Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment


The Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment / General Dan Pienaar Artillery Regiment is an artillery regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It is part of the South African Army Artillery Formation.

History

Origin

The First Regiment

In 1854 the Free-State became an independent Republic. The British forces withdrew, leaving behind four 9-pounder garrison guns in the Queen's Fort in Bloemfontein. This was for many years the only ordnance the Free State Republic had.
The Free State Artillery Corps was subsequently founded in 1864 on a request by President Johannes Henricus Brand and housed in Queen's Fort.
Anglo Boer War
By the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War, the corps was commanded by Major Richard Friedrich Wilhelm Albrecht. The unit served on the Western front, Natal front and into the Guerrilla phase of the War. The unit played a major role in every major battle of the war where Free State forces fought.

The Second Regiment

In 1922, 3 Permanent Battery was formed. This unit was split up on 1 July 1926 into two units namely 4 Burgher Battery and 5 Burgher Battery.
In 1932 these two were renamed 1 Oranje-Vrystaat Veldartillerie and 2 Oranje Vrystaat Veldartillerie.
World War 2
On 1 February 1940 these units were joined as 12th Field Battery and did sterling service in Egypt. They took heavy casualties at Tobruk and El-Alamein.
On 18 April 1946 the unit was renamed 6 Field Artillery Regiment.

Current

Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment was based at Tempe, Bloemfontein, but relocated to Kroonstad in 2007.

Name Change

In August 2019 52 units of the Reserve Force had their names to reflect the diversity of the current SANDF.
This unit had its name changed to General Dan Pienaar Artillery Regiment.

Battle honours