2nd Cavalry Regiment (Australia)

Last updated

2nd Cavalry Regiment
2nd Cavalry Regiment cap badge.png
Cap badge of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment
Active1965 – present
CountryFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Branch Army
TypeLine cavalry
RoleArmoured cavalry
SizeOne regiment
Part of 3rd Brigade
Garrison/HQ Townsville, Queensland
Motto(s)Courage
MarchQuick – Garry Owen/The Girl I left Behind Me
Slow – Song of Joy
Mascot(s)Australian wedge tailed eagle
Anniversaries31 October – Beersheba Day
20 November – Regimental birthday
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief King Charles III
(Colonel-in-Chief, RAAC)
Insignia
Unit colour patch 2 Cav UCP.PNG

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2 CAV) is an armoured cavalry regiment of the Australian Army. Formed in 1965 as the "1st Cavalry Regiment", it is the second most senior regiment in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. In 1970, the regiment was redesignated as the "2nd Cavalry Regiment", to differentiate it from the 1st Armoured Regiment. The regiment was based at Holsworthy until 1992 when it was allocated to the 1st Brigade based in Darwin in the Northern Territory. In late 2014 the regiment was transferred to the 3rd Brigade, and is now based in Townsville in Queensland. The unit is equipped with M1A1 tanks, ASLAV light armoured vehicles and M113AS4 APCs.

Contents

History

The regiment was formed in 1965 as the 1st Cavalry Regiment through the regimentation of two regular squadrons that had formed part of Citizens Military Force regiments. A Squadron was formed from A Squadron, 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse, while B Squadron was formed from A Squadron, 2nd/14th Queensland Mounted Infantry. [1] [2]

An ASLAV from 2nd Cavalry Regiment with Australian soldiers in East Timor in 1999. Soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Australia) on patrol in the streets of Dili, East Timor (1999).jpg
An ASLAV from 2nd Cavalry Regiment with Australian soldiers in East Timor in 1999.

These two squadrons initially had no Regimental Headquarters or Headquarters Squadron. However, with reorganisation of the RAAC came both an RHQ and a new name. RHQ and Headquarters Squadron formed at Gallipoli Lines, Holsworthy on 20 November 1970. [3] In order to avoid confusion, it was decided that the armoured regiments of the regular army would be numbered sequentially; 1st Armoured Regiment was the most senior, so 1st Cavalry was renamed 2nd Cavalry Regiment. [4] When first formed, the regiment consisted of a reconnaissance squadron and an armoured personnel carrier squadron. This continued until 1976, when the Royal Australian Regiment took on a mechanised role, [5] leaving 2nd Cavalry Regiment to concentrate on the reconnaissance role. [6] In 1992, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment moved from Holsworthy to Darwin in the Northern Territory, being the first unit of the 1st Brigade to do so. [7]

By 1996, 'C' Squadron was raised. All three squadrons were equipped with the M113 vehicle in the reconnaissance role until the mid-1990s, with the regiment being re-equipped with the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) between 1995 and 1997. Among the specialised equipment used in reconnaissance by the regiment is the Australian Man-portable Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar (AMSTAR) system which is able to detect and recognise moving targets including personnel, vehicles, watercraft and low flying helicopters. AMSTAR has a target detection and classification capability at ranges up to 35,000 metres. Although the system can be moved by a few personnel it is commonly mounted on the ASLAV-Ss. A ruggedised laptop is used for data processing in conjunction with an aural indicator. [8]

Since being re-equipped with the ASLAV the 2nd Cavalry Regiment has played a key role in Australian military operations. In 1999, 'C' Squadron deployed to East Timor as part of the initial Australian contribution to INTERFET, with the ASLAVs providing the Australian force with the majority of its mobility and armoured support during the early days of the intervention. Detachments from the regiment supported all subsequent Australian troop deployments to East Timor. [9] The regiment continued to serve in East Timor as part of the UNTAET from 2000 to 2002. [7]

