Pretoria Regiment

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The Pretoria Regiment 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. The Regiment is stationed in the city after which it was named, Pretoria. It is part of the South African Army Armour Formation.[1]

History

Tanks of the Pretoria Regiment, 1944

The regiment was formed in Pretoria on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) - a unit of the Active Citizen Force - by the amalgamation of several units: the Pretoria Company of the Transvaal Scottish, the Central South African Railway Volunteers, the Northern Mounted Rifles and the Pretoria detachment of the Transvaal Cycle and Motor Corps. In 1928, it was renamed The Pretoria Regiment.[2]

On 24 October 1930 it was once again renamed, to The Pretoria Regiment (Princess Alice's Own). The Regiment became fully bilingual with the addition of a 2nd Battalion staffed predominantly by Afrikaners.[2]

During World War II, the Regiment was converted to an armoured formation attached to the 11th South African Armoured Brigade, South African 6th Armoured Division. The unit was demobilized after the war, and in 1946 it was re-organised as a part-time force, consisting of two separate regiment-sized formations. These were re-integrated in 1954.[2]

After the establishment of the Republic of South Africa in 1961, the unit was again renamed The Pretoria Regiment by the South African Defence Force. In the 1960s, recruits were trained on Centurion tanks and the new Eland armoured cars.[2]

Equipment

Name Type Country of Origin In Service Notes
Ford CMP[2] Utility truck  Canada Retired
Bedford MK[2] Utility truck  United Kingdom Retired
SAMIL Utility truck  South Africa Yes SAMIL 20, 50, and 100 variants.[2]
Morris C8[3] Artillery tractor  United Kingdom Ceremonial
Eland[2] Armoured Car  South Africa Retired
Ferret Scout Car  United Kingdom Ceremonial Mk 2.[3]
Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car  South Africa Retired Mk IV.[2]
Ratel[3] Infantry Fighting Vehicle  South Africa Yes
Sherman Firefly[2] Medium Tank  United Kingdom Retired
Centurion[2] Main Battle Tank  United Kingdom Retired
Skokiaan[2] Main Battle Tank  United Kingdom/ South Africa Retired
Semel[2] Main Battle Tank  United Kingdom/ South Africa Retired
Olifant[2] Main Battle Tank  United Kingdom/ South Africa Yes Mk 1A.

Insignia and Honours

Regimental Symbols

  • Badges: An impala on a mountain representing the Magaliesberg range to north of Pretoria, with in the foreground some succulents. Beneath the impala and the mountain is a ribbon bearing the regiment's motto, Nulli Secundus ("Second to None"). This motto was granted to the regiment by the then Prime Minister Louis Botha after the 1914 - 1915 campaign.[4]
  • The regiment has been allied with The Royal Welsh Fusiliers since 1995 (as it was previously from 1927 to 1961).

Alliances

Battle honours

Conflict Honour[citation needed] Year(s)
World War I South-West Africa Campaign 1914 - 1915
World War II Battle of Madagascar 1942
World War II Bagnoregio 1944
World War II Sarteano (Trasimene Line) 1944
World War II La Foce 1944
World War II Florence 1944
World War II Gothic Line 1944
World War II Caterelto Ridge 1944
World War II Po Valley (Spring offensive) 1945
South African Border War Battle of Cuito Cuanavale[citation needed] 1988

References

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  1. ↑ Pretoria Regiment
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 South African Armour Association
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Pretoria Regiment turns 100
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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