British Columbia Army

The British Columbia Army (Chinook Wawa: Kidau) is the land-based military force of British Columbia, and forms one of the three environmental commands of the BC Defence Force.

Over the course of its history, the BC Army has served in the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, the Persian Gulf War, the Gulf War, and various United Nations peacekeeping missions and APTO operations.

History

Following the establishment of the Dominion of British Columbia, Parliament enacted the Permanent Militia Act in 1876, which called for the establishment of a standing army to provide for the defence of the Dominion. Over the subsequent years and decades other formations were created, until in 1936 it was renamed the British Columbia Army, and a part-time reserve force called the British Columbia Militia was formed.

Structure

Command of the Army is exercised by Defence Force Headquarters in Victoria.

The senior appointment in the Army is the Chief of the General Staff, who holds the rank of Field Marshal and holds direct command of the Army through the Army Headquarters based at Abbotsford.

Reporting to the Chief of the General Staff are the Commander Land Forces, the Adjutant-General to the Forces and the Commander Doctrine and Training, who each hold the rank of General.

Units

The units of the BC Army on the current Order of Battle are as follows, listed in Order of Precedence:

1. Household Division

• Governor General's Horse Guards
• Governor General's Foot Guards

2. Royal British Columbia Armoured Corps (RBCAC)

• Royal British Columbia Regiment
• The British Columbia Dragoons
• The Queen's Own British Columbia Hussars

3. Royal Regiment of British Columbia Artillery (RBCA)

• 1st Field Artillery Regiment
• 2nd Air Defence Regiment (The Vancouver Regiment)
• 3rd Air Defence Regiment (Earl Grey's Own)
• 4th Air Defence Regiment (The Royal Welsh)
• 5th Field Artillery Regiment (Royal British Columbians)
• 16th Coastal Battery (BC Garrison)
• 6th Independent Heavy Battery
• 10th/12th/31st Coastal Battery
• 15th/23rd Coastal Battery
• 7th Anti-Tank Battery
• 8th Anti-Tank Battery
• 11th Coastal Battery
• 13th Coastal Battery
• 14th Coastal Battery
• 29th Coastal Battery

5. Royal British Columbia Infantry Corps (RBCIC)

• The Royal Westminster Regiment
• The Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles
• The Gordon Highlanders of British Columbia
• The British Columbia Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's)
• The Okanagan Regiment
• The North British Columbia Regiment
• The Seaforth Highlanders of British Columbia
• The Kootenay Regiment
• The Irish Fusiliers of British Columbia
• The Rocky Mountain Rangers
• The Atlin Rifles
• The Pacific Coast Rangers

6. Royal British Columbia Corps of Signals (RBCSC)

• 1st Independent Communications Squadron
• 2nd Independent Communications Squadron
• 3rd Independent Communications Squadron
• General Department

Equipment

The following is a list of weapons and equipment used by the BC Army throughout its history:

Tanks

• Mk. V Tank (1918–1927)
• Vickers Medium Mk. II medium tank (1918–1927)
• Cruiser Mk. I cruiser tank (1938–1942)
• Valentine II infantry tank (1940–1945)
• Churchill heavy infantry tank (1941–1945)
• Crusader III cruiser tank (1942–1948)
• M4A1 Sherman medium tank (1942–1945)
• M4A3E8 Sherman medium tank (1943–1945)
• Centurion main battle tank (1948–1969)
• Chieftain Mk. II main battle tank (1969–1976)
• Chieftain Mk. II A main battle tank (1976–1981) - first upgrade, adding Thermal Observation & Gunnery Sight and other minor improvements
• Chieftain Mk. II B main battle tank (1981–1988) - second upgrade, adding Stillbrew armour
• Tyee Mk. I main battle tank (1988–2010) - rebuilt and modernised Chieftain II B
• Iitl’akdáa main battle tank (2010 to date) - Indian-made Arjun MBT

Light Tanks

• Carden Loyd tankette (1930–1941)
• Renault R35 light infantry tank (1936–1942)
• Tetrarch Mk. VII light tank (1938–1943)

Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicles

• Otter Mk. I light recce car (1942–1945)
• Daimler Mk. I armoured car (1942–1961)
• Lynx Mk. II scout car (1943–1950)
• Staghound Mk. I armoured car (1943–1951)
• Humber Mk. III armoured car (1948–1964)
• M8 Greyhound armoured car (1950–1960)
• Kiidaw-R armoured car (1959–1980)
• VBR armoured car (1980 to date)

Armoured Personnel Carriers

• Universal Carrier personnel carrier variants (1935–1957)
• Loyd Carrier personnel carrier and variants (1940–1951)
• M3 White personnel carrier and variants (1941–1945)
• M5A1 White personnel carrier (1942–1945)
• Windsor Carrier personnel carrier (1944–1946)
• C15TA armoured truck (1944–1962)
• Gaansateh armoured personnel carrier and variants (1956–1983)
• Bv 206 articulated carrier (1973 to date)
• VAB armoured personnel carrier and variants (1977 to date)

Tank Transporters

• Diamond T 980 (1942–1968)
• M25 Tank Transporter (1945–1973)
• Hayes HDX (1952–2002)
• Bedford VA (1999 to date)

Aircraft

• Bristol Belvedere heavy-lift transport helicopters (1962–1971)
• Bristol Sycamore utility helicopters (1949–1962)
• De Havilland BC DH.50B Bluebird transport/liaison aircraft (1943–1947)
• Denel Kestrel attack helicopters (2008 to date)
• Kaman Huskie utility helicopters (1951–1954)
• Kamov Grasshopper light utility helicopters (2005 to date)
• Mil Cyclone heavy-lift transport helicopters (2011 to date)
• Piasecki Kiutan transport and SAR helicopters (1953–1970)
• Saunders-Roe Skeeter utility helicopters (1958–1967)
• Sikorsky Blackhawk multi-purpose helicopters (1982 to date)
• Yarrows Yarksis heavy-lift transport helicopters (1971–2014)
• Yarrows Yoho multi-purpose helicopters (1961–1993)

Artillery

Self-Propelled Artillery

• Sexton 25-pounder 87.6 mm (1943–1968)
• FV433 Abbot 105 mm (1967–2014)
• Nora B-52 155 mm (2013 to date)

Towed Artillery

• RBL 20-pounder Armstrong 95.3 mm field gun (1874–1906)
• BL 15-pounder 7 cwt 76.2 mm field gun (1892–1918)
• BL 5-inch 127 mm howitzer (1895–1920)
• QF 13-pounder 76.2 mm field gun (1904–1942)
• QF 18-pounder 83.8 mm field gun (1904–1945)
• BL 60-pounder 127 mm field gun (1908–1946)
• QF 4.5-inch 114 mm howitzer (1910–1945)
• BL 6-inch 26 cwt 152.4 mm howitzer (1916–1950)
• BL 5.5-inch Medium Gun Mk. III 140 mm field gun (1941–1976)
• M2A1 (M101A1) 105 mm howitzer (1941–1978)
• QF 25-pounder 87.6 mm howitzer (1941–1979)
• 8-inch Gun M1 203 mm heavy gun (1941–1983)
• M1 (M114) 155 mm howitzer (1942–1983)
• 4.5-inch Gun M1 114 mm field gun (1943–1966)
• M198 155 mm howitzer (1981–2014)
• M777 155 mm howitzer (2013 to date)

Rocket Artillery

• LARS (1979–2007) - 110 mm multiple rocket launcher (36 tubes) on Hayes HD truck chassis
• Whirlwind Mk. I (2009 to date) - 300 mm multiple rocket launcher (12 tubes) on MAZ-79111 chassis
• Tornado Mk. I (2013 to date) - airmobile 300 mm multiple rocket launcher (6 tubes) on Bedford VA chassis

Coastal Defence Missiles

• Gabriel III surface-to-surface missile (1979–2007) - in fixed emplacements
• Hsiung Feng II surface-to-surface missile (2006 to date) - on towed launchers