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment made deployments to Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion. The regiment's initial role was to provide armoured transport for Australian diplomats and military personnel based in Baghdad and northern Iraq. The regiment also formed a key element of the Al Muthanna Task Group from 2005, with the Regimental Headquarters under Lieutenant Colonel Roger Noble commanding the initial rotation and a squadron from the regiment forming part of the first two rotations of Task Group elements from 2005 to 2006. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment subsequently led Overwatch Battle Group (West) Two and supported the third rotation of the Battle Group from 2006 to 2007. Meanwhile, it also supported the Security Detachment (SECDET) in Baghdad between 2003–2005, 2007–2009 and 2011. The regiment deployed to Afghanistan with Reconstruction Task Force One from 2006 to 2007, the first and second rotations of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force from 2008 to 2010, and Mentoring Task Force Two between 2010 and 2011. In 2013 the unit formed the 2nd Cavalry Regiment Task Force which was the final rotation of the Australian deployment to Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. [7]

Soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment prepare to board a US Army helicopter in Afghanistan during 2013 Soldiers from the Australian 2nd Cavalry Regiment prepare to board a US Army helicopter in Afghanistan during 2013.jpg
Soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment prepare to board a US Army helicopter in Afghanistan during 2013

Commencing in 2014, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment began re-locating to Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland to become the armoured component of the 3rd Brigade. [10] On 31 October, the regiment farewelled Darwin, [7] and on 28 November 2014 it conducted a parade in Townsville to mark its transfer to the 3rd Brigade. [11] Under Plan Beersheba the 2nd Cavalry Regiment has become one of three Armoured Cavalry Regiments assigned to the Army's multirole combat brigades located in Brisbane, Darwin and Townsville. [12] The regiment is equipped with M1A1 tanks and ASLAV light armoured vehicles. [13]

Current composition

As of 2017, the regiment was made up of: [14]

Traditions

Regimental badge

The regiment's badge is an Australian wedge-tailed eagle swooping, with a lance and a banner bearing the word "courage" in its talons. This came about soon after the regiment's formation, when a competition was held to design an appropriate badge. A bird-of-prey was decided upon due to the regiment's reconnaissance role. The wedge tailed eagle was chosen due to its "keenness of sight and ability to roam over large distances". The badge was awarded in 1967. [15]

Guidon

The regiment's first Guidon was presented in 1972, when 'A' Sqn, 3 Cav Regt was transferred to 2 Cav Regt. This was lost when the Officers Mess was destroyed by fire in 1990. A new Guidon was presented the same year. [15]

Mascot

The regiment's mascot is a wedge-tailed eagle named "Courage". Since its formation, there have been two:

Battle honours

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment is the custodian of the battle honours awarded to the 2/6th Cavalry (Commando) Regiment for its service during World War II, although these honours are not displayed on the regiment's Guidon.

Alliances

Notes

  1. Hopkins 1978, p. 237.
  2. Festberg 1972, p. 12.
  3. Hopkins 1978, p. 298.
  4. Hopkins 1978, pp. 237–238.
  5. Horner & Bou 2008, p. 250.
  6. "3 Cavalry Regiment RAAC". Digger History. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "2nd Cavalry Regiment farewells Darwin" (Press release). Canberra: Department of Defence. 31 October 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  8. Varshney, Lav, Ground Surveillance Radars and Military Intelligence, p.4, 30 December 2002, Revision No. 2, Syracuse Research Corporation, New York
  9. "2nd Cavalry Regiment". Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  10. Lydia, Kellner (29 September 2014). "Townsville's 3rd Brigade welcomes first permanent fleet of Australian Light Armoured Vehicles". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  11. "2nd Cavalry Regiment arrives in Townsville". Media release. Department of Defence. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  12. Davis 2015, p. 24.
  13. McLachlan 2017, p. 7.
  14. Chambers 2017, p. 21.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Traditions of Australian 2nd Cavalry Regiment". Department of Defence (Australia). Archived from the original on 27 May 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2007.
  16. Blackhouse, Andrew (17 October 2017). "Warrant Officer Class Two 'Courage' the eagle passes away". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 4 November 2017.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)</span> Armoured regiment of the Canadian Army

Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH[RC]) is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Army and is Canada’s only tank regiment. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. Members of the regiment are commonly called Strathconas or Strats as a short form. It was one of the last regiments in the British Empire to be created and raised by a private individual, Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Hussars</span> Military unit

