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Major General Roland de Vries
Major-General Roland de Vries due to his battlefield exploits and tactical astuteness earned the nickname the “Rommel of the SADF". Born on January 29, 1942, de Vries joined the South African Army in January 1963 and qualified as an officer in January 1964 he would go on to have a long and successful career serving for 37 years retiring in April 1999 as the Deputy Chief of the South African Army. In 1981, as a Commandant, de Vries would take the reins of the famed 61 Mechanised Battalion Group. As part of this role he would also assume the responsibilities for leading Battle Group 10 during Operation Protea and Battle Group 61 during Operation Daisy. Both of which were primarily composed of elements from the 61 Mechanised Battalion Group.He would then transfer to the SA Army Battle School where he would play a role in the development of SADF’s doctrine writing a book on Mobile Warfare and is credited with being the main driver behind these concepts within the South African Army. In October 1987, De Vries joined 20 Brigade Headquarters as Chief of Staff and Acting Brigade Commander, being a key architect of the planning proved instrumental in Operation Moduler’s success.
De Vries was a major contributor to the development of the Ratel IFV infantry fighting vehicle and its combat system, helping shape its role in South African doctrine during the seventies. Presenting the first Ratel infantry combat vehicle course at 1 SA Infantry Battalion in 1976.
After the war, De Vries played a significant role in the transition to the new SANDF. He was appointed Chief of Joint Training in 1997 and, the following year, became Deputy Chief of the SA Army. After retirement, he went on to publish papers on the Border War, Mobile Warfare, and the Ratel IFV, as well as his memoirs, entitled Eye of the Firestorm.
Decorations:
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Southern Cross Decoration (SD)
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Southern Cross Medal (SM)
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Military Merit Medal (MMM)
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Pro Patria Medal
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Southern Africa Medal
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General Service Medal (South Africa)
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Unitas Medal
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Good Service Medal (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
Gallery
Sources
The Battle of the Chambinga, 9 and 11 November 1987: a tactical and operational analysis - LitNet
https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC146026
sadf.info
Member Profile
Roland de Vries - Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BTh2G0Bv8Q&pp=ygUPcm9sYW5kIGRlIHZyaWVz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHh763O2S2A&pp=ygUPcm9sYW5kIGRlIHZyaWVz