General was assassinated, by an Egyptian nationalist, on a visit to Cairo. The Egyptian Army garrison of the Sudan was therefore deemed unreliable. The Egyptian battalions were sent home and the Sudanese battalions disbanded, to be reformed into a Sudanese force, under British officers. The structure of the new force was slightly different: a little looser and more territorial, to give a better esprit de corps and sense of responsibility in each 'Corps' for its own territory. Unlike the old battalions, with anonymous numbers, the names were intended to give a distinct, and regional, identity, like English county regiments. Recruitment in each Corps reflected the local ethnicities.
However, some continuity was maintained. The Egypt ruler, the Khedive
, or Viceroy
, had been, nominally, a subject of the Ottoman
Sultan
and so the SDF continued Egyptian titles, which in turn continued Ottoman titles. The result was that British officers in the Sudan were called Bimbashi not Major, or an Arabic equivalent, and Kaimakam. Turkish
expressions extended beyond the rank structure, too.
or natural disaster. In such a vast country, companies could be detached on garrison duties far from the actual Corps headquarters.
In the mid to late 1930s, the SDF was used to counter the aggressive actions of Italian military forces
under Marshal
Italo Balbo
based in Italian North Africa
(Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI) Libya
. In December 1933, the Italians probed various positions in the Jebel Uweinat
area along the poorly defined border between the Kingdom of Egypt
, the Sudan, and ASI. Responding to the Italian probes in the area, the SDF was ordered to occupy the Merga oasis and then the area around the Karkur Marr spring. The Italian conquest of Ethiopia led to a reorganisation and an increase in scope of the force. By June 1940 the SDF comprised twenty-one companies — including five (later six) Motor Machine Gun Companies — totalling 4,500 men.
from the time Nazi Germany invaded Poland
in 1939 and the United Kingdom
declared war on Germany
. Initially the war was limited to Europe
and so the Sudan Defense Force had little to do other than preparation work should the land war reach Africa
.
, the SDF was involved in the East African Campaign
. At first, the SDF went on the defensive against attacks into the Sudan by forces of the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) and the Italian Royal Air Force
(Regia Aeronautica) based in Italian East Africa
(Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI). The Italians occupied the railway junction at Kassala
, the small fort at Gallabat
, and the villages of Ghezzan, Kurmuk
, and Dumbode on the Blue Nile
. In the first days of August, an Italian force of irregular Eritreans raided as far north as Port Sudan
.
The Sudan Defense Force fought on the "Northern Front" during the East African Campaign under the overall command of Lieutenant-General William Platt
. In October 1940, three motor machine-gun companies from the SDF were part of Gazelle Force, a mobile reconnaissance and fighting force commanded by Colonel Frank Messervy
. The Frontier battalion from the SDF was part of Gideon Force
commanded by Major
Orde Wingate. In January 1941, during the British and Commonwealth
offensive into the AOI, the SDF took part in the successful invasion of Eritrea
. During this invasion, the SDF contributed machine gun companies, howitzer batteries, and other forces (including some homemade armoured cars).
along the Sudanese border with ASI in North Africa
. The SDF was used to supply the Free French
and then the Long Range Desert Group
(LRDG) garrisons of the former Italian Fort Taj
at the Kufra oasis
in southeastern Libya
. In March 1941, French and LRDG forces had wrested control of the fort from the Italians during the Battle of Kufra
.
SDF convoys of 3-ton trucks had to make a round trip of about 1,300 miles to keep the garrisons at Kufra supplied with petrol, food, and other vital supplies. The overall scarcity of petrol meant that LRDG patrols could do little more than guard Kufra against attacks from the north. They were unable to raid northwards from Kufra. In February 1941, the situation was somewhat improved when twenty 10-ton trucks were added to the convoys. Ultimately the SDF took over the garrison duties at the oasis from the LRDG.
The SDF provided the garrison for Jalo Oasis
.
In 1942, elements of the Sudan Defense Force were involved with countering Operation Salaam
, the infiltration of German Brandenburger commandos
into Egypt. Together with British intelligence agents, members of the SDF were ordered to intercept and capture the German intelligence
(Abwehr) commandos and their Hungarian guide, desert explorer László Almásy
.
Even after the Tunisian Campaign had ended in Allied
victory, SDF patrols were busy thwarting German efforts to land agents behind the lines. The Germans continued attempts to make contact with Arab rebels. On 15 May 1943, a four-engine aircraft with German markings attempted to land at El Mukaram only to be engaged and shot up by a SDF patrol. The aircraft was able to take off and make good its escape, but it did so with casualties and flying on two engines.