The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) (abbreviated as RCH) is an armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Primary Reserve in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is one of the oldest cavalry regiments in North America, tracing a direct history to the Montreal Volunteer Cavalry formed in the late eighteenth century. Its Colonel-in-Chief is Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, and its allied regiment is the Queen's Royal Hussars. Its mission consists of supporting the Regular Force in operational deployments, peacetime tasks, and supporting the civilian authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Yeomanry</span> British Army reserve regiment

The Royal Yeomanry (RY) is the senior reserve light cavalry regiment of the British Army. Equipped with Supacat Jackal variants, their role is to conduct mounted and dismounted formation reconnaissance. The Regimental Headquarters is located in Leicester, with squadrons in Fulham, Nottingham, Dudley, Croydon, Telford, and Leicester. The regiment is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and is only reserve cavalry regiment to resubordinate into regular brigade as part of the Future Soldier Programme, which in turn arose from the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy published in March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Dragoons</span> Canadian Army armoured regiment

The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles</span> New Zealand Army unit

Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles (QAMR) is an armoured regiment of the New Zealand Army and forms part of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. The regiment was formed in 1864 and is currently an armoured cavalry unit equipped with NZLAV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Australian Armoured Corps</span> Administrative corps of the Australian Army

The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is an administrative corps of the Australian Army. It provides the Australian Defence Force's Armour capability, which performs the function of mounted combat. Armour combines firepower, mobility, protection and networked situational awareness to generate shock action and overmatch in close combat. Armour is an essential element of the combined arms approach that is employed by the Australian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Armoured Regiment (Australia)</span> Armoured regiment of the Australian Army

1st Armoured Regiment is an armoured regiment of the Australian Army and is the senior regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. Formed as a tank unit in the new Australian Regular Army on 7 July 1949, the regiment subsequently saw service during the Vietnam War operating Centurion tanks. Currently the unit is based in Edinburgh, South Australia as part of the 9th Brigade. As part of the Plan Beersheba reorganisation, the unit has become one of three Armoured Cavalry Regiments (ACRs) assigned to the Army's multirole combat brigades in Brisbane, Darwin and Townsville. Each ACR is equipped with M1A1 tanks and ASLAV light armoured vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment (Australia)</span> Regiment of the Australian Army

The 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment is an armoured unit within the Australian Army's Royal Australian Armoured Corps. Formed in 1981 with the amalgamation of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and the 4th Cavalry Regiment, from 1986 to 2014 the unit consisted of an independent squadron, B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment, within the 3rd Brigade in Townsville, Queensland. From 2017, B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment has been the training support and logistics squadron within the School of Armour at Puckapunyal in Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASLAV</span> Australian/Canadian reconnaissance vehicle

The Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) is an eight-wheeled amphibious armoured reconnaissance vehicle of the LAV II family used by the Australian Army. It was built by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada, and developed from the U.S. Marine Corps' LAV-25 and Canadian Army's Bison armoured fighting vehicles.

The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both regiments together form the Household Cavalry (HCav). The Household Cavalry Regiment was formed in 1992, under the Options for Change reforms, by the union of The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals in order to preserve the distinct identities of the regiments. A precedent for the Household Cavalry Regiment has previously been set by the Household Cavalry Composite Regiment - active during the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Second Boer War and latterly during both the First and Second World Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse</span> Australian Army unit

The 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse is a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army. The regiment in its current composition was formed in 1948 when the Citizens Military Force (CMF) was re-raised after the completion of the demobilisation process following the end of the Second World War and it was formed through the amalgamation of three previously existing regiments. Through these predecessor units, 4/19 PWLH can trace its lineage back to the 19th century and today it is the custodian of the battle honours earned by these units. The regiment had a Regular squadron, 1 Troop 4th/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse Regiment, which was posted to South Vietnam in 1965 where it was attached to 1 RAR operating out of Bien Hoa Province. It returned to Australia on 28 May 1966 and became part of the Regular cavalry units that continue to exist in the Australian Army today. These units subsequently served during the Vietnam War and many of their personnel continued to wear regimental accoutrements while in South Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment</span> Regiment of the Australian Army

