17 Field Artillery

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17 Field Artillery Regiment
SADF era 17 Field Artillery emblem.png
17 Field Artillery Regiment emblem
Active1975–1991
CountryFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Allegiance
Branch
TypeRegular artillery
RoleField Artillery
SizeRegiment
Part of South African Army Artillery Corps
Army Conventional
Garrison/HQPretoria University of Pretoria Campus, Poynton Building
Motto(s)Eminus Ferimus (From a distance)
Engagements South African Border War
Battle honours South West Africa
Artillery Battery Emblems SANDF Artillery Battery emblems.jpg
Artillery Beret Bar circa 1992 SANDF Artillery Beret Bar.jpg

17 Field Artillery Regiment was a reserve South African Artillery unit.

Contents

History

17 Field Artillery Regiment was formed in 1975 as a Citizen Force unit in Pretoria.

It was a new artillery counter-insurgency unit whose purpose was to provide support for 73 Motorised Brigade from 1975 to 1991. 17 Field Artillery also assisted 81 Armoured Brigade.

17 Field was originally an offshoot of the Regiment University of Pretoria.

17 Field Artillery was also known as the Pretoria Artillery.

Artillery Type

The term Field Regiment was not quite descriptive of this unit which comprised a number of artillery elements such as field guns, medium mortars and a locating artillery element being essentially radar. It could also be referred to as a composite regiment.

Operations

17 Field Regiment received indirect operational experience when it received experienced national servicemen returning from SWA and Angola. Members also did service as infantry in the operational area. The first actual operation duty for the regiment occurred in 1982 when a battery under command of Capt H.J. Bootha was sent to Sector 70. Another battery was sent as well to Sector 10 as Infantry to fill a strength requirement for the Brigade. A battery under Commandant Botha was also sent to the border in Sector 10 in 1988. The expected operation did however not occur.

17 Field Regiment was eventually amalgamated into the Transvaalse Staatsartillerie in October 1991.

Commanders

Insignia

17 Field Regiment beret badge SADF 17 Field Regiment beret badge.jpg
17 Field Regiment beret badge

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References