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{{short description|South African Army general}}
{{for|the suburb of the city of Bloemfontein|Dan Pienaar, Bloemfontein}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use South African English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Daniel Hermanus Pienaar
|honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=ZAR|CB|DSO**}}
|image=MajGenDanPienaar1942.JPG
|caption=
|birth_date=27 August 1893<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/index/extra-dates/twih-extra-pop-24-08-30-08-2008.html |title=This week in History Extra Dates: 24–30 August 2008 |publisher=South African History Online |access-date=2008-11-26 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|death_date={{Death date and age|df=yes|1942|12|19|1893|08|27}}
|birth_place=[[Ladybrand]], [[Orange Free State]]<ref name="MilitariaOFS">{{cite journal | url=http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/352/389 | title=Vrystaat; Teelaarde van Groot Generaals | author=Marais, Dirk | journal=South African Journal of Military Studies | year=1990 | volume=20 | issue=4 | pages=6}}</ref>
|death_place= [[Kisumu]], [[Kenya]]
|placeofburial=
|placeofburial_label=
|nickname=Dan
|allegiance={{flag|Union of South Africa}}
|branch=
|serviceyears=1911 – 1942
|servicenumber= 126242<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35697|page=3948|date=8 September 1942}}</ref>
|rank= [[Major General]]
|unit=
|commands= [[1st Infantry Brigade (South Africa)|1st Infantry Brigade]]<br>[[1st Infantry Division (South Africa)|1st Infantry Division]]
|battles=[[World War I]]<br/>[[World War II]]
|awards={{plainlist|
* {{Medal Display|CB}}
* {{Medal Display|DSO**}}
}}
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}

[[Major General]] '''Daniel Hermanus Pienaar''' (27 August 1893 – 19 December 1942) {{Post-nominals|country=ZAR|CB|DSO**}} was a South African [[World War II]] military commander.

==Early life and career==
He was born in [[Ladybrand]], [[Orange Free State]] and in his youth grew up in [[Colony of Natal|Natal]].<ref name="Times01">{{Cite news|title=Maj.Gen. D.H. Pienaar. Brilliant South African Artilleryman|date=21 December 1942|work=The Times of London|via=GALE}}</ref>{{rp|6}} His family members had fought against the British during the [[Second Boer War]].<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}} Pienaar joined the artillery branch of the [[Natal Mounted Police|Natal Police]] (NP) in 1911, and transferred to the [[Union Defence Force (South Africa)|Union Defence Forces]] (UDF) when they took over the NP in 1913.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}} In [[World War I]], he first served as an artilleryman in the [[South West Africa campaign]], then with the [[South African Overseas Expeditionary Force]] in [[German East Africa]] in the [[South African Field Artillery Brigade]] and was mentioned several times in dispatches and then later in [[Sinai and Palestine campaign|Palestine]] from 1917 until 1918 finishing the war with the rank of [[Subaltern (military)|subaltern]] in the British Army.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}}

==Between the wars==
He returned to the South Africa and back into the Union Defence Force ranks at the end of the war.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}} He was commissioned and sent to England to train as battery commander as well as attending a staff officers course.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|7}} He returned to South Africa in 1922 and was promoted to Adjutant of the South African Field Artillery.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}} In 1930 he was a Lieutenant-Colonel of 1st Field Service Brigade in [[Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal|Ladysmith]].<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}} He commanded [[Orange Free State Command]] from 1935 to 1937. Other positions held were [[Northern Transvaal Command|Voortrekkerhoogte and Transvaal]] Commands.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}} When war started he was promoted to Brigadier.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}}

==World War 2==
In 1940–1941, during the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|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.<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|7}} After [[Battle of Amba Alagi (1941)|Amba Alagi fell]], the brigade was dispatched to [[Libya]].<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|7}}