The 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment is a regiment of the Australian Army and forms part of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. The regiment is an Australian Light Horse unit, and has been widely romanticised and popularised in literature and poetry throughout the 20th century. The unit sentimentally traces its lineage to 1860 and is the oldest Australian Regular Army unit through antecedent units the 2nd Moreton Light Horse (QMI) and the 14th West Moreton Light Horse (QMI). The regiment is assigned to 7th Brigade based in Brisbane and is equipped with the M1A1 Abrams tank and the ASLAV reconnaissance vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Muthanna Task Group</span> Military unit

The Al Muthanna Task Group (AMTG) was a battlegroup that formed Australia's main ground force contribution to the Multinational force in Iraq. The AMTG was established in April 2005 and ceased to exist in July 2006 when the Australian force was relocated to Dhi Qar Governorate as Overwatch Battle Group (West).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment</span> Military unit

The 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (Mechanised) was a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. The battalion was based at Robertson Barracks in Holtze, Northern Territory and formed part of the 1st Brigade. It was formed in 1973 by linking both the 5th and 7th Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment together and was disbanded 3 December 2006, as part of the expansion of the Australian Army, when the 5th and 7th Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment were delinked into two separate battalions once again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian armoured units of World War II</span> Australian Army during WW2

Armoured units made a relatively small, but important, contribution to Australia’s war effort during World War II. While Australia formed three armoured divisions and two independent armoured brigades during the war, Australian armoured units only saw action as independent regiments and companies supporting larger infantry formations. Early actions were fought in the Middle East by the divisional carrier regiments that supported the 6th, 7th and 9th Divisions, fighting in Libya, Egypt and Syria in 1941–42, before the Australian divisions returned to Australia in 1942–43. During the early fighting in the Pacific, there was a limited role for armoured formations, although one armoured regiment – the 2/6th – took part in the fighting around Buna–Gona in late 1942. Later in the war, though, during the Huon Peninsula, Bougainville and Borneo campaigns of 1943–45, several armoured units were used by Australian forces in the infantry support role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers</span> Australian Army unit

The 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers is an active Australian Army Reserve Cavalry regiment. The regiment has its headquarters at Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, a suburb in Western Sydney, New South Wales. Lancer Barracks is the oldest Military Barracks on mainland Australia and dates from 1819.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavalry Corps (Ireland)</span> Military unit

The Cavalry Corps (CAV) is one of the combat support corps of the Irish Army. In peacetime, the Cavalry carries out various duties in Aid to the Civil Power, such as:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armoured reconnaissance</span> Terrestrial reconnaissance using tanks and armoured reconnaissance vehicles

Armoured reconnaissance is the combination of terrestrial reconnaissance with armoured warfare by soldiers using tanks and wheeled or tracked armoured reconnaissance vehicles. While the mission of reconnaissance is to gather intelligence about the enemy with the use of reconnaissance vehicles, armoured reconnaissance adds the ability to fight for information, and to have an effect on and to shape the enemy through the performance of traditional armoured tasks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd/9th Light Horse (South Australian Mounted Rifles)</span> Australian Army Reserve unit

The 3rd/9th Light Horse is a Reserve light cavalry regiment of the Australian Army based in Smithfield, South Australia. It is constituted of a single squadron. It is part of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC), the regiment is attached to the 9th Brigade, and currently operates Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle - Light (PMV-L). On 26 October 2022, 9th Brigade transitioned as a Direct Command to Forces Command (FORCOMD) as part of an Army wide transformation. 3rd/9th Light Horse, 1st Armoured Regiment officially commenced on 1 November 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks in the Australian Army</span> Tanks used by or produced by Australia

The Australian Army has used tanks from after the First World War, through the interwar period, the Second World War, the Cold War and to the present day. Throughout this period the Army has primarily been a light infantry force, with its tanks mainly being used in the direct support role. The Australian Army's tanks have seen combat during the Second World War and the Vietnam War, where they proved successful despite some of the designs employed being considered obsolete. The first Australian tanks were a small number of British medium and light tanks which were operated mainly for training purposes during the 1920s and 1930s.

References