1 Special Service Battalion (usually abbreviated to ) 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 in Afrikaans as ().
History
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.
1 SSB also took part in the South African Border War, serving in South-West Africa and Angola.
More recently, the unit also took part in Operation Boleas, which was a South African intervention in its neighbouring country of Lesotho in 1998.
1 SSB 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.
1 SSB also detached squadrons to various battlegroups in the South West African campaign
Equipment
pre 1995 Variant Description Comment Image Eland 60 Mortar platform Eland 90 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 cannon Ratel 90 cannon Ratel ZT3 antitank missile
Future Under Project Hoefyster, the SANDF will eventually replace the Ratel family of vehicles with the Badger system. Five versions are contemplated of which two are earmarked for 1 SSB:
Missile (turreted Denel ZT3 Ingwe) Fire Support (turreted cannon, but with more ammunition than the section vehicle)
Variant Description Comment Image Denel Badger various types 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: (English: 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. Regimental traditional contact meeting : (Armour Action), once a year
Previous Dress Insignia
Current Dress Insignia
Leadership
Alliances - 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
Battle honours
Future Under Project Hoefyster the battalion is expected to receive Badger infantry fighting vehicles in missile and fire-support variants (see Equipment above).
In the draft South African Army Vision 2020 force design, the 2007 organograms published with Leon Engelbrecht's unpublished manuscript A Guide to the SANDF chart 1 SSB as the armoured car regiment of the Armoured Brigade (Free State) within the Mechanised Division (headquarters Wallmansthal), alongside 1 SA Tank Regiment and the paired reserve tank regiment (Pretoria Regiment / Regiment President Steyn), with 1 SAI as the brigade's mechanised infantry. See also
South African Armoured Corps
Notes
References
External links