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Re: South African Air Force Heraldry

Posted: 19 Sep 2015, 11:00
by Marcus Karlsson
Training Units:

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Re: South African Air Force Heraldry

Posted: 19 Sep 2015, 11:06
by Marcus Karlsson
Flight Test and Development Center, AFB Overberg; Silver Falcons Acrobatic Team and SAAF Museum, AFB Swartkop (which is South Africa's oldest military Air Base beeing opened in 1921, today it has no active operational units).

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Re: South African Air Force Heraldry

Posted: 30 Sep 2015, 21:49
by Mike_Oettle
The shields of the reserve squadrons are all green with an orange saltire, fimbriated in white. This derives from the commando system that chiefly fell under the army (and dated back originally to the Dutch colonial period). The commando flag was green with an orange saltire, fimbriated white.
The squadrons were (prior to 1994) referred to as commando squadrons, and were made up of private pilots commissioned in the air force, flying their own aircraft. These were distinct from Citizen Force squadrons, which flew regular air force aircraft.
The army commando system was quite improperly suppressed by the ANC government.
In colonial times there were commandos covering the Cape Colony as well as the Boer republics. I am not sure whether Natal had commandos before 1948, though.

The security squadrons are oddly named, since their function is equivalent to that of the RAF Regiment: they are ground forces dedicated to the security and defence of air bases.

Re: South African Air Force Heraldry

Posted: 07 Oct 2015, 18:39
by Marcus Karlsson
Mike, I think the Security Squadrons are quite aptly named. As you write their Role is Base Security.

Re: South African Air Force Heraldry

Posted: 29 Oct 2015, 17:34
by Mike_Oettle
Marcus, I was referring to the use of the word squadron, rather than security, which is an obvious label. In air force terminology, a squadron is usually a unit of x number of aircraft with its crew.

But "squadron" was used for land units long before the air forces of the world borrowed it.

Re: South African Air Force Heraldry

Posted: 08 Nov 2015, 12:07
by Marcus Karlsson
OK, then I understand our objection Mike. But as You write the term Squadron has a long use for ground units (usualy of company equalient in Cavalry, Signals and Engineers. However a US Cavalry Squadron is roughly equalient to a Battalion) before beeing used by the Air Force and there is of cause precendence as RAF Regiment units are also named Squadrons.