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1 Special Service Battalion (usually abbreviated to ) is an
Following World War II, the 
More recently, the unit also took part in 
armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...
ed regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
of the South African Army
The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servic ...
and only one of two such in its regular force. The Regiment is based at Tempe near Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...
.
It was previously known in Afrikaans as ().
History
Following World War II, the Special Service Battalion
The Special Service Battalion (SSB) is a South African military unit formed on 1 May 1933 under the patronage of Oswald Pirow, Minister of Defence. The object was to give training to youths, between the ages of 17 and 23, who, in the wake of t ...
was re-organised into 2 battalions - 1 Special Service Battalion and 1 South African Infantry Battalion
1 South African Infantry Battalion is a mechanized infantry unit of the South African Army.
History Oudtshoorn origin
Established as 1 SA Infantry Training Battalion at Oudtshoorn, (hence the ostrich feathers on the unit insignia) on 26 Janu ...
.
When the South African Armoured Corps was thus officially proclaimed in 1946 and Special Service Battalion was included in the corps as the only full-time unit, its symbols and colours were incorporated.
1 SSB also took part in the South African Border War
The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Ango ...
, serving in South-West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
and Angola
, national_anthem = "Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
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, coordinat ...
.
More recently, the unit also took part in Operation Boleas
The Southern African Development Community intervention in Lesotho, codenamed Operation Boleas, also called the South African Invasion of Lesotho, was a military invasion launched by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and led by ...
, which was a South African intervention in its neighbouring country of Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a population ...
in 1998.
1 SSB had a sister unit for a number of years in the post-World War II era, designated 2 Special Service Battalion
2 Special Service Battalion (usually abbreviated to ''2SSB'') was an armoured regiment of the South African Army and only one of two such in its regular force. The Regiment was based at Zeerust. It was known in English as, ''2 Special Service Bat ...
, which was based in the town of Zeerust. This unit has now been disbanded.
1 SSB also detached squadrons to various battlegroups in the South West African campaign
Equipment
pre 1995
Current
The regiment is equipped primarily with Ratel infantry fighting vehicles andRooikat
The Rooikat (Afrikaans for "Caracal"; ) is a South African armoured reconnaissance vehicle equipped with a stabilised 76 mm high velocity gun for organic anti-tank and fire support purposes. The Rooikat's main armament was built with the ...
armoured cars.
Future
Under Project Hoefyster, the SANDF will eventually replace the Ratel family of vehicles with the Badger system. Five versions are contemplated of which two are earmarked for 1 SSB: *Missile (turreted Denel ZT3 Ingwe) *Fire Support (turreted cannon, but with more ammunition than the section vehicle)Regimental symbols
*The cap badge is a spray of threeprotea
''Protea'' () is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: ''suikerbos'').
Etymology
The genus ''Protea'' was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus, possibly after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form a ...
flowers, bound by a ribbon bearing the initials and motto.
*Regimental motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...
: ()
*Regimental communications icon :
*Regimental deployment strength : 1,000 soldiers
*Regimental honour roll : Soldiers who died during active combat duty and soldiers who died during training.
*Regimental traditional contact meeting : , once a year''
Previous Dress Insignia
Current Dress Insignia
Leadership
Alliances
* -1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, ...
Battle honours
Future
This unit will together with 1 SA Tank Regiment form theArmoured Brigade
The Armoured Brigade ( fi, Panssariprikaati) is a Finnish Army training unit located in Parolannummi, near Hämeenlinna, in southern Finland. The brigade specialises in training tank, armoured and anti-aircraft troops. In case of mobilization, the ...
of the new Mechanized Division to be formed under Army vision 2020.
See also
South African Armoured CorpsNotes
References
External links
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1 Special Service Battalion Armoured regiments of South Africa Military units and formations established in 1933 Military units and formations in Bloemfontein