32-602: The Durban Light Infantry is a Motorised Infantry regiment of the South African Army . It lost its status as a Mechanised infantry regiment in 2010 in line with the rationalisation of resources. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. The full history of the regiment is recounted in an exhaustive but vivid and readable two-volume history by Lt.Col A.C.Martin, M.C.,V.D.,B.A.(Cape), Hon Ph.D (Natal). The first volume (368 pages) cover
64-530: A Lieutenant George S. Patton was introduced to mechanized warfare when he led a small group of men against Villa's forces at San Miguelito Ranch. After the war, the major militaries of the world saw the great benefit that motorized vehicles could have on the logistics and combat effectiveness of their infantry units. In the 1920s, the British created the Experimental Mechanized Force between
96-465: A new series of military orders, decorations and medals was instituted in South Africa on 27 April 2003. Its position remained unchanged, as it was on 27 April 1994, upon the latter two occasions. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Southern Cross Medal of 1975 is struck in silver, to fit in a circle 38 millimetres in diameter, and
128-628: A pyramid. The lion is symbolic of strength, courage and fortitude. The three mounds are symbolic of the battles fought in World War II – Monte Stanco , Monte Peza and Monte Sole/Caprara . The pyramid is symbolic of the 1941–1943 Egyptian Campaign. The garland which surrounds the coloured badge comprises the Thistle of Scotland, the Tudor Rose of England and the Shamrock of Ireland – symbols taken from
160-565: A shield with two wildebeest and a crown . The wildebeest are symbolic of the Province, while the crown retained as a traditional device is reminiscent of the title "Royal" bestowed upon the Regiment by King George V in 1935. The words " Primus in Africa" are superimposed within a scroll. The crest is composed of a lion passant guardant on three mounds – the centre mound being charged with
192-494: Is 3 millimetres thick at the centre. It depicts the stars of the Southern Cross against a dark blue enameled background, on a framed roundel in the centre of a starburst of radiating points. The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms , with the decoration number impressed underneath. The bar was struck in silver and has a Protea emblem embossed in the centre. The same bar was used to indicate multiple awards of
224-503: Is distinguished from mechanized infantry , which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles , and from light infantry , which can typically operate independently from supporting elements and vehicles for relatively long periods and may be airborne. As defined by the United States Army , motorization is "the use of unarmored wheeled vehicles for the transportation of combat units." Motorizing infantry
256-466: Is out of print. An illustrated history of the 150 years of the Regiment has been prepared by Prof. Brian Kearney , Mr Dave Matthews and Lieut Col "Bill" Olivier SM MMM JCD (Retd.). The book is being sold by the Headquarters Board. 11 Field Postal Unit Motorised Infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It
288-810: Is the first stage towards the mechanization of an army. Civilian trucks are often readily adaptable to military uses of transporting soldiers, towing guns, and carrying equipment and supplies. Motorization greatly increases the strategic mobility of infantry units, which would otherwise rely on marches or railroads . In practice, armies have found it advantageous to develop trucks to military specifications, such as all-wheel drive, to have vehicles that function reliably in extremes of weather and terrain. Motorization provides no direct tactical advantage in small-unit combat, as trucks and light utility vehicles are vulnerable to artillery and small arms fire. However, in larger battles, motorized infantry has an advantage in mobility allowing them to move to critical sectors of
320-451: Is used to indicate mechanized infantry; that term was used in some Warsaw Pact countries. These "motor rifle" divisions were mostly mechanized but had a core of motorized infantry with them. In practice, this meant that the infantry of the Soviet and Russian "tank" divisions rode in fully tracked BMP vehicles, while those in "motor rifle" divisions were equipped with wheeled BTR vehicles. After
352-592: The Durban Light Infantry . On the constitution of the Union Defence Force in 1912, the Unit became the Durban Light Infantry , renamed the 1st Infantry, (Durban Light Infantry) . In consequence the Unit was permitted to add to its badge " Primus in Africa" , the motto retained by the unit today in recognition of its foundation. In 1935, King George V conferred the title Royal on two Regiments being
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#1732869927312384-775: The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, which is now phase in the Oshkosh L-ATV and M-ATV . It has been described as "the first vehicle purpose-built for modern battlefield-networks". These vehicles have seen deployments in Rojava , Syria in Operation Inherent Resolve . For transportation outside of combat, the US military fields a variety of trucks including the Medium Tactical Vehicles replacement for
416-470: The Pro Virtute Medal , Army Cross , Air Force Cross , Navy Cross , Medical Service Cross , Southern Cross Medal (1975) and Pro Merito Medal (1975) . The original ribbon was 32 millimetres wide, with a 2 millimetres wide white band, an 11½ millimetres wide dark blue band and a 1 millimetre wide white band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 3 millimetres wide white band in the centre. It
448-619: The Royal Durban Light Infantry and the Royal Natal Carbineers , as a recognition of their seniority and service. In 1961 with the formation of the Republic, the title "Royal" was considered incompatible and the Regiment reverted to being the Durban Light Infantry . At the centre of the ' Regimental Colour ' is the badge worn by the Regiment since 1961. It consists of the recognised Infantry Silver Bugle with tassels and
480-679: The Vietnam War , the US military saw the need for light squad based transportation. This project became the Humvee which was used extensively by the Army and Marine Corps in the Gulf War , Early War in Afghanistan , and Early Iraq War . The latter two conflicts resulted in a large scale insurgency and saw the increase in use of IEDs . This soon became the largest source of casualties to NATO forces. The result
