WWII South African POW group with Efficiency Medal. Sanderson. Captured at the Fall of Tobruk 1942.

£220.00

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WWII medals named 107497 HEL Sanderson
Union of South Africa Efficiency Medal named L/Cpl HEL Sanderson DOER
(Duke of Edinburghs Own Rifles)

Upon research, we discover that Sanderson was captured at the Fall of Tobruk, around the 21st of June 1942.

He was part of the Union Defence Force.
South Africa and its military forces contributed in many theaters of war. South Africa’s contribution consisted mainly of supplying troops, airmen and material for the North African campaign (the Desert War) and the Italian Campaign as well as to Allied ships that docked at its crucial ports adjoining the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean that converge at the tip of Southern Africa. Numerous volunteers also flew for the Royal Air Force.

Serving as a part of the 2nd South African Infantry Division they took part in a number of actions in North Africa during 1942, but on 21 June 1942 two complete infantry brigades of the division as well as most of the supporting units were captured at the fall of Tobruk.

The Tobruk garrison was numerically large at about 33,000 men but this number included around 8,000 support troops and around 2,000 non-combatant labourers. A third of the garrison comprised the 2nd South African Infantry Division. Major General Hendrik Klopper, who was put in charge of the defence of Tobruk on 15 June. The division was a brigade short, consisting of the 4th South African Infantry Brigade and 6th South African Infantry Brigade and attached units. The 2nd South African Division was not a veteran formation but it had captured Bardia and Sollum during Operation Crusader in January and had been based in Tobruk since the end of March. Klopper had been a staff officer of the division and had taken over from Major-General I. P. de Villiers on 14 May.

He was then sent to a prisoner of War camp in Italy, number 54. This was in Passo Carese/Fara in Sabina.

35 km (22 mi) from Rome. 4,000 lower-ranked British, South African and Ghurka prisoners, mostly from the surrender of Tobruk, were held in two compounds of tents, with very poor conditions and food shortages. Many prisoners escaped into the Apennine Mountains when guards deserted as the Italian Armistice was announced on 8 September 1943. It was reorganised by the Germans, became a transit camp and was completely evacuated in January 1944 ahead of the Allied advance. The 1,100 British, South African and American prisoners of war were put on a train to be taken to a camp in Germany. On 28 January 1944, they were crossing the Orvieto Railroad Bridge North in Allerona, Umbria, when the American 320th Bombardment Group arrived to bomb the bridge. Unaware that there were Allied prisoners on the train, they dropped their bombs on their targets. The Germans left the prisoners locked in the boxcars and fled. Approximately half the men were killed by the bombs, or when the cars ultimately tumbled into the river below.

His movements from here are unknown so unnable to tell if he escaped or was sent to another PoW in Germany.

DOER, Duke of Edinburghs Own Rifles/Chief Langalibalele Rifles

The Regiment was founded on 28 November 1855, as the Cape Rifle Corps. It was the first volunteer unit in the Cape Colony.
The Dukes served again in World War II. As a unit of the 1st SA Infantry Brigade, the Regiment served in East Africa (Kenya, Somaliland and Ethiopia) from July 1940 to May 1941, and in North Africa (Egypt and Libya) from June 1941 to December 1942 as part of the 1st SA Infantry Division. The Dukes earned eleven battle honours in these two campaigns.

From February 1943 to March 1945, the Regiment was based in the Transvaal, in South Africa, as a tank training battalion. Being under-strength, it was temporarily amalgamated with the Rand Light Infantry. In March 1945, the DEOR/RLI amalgamated with the Transvaal Scottish, to form the “DSR” battalion for service in Italy. However, operations in Italy ended before the battalion was ready for deployment. It was used for peacekeeping and security duties in Italy until the end of 1945.

All medals have original silk ribbons and are loose.

WWII South African POW group with Efficiency Medal. Sanderson. Captured at the Fall of Tobruk 1942.
£220.00

Availability: 1 in stock

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