Dan Pienaar

For more people with this surname, see Pienaar.

Daniel Hermanus Pienaar
Nickname	Dan
Born	August 27, 1893[1]
Died	December 19, 1942
Allegiance	Union of South Africa
Years of service	1911 – 1942
Rank	Major General
Commands held	South African 1st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Bar

Major General Daniel Hermanus ("Dan") Pienaar CB, DSO & Bar was a South African World War II military commander.

Pienaar joined the artillery branch of the Natal Police (NP) in 1911, and transferred to the Union Defence Forces (UDF) when they took over the NP in 1913. In World War I, he served as an artilleryman with the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force in German East Africa and Palestine.

Between the two world wars, Pienaar held various staff and command posts.

In 1940-1941, during the East African Campaign, Pienaar commanded the 1st South African Infantry Brigade. He fought in the battles of El Wak, The Juba, Combolcia, and Amba Alagi).

In 1941-1942, during the North Africa Campaign, Pienaar fought in the battles of Sidi Rezegh and Gazala). On 10 March 1942,^[2] he was promoted to GOC 1st South African Infantry Division, which he led in the battle of Gazala, the retreat to Egypt, the defence of El Alamein, and the final battle of El Alamein. He was twice awarded the DSO^[3][4] and mentioned in dispatches twice for his service in North Africa.

On 20 November 1942 he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) "in recognition of the supreme gallantry and magnificent achievements of British and Dominion Troops and their Commanders in the present operations in the Middle East".^[5]

During the early stages of the North African campaign, the South African 5 Brigade had been destroyed on 23 November 1941, at Sidi Rezegh and on 21 June 1942, the 2 Division, with 4 and 6 Brigadees under command, surrendered at the fall of Tobruk. As a result of these heavy losses Pienaar, now commander of 1 Division was cautious and increasingly reluctant to risk his troops^{[citation needed]}, lost the confidence of his British commanders^{[citation needed]}. It was felt, a little unfairly^{[by whom?]}, that his division now lacked the necessary aggressiveness and drive for offensive operations. However the division played an important part in the victory at El Alamein.

In 1942, Pienaar was killed in an air crash in Kenya on his way back to South Africa.

Major General Pienaar was arguably one of South Africa's most charismatic and popular military commanders. An infantry regiment, exhibition hall at the South African National Museum of Military History and a suburb of his home town, Bloemfontein, were later named after him.

See also

Memorial to Maj-Gen Dan Pienaar at the South African War Museum, Johannesburg

• East African Campaign (World War II)
• Western Desert Campaign
• 1st Infantry Division (South Africa)

Biographies

• Pollock, A M. Pienaar of Alamein. Cape Times. 

Footnotes

1. ^ "This week in History Extra Dates: 24–30 August 2008". South African History Online. http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/index/extra-dates/twih-extra-pop-24-08-30-08-2008.html. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
2. ^ "Military History Journal - Vol 9 No 5". The South African Military History Society. http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol095at.html. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
3. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35075. p. 883. 11 February 1941. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
4. ^ London Gazette: no. 35697. p. 3948. 9 September 1941. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
5. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35794. p. 5091. 20 November 1942. Retrieved 2009-09-03.

References

• Militaria - Official Professional Journal of the SADF (Vol 12/2: 1982)
• Eric Rosenthal, "General Dan Pienaar - His Life and His Battles", (Unie-Volkspers Beperk, Cape Town, 1943), pp. 3, 170

Persondata
Name	Pienaar, Dan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	27 August 1893
Place of birth
Date of death	19 December 1942
Place of death