512-411: The panzer forces and defend its flanks . Notwithstanding the obvious advantages of motorization, most countries opted for only partial motorization of their infantry because of the cost and logistical implications caused by the deployment of so many vehicles. Even large armies were affected by such factors. The motorization of armies required massive industrialization of the economies in order to meet
544-506: The British Empire could motorize chosen subordinate units, but infantry usually advanced on foot. After WW2, most armies completely motorized and partially mechanized their infantry. The engineering improvements throughout the 20th century allowed for increasingly bigger vehicles to be deployed. In Russia and the former Soviet Union , the term motostrelki ( мотострелки in Cyrillic )
576-650: The Marine Corps and the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles for the Army. The National Guard and other reserve units also field older models such as the M939 5-ton 6x6 . Southern Cross Medal (1975) The Southern Cross Medal of 1975 , post-nominal letters SM , is a military decoration which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. It was awarded to officers of
608-560: The South African Defence Force for exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty. The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994, it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The Southern Cross Medal of 1975, post-nominal letters SM,
640-631: The Southern Cross Medal of 1975 in the official order of precedence was revised three times after 1975, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted in April 1996 for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe , and again when
672-406: The battlefield faster, allowing better response to enemy movements, and the ability to outmaneuver the enemy. The disadvantage of motorization is that fuel is critical; if motorized divisions run out of fuel, they may be required to abandon their vehicles. The First World War was the first major war to see use of petroleum-powered vehicles used to transport supplies and personnel, and to fight
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#1732869927312704-497: The civilian roles, they fulfil their responsibilities and duties on top of their duties and responsibilities to their Families and Employers. An enormous commitment to the safety and security of the Republic of South Africa. Training is mandatory with the current requirements of Equality and Equity in line with the SANDF Policy. The duration of training places an enormous pressure on members to get Employers to relieve them to attend
736-573: The courses and training exercises. Martin, Lieut Col A.C. MC VD BA (Cape) Hon.PhD (Natal) (1969). Durban Light Infantry: The History of the Durban Light Infantry Incorporating that of the Sixth South African Infantry, 1915 to 1917 . DLI Headquarter Board. {{ cite book }} : CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link ) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link ) was published in 1969. It
768-469: The enemy. Unarmored and armored cars were dispatched to attack enemy positions and trains, and were used to patrol the front. However, this was on a small scale and a majority of movement was on foot and logistics with trains and horse-drawn logistics . The Pancho Villa Expedition was a notable use of the armored car by the United States Cavalry under the command of General Pershing . There
800-492: The heavy cost for vehicle production, replacement parts, and fueling. The bulk of German and Soviet infantry remained on foot. While some units of the Wehrmacht , such as its armored divisions, were highly mechanized, most of the army was still using horses due to its inconsistent oil supply. US infantry divisions were able to motorize a major portion of their infantry due to their industrial base. Likewise, infantry divisions of
832-686: The old colour – and the other two flowers, the Protea , the National flower of South Africa , and the Strelitzia , the flower of Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal). The regimental headquarters of the DLI has been declared as a National Monument. The Regiment is being deployed in Africa, Burundi , DRC ; in support of the United Nations and African Union mandate All members of the Regiment are volunteers, with employment in
864-708: The period 1854-1934, and the second (487 pages) the period 1935-1960. The volumes are illustrated with over 100 photographs and maps. The Regiment was formed as the D’Urban Volunteer Guard , in May 1854. In 1859 the unit became the Durban Rifle Guard . In 1873 the unit became known as the Royal Durban Rifles . In 1889 the unit became known as the Natal Royal Rifles (Left half Battalion) . In 1895 it became
896-630: The practice was generally that recipients must already have received the Military Merit Medal . The equivalent award for other ranks was the Pro Merito Medal of 1975 . Although a rare occurrence, some officers were awarded both versions of the Southern Cross Medal, one such example being Vice-Admiral Lambert Jackson Woodburne DVR , SD , SM , former Chief of the Navy. In such cases, the post-nominal letters "SM" are used once only. The position of
928-515: The wars to test the capabilities of all-arms formations of mechanized units, this included motorized infantry ("Motor Battalions"). The speed advantages of motorized infantry first became important in World War II in the German Blitzkrieg . While it was no more robust than the regular infantry that moved on foot, its increased speed became decisive in the Blitzkrieg strategy, as it could follow
960-495: Was a shift away from lightly armored vehicles to more mechanized vehicles or more heavily armored MRAPs . During the duration of the Humvee's use in Iraq and Afghanistan and before the roll-out of MRAPs, it slowly became more heavily armored with larger turret shields, bulletproof glass and extra plating on its doors and components. Less armored but faster and lighter MRAPs were developed under
992-597: Was instituted by the State President on 1 July 1975 and replaced the Southern Cross Medal of 1952 . It was awarded to officers of the South African Defence Force for exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty. The use of post-nominal letters by all recipients was allowed from 1993. A bar, instituted in 1993 as well, could be awarded in recognition of further similar displays of meritorious service and devotion to duty. While not prescribed,
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1024-400: Was replaced by a new ribbon in 1986, 32 millimetres wide with a 4½ millimetres wide white band, a 9 millimetres wide dark blue band and a 1 millimetre wide white band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 3 millimetres wide dark blue band in the centre. Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003, when the Southern Cross Medal
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