, left the country on 16 August 1955.
On the outbreak of war, many young men of the Sudan Political Service, the administrative service for the Condominium, were allowed to join up. These men included:
Military of Sudan
The Sudanese Armed Forces numbers, according to 2007 IISS estimates, 104,800 members supported by 17,500 paramilitary personnel.It comprises Land Forces, a Navy, an Air Force, and the Popular Defence Force. It has also formed Joint Integrated Units with its rebel enemies the Sudan People's...
formed in 1925, as its name indicates, to maintain the borders of the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
under the British administration. During the Second World War it also served beyond the Sudan in the East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
and in the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
.
Composition
The Sudan Defence Force consisted of a number of battalions, misleadingly styled 'Corps', which had a set area of operations:- the Shendi Horse.
- the Sudan Camel Corps. ('the Hajana').
- the Western Arab Corps.
- the Eastern Arab Corps.
- the Equatoria Corps.
In peacetime, the SDF comprised approximately 4,500 regular Sudanese soldiers.
During the Second World War, the SDF expanded greatly to counter the threat from the four neighbouring Italian territories: to the north-west, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, and to the east, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
and the newly-conquered Abyssinia (Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
).
To accommodate the extra numbers, a new war-service battalion was formed:
- the Sudanese Frontier Force.
In wartime, the SDF grew to as many as 20,000 men.
Background
The British did not garrison the Empire exclusively with British troops; almost every territory had a local militia or an indigenous regiment. Prior to 1925, thegarrison of the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
comprised a British battalion around the capital, and battalions of the Egyptian Army, both Egyptian and Sudanese, in the regional capitals.
The Sudan had been a territory loosely administered by Egypt, but in the 1880s it had fallen to the forces of the Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
. From 1885 to 1898 it was ruled, de facto, by the Mahdi and his successor the Khalifa
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
(literally 'Successor'). Following the defeat of the Mahdists at the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
, the Sudan was reorganised as an Anglo-Egyptian Condominium. The Head of the Egyptian Army was the Governor-General and there was still a large garrison, as the territory was huge and the remoter parts, such as Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, were not pacified until 1916.
In 1925, the Governor-General was assassinated, by an Egyptian nationalist, on a visit to Cairo. The Egyptian Army garrison of the Sudan was therefore deemed unreliable. The Egyptian battalions were sent home and the Sudanese battalions disbanded, to be reformed into a Sudanese force, under British officers. The structure of the new force was slightly different: a little looser and more territorial, to give a better esprit de corps and sense of responsibility in each 'Corps' for its own territory. Unlike the old battalions, with anonymous numbers, the names were intended to give a distinct, and regional, identity, like English county regiments. Recruitment in each Corps reflected the local ethnicities.
However, some continuity was maintained. The Egypt ruler, the Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
, or Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
, had been, nominally, a subject of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
and so the SDF continued Egyptian titles, which in turn continued Ottoman titles. The result was that British officers in the Sudan were called Bimbashi not Major, or an Arabic equivalent, and Kaimakam. Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
expressions extended beyond the rank structure, too.
Inter-War Years
The main duties of the SDF were internal security: assisting the police in the event of unrestor natural disaster. In such a vast country, companies could be detached on garrison duties far from the actual Corps headquarters.
In the mid to late 1930s, the SDF was used to counter the aggressive actions of Italian military forces
Military of Italy
The Italian armed forces are the military of Italy, they are under the command of the Italian Supreme Council of Defence, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. The total number of active military personnel is 293,202...
under Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo was an Italian Blackshirt leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force , Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa , and the "heir apparent" to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.After serving in...
based in Italian North Africa
Italian North Africa
Italian North Africa was the aggregate of territories and colonies controlled by Italy in North Africa from 1911 until World War II...
(Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI) Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. In December 1933, the Italians probed various positions in the Jebel Uweinat
Jebel Uweinat
Jebel Uweinat is a mountain range in the area of the Egyptian-Libyan-Sudanese border. The mountain lies about 40 km S-SE of Jabal Arkanu...
area along the poorly defined border between the Kingdom of Egypt
Kingdom of Egypt
The Kingdom of Egypt was the first modern Egyptian state, lasting from 1922 to 1953. The Kingdom was created in 1922 when the British government unilaterally ended its protectorate over Egypt, in place since 1914. Sultan Fuad I became the first king of the new state...
, the Sudan, and ASI. Responding to the Italian probes in the area, the SDF was ordered to occupy the Merga oasis and then the area around the Karkur Marr spring. The Italian conquest of Ethiopia led to a reorganisation and an increase in scope of the force. By June 1940 the SDF comprised twenty-one companies — including five (later six) Motor Machine Gun Companies — totalling 4,500 men.
