Blaauwberg Armoured Regiment
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| Regiment Noordwes-Kaap Regiment Hertzog Regiment Oranjerivier Blaauwberg Armoured Regiment | |
|---|---|
 SANDF Regiment Orange River emblem | |
| Active | 1 July 1952 to present |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Rooikat armoured fighting vehicle |
| Insignia | |
| Beret Colour | Black |
| Armour Squadron emblems |  |
| Armour beret bar circa 1992 |  |
| Abbreviation | BAR |
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
Citizen Force Unit
Due to a reorganisation of the Citizen Force the unit was redesignated Regiment Oranjerivier (Regiment Orangerivier) on 1 January 1960. At this time the unit was part of 17 Brigade.
In 1961 after considerable discussion a regimental motto, Occuli Et Auris ("Eyes and Ears") was officially adopted.[1] This motto was inspired by the eagles that hunt over the Kalahari Desert.
Equipment Upgrade
In the early 1970s the regiment's
Border War
Under 7 South African Infantry Division
Regiment Oranjerivier became the armoured car regiment of 71 Motorised Brigade (part of 7 South African Infantry Division) on 15 November 1974. A year later the headquarters of the regiment was moved to Cape Town.
The regiment was mobilized together with most other the other units of 71 Brigade to serve in Southern
in March 1976. During the same period the unit lost its first member ever to enemy fire.The regiment went on to serve several more times on the
On 2 November 1990, the ROR was awarded the Rooikat Floating Trophy - the first time the trophy had been awarded - as the best unit in the
Under 9 South African Infantry Division
Sometime since 1974 regimental headquarters appears to have moved to Cape Town. The regiment appears to have been transferred with much of the rest of 71 Motorised Brigade to * 9 South African Infantry Division on the brigade's upgrading to a division on 2 January 1992.
Under the SANDF
9 S.A. Infantry Division was disbanded in 1997, and ROR transferred to the new armoured 'type' formation, the
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Name Change
In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa.[2] Regiment Oranjerivier became the Blaauwberg Armoured Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.[3]
Regimental Symbols
- Regimental badge: An eagle with outspread wings with the regimental motto beneath. The badge is worn on the traditional Armoured Corps black beret.
- The Regiment received the Freedom of Upington on 4 May 1966 and the Freedom of Keimoes on 11 June 1968.
- The symbol of command of the Regiment's Commanding Officer is a silvered 90mm practice round.
Previous Dress Insignia
Leadership
| From | Honorary Colonel | To |
| From | Commanding Officers | To |
| 1952 | Cmdt M.N. Slabber | 1956 |
| 1956 | Cmdt J.A.B. Strauss | 1967 |
| 1967 | Cmdt M.D. Radford | 1968 |
| 1968 | Cmdt G. van Rooyen JCD | 1975 |
| 1975 | Cmdt J. Lourens JCD | 1980 |
| 1980 | Cmdt H.A.C. Bremer JCD | 1983 |
| 1984 | Cmdt J. Maltez JCD | 1989 |
| 1989 | Lt Col C.G. van Zyl JCD | 1996 |
| 1996 | Lt Col W.A. Rall JCD | 2003 |
| 2003 | Lt Col H.M. Matthee | 2005 |
| 2005 | Lt Col W.A. Rall JCD | 2009 |
| 2009 | Lt Col J.S. Olivier | 13 February 2015 |
| 14 February 2015 | Lt Col J.P. Wessels | Present |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major | To |
Freedom of Entry
References
- ^ )
- ^ "New Reserve Force unit names". defenceWeb. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Renaming process has resulted in an Army structure that truly represents SA". IOL. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
