Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
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The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC) is the armoured branch of service of the Canadian Forces Land Force Command (Canadian Army), including regular force and militia regiments. The corps was formed in 1940 as the Canadian Armoured Corps with Major-General (then Colonel) F.F. Worthington as its first Colonel-Commandant, but claimed lineage from the Canadian Tank Corps of the First World War. The Royal designation was added in 1945. Canadian armoured regiments split their heritage between the cavalry, from whom many armoured regiments were created, and the infantry beginning in 1936 with the creation of Infantry (Tank) regiments and continuing from 1940 when many infantry regiments mobilized armoured units for the Second World War and eventually transferred from the (Royal) Canadian Infantry Corps into the RCAC.
Contents |
[edit] Regular Force regiments
[edit] Reserve Force regiments
- The Governor General's Horse Guards
- 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's)
- The Ontario Regiment (RCAC)
- The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC)
- Sherbrooke Hussars
- 12e Régiment blindé du Canada (Milice)
- 1st Hussars
- The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC)
- The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal)
- The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) (RCAC)
- The South Alberta Light Horse
- The Saskatchewan Dragoons
- The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC)
- The British Columbia Dragoons
- The Fort Garry Horse
- Le Régiment de Hull (RCAC)
- The Windsor Regiment (RCAC)
Regiments that have the letters "RCAC" as part of their name are those that have no cavalry heritage: they are either former infantry regiments that converted to armour, or created directly as an armoured unit. The 12e Régiment blindé du Canada is converted from infantry, but does not have the RCAC suffix because the word blindé in its title is sufficient to indicate its armoured role.
[edit] Equipment
The main vehicles operated by the RCAC include:
- Leopard C2 main battle tank
- Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle; this is in service with the Regular Force regiments
- G-Wagon reconnaissance vehicle; this is used by the Militia regiments
[edit] Order of precedence
RCHA on parade with guns: (See note below)
Preceded by: Army elements of Royal Military College of Canada |
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (Armour Branch) |
Succeeded by: Royal Canadian Artillery |
RCHA on dismounted parades: (See note below)
Preceded by: Royal Canadian Horse Artillery |
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (Armour Branch) |
Succeeded by: Royal Canadian Artillery |
Note: The honour of "The Right of the Line" (precedence over other units), on an army parade, is held by the units of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery when on parade with their guns. On dismounted parades, RCHA units take precedence over all other land force units except formed bodies of Officer Cadets of the Royal Military College representing their college. RCA units parade to the left of units of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.