- Yes
- No
Hi all, I’d like to suggest the addition of the emblem of the A Skadron from the 2e Jagers te Paard, a recce unit from the Belgian Armed Forces.
Spoiler
The origins of the 2JP can be traced back to 1830, surviving up to the Second World War. Unfortunately, it did not survive the German invasion of Belgium, however, it was reborn in 1948 in Siegen, Germany. Its organization followed English standards.
With the removal of recce elements from Infantry Divisions and the creation of the 16th Armored Division (which would form the core of the I BE Corps), the young recce regiment dissolved in 1949, only to appear again in 1952, this time with a US structure. The armored bulk of the 2e JP was originally formed by M24 and M47 tanks, along US halftracks.
In 1953, its HQ were moved to Kassel, representing the Belgian presence at the Iron Curtain. Notable reforms took place in 1957, when E skadron (howitzers) and D skadron (tanks) were dissolved, which forced the replacement of the M24 by M47 tanks in order to cope with the loss of firepower. However, this wouldn’t last long, since the M47 was replaced by the M41 Walker Bulldog.
There were a lot of reforms that took place during the 60’s, which I won’t explain for the sake of the simplicity of this suggestion. It’s remarkable to mention that some of the elements of the 2e JP were moved to the 4ème Chasseurs à Cheval, and the M75 carriers were replaced by the AMX type.
The 70’s were crucial for the unit. 1973 saw the adoption of the CVR(T), symbolic to Belgium, followed by the adoption of the Leopard 1BE in 1985. With the end of the Cold War and massive budget cuts taking place in Belgium, the 2e Jagers te Paard were combined with the 4ème Chasseurs à Cheval, creating the 2/4 Chasseurs à Cheval (2/4ChCh) in 2004.
2011 saw the end of the story, after the 2/4ChCh mixed with the 1ste Jagers te Paard, creating the Bataljon Jagers te Paard (known as Bn ISTAR). No emblems or names of the previous units were to be used, therefore ending with the long record of the 2e Jagers te Paard.
Spoiler
Each squadron (skadron) of the 2e Jagers te Paard from COMRECCE were represented by card game icons). These consisted of a black spade/club and a red heart/diamond, all displayed over a white square or rectangle:
In this case, the heart was destined to the A skadron, while the diamond was destined to the B skadron. I was unable to identify what skadrons the club and spade were for. However, you could see this marking in a wide variety of vehicles, including the Leopard 1BE, M41 Bulldog and even the CVR(T) family (Scorpion, Scimitar, Spartan, Sultan…)
