The Bagaka Regiment (formerly 2 Parachute Battalion) is a reserve airborne infantry regiment 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 Service. ...
.
History
Origins
With the implementation of one year National Service in South Africa in 1968,
1 Parachute Battalion
1 Parachute Battalion (''Ex Alto Vincimus'') is the only full-time paratroop unit of the South African Army. It was established on 1 April 1961 with the formation of the Parachute Battalion. After 1998 this unit was renamed to Parachute Train ...
struggled to administer the Permanent Force and the
Citizen Force Parabats.
To prevent the loss of these trained national servicemen at the end of their one-year service to other units of the
South African Defence Force, it was decided to form a new citizen force parachute unit to take these men.
[ The battalion was formed at Tempe in July 1971 of five rifle companies.][ On 20 April 1978, the 2 Parachute Battalion and other parachute units became part of the newly formed 44 Parachute Brigade.][
]
Operations
2 Parachute Battalion would take part in Operation Savannah in Angola during 1975 and covered the withdrawal of the SADF forces from that country in early 1976.[ In May 1978, elements of this battalion took part in the parachute drop over Cassinga during ]Operation Reindeer
Operation Reindeer, which began on 4 May 1978, was Apartheid South Africa, South Africa's second major military operation in Angola, carried out under the Apartheid regime, the first being Operation Savannah (Angola), Operation Savannah.
The So ...
.[ Companies from this battalion were based on the border with Angola in South-West Africa/Namibia and used as a rapid reaction force to counter incursions by ]SWAPO
The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...
's PLAN forces into that country.[ 2 Parachute Battalion companies were also deployed internally in South African black townships to suppress unrest to the governments Apartheid policies.][
]
Name change
In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa. 2 Parachute Battalion became the Bagaka Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.
Leadership
References
Further reading
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{{SA Army Units
Infantry regiments of South Africa
Airborne units and formations of South Africa
Military units and formations in Bloemfontein
Military units and formations established in 1971
Military units and formations of South Africa in the Border War