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The Bagaka Regiment (formerly 2 Parachute Battalion) is a reserve airborne infantry regiment of the South African Army.
| 2nd Parachute Battalion Bagaka Regiment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | July 1971 – present |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Infantry (Paratroopers) |
| Role | Airborne infantry |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | South African Infantry Corps Army Conventional Reserve |
| Garrison/HQ | Tempe, Bloemfontein |
| Nickname(s) | Parabats |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | BAGR |
History
editOrigins
editWith the implementation of one year National Service in South Africa in 1968, 1 Parachute Battalion struggled to administer the Permanent Force and the Citizen Force Parabats.[1] To prevent the loss of these trained national servicemen at the end of their one-year service to other units of the South African Defence Force, it was decided to form a new citizen force parachute unit to take these men.[1] The battalion was formed at Tempe in July 1971 of five rifle companies.[1] On 20 April 1978, the 2 Parachute Battalion and other parachute units became part of the newly formed 44 Parachute Brigade.[1]
Operations
edit2 Parachute Battalion would take part in Operation Savannah in Angola during 1975 and covered the withdrawal of the SADF forces from that country in early 1976.[1] In May 1978, elements of this battalion took part in the parachute drop over Cassinga during Operation Reindeer.[1] Companies from this battalion were based on the border with Angola in South-West Africa/Namibia and used as a rapid reaction force to counter incursions by SWAPO's PLAN forces into that country.[1] 2 Parachute Battalion companies were also deployed internally in South African black townships to suppress unrest to the governments Apartheid policies.[1]
Name change
editIn August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa.[2] 2 Parachute Battalion became the Bagaka Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.[3]
Leadership
edit| From | Honorary Colonel | To |
| From | Officer Commanding | To |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major | To
|
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Pitta, Robert (1993). South African Special Forces. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1855322943.
- ^ "New Reserve Force unit names". defenceWeb. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Renaming process has resulted in an Army structure that truly represents SA". IOL. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
Further reading
edit- Pitta, Robert (27 May 1993). South African Special Forces (eBook). Elite (Book 47). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1855322943.