Regiment Oranjerivier
Encyclopedia
Regiment Oranjerivier (named after the Orange River
) is an armour
ed regiment
of the South African Army
. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States
Army National Guard
unit. It is part of the South African Army Armour Formation and is based in Cape Town
.
"), but this name was changed in the same year to Regiment Hertzog.
Due to a reorganisation of the Citizen Force
the unit was redesignated Regiment Oranjerivier (Regiment Orange River) on 1 January 1960. At this time the unit was part of 17 Brigade. In the early 1970s the Regiment's Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car
s were replaced by the far more versatile and effective Eland 60
.
Regiment Oranjerivier became the armoured car regiment of 71 Infantry Brigade (part of 7 South African 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 Angola
during Operation Savannah
. Sub-units of the ROR were located from Katima Mulilo
in the east to Chitado in the west. Members of one of these sub-units were the first South African Citizen Force
troops to make contact with a conventionally deployed foreign battle group
when they were fired on by a Russia
n T-54 tank
at Cahama
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 South-West Africa/Namibia
border as well as inside Angola. This included Operation Prone
in Southern Angola during August/October 1988, where the Regiment used a large number of Ratel 90
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
s.
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 South African Armoured Corps.
The Regiment currently uses the Rooikat
Armoured Fighting Vehicle
, equipped with a 76mm quick-fire gun.
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
) is an armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
ed regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the South African Army
South African Army
The South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
unit. It is part of the South African Army Armour Formation and is based in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.
History
The Regiment was founded as an Afrikaans language unit on 12 September 1952 as Regiment Noordwes-Kaap ("Regiment North-West CapeCape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
"), but this name was changed in the same year to Regiment Hertzog.
Due to a reorganisation of the Citizen Force
Citizen Force
The Citizen Force was the name of the general military reserve force of several British Commonwealth countries.-Australian:Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and,...
the unit was redesignated Regiment Oranjerivier (Regiment Orange River) on 1 January 1960. At this time the unit was part of 17 Brigade. In the early 1970s the Regiment's Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car
Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car
South African Reconnaissance Car, better known under as Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car, was a series of armoured vehicles produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during the World War II.-History:...
s were replaced by the far more versatile and effective Eland 60
Eland Mk7
The Eland is a South African light armoured car based on the Panhard AML. Its permanent 4x4 drive gives it its mobility, and it can carry either a 90 mm quick firing low pressure gun, or a 60 mm breech loading mortar as main weapons...
.
Regiment Oranjerivier became the armoured car regiment of 71 Infantry Brigade (part of 7 South African 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 Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
during Operation Savannah
Operation Savannah (Angola)
Operation Savannah was the name given to the South African Defence Force's 1975–1976 covert intervention in the Angolan Civil War.-Background:...
. Sub-units of the ROR were located from Katima Mulilo
Katima Mulilo
Katima Mulilo is the capital of the Caprivi Strip, Namibia's far north–east extension into central Southern Africa. It comprises two electoral constituencies, Katima Mulilo Rural and Katima Mulilo Urban...
in the east to Chitado in the west. Members of one of these sub-units were the first South African Citizen Force
Citizen Force
The Citizen Force was the name of the general military reserve force of several British Commonwealth countries.-Australian:Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and,...
troops to make contact with a conventionally deployed foreign battle group
Battle group
Battle group may refer to:* Battlegroup , the basic building block of an army's fighting force* Battleship battle group, a battleship and its escorts* Carrier battle group, a carrier and its escorts...
when they were fired on by a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n T-54 tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
at Cahama
Cahama
Cahama is a city of Cunene Province, Angola. The population is about 52,000.There is an airport to the north of the city....
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 South-West Africa/Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
border as well as inside Angola. This included Operation Prone
Operation Prone
Operation Prone was a 1988 military operation by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War....
in Southern Angola during August/October 1988, where the Regiment used a large number of Ratel 90
Ratel IFV
The Ratel is the basic Infantry Fighting Vehicle of the South African National Defence Force's mechanized infantry battalions. Ratel is the Afrikaans name for the honey badger, which has a reputation as a ferocious fighter.-History:...
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Infantry fighting vehicle
An infantry fighting vehicle , also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle , is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them...
s.
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 South African Armoured Corps.
The Regiment currently uses the Rooikat
Rooikat AFV
The Rooikat is a wheeled armoured fighting vehicle built in South Africa for the South African Army. It was designed for combat reconnaissance and seek and destroy operations. Its secondary roles include combat support, anti-armour and anti-guerrilla operations...
Armoured Fighting Vehicle
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
, equipped with a 76mm quick-fire gun.
Regimental Symbols
- Regimental mottoMottoA motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: Occuli Et Auris ("Eyes and Ears"); this motto was inspired by the eagleEagleEagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s that hunt over the Kalahari desertDesertA desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
. - Regimental badge: An eagle with outspread wings with the regimental motto beneath. The badge is worn on the traditional Armoured Corps black beretBeretA beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
. - The Regiment received the FreedomFreedom of the CityFreedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of Upington on 4 May 1966 and the Freedom of KeimoesKeimoesKeimoes is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It lies on the Orange River and is about halfway between Upington and Kakamas....
on 11 June 1968. - The symbol of command of the Regiment's Commanding Officer is a silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
ed 90mm practice round.