School of Artillery
SANDF School of Artillery Emblem
Active1934 – current
Country South Africa
Branch South African Army
TypeCorps school
RoleArtillery training school
Part ofSouth African Army Artillery Formation
Garrison/HQPotchefstroom, North West province 26°40′16″S 27°04′28″E / 26.67099°S 27.07446°E / -26.67099; 27.07446
Nickname(s)"Artskool"
PatronSt Barbara
Motto(s)Per Scientiam Vires
(Strength through Science)
ColorsOxford blue and Postal Red
Commanders
Current
commander		Col Tiger Johnson
Insignia
Collar BadgeBursting grenade with seven flames
Beret ColourOxford Blue
Artillery Battery EmblemsSANDF Artillery Battery emblems
Artillery Beret Bar circa 1992SANDF Artillery Beret Bar

The School of Artillery is the South African Army's specialized artillery training school

History

Origin

Before the establishment of a South African artillery school in 1934[1] there were a number of earlier artillery training establishments. The first was formed at the Cape in August 1786 with Lt. Louis-Michel Thibault, later better known as an architect, as head of the ‘Militaire School’. It did not operate for long.

Almost a hundred years later an artillery school was proposed by Capt W E Giles, Royal Artillery, in a document submitted to the Cape Colonial Government in March 1880. It was not accepted.

School of Gunnery

On 14 September 1912 when the five regiments of the SA Mounted Rifles were about to be established, a School of Gunnery was opened at Auckland Park, Johannesburg, in the lines of the Transvaal Horse Artillery. Its purpose was to train officers and NCO’s for the first three permanent batteries that were to be established. The school closed down when war broke out in 1914 after only two courses had been completed.

Artillery Training Depot

The next artillery training institution was the Artillery Training Depot, established at Wynberg Camp, Cape Town, in August 1915 to train the artillery batteries that fought in East Africa, and later in Palestine.

Establishment of the Artillery Corps

A corps of South African Artillery was established by proclamation on 1 September 1934 to incorporate all the Permanent and Citizen Force units and on 7 September the two batteries lost their battery status and were formed into an Artillery Training Depot, armed with 4.5 inch howitzers, 18-pdrs and 3.7 inch howitzers.

The Depot staff was responsible for the training of all artillery recruits and all artillery units, except Cape Field Artillery (CFA), which was the responsibility of the Cape Command Training Depot.

Artillery School

By August 1935 the Artillery Training Depot was organized as a Depot Headquarters with three batteries. And on 24 October 1936 the title was altered to that of ‘Artillery School’. War was declared on 6 September 1939 and with no suitable area near Pretoria for gunnery practice, the School moved to Potchefstroom.

During the time the School was at Potchefstroom it underwent various changes of designation and became a unit of the Citizen Force when its title was altered to Artillery and Armoured Corps Training School (V), South African Artillery from 1 January 1944.

When the war was over it was re-established on 14 June 1946 as a Permanent Force unit known as the School of Artillery and Armour. It was housed in the main camp but when 4 Field Training Regiment was formed in 1953 the School moved to the former SA Air Force base below Hospital Hill.

Armour training was moved to Bloemfontein in 1964, and the school became a separate unit known simply as the School of Artillery on 1 February 1964, a name it has since retained.[2]

It was awarded the freedom of Potchefstroom on 10 March 1978.

Training

The School conducts the following training:

Basic Instruction which includes: drill, safety, operation of muzzle loading, procedures for each position of a crew. Students are provided with knowledge of the various artillery systems, knowledge in the areas of observed fire, fire direction, and to manage maintenance.

Advanced Instruction includes: drill, safety, and operation up to battery level. Students are provided with the knowledge of manoeuvre force, target acquisition, survey, and counter-fire. Also included are typical field gunnery problems, fire direction, observed fire, and firing battery operations.

Officers are trained to manage fire direction operations, target acquisitioning, and deployment, in support management, maintenance and supply procedures, as well as communications/electronics. Officers may be eventually utilised as commanders, fire support officers, or fire direction officers.

Instructors Training: Students may also become Instructors in their own right after a period of time in the Formation.

Sections of the School

The following subdivisions of the School of Artillery are headed by Chief Instructors or SO1 level senior officers at the rank of lieutenant colonel with the exception of Support Wing which is headed by major:

  • Gunnery Wing (officers training)
  • Regimental Training Wing (other ranks training)
  • Training and Evaluation Wing (overall training supervisor and quality assurance)
  • Management and Second in Command (staff functions including personnel, logistics, finance)
  • Support Wing (security, intelligence, quartermaster, base maintenance, chaplaincy, OHS and RHQ)

