ABSTRACT
On 13 May 1943, the last Axis troops on African soil surrendered. While a small number of South Africans, mainly airmen and engineers, volunteered for extended service in the Italian theater, most declined to take the new oath, preferring repatriation to the Union. Troops working in the section of the camp that held the personnel records of all South African soldiers on active service in north Africa and Italy were ordered to their posts, issued with Tommy guns and instructed to shoot rioting soldiers in the event that the records were threatened. Then in early August 1945 a delegation from the Springbok Legion made up of National Chairman J. Isacowitz and R. Levin visited the camps in north Africa. Upon arriving at Helwan, Isacowitz and Levin were immediately struck by the low morale among the troops stemming from their dissatisfaction over the repatriation issue.
