PIENAAR OF ALAMEIN - The Story of a Great South African Soldier (1944)

Publisher's light blue cloth binding with gilt embossed titles on front panel and spine. Pictorial dust jacket.

xi + 141pp. Illustrated with photographs.

Book and jacket in very good condition.

Major General Daniel Hermanus "Dan" Pienaar (1893-1942) was a highly regarded South African military commander who played a significant role in the Allied forces during World War II. He is particularly known for his leadership of the 1st South African Infantry Division in North Africa. 

During World War II, he commanded the 1st South African Brigade in the East African campaign (battles of El Wak, the Juba, Combolcia, and Amba Alagi) from 1940-1941 and the North African campaign (battles of Sidi Rezegh and Gazala).

He was promoted to general and took command of the 1st South African Division, leading them during the Battle of Gazala, the subsequent retreat into Egypt, and the defence at El Alamein. He and his division were part of the victorious forces that participated in the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

Included in this lot are two letters written on active service letter cards. They were written by Air Sergeant Dave H. Mellet (No. 577180.V., G. Troop, 126 Battery, 42 L.A.A. Regt(V) S.A.A.F., U.D.F., M.E.F.) and are addressed to his sister Mrs. Dr. Len Verwoerd. Dorothea Maria Mellet was married to Dr. Leendert Verwoerd, the older brother of future Prime Minister Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd.

In the letters Air Sergeant Mellet affectionately addresses his sister as either "Dear Pessit" or "Old Pessit". He mentions that he arrived safely in their camp in the desert after an interesting ride and that the desert is not what you read about in the books of Cordell Hull. He believes the desert belongs to prehistory and that the Egyptians are one of the lost races. He gives a detailed description of the flight from the Union of S.A. to North Africa and mentions the shock one feels after having flown in the ice cold air above 10,000 feet and then being suddenly hit with 43 degrees Celsius when climbing out of a plane in the desert, "It feels as if your heart is going to stop beating". "Victoria Lake is huge, we flew over it at 11,000 feet for more than an hour and still didn't see any land". "The place where Dan Pienaar lost his life I do not like at all, perhaps because we also lost an engine there." "We reached our destination safely but my goodness it is a forsaken part of the world, bleak, scorched, and desolate with the most devious people in the world". "There are water holes in the Nile where the locals empty their slop buckets and then refill them from the same hole for drinking water. Heaven only knows how they survive all the germs as these pools reek when you drive past them." "Our District Six is paradise in comparison and our skollies are gentlemen when compared with these Egyptians - and every single one is a beggar. A well-dressed Egyptian with a job at the airport offered to carry the bag of one of our officers to the supply truck ten feet away and astonishingly asked for a baksheesh. They just cannot help themselves." Mellet ends this letter with "Well, Old Pessit, send my regards to Lennie Boy."

The second letter, dated seven months later, starts with, "Dear Pessit, you must excuse me that I haven't written to you sooner but as you undoubtedly know by now I'm not a very good correspondent." "As you can see my address has changed a bit but I cannot say much except that everything is fine and I am out on my own here with a few troops." "We are out at sea and it can get quite unpleasant when the weather turns as we struggle to keep dry and to keep our "toys" in order." "We love watching the sea-pigs play around the foundations of our "house". They don't attack people but we are careful when we go for a swim. The water is clear and warm and sometimes we behave like the sea-pigs ourselves when going for a swim." "The young lads I have under my command are a fine old bunch and we have our own cook." "Tel Pat I have spent quite some time at the very same places he experienced so much anxiety and that I also dug trenches and bunkers there." "From what I read I see that back in the Union they believe the war is almost over, let me assure you the "Gerries" are far from capitulating." "At Alamein I read the following on one of the gravestones of one of our South African soldiers who fell there - 'Tell the Empire all ye who pass this way that We who died serving it, Rest Content!'" "You know how much I love cannons so you can imagine my joy when I saw a broken old 2 pounder on a grave in the same graveyard. All the troops were killed and one of them kept fighting by loading and shooting it himself even though his arm and shoulder was completely shot off. He was an Australian and in the end he was also killed. For his bravery he received the V.C. Such bravery makes one meditate profoundly." "I have travelled so much but now I long for the day that I can return home. Your little Lenny will probably not remember me and he's surely a big boy by now? All the best dear Pessit and keep your fingers crossed that we may have victory soon."