111 Battalion
111 Battalion | |
---|---|
Active | 1980–1994 |
Country | South Africa |
Branch | South African Army |
Type | Motorised infantry |
Part of | South African Army Infantry Corps |
Garrison/HQ | New Amsterdam |
Motto(s) | Luec Doctrinae Light of Knowledge |
Equipment | Buffel APC, Samil 20 |
Insignia | |
Company level insignia | |
SA Motorised Infantry beret bar circa 1992 |
111 Battalion was a motorised infantry unit of the South African Army.
History[]
Origin of the black battalions[]
By the late 1970s the South African government had abandoned its opposition to arming black soldiers.[1]
In early 1979, the government also approved a plan to form a number of regional African battalions, each with a particular ethnic identity, which would either serve in their respective homelands or under regional SADF commands.
The Swazi Battalion[]
This policy led to the formation of 111 Battalion for Swazis. 111 Battalion was raised in 1980 at Amsterdam, Mpumalanga on the Swaziland Border in the then Eastern Transvaal where a purpose built base was developed for it.[2]
Troops for 111 SA Battalion were recruited from the self-governing territory of KaNgwane, where the SADF itself maintained a base.[3]
Higher Command[]
111 Battalion resorted under the command of Eastern Transvaal Command based in Nelspruit.
Operational Deployment[]
The battalion was responsible for patrolling the border between Swaziland and South Africa.
Disbandment[]
111 Battalion was disbanded around 1999.
Insignia[]
The badge was designed to represent the head ring and plumes of the Swazi King upon crossed assegais.
Leadership[]
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Notes[]
Peled, A. A question of Loyalty Military Manpower Policy in Multiethinic States, Cornell University Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8014-3239-1 Chapter 2: South Africa: From Exclusion to Inclusion
References[]
- Infantry battalions of South Africa
- Military units and formations of South Africa in the Border War
- Military units and formations established in 1980
- Military units and formations disestablished in 1994