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Introduction
Established in early 1943, the 6th South African Armoured division was a mechanised division representing the bulk of South Africa’s heavy armour during WW2. The division was composed of South African volunteers and integrated Allied forces. Under the command of Major General W.H.E. Poole, the division was trained in Egypt for much of 1943, before being deployed into the invasion of Italy alongside the British, Americans, and other Allies.
Over the course of the campaign, the 6th South African Armoured Division distinguished itself highly, including during the liberation of Florence and battles in the Apennine Mountains. It played a vital role in disrupting German defensive lines, utilising its tanks effectively, despite often being significantly outmatched by Axis armour. The Italian campaign was an absolute hellish slog, against well entrenched German forces, but the South Africans consistently managed to do more with less. By the end of the war, the division had a well-earned reputation as an effective fighting force, leaving a lasting legacy in South African military history.
The vehicle discussed in this suggestion is the 25pdr Sexton in South African service. The Sexton is an Canadian-made Self Propelled Gun, built on the chassis of either a Grizzly (license built Canadian M4) or Ram, (a Canadian Medium tank broadly derived from the M3) , with an open topped superstructure and an Ordnance QF 25 pdr. The Sexton began as a project to get a mobile and moderately armoured SPG mounting the British 25pdr instead of the American 105mm - Britain’s logistics were becoming rather complicated with how many different vehicles and calibres they were fielding. The first units entered service in 1943, just in time for the invasion of Italy, and over 2500 were built in total.
The Sexton entered lend-lease service with 6th South African Armoured Division in 1943, when the division was under the control of the British 8th Army. The Sexton equipped the 4/22 Field Regiment of the South African Artillery, with 8 Sextons in each of the 7/64, 10/65, and 11/66 Field Batteries. The Sextons were generally phased out of service for logistical reasons in late 1944, when the 6th SAAD moved under the command of the Americans, when they received their M7 Priests, but South Africa retained a decent quantity of Sextons and they formed the backbone of South Africa’s post-war armoured artillery.
Specifications
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