15 South African Infantry Battalion

15 South African Infantry Battalion
15 South African Infantry Battalion
	15 SAI emblem
Active	1994 to present
Country	South Africa
Branch	South African Army
Type	Motorised infantry
Part of	South African Infantry Formation
Garrison/HQ	Thohoyandou, Limpopo
Superimposed on a Western European-traditional-shape shield, top half green and bottom half black, an elephant's head.	Elephant
Insignia
Company level insignia

15 South African Infantry Battalion is a motorised infantry unit of the South African Army.

History

Origin

This battalion was established in 1994 from the ranks of the former Venda Defence Force.^[1]^[2] The unit badge reflects its location. Thohoyandou means "head of the elephant".

Operational Command

The unit resorted for operational purposes under the command of the Soutpansberg Military Area.

Insignia

Previous Dress Insignia

SANDF early era 15 SAI insignia

Current Dress Insignia

SANDF era Infantry Formation insignia

SANDF's Motorised Infantry

SANDF's Motorised Infantry is transported mostly by SAMIL Trucks, Mamba Mk3 Armoured Personnel Carriers or other un-protected motor vehicles. SAMIL 20, SAMIL 50 and SAMIL 100 trucks transport soldiers, towing guns, and carrying equipment and supplies. Samil trucks are all-wheel drive, in order to have vehicles that function reliably in extremes of weather and terrain. Motorised infantry have an advantage in mobility allowing them to move to critical sectors of the battlefield faster, allowing better response to enemy movements, as well as the ability to outmaneuver the enemy.

Leadership

Leadership
From	Honorary Colonel	To
From	Officer Commanding	To
2003	Col Xolisa Poni	c. nd
2004	Lt Col Johannes Foke	c. nd
From	Regimental Sergeants Major	To

References

^ ^a ^b Engelbrecht, Leon (2007). A guide to the SANDF - unpublished manuscript. Johannesburg. p. Chapter 9C, p.8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Grundy, K.W. Soldiers without politics, Blacks in the South African Armed Forces, Perspectives on Southern Africa, 33, University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-04710-9 AACR2

This South African military article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[15SAI-1] Engelbrecht, Leon (2007). A guide to the SANDF - unpublished manuscript. Johannesburg. p. Chapter 9C, p.8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[2] Grundy, K.W. Soldiers without politics, Blacks in the South African Armed Forces, Perspectives on Southern Africa, 33, University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-04710-9 AACR2

[1]

[2]