Australian 1st Armoured Regiment

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1st Armoured Regiment
1st Armoured Regiment cap badge
Active	7 July 1949-
Country	Australia
Branch	Army
Type	Armoured
Role	Main Battle Tank
Size	One regiment
Part of	Royal Australian Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ	Darwin
Motto	Paratus (Ready) (Latin)
March	Quick - Radetski Slow - Grand March from Aida
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HRH The Prince of Wales (Colonel-in-Chief, RAAC)
Colonel of the Regiment	Lieutenant General Laurie O'Donnell, AC
Insignia
Unit Colour Patch

1st Armoured Regiment is an armoured regiment of the Australian Army, and is the senior regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. The regiment is also the only one in the Australian Army to be equipped with main battle tanks. The regiment provides the basis for one of two battlegroups within 1 Brigade, the other coming from 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.

[edit] History

The regiment was formed as the Australian 1st Armoured Car Squadron in 1946, following which it served as part of the occupation force in Japan following the Second World War. After the unit's return two years later, it was expanded to a full regiment and renamed as the 1st Armoured Regiment, to be equipped with the Centurion. Initially though it used the Churchill. Because of the unsuitability of the Churchill, Australia was unable to provide the requested armour support during the Korean War.

In 1967, the regiment's C Squadron was sent to Vietnam. Over the course of the next four years, all three of the regiment's operational squadrons would see service in Vietnam, gaining four battle honours in the process.

In 1976 the Centurion was replaced in service by the Leopard 1 (the Leopard 1 was selected over the M60 Patton following trials conducted by the Australian Medium Tank Trials Unit in 1972 and 1973). The Leopard MBT is currently being replaced by 59 M1A1 Abrams AIM tanks.