Galeshewe Anti-Aircraft Regiment (formerly Regiment Vaalriver) is a reserve air defence artillery regiment of the South African Army.
History
Origin
Regiment Vaalrivier was established on 1 January 1960 as one of the Afrikaans medium anti-aircraft units. The unit was headquartered in Vereeniging.[1]
Regiment Vaalrivier was initially armed with 35mm Oerlikon and 40mm Bofors units. By 1975, the regiment only had three 35mm batteries of 12 guns per battery.
Regiment Vaalrivier provided air defence artillery for the border war in 1976 to 1980, stationing batteries at Grootfontein, Rundu, Ondwanga, Ruacana and Oshakati and once again Ruacana in 1980.
By 1984 forward, the regiment was involved in cross border operations as well.
Amalgamation
In 1997 members of Regiment Overvaal were amalgamated into the Regiment.
Migration
Regiment Vaalrivier moved to Apex Base in Brakpan in 2008, but eventually was transferred to Kimberley.
Name Change
In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa.[2] Regiment Vaalriver became the Galeshewe Anti-Aircraft Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.[3]