World War II
As part of the Anglo-Egyptian "Condominium," the Sudan was at war with the AxisAxis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
from the time Nazi Germany invaded Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939 and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
declared war on Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Initially the war was limited to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and so the Sudan Defense Force had little to do other than preparation work should the land war reach Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
East Africa
From 10 June 1940, when Fascist Italy declared war on Britain and FranceFrench Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
, the SDF was involved in the East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
. At first, the SDF went on the defensive against attacks into the Sudan by forces of the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) and the Italian Royal Air Force
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
(Regia Aeronautica) based in Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
(Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI). The Italians occupied the railway junction at Kassala
Kassala
Kassala is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. Its 2008 population was recorded to be 419,030. It is a market town and is famous for its fruit gardens. It was formerly a railroad hub, however, as of 2006 there was no operational railway station in Kassala and much of the track...
, the small fort at Gallabat
Gallabat
Gallabat is a village in the Sudanese state of Al Qadarif. It lies at one of the country's border crossing points with Ethiopia; on the other side of the border is Ethiopia's corresponding border village Metemma.-History:...
, and the villages of Ghezzan, Kurmuk
Kurmuk
Kurmuk is a town in south-eastern Sudan near the border with Ethiopia.Kurmuk is inhabited by the Uduk and Berta peoples and is controlled by the SPLM....
, and Dumbode on the Blue Nile
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. With the White Nile, the river is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile...
. In the first days of August, an Italian force of irregular Eritreans raided as far north as Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
.
The Sudan Defense Force fought on the "Northern Front" during the East African Campaign under the overall command of Lieutenant-General William Platt
William Platt
General Sir William Platt GBE, KCB, DSO was an officer in the British Army, the Australian Army, and the New Zealand Army during World War I and World War II.-Early years:...
. In October 1940, three motor machine-gun companies from the SDF were part of Gazelle Force, a mobile reconnaissance and fighting force commanded by Colonel Frank Messervy
Frank Messervy
General Sir Frank Walter Messervy, KCSI, KBE, CB, DSO & Bar, , was a British Indian Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars...
. The Frontier battalion from the SDF was part of Gideon Force
Gideon Force
The Gideon Force was a small British-led African regular force which acted as a Corps d'Elite amongst the irregular Ethiopian forces fighting the Italian occupation forces in Ethiopia during the East African Campaign of World War II...
commanded by Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Orde Wingate. In January 1941, during the British and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
offensive into the AOI, the SDF took part in the successful invasion of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
. During this invasion, the SDF contributed machine gun companies, howitzer batteries, and other forces (including some homemade armoured cars).
North Africa
The SDF also played an active role during the Western Desert CampaignWestern Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
along the Sudanese border with ASI in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. The SDF was used to supply the Free French
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
and then the Long Range Desert Group
Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
(LRDG) garrisons of the former Italian Fort Taj
El Tag
El Tag is a village and holy site in the Kufra Oasis, within the Libyan Desert subregion of the Sahara. It is in the Kufra District in the southern Cyrenaica region of southeastern Libya. The Arabic el tag translates as "crown" in English, and derives from the position above the Kufra basin...
at the Kufra oasis
Kufra
Kufra is a basin and oasis group in Al Kufrah District, southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. Kufra is historically important above all because at the end of nineteenth century it became the center and holy place of the Senussi order...
in southeastern Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. In March 1941, French and LRDG forces had wrested control of the fort from the Italians during the Battle of Kufra
Battle of Kufra (1941)
The Battle of Kufra was part of the World War II Allies Western Desert Campaign in the colony of Italian Libya, in the Libyan Desert of present day southeastern Libya...
.
SDF convoys of 3-ton trucks had to make a round trip of about 1,300 miles to keep the garrisons at Kufra supplied with petrol, food, and other vital supplies. The overall scarcity of petrol meant that LRDG patrols could do little more than guard Kufra against attacks from the north. They were unable to raid northwards from Kufra. In February 1941, the situation was somewhat improved when twenty 10-ton trucks were added to the convoys. Ultimately the SDF took over the garrison duties at the oasis from the LRDG.
The SDF provided the garrison for Jalo Oasis
Jalo oasis
Jalo Oasis is an oasis in Cyrenaica, Libya, located west of the Great Sand Sea and about 250 km south-east of the Gulf of Sirte. Quite large, long and up to wide, it supports a number of settlements, the largest of which is the town of Jalu...
.
In 1942, elements of the Sudan Defense Force were involved with countering Operation Salaam
Operation Salaam
Operation Salaam was a 1942 World War II military operation under the command of the Hungarian aristocrat and desert explorer László Almásy...
