SWATF
Encyclopedia
South West Africa
South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
n Territorial Force (SWATF) was the forerunner of the Namibian Defence Force and was basically an extension or auxiliary
Auxiliary
Auxiliary may refer to:* A backup site or system* Auxiliary input jack, generally for audio* Auxiliary verb* International auxiliary language* Auxiliary police* Auxiliaries, troops supporting the main force of an army** Auxiliaries...
of the South African Defence Force
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
to combat the Namibian War of Independence
Namibian War of Independence
See also South African Border War.The Namibian War of Independence, also known as the South African Border War, which lasted from 1966 to 1988, was a guerrilla war, which the nationalist South-West Africa People's Organization and others, fought against the apartheid government in South...
. It was formed on 1 August 1980 from Southwest Africans serving as personnel in SADF units.
Organization
It was part of the Department of Defence of SouthWest Africa. It was headed by an Administrator general who was always an SADF general. There was the SWATF/SADF Joint Committee for Planning, Liaison and Co-ordination. As a "joint" command the SWATF was responsible for logistics, finances and administration while the SADF was responsible for military operations. It was broadly divided along two lines:Full Time Personnel
The full timers consisted of Permanent ForcePermanent Force
The Permanent Force was an integral part of both the South African Defence Force and the South West Africa Territorial Force and other British Commonwealth militaries. It consisted of all the full time volunteers, volunteers of auxiliaries and national servicemen....
, volunteers of auxiliaries
Auxiliaries
An auxiliary force is a group affiliated with, but not part of, a military or police organization. In some cases, auxiliaries are armed forces operating in the same manner as regular soldiers...
and national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
men. Full timers manned the 8 full time battalions.
Part-Time Personnel
Part timers were a militia force called the Area Force which contained 27 multi-racial battalions and the Citizen ForceCitizen Force
The Citizen Force was the name of the general military reserve force of several British Commonwealth countries.-Australian:Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and,...
which manned the Reaction Force Brigade of three motorized infantry battalions and a battalion sized Armored car Regiment, as well as five Field Artillery Batteries. These part time personnel could be activated on very short notice for active service.
Military Units
- SWATF General Headquarters
- Eight full-time battalions
- 31st BushmenBushmenThe indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
Battalion (became 201st Bn) HQ at Omega Base - 33rd Eastern CapriviCaprivi-Places:* Caprivi Region, an administrative province of Namibia* Caprivi Strip, a part of Namibia* The Caprivi Conflict, a conflict between the Caprivi Liberation Army and the Namibian government* East Caprivi, a former bantustan in South West Africa...
Battalion (became 701st Battalion) - 34th KavangolandKavangolandKavangoland was a bantustan in South West Africa , intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Kavango people...
Battalion (202nd Battalion) - 35th OvambolandOvambolandOvamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...
Battalion (become 101 Battalion101 Battalion101 Battalion was one of eight South West African military units that made up the South West African Territorial Force and was the final name of the Owambo Battalion - South West Africa was a territory administered by South Africa under United Nations Mandate...
) The Quick reaction forceQuick reaction forceQuick Reaction Force or is a military unit, generally platoon-sized in the United States Marine Corps, that is capable of rapid response to developing situations. They are to have equipment ready, to respond to any type of emergency, typically within ten minutes or less, although this is based on...
. - 36th Bushman Battalion (became 203rd Battalion)
- 37th KaokolandKaokolandKaokoland is an area in Northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region. It is one of the wildest and less populated areas in Namibia, with a population density of one person every 2 km², that is 1/4 of the national average. The most represented ethnic group is the Himba people, that accounts for...
Battalion (became 102nd Battalion) - 41st Multi-ethnic WindhoekWindhoekWindhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
Battalion (became 911st Battalion) (As 911 Battalion - it became known as "Swing Force" due to its ability to operate as a conventional unit or as a COINCOINCOIN can refer to:* Climate Outreach and Information Network*Collaborative Innovation Networks*Counterinsurgency*Coin...
unit. - 61st Mechanized Battalion
- 31st Bushmen
- Reaction Force Brigade - The reaction force had a motorized brigade composed of three infantry battalions, an armoured car regiment, and an artillery battalion.
- 911 Battalion, a swing force unit, once part of the reaction force brigade, trained to conduct both COIN and conventional operations.
- Logistics Brigade
- SWA Military School at OkahandjaOkahandjaOkahandja is a town of 14,000 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the Garden Town of Namibia. It is located 70km north of Windhoek on the B1 road...
for officers and NCO's - 1st SWA Specialist Unit at OtaviOtaviOtavi is a town of 4,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of central Namibia. It is the district capital of the Otavi electoral constituency. Most of the area is dolomitic and the district was in the past renowned for its mineral wealth...
- contains trackers, dogs, horses and dirtbikes. - 2 SAI Bn Gp at Walvis BayWalvis BayWalvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...
, Rooikop base - containing- 43rd Field Artillery Battery contains 12 x 140 mm G2 Guns and
- D Squadron (Armoured with - Eland 60mm. Eland 90 mm, Ratel 90 mmm and Ratel 20 mm.
- Other Field Artillery units were deployed in the Operational area ( Ruacana ) as well.
Before Namibian independence in 1990, whites, Coloureds and Basters in that disputed territory had the same compulsory military service as in South Africa, and they sometimes served in SADF units in Namibia. In August 1980, the SADF established SWATF to counter the growing South-West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) insurgency, which had been fighting for independence since the 1960s. SWATF included some SADF units and local recruits; its commander, an SADF general, was both South-West Africa secretary of defence and general officer commanding South African army forces in the territory.
Paramilitary Forces
During the 1980s, the 3,000-strong SWAPOL KoevoetKoevoet
Koevoet , also known as "Operation K" and officially known as the "South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Unit" , was a police counter insurgency unit in South-West Africa during the 1970s and 1980s...
counterinsurgency force, composed mostly of Ovambo fighters commanded by white S.A.P(South African Police officers), conducted anti-SWAPO operations in Namibia and earned a reputation for ruthlessness and brutality. Koevoet was largely disbanded after the territory achieved independence in 1990, and some of its members were transferred to the Namibian police force.
Development
By 1987 SWATF was a 22,000-member militia, with a reaction force element and an area force. The reaction force had a motorized brigade composed of three infantry battalions and an armoured car regiment, and a standing force of six light infantry battalions with supporting units recruited and trained for service in specific regions, or among specific ethnic groups. The area force comprised twenty-six multiracial counterinsurgency forces. Additional specialized units of SWATF included engineers, signals personnel, mounted troops, a parachute battalion, and a commando squadron. Several other multiracial units performed territory-wide functions in South-West Africa.The army's ground forces in the mid-1980s fielded an imposing array of equipment, most of it produced in South Africa. Their arsenal includes tanks, armoured reconnaissance vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. The army also has a wide array of artillery pieces, including towed and self-propelled heavy artillery, multiple-rocket-launcher systems, as well as mortars and antitank and air defence weapons.