Air Force Cross (South Africa)

The Air Force Cross, post-nominal letters CA (Crux Aeronautica), is a military decoration that was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. It was awarded to members of the South African Air Force for bravery. It was discontinued in 2003, but backdated awards can still be made for acts of bravery during this period.

The South African military
The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994 it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

Orders, decorations and medals
In April 1952 a series of military decorations and medals was instituted, consisting of substitutes for many of the British and Commonwealth awards which had earlier been used. More decorations and medals, as well as an emblem for being mentioned in dispatches, were added between 1953 and 1970. In July 1975 the military decorations and medals of the Republic were revised. Some decorations and medals were carried over from the earlier series of 1952-1975 and new awards were instituted, followed by more between 1987 and 1991. Finally, all but one of these earlier awards were discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003, when a new set of nine decorations and medals was instituted to replace them.

Fount of Honour
Until 1958 the top three awards were reserved for conferment by the Queen while the rest were awarded by the Governor-General, but in 1958 the Governor-General was authorised to also award the top three. In 1961 the State President became the Fount of Honour, and in 1994 the President.

The Air Force Cross
In 1952 South African equivalents of the British Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and Air Force Cross (AFC) were omitted. This omission was only belatedly addressed at the end of the 1966-1989 Border War when the institution of the Air Force Cross (CA) was proposed.

As proposed, the decoration was intended for award only to aircrew who displayed exceptional courage and leadership during dangerous or critical situations while airborne and where an award for bravery was not suitable, based on the premise that bravery involves knowingly entering mortal danger from a position of relative safety, as opposed to skillfully reacting to an unforeseen situation of mortal danger. The proposed criteria were described in the draft warrant as excellent airmanship or outstanding ingenuity or skill during emergencies or unusual situations in the air.
 * One incident that eventually led to the proposed decoration was an in-flight malfunction in a Canberra B(1) Mk. 12 that disabled the aircraft's control column. In spite of advice from the ground to ditch the aircraft since the pilot would be unlikely to be able to land it safely, he managed to land it at Air Force Base Waterkloof with minimal damage while having only trim, rudder and engine power adjustments as controls.
 * Another example was a Dakota C-47 that lost its rudder and elevators when struck by a surface-to-air missile, whose commander managed to land safely at Air Force Base Grootfontein by having his passengers, most of them serving Generals, move forward and backward in the cabin as required to alter the aircraft's centre of gravity.

When the other three Arms of the Service subsequently proposed that an Army Cross (CM), a Navy Cross (CN) and a Medical Service Cross (CC) should be instituted simultaneously, the proposed award criteria of all four crosses were amended to outstanding ingenuity or skill in the utilisation and control of personnel, weaponry or other equipment in dangerous situations and, in the case of the Air Force Cross, not necessarily restricted to flying.

Award criteria
When the Air Force Cross, post-nominal letters CA (Crux Aeronautica), was instituted in 1987 it was awarded for exceptional ingenuity, resourcefulness and skill, and extraordinary leadership, dedication, sense of duty and personal example and courage in mortal danger in non-combatant situations.

After 1993 it was awarded for exceptional courage, leadership, skill, ingenuity or tenacity in dangerous or critical situations.

It was first awarded in 1991 to 21 Puma helicopter pilots and flight engineers that were involved in the rescue operation to airlift passengers and crew from the listing and sinking ship MTS Oceanos on the Transkei Wild Coast on 4 August 1991.

Order of precedence
The position of the Air Force Cross in the official order of precedence was revised three times to accommodate the institution or addition of new decorations and medals, first with the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted in April 1996 for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again when a new series of military decorations and medals was instituted in South Africa on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on all three occasions.


 * Official SANDF order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Army Cross (CM) of the Republic of South Africa.
 * Succeeded by the Navy Cross (CN) of the Republic of South Africa.


 * Official national order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Army Cross (CM) of the Republic of South Africa.
 * Succeeded by the Navy Cross (CN) of the Republic of South Africa.

Description
The Air Force Cross is a pointed cross struck in silver, to fit in a circle 45 millimetres in diameter, with the South African Air Force emblem in the centre on a light blue roundel, 18 millimetres in diameter.
 * Obverse

The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms, with the decoration number stamped underneath.
 * Reverse

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and white with a 12 millimetres wide centre band consisting of a 5 millimetres wide light blue band, a 2 millimetres wide yellow band and a 5 millimetres wide light blue band.
 * Ribbon

Discontinuation
Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003.

Recipients
Since inclusion in the table itself is impractical, the actions cited for follow below the table. The list of recipients is not complete.