8th Armoured Division (South Africa)
| 8 South African Armoured Division | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 1974-1997 |
| Country |
.svg.png){kind=small} South Africa |
| Branch | South African Army |
| Type | Armour |
| Size | Division |
| Insignia | |
| SADF 8th Armour Division beret badge |
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| SADF 8th Armoured Division beret bar |
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| SADF 8th Armoured Division flag |
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8 South African Armoured Division was a formation of the South African Army, active from the 1970s to 1999.
History
8 SA Division was established as an armoured formation on August 1, 1974, consisting of 81 Armoured Brigade, 82 Mechanised Brigade and 84 Motorised Brigade. It was, in many respects, a mirror of 7 South African Division.
A provisional 1977 order of battle had 8 South African Armoured Division organised as follows: [1]
Divisional Breakdown
Brigades
81 Armoured Brigade
81 Armoured Brigade consisted of the following units:
82 Mechanised Brigade
82 Mechanised Brigade consisted of the following units:
83 Mechanised Brigade
83 Mechanised Brigade consisted of the following units
84 Motorised Brigade
84 Motorised Brigade consisted of the following units
By 1985, 8 SA Division however consisted of 81 Armoured Brigade, 84 Motorised Brigade and 72 Motorised Brigade. 82 Mechanised Brigade was under command of 7 South African Division.
8th Armoured Division also consisted of the following diverse units:
Artillery
18 Locating Regiment,
Light Anti-aircraft
18 Anti-aircraft Regiment (35mm), 28 Anti-aircraft Regiment (20mm),
Medium Artillery
18 Medium Regiment,
Engineers
18 Field Squadron, 18 Engineer Support Regiment,
Armour
18 Tank Regiment, 18 Forward Delivery Squadron,
Signals
18 Signals Group
Maintenance
18 Maintenance Unit, 18 Field Workshop,
Medical
18 Mobile Hospital, 18 Field Ambulance Unit,
Military Police
18 Provost Company,
Recce
8 Combat Reconnaissance Brigade, 81 Armoured Car Regiment, 82 Armoured Car Regiment, 83 Armoured Car Regiment,
Disbanding
8 SA Division’s Brigades were disbanded in 1992 and the battalions and regiments came to answer directly to the divisional headquarters - the thinking was that these would be grouped into task forces as required. The concept was never put to a serious test. The formation was also renamed 8 SA Division. The Division was effectively disbanded on April 1, 1997, when its former units became part of 7 South African Division as 74 Brigade.
References
- Cock, J. Laurie, N. War and Society: The Militarisation of South Africa, published by David Phillip, 1989 ISBN 978-0864861153
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