1 Special Service Battalion
| 1 Special Service Battalion | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1 May 1933 – present |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Branch |  South African Army |
| Type | Armoured |
| Part of | South African Armoured Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Tempe Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Nickname(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
|
| Motto | Eendrag Maakt Mag (Unity is Strength) |
| Colors | Blue and Orange |
| Equipment | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
| Engagements | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
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|
| Insignia | |
| Cap Badge | A spray of three protea flowers, bound by a ribbon bearing the initials and motto |
| Beret Colour | Black |
| Armour Squadron emblems |  |
| Armour beret bar circa 1992 |  |
1 Special Service Battalion (usually abbreviated to 1SSB) 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 both as in English 1 Special Service Battalion, and in the Afrikaans Language as 1 Spesiale Diens Bataljon (1 SSB and 1 SDB).
Contents
History
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Following World War II, the Special Service Battalion was re-organised into 2 battalions - 1 Special Service Battalion and 1 South African Infantry Battalion.
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. 1SSB also took part in the South African Border War, serving in South-West Africa and Angola.[1]
More recently, the unit also took part in Operation Boleas, which was a South African intervention in its neighbouring country of Lesotho in 1998.
1SSB 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. This unit has now been disbanded.
Commanding Officers
- Lt Col George Brink
- Lt Col CEG (Papa) Britz
- Lt Col WHE Poole
- Lt Col HB Klopper
- Lt Col Bok Kriel
- Gen Jannie Geldenhys (Later Chief, SADF)
- Oct 1953 to Dec 1960 - Lt Col. W.R. Van Der Riet (Later Lt Gen W.R. Van Der Riet SSA
Equipment
pre 1995
| Variant | Description | Comment | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eland 60 |  South Africa |
Mortar platform |  |
| Eland 90 | South Africa |
Fire support platform and assault gun |  |
Current
The regiment is equipped primarily with Ratel infantry fighting vehicles and Rooikat armoured cars.
| Variant | Description | Comment | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooikat 76 | South Africa |
76mm cannon |  |
Future
Under Project Hoefyster, the SANDF will eventually replace the Ratel family of vehicles with the Badger system.[2] [3] Five versions are contemplated of which two are earmarked for 1 SSB:
- Missile (turreted Denel ZT3 Ingwe)
- Fire Support (turreted 30mm cannon, but with more ammunition than the section vehicle)
| Variant | Description | Comment | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denel Badger various types | South Africa |
Various armaments |  |
Regimental symbols
- The cap badge is a spray of three protea flowers, bound by a ribbon bearing the initials and motto.
- Regimental motto: Eendrag Maakt Mag (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. See 1 SSB Roll of Honour
- Regimental traditional contact meeting :Pantseraksie once a year
Honour Roll
Killed in Action
- 1975: Beechey, N.R. Cpl[4]:62
- 1978: Biggs, K.J. Tpr[4]:93
- 1979: Buys, P.S. Tpr[4]:186
- 1978: Castle, P.J. Lt[4]:201
- 1987: Cloete, J.J. Tpr[4]:225
- 1978: De Lange, H.W. Tpr[4]:316
- 1989-04-03: Els, C.P. Lt[4]:421
- 1986: Erasmus, A.H. L-Cpl[4]:433
- 1982: Fourie, H. Tpr[4]:468
- 1982: Kruger, O.P. L-Cpl[4]:752
- 1982: Kruger, P. L-Cpl[4]:753
- 1975: Le Roux, D.B. Tpr[4]:787
- 1978: Lesch, L.J. Tpr[4]:809
- 1983: Niemandt, D. Rfn[4]:1062
- 1987: Pretorius, J. Tpr[4]:1167
- 1987: Schutte, J.J.R. Tpr[4]:1276
- 1987: Smit, G.J. Tpr[4]:1308
- 1989: Van Der Merwe, A.D. Tpr[4]:1546
- 1989: Van Der Merwe, N.J. L-Cpl[4]:1558
- 1989: Van Heerden, van Z J. Tpr[4]:1477
- 1989: Van Wyk, W.A. L-Cpl[4]:1522
Other causes
- 1964: Agenbach, J.H.A. Sgt[4]:7
- 1988: Bannell, M.S. Tpr[4]:43
- 1973: Boshoff, D.P. Tpr[4]:123
- 1981: Botha, M.C. Tpr[4]:2013
- 1984: Brink, G. 2Lt[4]:154
- 1981: de Villiers, D.C. 2Lt[4]:2086
- 1984: Du Plessis, P.J. Cpl[4]:380
- 1975: Eybers, P.G. Tpr[4]:445
- 1981: Harty, M.R. Kav[4]:2015
- 1975: Lombaard, N. Tpr[4]:819
- 1989: Patterson, R.E. Tpr[4]:1115
- 1981: Raubenheimer, W.F. Kav[4]:2018
- 1981: Schoeman, J.M. Kav[4]:2019
- 1993: Scott, D.G. L-Cpl[4]:1280
- 1978: Smuts, W.S. Tpr[4]:1323
Alliances
Battle honours
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- Italy 1944 - 1945
- Florence
- Gothic Line
- Celleno
- The Greve
- Po Valley
- Kunene
- South-West Africa 1975 - 1976
- South-West Africa 1976 - 1989
- Battle of Cuito Cuanavale from 1987-1989 being one of the largest land battles in Africa since World War II[citation needed].
Future
This unit will together with 1 SA Tank Regiment form the Armoured Brigade of the new Mechanized Division to be formed under Army vision 2020.[citation needed]
See also
Notes
References
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- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 4.34 4.35 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
