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The South African Army Armour Formation provides an Armour capability to the
During the severe economic depression of 1933, the government established the
File:Rooikat Armour de Brug.jpg, Rooikat Armour de Brug
File:Olifant mk 2 concentrayed fire night shoot de Brug Training Area.jpg, Olifant mk 2 concentrated fire night shoot de Brug Training Area
File:Olifant Mk2 AAD2014.JPG, Olifant Mk2 AAD2014
SA Army Armour Formation
SA Armour Museum
{{SA Army Units South African administrative corps Armoured units and formations of South Africa Military units and formations established in 1999 1999 establishments in South Africa Nationstate armoured warfare branches
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 ...
. The Formation came into being as part of a restructure. South African Armour Corps units previously under the command of various different brigades and other formations were all grouped under one formation. All armour is assigned to the SA Army Armour Formation under the charge of a General Officer Commanding.
History
Armoured Origins
South Africa employed armoured cars as early as 1915 during its invasion of the then-GermanSouth West Africa
South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...
(now Namibia).
After the end of the First World War a single Medium Mark A Whippet
The Medium Mark A Whippet was a medium tank employed by the British in World War I. Developed for fast mobile assaults, it was intended to complement the slower British heavy tanks by using its relative mobility and speed in exploiting any brea ...
light tank was purchased for the Union Defence Force and was operationally employed during the 1922 Rand revolt. The tank in question is now on display at the Army College at Thaba Tshwane
Thaba Tshwane is a military base (or military area) in Pretoria, South Africa.
Units and facilities
The oldest building in the complex is the South African Garrison Institute, what is now known as the Army College. Lord Kitchener laid the corn ...
.
The formation of an armoured corps was proposed in 1924. An armoured car section was formed the next year when two Vickers machine gun-armed Crossley
Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1989, it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group.
More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engin ...
armoured cars and two medium tanks were imported from Britain.
During the severe economic depression of 1933, the government established 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 th ...
(SSB) on 1 May 1933 as a job opportunities and social upliftment project. The Springbok was first used as symbol for this unit until it was changed to the national flower - the Protea - in July 1934, which is still used today.
World War Two
The SSB was converted to an Armoured Car Regiment at the start of theSecond World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and later to a Tank Regiment. In April 1943 the SSB was deployed in North Africa and used a black beret sporting silver proteas as badge and a flash with orange, white and blue as its colours.
Armoured Corps
When the SA Armoured Corps was officially proclaimed in 1946 and the SSB included in the corps as the only full-time unit, its symbols and colours were incorporatedArmoured Formation
On 24 January 2014 theGeneral Officer Commanding
General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment.
Thus, a general might be the GOC ...
(GOC) SA Army Armour Formation, Brigadier General Chris Gildenhuys
Brigadier General Chris Gildenhuys is a South African Army officer.
Military career
On 24 January 2014 he handed over command of the South African Army Armoured Formation to Brig Gen Andre Retief. He was transferred to the Joint Operations ...
handed over command to Brigadier General Andre Retief
Brigadier General Andre Retief is a South African Army officer.
Military career
On 24 January 2014 he took over command of the South African Army Armoured Formation from Brig Gen Chris Gildenhuys.
Awards and decorations
*
*
*
*
*
* ...
at a parade at the Tempe Military Base in Bloemfontein.
The South African Army Armour Formation marked its 70th anniversary in October 2016 in 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 ...
with the fourth Armour Symposium and a thanksgiving service.
Insignia
Structure
The Formation is structured as follows:
Training
*School of Armour
A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of fo ...
, (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 ...
)
Tank units
These units are equipped with the Olifant Mk1B or Olifant Mk2main battle tank
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...
.
Regular Force
* 1 South African Tank Regiment (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 ...
)
Reserve Force
*Pretoria Armoured Regiment
The Pretoria Armour Regiment (formerly the Pretoria Regiment) is a reserve armoured regiment of the South African Army.
History Origin
The Pretoria Regiment was formed on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry Battalion (The Pretoria Regiment) – ...
(Pretoria
Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria strad ...
)
* Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles (Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
)
* Thaba Bosiu Armoured Regiment (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 ...
)
Armoured Car Units
These units are equipped with theRooikat
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 ...
and Ratel
The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only living species in both the genus ''Mellivora'' and the subfami ...
ZT-3 armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by vehicle armour, armour, generally combining operational mobility with Offensive (military), offensive a ...
s.
Regular Force
*1 Special Service Battalion
1 Special Service Battalion (usually abbreviated to ) is an armoured regiment of the South African Army and only one of two such in its regular force. The Regiment is based at Tempe near Bloemfontein.
It was previously known in Afrikaans as () ...
(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 ...
)
Reserve Force
*Umvoti Mounted Rifles
The Umvoti Mounted Rifles (named after the Umvoti River) is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It is ...
(Pinetown
Pinetown is a city that forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, based just inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The city is situated 16 km (10 mi) north-west of Durban and 64 km (40 mi) south-east of Pieterm ...
)
* Blaauwberg Armoured Regiment (Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
)
* Johannesburg Light Horse Regiment (Sandton
Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sa ...
)
*Molapo Armoured Regiment
The Molapo Armour Regiment (formerly Regiment Mooirivier) is a reserve armoured regiment of the South African Army.
History Origin
The regiment was founded in 1941 as 2 Anti Tank Regiment and re-instituted in 1954 by the first vice-Rector (ac ...
(Potchefstroom
Potchefstroom ( ; ), colloquially known as Potch, is an college town, academic city in the North West (South African province), North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstro ...
)
Equipment
Tank Variants
Armoured Car Variants
References
External links
SA Army Armour Formation
SA Armour Museum
{{SA Army Units South African administrative corps Armoured units and formations of South Africa Military units and formations established in 1999 1999 establishments in South Africa Nationstate armoured warfare branches