The South African Air Force, 1920–2012: A Review of its History and an Indication of its Cultural Heritage

dc.creator	André Wessels
dc.date	2013-02-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T20:09:53Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T20:09:53Z
dc.identifier	10.5787/40-3-1043
dc.identifier	2224-0020
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/0ec28a2473f94ec4aa3d64b22208bea8
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/9371
dc.identifier.uri	https://doaj.org/article/0ec28a2473f94ec4aa3d64b22208bea8
dc.description	Although a South African Aviation Corps existed for a few months in 1915, and although several South Africans saw action in World War I as members of Britain’s Royal Flying Corps, the history of the South African Air Force (SAAF) – the world’s second oldest air force – strictly speaking only dates back to 1 February 1920. In this article, a review is provided of the history of the SAAF, with specific reference to its operational deployments in the 1920s; the difficult years of the great depression and its aftermath and impact on the SAAF; the very important role played by the SAAF in the course of World War II (for example in patrolling South Africa’s coastal waters, and in taking part in the campaigns in East Africa and Abyssinia, as well as in North Africa, Madagascar, Italy, over the Mediterranean and in the Balkans); the post-war rationalisation; its small but important role in the Korean War; the acquisition of a large number of modern aircraft and helicopters from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s; the impact that sanctions had on the SAAF; the SAAF’s role in Northern Namibia and in Angola during the war years, 1966–1989, and the SAAF in post-apartheid South Africa. Throughout the article, historiographical matters are mentioned by means of references – either in the text or in footnotes – to the most important available sources.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy)
dc.relation	http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1043
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2224-0020
dc.source	Scientia Militaria : South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 40, Iss 3 (2013)
dc.subject	South African Air Force, Second World War, Korean War, Border War, South African air force museums, Aviation/cultural heritage
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.title	The South African Air Force, 1920–2012: A Review of its History and an Indication of its Cultural Heritage
dc.type	Article