The South African Army Armour Formation provides an 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 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-German

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 ...

(now Namibia). After the end of the First World War a single

Medium Mark A Whippet The Medium Mark A Whippet was a British tank of the First World War. It was intended to complement the slower British heavy tanks by using its relative mobility and speed in exploiting any break in the enemy lines. Development and production hi ...

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 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group. More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines ...

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 t ...

(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 the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 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 incorporated

Armoured Formation

On 24 January 2014 the General Officer Commanding (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 Brigadier General Andre Retief is a Sout ...

handed over command to Brigadier General Andre Retief 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, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

with the fourth Armour Symposium and a thanksgiving service. 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

Insignia

Structure

The Formation is structured as follows: Structure SANDF Armour Formation

Training

* School of Armour, (

)

Tank units

These units are equipped with the Olifant Mk1B or Olifant Mk2

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...

Regular Force

1 South African Tank Regiment 1 South African Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the South African Army, based at the Tempe military base in Bloemfontein as part of the South African Armoured Corps, South African Army Armour Formation. History Origin The Regiment was es ...

(

)

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 regiment was formed in Pretoria on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) – a unit of t ...

(

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

) *

Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles The Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles (formerly the Natal Mounted Rifles) is an reserve armoured regiment of the South African Army. History Origin The original and accepted parent unit of the Natal Mounted Rifles is the Royal Durban Rangers which wa ...

(

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

) * Thaba Bosiu Armoured Regiment (

)

Armoured Car Units

These units are equipped with the Rooikat and

Ratel The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Because of its wide range and occurrence in a variety of habitats, it is listed a ...

ZT-3's

armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked. Examples of AFVs are tanks, armoured car ...

Regular Force

* 1 Special Service Battalion (

)

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 ...

(

Pinetown Pinetown is a large area that is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Pinetown is situated 16 km west of Durban at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet (305 to 395 m). History Pi ...

) *

Blaauwberg Armoured Regiment The Blaauwberg Armoured Regiment (formerly Regiment Oranjerivier) is a reserve armoured regiment of the South African Army. History Origin The Regiment was founded as an Afrikaans language unit on 1 July 1952 as ("Regiment North-West Cape"), bu ...

(

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

) *

Johannesburg Light Horse Regiment The Johannesburg Light Horse Regiment (formerly the Light Horse Regiment), is a reserve armoured car reconnaissance unit of the South African Army. History Anglo Boer War The Imperial Light Horse was raised by the British in Johannesburg ...

(

Sandton Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs ...

) *

Molapo Armoured Regiment The Molapo Armoured 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 ...

( Potchefstroom)

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