In 1941–1942, during the [[North Africa Campaign]], Pienaar fought in the battles of [[Operation Crusader|Sidi Rezegh]] and [[Battle of Gazala|Gazala]].<ref name="Times02">{{Cite news|title=Maj.-Gen. D.H. Pienaar. A Further Tribute.|date=23 December 1942|work=The Times of London|via=GALE}}</ref>{{rp|7}} On 10 March 1942,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol095at.html|title=Military History Journal - Vol 9 No 5|publisher= The South African Military History Society|access-date=2008-11-26}}</ref> he was promoted to Major-General [[General Officer Commanding|GOC]] [[South African 1st Infantry Division|1st South African Infantry Division]], which he led in the Battle of Gazala, the retreat to [[Egypt]], the [[First Battle of El Alamein|defence of El Alamein]] and the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]].<ref name=Times01/>{{rp|6}}<ref name=Times02/>{{rp|7}} He was twice awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35075|supp=y|page=883|date=11 February 1941}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35697|page=3948|date=9 September 1941}}</ref> and twice [[mentioned in dispatches]] for his service in North Africa. He was recorded by the press after El Alamein as saying, "[[Erwin Rommel|Rommel]] will not get to Alexandria, he will not get the [[Suez Canal|Canal]], and he will never dine in Cairo - unless as a tourist."<ref name=Times02/>{{rp|7}}

During the early stages of [[Operation Crusader]], the [[5th Infantry Brigade (South Africa)|5th South African Brigade]] was destroyed on 23 November 1941 at Sidi Rezegh. This loss is thought to have spurred Pienaar to disobey a series of orders to engage the enemy over the remainder of the battle. Pienaar's 1st South African Brigade was situated 25 miles south of Sidi Rezegh at Taieb El Esem. Over the following week, Pienaar was first ordered to hold position at Taieb El Esem and later to move north to relieve the encircled [[2nd New Zealand Division]] of [[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)XIII Corps]]. Instead, Pienaar defied his superiors;<ref>The Sidi Rezeg Battles 1941, Agar-Halmiton, p. 336 & 337</ref> his brigade withdrew from Taieb El Esem and was then slow to move north to relieve the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were then partly overrun and forced to retreat. Historians have argued these actions qualify as insubordination by Pienaar, who is thought to have been reluctant to commit his troops after the loss of the 5th South African Brigade, fabricating or exaggerating reports of enemy attacks as justification for actions.<ref>The Crucible of War, Barrie Pitt, p. 132</ref> However, despite incurring the anger of senior commanders at the time, he was not formally disciplined.

On 21 June 1942, the [[2nd Infantry Division (South Africa)|2nd South African Division]], with [[4th Infantry Brigade (South Africa)|4th]] and 6th brigades under command, surrendered at the [[Axis capture of Tobruk|fall of Tobruk]].

On the other hand, [[Ronald Lewin]], who took part in the entire campaign, writes: "what is striking . . . is how often the British would squander a complete armoured brigade in some useless assault on a fixed position."<ref>Lewin, Ronald. ''The Life and Death of the Afrika Korps'' (Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co., 1977), p. 31.</ref> Pienaar simply did not buy into the "Up Guards and at 'em!" approach of the British, which led to the decimation of the Commonwealth and Indian divisions that bore the brunt of so much of the fighting in the Desert War. "You know the three things I hate in this world—British lords, British generals and these bloody Guards!" he told Brigadier E. P. Hartshorn.<ref name=hartshorn>Hartshorn, Eric P. ''Avenge Tobruk'', Purnell, Cape Town (1960)</ref>{{rp|171}} regarding the loss of Tobruk in 1942. [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]] wrote in volume 4 of his memoirs, ''The Hinge of Fate'', "The burden of blame falls upon the [British] High Command rather than on [the fortress commander, South African] General [[Hendrik Klopper|[Hendrik] Klopper]] and still less on his troops."

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".<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35794|supp=y |page=5091|date=20 November 1942}}</ref>

