“A White Man's War”: Settler Masculinity in the Union Defense Force, 1939–1945

Abstract

In December 1940 and January 1941, respectively, two recruiting posters appeared in the South African magazine Libertas , both carrying the slogan “Join the Springbok Army of Sportsmen.” The name, “Springbok Army of Sportsmen,” carried a clear association of the link between war, sport, and nationalism; it also created a particular kind of white masculine identity. This chapter focuses on the construction of white masculine identity in the Union Defence Force (UDF) during the Second World War as soldiers enlisted, underwent training, and were sent to the various fields of combat. This study uses a variety of sources – visual images, oral interviews, written memoirs, and archival sources. These sources complement each other and allow a multiplicity of voices and experiences of the Second World War. These voices represent different facets of South African society, signifying ideas and ideologies of wartime experience that may have been in harmony at various points and contradictory in others, but are necessary for a coherent understanding of South African identity at this key historical juncture. Enlistment The outbreak of war on September 3, 1939, had a mixed reception in the South African parliament. Prime Minister James Barry Munnik Hertzog desired neutrality, believing that joining the war on the side of the Allies would divide the country, suggesting that some South Africans had greater loyalty for Britain, which would ultimately “destroy South African unity.” In contrast, Jan Christiaan Smuts, who became prime minister two days later, supported Britain, arguing that if Hitler turned his attention to regaining South West Africa, he would present a real threat to South Africa, which could only be countered with Allied backing. Ultimately it was the Smuts' coalition that held sway with a narrow victory, marking South Africa's entry into the war.