August 1941 - May 1942
Operation Rosalia
The War in South Africa
Portugal's quest for South Africa didn't begin as scheduled -- while the original timeline of Operation Rosalia called for the start of the war at the end of July 1941, the Republic Navy's outdated troop transports took longer than expected to ferry soldiers from the mainland to Africa, and the declaration of war didn't come until October. But on October 23, 1941, Portugal finally had all of its troops in place, and the invasion of South Africa officailly began.
Both land fronts mobilized at once, but while the cavalry divisions of the 1st Lancers were marching down a lightly defended west coast, the first fighting of the war erupted in Pretoria, as the Portuguese army met loosely-organized and ill-prepared South African divisions. Although South Africa's troops were equipped with more modern gear, their unpreparedness for the invasion left them off-balance, and Portugal won a series of quick victories in Pretoria that allowed infantry forces to occupy the region by December.
The succesful seizure of Pretoria opened the way for the second stage of the invasion, as the Republic Marine Corps staged a successful landing in an undefended Cape Town, marching unupposed along the eastern coast to provide support for the advance into Durban, which would become one of the most important battlefields of the war. By January the South African army had regrouped, and a heavy troop presence in the west brought the 1st Lancers and their supporting Angolan Militia forces to a halt. The South Africans even penetrated into Portuguese Angola, attempting to encircle the advancing militia forces as they pressed southward. And with their flanks exposed, the 1st Lancers had no choice but to suspend their march down the coastline until the front could be stabilized.
As the war stretched on into the spring, the province of Durban, located on the southeastern coastline, traded hands several times as the Marine Corps and infantry clashed with determined South African defenders who prevented Portugal from connecting the frontlines to allow the Marines to join the main offensive. The First Fleet was moved from the western coast to the east, and began an extended fire support operation that rained naval artillery on Durban for weeks as troops fought it out on the ground. But while the eastern front had become mired in the back-and-forth battling over Durban, the western end of the front got moving again with the addition of new troops. In order to break the stalemate, the Viriatos Legion -- veterans of the Spanish Civil War -- were deployed to Angola, where they pushed back the advancing South Africans, driving them back into a corner where they could be surrounded and totally destroyed by the combined assault of the Angolan Militia and the Viriatos Legion.
It was in May of 1942, after seven months of fighting, that the war began to shift decisively. As the western front was beginning to move again, a daring encircling offensive claimed victory for Portugal. Troops from Bloemfontain and Johannesberg were moving jointly to push the Portuguese back out of Durban, where the two sides had been battling for months. But rather than reinforce Durban, the Portuguese made a decisive push for the win. The Marine Corps moved north to strike at the attacking forces in Bloemfontain, and the remaining infantry in Pretoria came around the flanks of the advancing troops in the capitol at Johannesberg, catching both forces as they were marching southward.
The resulting attacks threw the South African army into disarray. After six days of fighting, both provinces fell on the same day, and Portuguese infantry units marched into the capitol to claim victory for Portugal. The South African government surrendered, and Portugal laid claim to the land and resources of their newest conquest. And with Africa secure, it seemed like the time was at hand to start moving overseas again, whether to claim new land or reclaim old conquests...
Operation Rosalia
The War in South Africa
Portugal's quest for South Africa didn't begin as scheduled -- while the original timeline of Operation Rosalia called for the start of the war at the end of July 1941, the Republic Navy's outdated troop transports took longer than expected to ferry soldiers from the mainland to Africa, and the declaration of war didn't come until October. But on October 23, 1941, Portugal finally had all of its troops in place, and the invasion of South Africa officailly began.
Both land fronts mobilized at once, but while the cavalry divisions of the 1st Lancers were marching down a lightly defended west coast, the first fighting of the war erupted in Pretoria, as the Portuguese army met loosely-organized and ill-prepared South African divisions. Although South Africa's troops were equipped with more modern gear, their unpreparedness for the invasion left them off-balance, and Portugal won a series of quick victories in Pretoria that allowed infantry forces to occupy the region by December.
The succesful seizure of Pretoria opened the way for the second stage of the invasion, as the Republic Marine Corps staged a successful landing in an undefended Cape Town, marching unupposed along the eastern coast to provide support for the advance into Durban, which would become one of the most important battlefields of the war. By January the South African army had regrouped, and a heavy troop presence in the west brought the 1st Lancers and their supporting Angolan Militia forces to a halt. The South Africans even penetrated into Portuguese Angola, attempting to encircle the advancing militia forces as they pressed southward. And with their flanks exposed, the 1st Lancers had no choice but to suspend their march down the coastline until the front could be stabilized.
As the war stretched on into the spring, the province of Durban, located on the southeastern coastline, traded hands several times as the Marine Corps and infantry clashed with determined South African defenders who prevented Portugal from connecting the frontlines to allow the Marines to join the main offensive. The First Fleet was moved from the western coast to the east, and began an extended fire support operation that rained naval artillery on Durban for weeks as troops fought it out on the ground. But while the eastern front had become mired in the back-and-forth battling over Durban, the western end of the front got moving again with the addition of new troops. In order to break the stalemate, the Viriatos Legion -- veterans of the Spanish Civil War -- were deployed to Angola, where they pushed back the advancing South Africans, driving them back into a corner where they could be surrounded and totally destroyed by the combined assault of the Angolan Militia and the Viriatos Legion.
It was in May of 1942, after seven months of fighting, that the war began to shift decisively. As the western front was beginning to move again, a daring encircling offensive claimed victory for Portugal. Troops from Bloemfontain and Johannesberg were moving jointly to push the Portuguese back out of Durban, where the two sides had been battling for months. But rather than reinforce Durban, the Portuguese made a decisive push for the win. The Marine Corps moved north to strike at the attacking forces in Bloemfontain, and the remaining infantry in Pretoria came around the flanks of the advancing troops in the capitol at Johannesberg, catching both forces as they were marching southward.
The resulting attacks threw the South African army into disarray. After six days of fighting, both provinces fell on the same day, and Portuguese infantry units marched into the capitol to claim victory for Portugal. The South African government surrendered, and Portugal laid claim to the land and resources of their newest conquest. And with Africa secure, it seemed like the time was at hand to start moving overseas again, whether to claim new land or reclaim old conquests...