Artillery Tractors

• Thornycroft Hathi (1924–1942)
• Scammell Pioneer (1938–1967)
• AEC Matador (1939–1963)
• M3A1 White half-track (1941–1949)
• Morris C8 (1940–1955)
• Chevrolet Canada 8440/CGT CMP (1941–1958)
• Hayes HDXT (1952–2005)
• Bedford VA (1999 to date)

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Vehicles

• M3A1 Gun Motor Carriage (1941–1944) - QF 6-pounder 57 mm anti-tank gun on M3A1 White half-track
• Deacon Mk. I (1942–1944) - QF 6-pounder 57 mm anti-tank gun on AEC Matador truck chassis
• Archer Mk. I (1943–1975) - QF 17-pounder 76.2 mm anti-tank gun on Valentine tank chassis
• Gaansateh-AT (1968–1982) - Fairey BC Swingfire ATGM on Gaansateh APC
• VBR-AT Mk. I (1981–1995) - Fairey BC Swingfire ATGM on Panhard VBR
• VBR-AT Mk. II (1995 to date) - Eryx ATGM on Panhard VBR

Anti-Aircraft Weapons

Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns

• Ford AA-AA (1930–1938) - M1921 Browning .50 MG mount on Ford AA truck
• AA Carrier (1936–1946) - Bofors QF 40 mm AA gun on Universal Carrier Mk. I
• M14 SPAA (1940–1952) - twin M2 Browning .50 MG mount on M3 White half-track
• Bedford QLB (1941–1953) - Bofors QF 40 mm AA gun on Bedford QL truck
• Crusader III AA Mk. I (1944–1962) - Bofors QF 40 mm AA gun on Crusader III tank chassis
• Saghaliko (1960–1983) - Tobin LC.2|LC.2/3-AA 30 mm triple cannon on Kiidaw chassis
• VAB-AA (1980 to date) - Tobin LC.3/4-AA 30 mm quad cannon on Panhard VAB chassis

Towed Anti-Aircraft Guns

• Bofors QF 40 mm AA gun (1936–1988)
• QF 3.7-inch 94 mm AA gun (1938–1968)
• Polsten 20mm AA gun (1945–1953)
• Oerlikon GDF-005 35 mm twin autocannon with Skyguard radar (1986 to date)

Self-Propelled Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers

• Pyahstick Saghaliko Mk. I (1962–1991) - twin Fairey BC Red Top launcher on Kiidaw chassis
• Pyahstick Saghaliko Mk. II (1979–1991) - twin DHBC Skyflash Mk. I launcher on Kiidaw chassis; operated together with Gaansateh-ADR APC with tracking/guidance radar
• VAB-AA-M (1989–2008) - twin DHBC Skyflash Mk. II launcher on Panhard VAB chassis; also known as Pyahstick VAB
• Pantsir-S1 (2004 to date) - SA-22 Greyhound

Towed Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers

• Tigercat (1968–1979)
• Rapier (1977 to date)

Man-Portable Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers

• Flyswatter (1971–1977) - Fairey BC-built clones of SA-7 Strela obtained via covert means; less than satisfactory
• Blowpipe (1976–1990)
• Mistral S1 (1990–2005)
• Starstreak (2003 to date)

Infantry Weapons

Rifles

• Pattern 1853 Enfield .577 rifle-musket (1853–1870)
• Brunswick .704 percussion rifle (1853–1899)
• Spencer .56-56 repeating rifle (1860–1872) - used by cavalry only
• Snider-Enfield .577 breech-loading rifle (1867–1901)
• Magazine Lee-Enfield .303 repeating rifle (1896–1926)
• Lee-Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mk. I .303 repeating rifle (1897–1927) - used by cavalry only; still used by the Governor General's Horse Guards for ceremonial purposes
• Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk. III .303 repeating rifle (1908–1952) - still used by the Governor General's Foot Guards for ceremonial purposes
• Lee-Enfield Rifle No. 4 Mk. I .303 repeating rifle (1942–1997)
• DeLisle Commando Carbine .45 bolt-action special ops rifle (1943–1965) - used by BC SAS only
• L1A1 SLR 7.62x51 mm NATO battle rifle (1955–2003)
• AK-101 5.56x45 mm NATO assault rifle (1999 to date)

Sniper Rifles

Each infantry regiment has a dedicated fireteam of designated sharpshooters. The BC SAS and the Parachute Regiment also maintain sniper squads.

