Parabats: South Africa's Elite Parachute Battalion Earned Its Place in History

In recent weeks, I have penned multiple articles on U.S. Armed Forces’ elite Special Operations units, from the Army’s Delta Force and Special Forces (SF, AKA “Green Berets”), to the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, to the Marine Raiders, and even the Air Force Pararescue Jumpers (PJs) and Combat Controllers (CCTs).

So now, in the interest of diversifying my special operations coverage, I am expanding my scope to some foreign elite units. Famous units like the British Special Air Service (SAS), French Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale (GIGN; affectionately nicknamed “Gigene”), and German Grenzschutzgruppe Neun (GSG-9) might seem like the obvious choices. However, as my instructors at both USAF Officer Training School (OTS) and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) exhorted my fellow trainees and me to “think outside the box,” I will now write about an elite foreign military unit that most of my fellow American’s have probably never heard of: South Africa’s Parachute Battalion, nicknamed the “Parabats.”

Job/Mission Description and Early History

1 Parachute Battalion was founded on April 1, 1966, under the command of Lt Col (later Lt Gen) Willem Louw SSA SM; other noteworthy commanders of the unit included Brigadier M.J. du Plessis and Colonel Jan Breytenbach. Today, it is the only full-time paratroop unit in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF); during the infamous apartheid era—which officially ended in 1994—it was simply known as the South African Defence Force, and is currently commanded by Lt. Col. D. Mziki. The battalion’s proud motto is “Ex alto vincimus (We conquer from Above).”

Operational History In Brief: Noteworthy Parabat Combat Missions

The Parabats were first “blooded” in combat in 1966 during a counterinsurgency war in South West Africa (known nowadays as Namibia); indeed, these troops carried out the very first combat action of that war, whereupon they participated in a heliborne assault on an insurgent base. From there, the Battalion was embroiled in operations in SWA/Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and elsewhere on an almost constant basis for over twenty years.

In the post-apartheid era, the Parabats’ best-known combat ops were:

-The Battle for Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) in March 2012, whereupon the unit—which was attached to a South African military assistance operation in the CAR—suffered thirteen killed in action via an ambush conducted by Seleka rebels; the following year, it was announced that 1 Parachute Battalion would receive Battle Honours for their sacrifice.

-In support of the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2013, a single Parabat company under the command of Major Vic Vrolik fought a series of engagements.

Perspective From My Former Colleagues

I’ve been unable to get ahold of any Parabat veterans to garner their firsthand perspectives on life in that unit. So, I did the next best thing by pinging a couple of friends who were members of other SADF/SANDF units (and served on that same Iraq contract as I did) and, though they didn’t serve with the Parachute Battalion, they spent enough time working with them to provide me some useful information.

First, there’s my friend John Dovey, RD (Reserve Distinction), a South African army veteran with thirty-five years of service:

“To the foreign observer, the Parabats appear to be simple parachute qualified infantry. This is far from the case. The best comparison would be to [U.S. Army] Ranger Battalion or [USMC] Force Recon. Jump qualification is simply the initial barrier to entry and the selection is harsh and fierce. There are Green Berets I know who have said it’s a tougher selection than that to get into the Q course. The ‘Bats pride themselves on being tough for a simple reason; they are!”

From there, Dovey adds:

“The ‘PT Course’ is a grueling, vicious physical and mental event, initially running for two weeks, then changed to run for a full 72 hours without interruption. Those who make it through that initial test know that their comrades are some of the physically and mentally toughest soldiers it’s possible to have. That certainty is the beginning of the brotherhood that all ‘Bats share. The fierce pride of the Parabats is reflected in the reverence they accord to the earning and wearing of their ‘Maroon Beret.’ Touch a Parabat’s beret at your own peril.”

Then there’s my friend “Grunt,” to whom I’m assigning a pseudonym out of respect for his request for anonymity; “Grunt” served as an Olifant tank crewman, rising up the conscript ranks to troop sergeant before ascending to the commissioned officer ranks, ultimately leaving the service with the rank of “Lieutenant qualified to Major.” “Grunt’s” Parabat tidbit isn’t as detailed as John’s, but it is a good bit more comical:

“Armor and Para Bats had a strong rivalry. They used to try to steal our black berets. We used to have many fights in the streets of Bloemfontein where MPs [Military Police] would arrest everyone. I remember a huge fight in one of the night clubs where I came across an armour man lying in the toilet, beaten by Bats. We caught them in the streets and chased them into an alleyway, but just then the police released a K9 and the Bats were locked up.”

Baie dankie (“Thank you very much”), John and “Grunt!” As the title and opening line of South Africa’s national anthem says, “Nkosi Sikelele Afrika (God Bless Africa)!”

About the Author: Christian D. Orr

Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.

This article was inspired by my friend and former Iraq contracting comrade-in-arms , Craig de Villiers, a former Para Bat. Sadly, a few months ago, Craig lost his battle with lung cancer, and ergo I dedicate this writeup to him.

Image: Johan Nicolaas van Vuren / Shutterstock.com