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Rhodesian BSAP Support Unit Cloth Badge

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Your Price: $5.00

Part Number: FFV-RA-BSAP-SUPATCH01

Availability: In Stock.

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Reproduction cloth badges, as worn by members of the Rhodesian Security Forces serving as "Black Boots" in the British South Africa Police's elite Support Unit.

The Support Unit traces it's origins to the "Askari Platoon", and was one of the earliest individual formations within the BSAP. Forrmed originally in 1898 as a native police auxiliary, it was originally manned by black Ngoni tribesmen,. The unit performed ceremonial and training duties for most of their existence, but progressively began to be utilized as a combat arms paramilitary wing of the BSAP as the Rhodesian Bush War escalated in the early 1960s. It was expanded into three paramilitary troops in 1968, and would continue to rapidly grow in size as the war continued to escalate. From here, the ethnic composition would shift towards being manned by white mercenary veterans from the Congo Crisis, to being primarily black African policemen who had received both army and police training. By the later stages of the Bush War, the unit was formed primarily of African troops again, commanded in large part by hand selected from the regular duty branches of the BSAP. The unit received a high level of weapons and tactical training, comparable to the Rhodesian Army's line regiments, and even adopted some of the pseudo-operations tactics employed by the Selous Scouts. Among it's unique duties were specialized counter riot-tactics, detainee handling, crowd control, stock theft investigations, anti-poaching operations, and guard/escort duties. It also absorbed a mounted element of the BSAP, and would be equip with specialized light armor such as the indigenously produced Cougar and Puma vehicles. Donning distinctive black boots, in contrast to brown boots in the rest of the Rhodesian Security Forces, the unit carried itself with a unique espirit de corps, and performed their duties as a do-it-all unit for the BSAP.

The unit cloth badge was changed during the later half of the Rhodesian Bush War, to reflective an aggressive bird of prey swooping downwards, superimposed onto a subdued khaki shield.

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Rhodesian BSAP Support Unit Cloth Badge

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