3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
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| 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the Royal Australian Regiment |
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| Active | 12th October 1945-Present |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Parachute Infantry |
| Part of | 3 Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Holsworthy |
| Nickname | Old Faithful |
| Motto | Duty First |
| March | Our Director (Band); Heilan Laddie (Pipes and Drums) |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HM The Queen (Australian Infantry Corps) |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |  |
| Tartan | Royal Stewart (Pipers kilts and plaids) |
The 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is an Australian parachute battalion based in Sydney. 3 RAR was initially formed in 1945 as the Australian 67th Battalion and has seen active service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, South Vietnam and East Timor. 3 RAR will convert to a light infantry battalion and relocate to Townsville by 2011.
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[edit] History
[edit] Formation
3 RAR was initially formed on 20 October 1945 as the 67th Battalion. The Battalion was intended for occupation duties in Japan and was formed from volunteers from the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 11th Australian Divisions. The battalion was redesignated the 3rd Battalion of the Australian Regiment upon the Regiment's formation in November 1948. The 'Royal' prefix was appended in March 1949.
The 67th Battalion arrived in Japan as part of the Australian 34th Brigade in February 1946. As with the rest of the occupation force, the Battalion did not encounter any significant resistance or civil unrest. The Australian force in Japan was gradually downsized, with 3 RAR being the only Australian battalion left in the country at the outbreak of the Korean War.
[edit] Korea
3 RAR was rapidly committed as Australia's main land force contribution to the United Nations forces in the Korean War. After a period of intensive training and reinforcement in Japan, the battalion arrived in South Korea in late September 1950. The battalion formed part of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade and took part in the United Nations offensive into North Korea and the subsequent retreat into South Korea following the Chinese offensive in the winter of 1950-51. It was one of three units to receive the Presidential Unit Citation (US) after the Battle of Kapyong.
[edit] Malaya
[edit] South Vietnam
3 RAR served 2 tours in Vietnam, the first 1967 to 1968 saw the battalion stationed in Phuoc Tuy Province. The battalion took part in several operations and was involved in mine clearing, counter mortar and rocket tasks and reconnaissance in force operations. During 26 and 28 May 1968, 3 RAR, while stationed at FSPB Balmoral in a battalion defensive position, withstood two determined assaults by regimental sized units of the North Vietnamese Army. In 1971 the battalion returned to Phuoc Tuy Province. During the second tour the battalion took part in several minor actions. The battalion returned home by the end of 1971.
[edit] East Timor
3 RAR played a key role in the Australian-lead intervention into East Timor in 1999. The Battalion arrived in Dili by sea and was initially responsible for the city. The battalion later secured the enclave of Oecussi. 3 RAR returned to Australia in February 2000 and served a second 6-month tour of East Timor in 2002. In May 2006 the 3 RAR Battalion Group was deployed to restore order to East Timor as part of Operation Astute. An online company group was deployed at short notice in Feb 2007 for 4 months and replaced by a second company group in June 2007 for 7 weeks.
[edit] Solomon Islands
3RAR deployed to the Solomon Islands on Monday 24 January 2004 to reinforce the military component of RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) RAMSI. The 3RAR company of Soldiers consisted of approximately 100 personnel to provide added support to the local and Australian Federal Police in enforcing the rule of law and restoring order in the Solomon Islands. [1]. The soldiers tent lines at RAMSI base were named the "PTE Jamie Clark Lines" in March 2007 after the accidental death of PTE Clarke in March 2004.
[edit] Iraq
3 RAR was brought into the Australian media as it contained the first Australian Soldier to be killed in Iraq. PTE Jake Kovco died in April 2006 while deployed to Baghdad in Iraq when he accidentally shot himself while handling his pistol.[2]
[edit] Current composition
3 RAR currently consists of:
- Battalion Headquarters
- Three basic parachute infantry companies
- Support Company
- Administration Company
3 RAR forms the main element of the Australian Army's Airborne Battle Group. This battle group consists of:
- 3rd Brigade Command Elements
- 3 RAR
- A Battery, 4th Field Regiment
- Parachute Surgical Team, 1 Health Support Battalion
- Signals Element, 3rd Command Support Regiment and 7 Signals Regiment
- Engineer Troop, 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment
- RAAF Mobile Air Control Elements
Under the 'Hardened and Networked Army' initiative announced in December 2005, 3 RAR was to convert to a mechanised structure. However, in August 2006 it was announced that 3 RAR would instead convert to a pure light infantry structure and the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment would be reformed as a mechanised infantry battalion.
[edit] Role
3 RAR is currently Australia's only parachute infantry battalion. With the rest of the Parachute Battalion Group the battalion is responsible for providing a rapid reaction capability. One company from the battalion is maintained on high readiness to deploy at 48 hours notice. In addition to its specialised parachute role, 3 RAR is also capable of operating as a conventional light infantry battalion. If required, 4 RAR (CDO) can provide highly trained Commandos to do the role of 3 RAR, however due to their special forces commitments this is not currently a preferred option. After 3 RAR is re-rolled to a light infantry battalion 4 RAR will become the Army's only parachute-qualified battalion, however.
[edit] Alliances
United Kingdom - Scots Guards- United Kingdom - The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish)
[edit] References
- Lt Simone Heyer Showcase of Skills
- David Horner (Editor) (1990). Duty First. The Royal Australian Regiment in War and Peace. Allen & Unwin. Sydney.
- Ian Kuring (2004). Redcoats to Cams: A History of Australian Infantry 1788 to 2001. Loftus in association with the Australian Army Historical Unit. Sydney.
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