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1 Special Service Battalion (usually abbreviated to ) is an
Following World War II, the Special Service Battalion was re-organised into 2 battalions - 1 Special Service Battalion and 
More recently, the unit also took part in Operation Boleas, which was a South African intervention in its neighbouring country of 
armour
Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...
ed regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation.
In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
of the South African Army
The South African Army is the principal Army, 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 Servi ...
and only one of two such in its regular force. The Regiment is based at Tempe near Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...
.
It was previously known in Afrikaans as ().
History
Following World War II, the Special Service Battalion 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
With its establishment as 1 SA Infantry Training Battalion at Oudtshoorn on 26 January 1951, the unit became part of the Sou ...
.
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 Angol ...
, serving in South-West Africa
South West Africa was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990.
South West Africa bordered Angola ( a Portu ...
and Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
.
More recently, the unit also took part in Operation Boleas, which was a South African intervention in its neighbouring country of Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
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, which was based in the town of Zeerust
Zeerust is a commercial town situated in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district of North West Province, South Africa. It lies in the Marico valley, approximately 240 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg. It lies on the N4, the main road link betwee ...
. 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 high velocity gun for organic anti-tank and fire support purposes. The Rooikat's main armament was built with the Oto Mela ...
armoured cars.
Future
Under Project Hoefyster, the SANDF will eventually replace the Ratel family of vehicles with theBadger
Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...
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''). It is the type genus of the Proteaceae family.
About 92% of the species occur only in the Cape Floristic Region, a narrow belt of mo ...
flowers, bound by a ribbon bearing the initials and motto.
*Regimental motto
A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...
: (English: Unity is Strength)
*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 : (Armour Action), 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 (RAC) of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshir ...
Battle honours
Future
This unit will together with 1 SA Tank Regiment form theArmoured Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
of the new Mechanized Division to be formed under Army vision 2020.
See also
South African Armoured Corps
The South African Army Armour Formation provides an Armoured warfare, Armour capability to the South African Army. The Formation came into being as part of a restructure. South African Armour Corps units previously under the command of various dif ...
Notes
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