Composition
The regiment consisted of five armoured squadrons, each of four troops, with a supporting Signals Troop, Army Service Corps detachment, Training Troop and an HQ element. In 1979 a supporting Infantry Troop was added. A, B and C Squadrons were territorial units, while D and E Squadrons were staffed by regulars and national servicemen. The armoured troops used the South African manufactured Eland 90 armoured car, the British made Ferret armoured scout car and a variety of Rhodesian armoured personnel carriers constructed on the short wheelbase '25' and long wheelbase '45' Mercedes truck chassis, or the Nissan truck chassis. The unit acquired 8 Soviet block T-55 tanks in October 1979, that were seized by South Africa from a Libyan freighter in Durban.
The regiment's primary roles were in static defence of key border crossing points, in high density operations in no-go areas heavily infiltrated by guerillas, in external operations against enemy bases and mainly in the provision of an armoured force in the event of a classical war invasion of the country. This latter scenario only materialised in 1980 after the end of the Bush War, whereas the regiment carried out most of its operations in a counter-insurgency role prior to 1980.
The regiment had the reputation of high standards, with all members being infantry trained prior to application. Applicants were then trained to an armoured specialisation at the regiment's own training centre.
Read more about this topic: Rhodesian Armoured Corps
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