Equipment

Conventional Artillery

VariantDescriptionCommentImage
G1 Howitzer25 pounder, high explosive, anti tank and smoke shells United Kingdom designSANDF G1 Cannon
G2 Howitzer5.5 inch medium gun, high explosive United Kingdom designSANDF G2 Cannon
G4 Howitzer155mm, high explosive Israel design, stopgap until the G5 cannon entered serviceSANDF G4 Cannon
G5 Howitzer155mm, high explosive, Samil 100 Gun tractor South Africa designG5 with Samil 100 Gun tractor
G6 Howitzer155mm, high explosive, Self driven South Africa designSANDF G6 Rhino

Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems

VariantDescriptionCommentImage
Valkiri MRLS127mm rocket MLRS South Africa design Unimog chassis, pre fragmented warhead, 24 launch tubesValkiri multiple rocket launcher system
Bateleur MRLS127mm rocket MLRS South Africa design Kwevoel chassis, pre fragmented warhead, 40 launch tubesBateleur Multiple Rocket Launcher

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

VariantDescriptionCommentImage
Vulture UAVVulture unmanned aerial vehicle South Africa design. Used for target acquisition, fall-of-shot detection and fire correction in support of Towed and Self Propelled Gun Howitzer Systems.[3]Vulture Launcher Samil 100

Insignia

Previous Dress Insignia

SADF era School of Artillery Insignia

Current Dress Insignia

Master Gunner

The prestigious Master Gunner award has been conferred on a large number of people serving at the School. This list includes at least two Commanding Officers, nine Officer Instructors (OI), four in the post of SO1 Training & Evaluation, one Troop Commander, three second-in-commands (2IC) and four Battery Commanders.

Master Gunner
Master Gunner Badge
(Qualification and Decoration)
Black on Thatch beige, Embossed
Crossed gun barrels

Proficiency badges

Proficiency badges
General of the Gunners
(Post)
Black on Thatch beige, Embossed
Crossed gun barrels with grenade
Artillery No 1
(Qualification)
Black on Thatch beige, Embossed
Gun image

SA School of Artillery Leadership

From Commanding Officers To
10 December 1963 Cmdt H.J. Greyvenstein UKLGSC[lower-alpha 1] 2 October 1966
3 October 1966 Cmdt C.L. Viljoen[lower-alpha 2] 31 January 1968
1 February 1968 Cmdt R.F. Brown 18 December 1968
19 December 1968 Col J.D. Potgieter SM 29 August 1969
30 August 1969 Col R.F. Brown 30 April 1970
1 May 1970 Col F.E.C. van den Berg UKLGSC 14 August 1973
15 August 1973 Col J.J. Bisschoff 29 February 1976
1 March 1976 Col P.M. Lombard UKLGSC 7 January 1980
8 January 1980 Col C.F. Wentzel 31 December 1982
1 January 1983 Col J.A. Laubscher 8 January 1987
9 January 1987 Col J.G. Jacobs 3 January 1991
4 January 1991 Col M.A. Schalekamp SM MMM 30 April 1995
1 May 1995 Col T.J. Coetzee HC MMM 31 December 1998
1 January 1999 Col P. Franken MMM 1 January 2002
1 February 2002 Col K. Makina 1 December 2004
1 January 2005 Col T. Zungu 31 March 2008
1 April 2008 Col D.B.J. Schoonwinkel 31 March 2020
1 June 2021 Col S.T.J. Johnson incumbent
From Regimental Sergeants Major To
4 January 1957 WO1 J.J.D. Nortjé 2 July 1967
6 July 1967 WO1 A.P. Van Den Berg 30 June 1969
1 July 1969 WO1 J.D. Kruger 31 December 1969
1 January 1970 WO1 J.H.J. Willemse PMM 12 May 1974
13 May 1974 WO1 Mark T. Terwin 31 December 1977
1 January 1978 WO1 Albert E. Hook 6 December 1980
7 December 1980 WO1 Dirk J. Venter 31 December 1982
1 January 1983 WO1 Willem J. Van Coller 28 February 1984
29 February 1984 WO1 Cas J. Badenhorst 30 April 1987
1 May 1987 WO1 Ally E. Hook (Jnr.) 3 January 1991
4 January 1991 WO1 W.H. Steve Collins 31 December 1994
4 January 1995 WO1 John A. Boulter PMM MMM 31 December 1998
1 January 1999 WO1 J. Frik Krüger 31 December 2000
1 January 2001 WO1 X.S. Siphunzi 11 July 2003
11 July 2003 WO1 Jaques Niemand MMM 9 January 2005
10 January 2005 WO1 Percy E. Petersen 1 November 2008
1 November 2008 MWO M.P. "Strambo" Mokoena 27 December 2023
27 December 2023 MWO J. Bernie van Zyl MMM 27 December 2023

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Anon., "School of Artillery", South African Gunner (PDF), p. 9, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2013, retrieved 31 March 2015
  2. ↑ Englebrecht, Leon (1 February 2013). "South Africa (Order of Battle)". defenceweb.co.za. DefenceWeb. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "The Vulture UAV". Paramount Group. 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2015.

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