• Kongsberg M59F1 7.62x51 mm NATO sniper rifle (1960–1991)
• Våpensmia NM149 7.62x51 mm NATO sniper rifle (1988–2013)
• Blaser R93 LRS2 7.62x51 mm NATO sniper rifle (1994–2014)
• McMillan TAC-50 .50 BMG sniper rifle (2000 to date) - used by BC SAS
• Sako TRG-42 .300 Winchester Magnum sniper rifle (2012 to date)

Service Pistols

• Colt Model 1878 revolver (1885–1905)
• Colt "New Service" .455 Webley revolver (1902–1930)
• Colt Model 1911 .455 Webley semi-automatic service pistol (1919–1958)
• Tobin "High-Power" .40 semi-automatic service pistol (1944 to date) - BC re-engineering of Browning Hi-Power

General-Purpose Machine Guns

• Vickers .303 water-cooled machine gun (1914–1946)
• Browning M1919 .303 GP machine gun (1937–1985) - from 1950 converted to 7.62x51 mm NATO
• FN MAG 7.62x51 mm NATO GP machine gun (1980 to date)

Heavy Machine Guns

• Browning M1917 .30-06 Springfield heavy machine gun (1920–1957)
• Browning M2 .50 heavy machine gun (1940–2008)
• Tobin LC.2 30x122 mm heavy machine gun (1948 to date)
• Tobin BRG-15 15.5x106 mm (1996 to date) - Tobin took over the FN BRG-15 project when FN abandoned it to focus on other projects

Light Machine Guns

• Lewis .303 light machine gun (1914–1943)
• Bren .303 light machine gun (1938–1959)
• L2A1 7.62x51 mm NATO light machine gun (1955–2006)

Sub-machine Guns

• Thompson M1921 .45 ACP SMG (1929–1957)
• Thompson M1 .45 ACP SMG (1943–1971)
• Sterling 9x19 mm Parabellum SMG (1958–2001)
• Heckler & Koch MP5K 9x19 mm Parabellum SMG (1986 to date)

Anti-Tank Rifles & Rockets

• Boys .55 anti-tank rifle (1938–1943)
• PIAT infantry anti-tank rocket (1942–1966)
• M72 LAW 66mm anti-tank rocket (1964–1992)
• Bofors AT4 84mm anti-tank rocket (1986 to date)

Recoilless Rifles

• M18 57 mm (1945–1967)
• L2 BAT 120 mm (1956–1970)
• M67 90 mm (1965 to date)
• L6 WOMBAT 120 mm (1966 to date)

Anti-Tank Guided Missiles

• Malkara (1959–1968)
• Swingfire (1967–2009)
• Eryx (1995 to date)

Utility Vehicles

Light General Service Trucks

• Ford TT (1919–1932)
• Ford AA (1928–1945)
• Willys MB (1941–1960)
• Bedford CA (1953–1987)
• Land Rover series I (1954–1977)
• Bedford TJ1 (1959–1981)
• Land Rover series II (1961–1980)
• Bedford HA (1964–2000)
• Bedford CF (1970 to date)
• Land Rover series III (1972–2002)
• Land Rover Defender 110 (1987–2013)
• Land Rover Defender XD (1996 to date)

Medium General Service Trucks

• Bedford OY (1939–1959)
• Bedford OXD (1940–1961)
• Bedford QLD (1941–1973)
• Bedford RL (1953–1995)
• Bedford MK (1963 to date)
• Bedford VA (2001 to date)

Heavy General Service Trucks

• AEC Mammoth Major (1935–1960)
• Austin K5 (1941–1957)
• Hayes HD (1952–2001)
• Hayes Clipper (1971–2011)
• Hoffar Stalwart (1966 to date)
• Bedford TM (1976 to date)
• Bedford VB (2003 to date)

Trailer Tractors

• Bedford OXC (1940–1972)
• Hayes LT (1947–1981)
• Hayes Clipper COE (1971–2011)
• Bedford TL (1983 to date)
• Bedford VE (2000 to date)