==Death and legacy==
[[File:Dan Pienaar-001.jpg|left|thumb|Memorial to Maj-Gen Dan Pienaar at the [[South African National Museum of Military History|South African War Museum]], Johannesburg]] In 1942, Major General Pienaar was killed in an air crash in [[Kenya]] on his way back to [[South Africa]].<ref name="SAHIST">{{cite web | url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/general-dan-pienaar-killed-his-aircraft-crashes-lake-victoria-kisumu-while-returning-sou | title=On this Day - SA History | access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref> The plane crash occurred early Saturday morning in [[Winam Gulf|Kavirondo Gulf]] at [[Lake Victoria]] killing him and eleven South African officers and men,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Aircraft falls into Lake Victoria|date=22 December 1942|work=The Times of London|agency=Reuters|via=GALE}}</ref>{{rp|3}} including [[Colonel Frederick Theron]], [[Lt. Col. Eric Vickers Frykberg]] and [[Lt. Col. Eric Loftus Mackenzie]].<ref> General D H Pienaar Killed in Air Crash, New York Times, December 20, 1942.</ref> The plane crashed 16 km from the airfield at [[Kisumu]] when a combination of pilot fatigue and an electrical fault in the undercarriage which could not be raised, resulted in a loss of speed and failure to maintain height and it flew into the water.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Crash in which General Pienaar died. Findings of the Inquiry.|date=23 January 1943|work=The Times of London|via=GALE}}</ref>{{rp|3}} He was survived by his wife Norma and his children: Nelia, Barry and Fay.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Marriage|date=24 December 1948|work=The Times of London|via=GALE}}</ref>{{rp|7}}

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

Sam Brewer, war correspondent for the ''Chicago Tribune,'' wrote in an obituary that Pienaar was "acknowledged by all the military authorities...as one of the best fighting leaders the British have found in this war. He was every inch a soldier and a man, and on top of that had a quality not always found in a tough general—he was loved like a father by his men. . . . More than once he had hard words with higher authorities when he thought insufficient attention was being paid to the safety and comfort of the footsloggers who were bearing the brunt of the fight. Two points struck everybody who met Dan Pienaar—first his disregard for personal danger; second his solicitude for his men."<ref name=hartshorn/>{{rp|178}}

Numerous streets throughout South Africa have been named after him, including: [[Aliwal North]], [[Port Elizabeth]] and [[Queenstown, South Africa|Queenstown]] in the [[Eastern Cape]]; [[Nelspruit]], [[Middelburg, Mpumalanga|Middelburg]] and [[Volksrust]] in [[Mpumalanga]]; [[Bloemfontein]] and [[Ladybrand]] in the [[Free State (province)|Free State]]; [[Thaba Tshwane]] military base in [[Pretoria]], [[Centurion East]], [[Florida North]] and [[Florida Hills]] in [[Gauteng]]; [[Stellenbosch]] in the [[Western Cape]];

==See also==
*[[1st Infantry Division (South Africa)]]
*[[East African Campaign (World War II)]]
*[[Western Desert campaign]]

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last=Pollock|first=A. M.|title=Pienaar of Alamein|publisher=Cape Times}}
*{{cite book|last=Hartshorn|first=Eric P.|title=Avenge Tobruk|publisher=Cape Town: Purnell & Sons, 1960}}
*''Militaria''—Official Professional Journal of the SADF (Vol 12/2: 1982)
*[[Eric Rosenthal (historian)|Eric Rosenthal]], ''General Dan Pienaar – his Life and his Battles.'' Unie-Volkspers Beperk, Cape Town, 1943, pp. 3, 170
{{Commons category}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://generals.dk/general/Pienaar/Daniel_Hermanus/South_Africa.html Generals of World War II]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef | before = Unknown }}
{{s-ttl | title = OC [[Orange Free State Command]] | years = 4 January 1935{{snd}}January 1937}}
{{s-aft | after = Unknown }}
{{s-bef | before = [[George Brink]]}}
{{s-ttl | title = OC [[South African 1st Infantry Division|1st South African Division]] | years = 1942{{snd}}?}}
{{s-aft | after = Unknown }}
{{s-bef | before = Unknown}}
{{s-ttl | title = OC [[1st South African Infantry Brigade]] | years = 1940{{snd}}1941}}
{{s-aft | after = Unknown }}

{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pienaar, Dan}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:South African military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:South African Army generals]]
[[Category:People from Bloemfontein]]
[[Category:Western Desert campaign]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Afrikaner people]]
[[Category:South African military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Kenya]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:People from Ladybrand]]
[[Category:South African military personnel killed in World War II]]

Dan Pienaar - Revision history

Bot at 19:09, 13 November 2022