, the infiltration of German Brandenburger commandos
Brandenburgers
The Brandenburgers were members of the Brandenburg German Special Forces unit during World War II.Units of Brandenburgers operated in almost all fronts - the invasion of Poland, Denmark and Norway, in the Battle of France, in Operation Barbarossa, in Finland, Greece and the invasion of Crete,...
into Egypt. Together with British intelligence agents, members of the SDF were ordered to intercept and capture the German intelligence
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
(Abwehr) commandos and their Hungarian guide, desert explorer László Almásy
László Almásy
László Ede Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós was a Hungarian aristocrat, motorist, desert researcher, aviator, Scout-leader and soldier who also served as the basis for the protagonist in Michael Ondaatje's 1992 novel The English Patient and the movie based on it.-Biography:Almásy was born in...
.
Even after the Tunisian Campaign had ended in Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
victory, SDF patrols were busy thwarting German efforts to land agents behind the lines. The Germans continued attempts to make contact with Arab rebels. On 15 May 1943, a four-engine aircraft with German markings attempted to land at El Mukaram only to be engaged and shot up by a SDF patrol. The aircraft was able to take off and make good its escape, but it did so with casualties and flying on two engines.
Departure
In March 1954 British Troops in the Sudan consisted of one battalion stationed in Khartoum, reporting ultimately to the Governor-General. The Governor-General's military commander was the Major-General Commanding British Troops in the Sudan, who was also Commandant of the Sudan Defence Force. In this post from 1950 onward was Major General Reginald 'Cully' Scoons. The last British troops, 1st Battalion Royal Leicestershire RegimentRoyal Leicestershire Regiment
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964.-1688 - 1881:...
, left the country on 16 August 1955.
British Officers
Most of the officers of the SDF were British Army officers on secondment for a few years. The attraction was independence of command, sporting (game-hunting) opportunities in leisure hours and local promotion (1 rank).On the outbreak of war, many young men of the Sudan Political Service, the administrative service for the Condominium, were allowed to join up. These men included:
- Wilfred Thesiger, desert explorer
- Hilary HookHilary HookLieutenant-Colonel Hilary Hook was a soldier in armies of the British Empire in India and later in Africa.Hook was educated at Canford School, Dorset and after the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst he was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1938. He joined a cavalry regiment in India and...
- Maurice Stanley Lush, chief political officer
See also
- History of SudanHistory of SudanThe history of Sudan extends from antiquity, and is intertwined with the history of Egypt, with which it was united politically over several periods. It is marked by influences on Sudan from neighboring areas and world powers...
- History of the Anglo-Egyptian CondominiumHistory of the Anglo-Egyptian condominiumThis article discusses the history of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan during the history of Sudan from 1899 to 1955. In January 1899, an Anglo-Egyptian agreement restored Egyptian rule in Sudan but as part of a condominium, or joint authority, exercised by Britain and Egypt. The agreement designated territory...
- East African CampaignEast African Campaign (World War II)The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
- Order of Battle, East African CampaignOrder of Battle, East African Campaign (World War II)The Order of Battle, East African Campaign shows the ground forces available to both sides in East Africa on the date that the Italians declared war on Britain and France, 10 June 1940...
- North African CampaignNorth African campaignDuring the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
- Auto-Saharan CompanyAuto-Saharan CompanyThe Auto-Saharan Companies were Italian military units specialised in long range patrols of the Sahara Desert. The units operated from the late 1930s to the Italian surrender in 1943.-History:...
(La Compania Auto-Avio-Sahariana) - Bikaner Camel CorpsBikaner Camel CorpsThe Bikaner Camel Corps was a unit of Imperial Service Troops from India that fought for the allies in World War I and World War II.The Corps was founded by Maharaja Ganga Singh of the Indian state of Bikaner, as the Ganga Risala after the British government of India accepted his offer to raise a...
- Somaliland Camel CorpsSomaliland Camel CorpsThe Somaliland Camel Corps was a unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland from the early 20th century until the 1960s.Camels are a necessity in East Africa, being as important as ponies are in Mongolia...
- King's African RiflesKing's African RiflesThe King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
- Camel cavalryCamel cavalryCamel cavalry, or camelry, is a generic designation for armed forces using camels as a means of transportation. Sometimes warriors or soldiers of this type also fought from camel-back with spears, bows or rifles....
Sources
- Kelly, Saul. The Lost Oasis: The Desert War and the Hunt for Zerzura. Westview Press, 2002. ISBN 0-7195-61620 (HC)