Book Review of
South African Armoured Vehicles
A History of Innovation & Excellence
Africa @ War 49
Author: Dr. Dewald Venter
Helion & Co. Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-913336-25-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
Copyright 2020
ISBN: 978-1-913336-25-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
Copyright 2020
HISTORY:
During the Cold War, Africa became a prime location for proxy wars between the East and the West. Against the backdrop of a steep rise in liberation movements backed by Eastern Bloc communist countries, such as Cuba and the Soviet Union, southern Africa saw one of the most intense wars ever fought on the continent.
Subjected to international sanctions due to the policies of racial segregation, known as Apartheid, South Africa was cut off from sources of major arms systems from 1977. Over the following years, the country became involved in the war in Angola, which gradually grew in ferocity and converted into a conventional war.
With the available equipment being ill-suited to the local hot, dry and dusty climate, and confronted with the omnipresent threat of land mines, the South Africans began researching and developing their own, often ground-breaking and innovative weapon systems.
The results were designs for some of the most robust armoured vehicles produced anywhere in the world for their time, and highly influential for further development in multiple fields ever since. Decades later, the lineage of some of the vehicles in question can still be seen on many battlefields around the world, especially those riddled by land mines and so-called improvised explosive devices.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. is based in England.
This book is soft-cover of 96 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a Olifant Mk.1A above a color side view of a Rooikat 76 Mk. 1D.
The book contains 144 black and white photos and 8 color ones, a map of Africa, abbreviation explanations and a 2 page bibliography.
The black and white photos consists of:
5 photos of an Eland 90 Mk. 7 (with 3 interior photos of it), a Eland 90 Mk. 6, a Buffel MPV, 3 photos of a Buffel APC (with 2 interior photos of it), a Bosvark Mk.1 & Mk.2, a Moffel APC & Mk.1B, a Baffle Ambulance prototype, a Ratel 12.7 & SS & 20 Mk.3 & 90 & 60 & ZT3 PPM & ZT3-A & B1 Mk.3 (with 3 interior photos) & 81 Mk.3, a ZT3A1 missile, a Ingive ZT3A2 missile, Battle Group 20 advancing, a T-34/85, soldiers from Platoon 2, a Casspir Mk.3 APD & 81mm Mortar Weapons Platform, a Blesbok, a Duiker fuel truck, a Gemsbok recovery truck, a Plofadder dedicated mine-cleaning vehicle, a Casspir ambulance, a Groundshout psychological warfare system, a S. African Public Order Police Casspir, the Koffolt fighting group.
10 photos of an Olifant Mk. 1A., a Skokiaan, a T-55 (one whole and one destroyed), 7 photos of an Olifant Mk. 1B, a group photo of Olifant crews, 10 photos of an Olifant Mk.2, 4 photos of a TTD-SA, 2 photos of GS60 gun sights, a LEW 120mm smooth-bore gun, 2 photos of a Rooikat 76 Mk. 1D & one of a Mk.1C & 105 & 7A-3S & SPAAM & CVED-AAD 2010, a Concept 1,2 & 3, a class 1 prototype, a class 2C prototype, 4 photos of a class 2B prototype & 2 photos of a class 3 prototype, a MTTD, a Mamba Mk.2 & 3 photos of the Mk.3 and 7 photos of a Badger.
Color profiles consists of:
An Eland 90 Mk. 7 & 60 Mk.7, a Buffel, a Ratel 12.7 Mk.3, a 20 Mk.3, a 60 Mk.3, a 90 Mk.3, a 80 Mk.3 and a 27-3A1, a Casspir Mk.3, a G6-45, a Bateleur FV2, a Olifant Mk. 1A and Mk.1B and Mk.2, a TTD, a Rooikat 105 and ZA-35 SPAAG, a Mamba Mk.2 and Mk.3, a Badger Section Variant and missile variant.
This is a neat book showing these vehicles. However, other than the T-55 & T-34/85, I know of no model kits of the other vehicles.
Still this book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I wish to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Helion books for this review sample.
All Helion & Co. Ltd. Books can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
During the Cold War, Africa became a prime location for proxy wars between the East and the West. Against the backdrop of a steep rise in liberation movements backed by Eastern Bloc communist countries, such as Cuba and the Soviet Union, southern Africa saw one of the most intense wars ever fought on the continent.
Subjected to international sanctions due to the policies of racial segregation, known as Apartheid, South Africa was cut off from sources of major arms systems from 1977. Over the following years, the country became involved in the war in Angola, which gradually grew in ferocity and converted into a conventional war.
With the available equipment being ill-suited to the local hot, dry and dusty climate, and confronted with the omnipresent threat of land mines, the South Africans began researching and developing their own, often ground-breaking and innovative weapon systems.
The results were designs for some of the most robust armoured vehicles produced anywhere in the world for their time, and highly influential for further development in multiple fields ever since. Decades later, the lineage of some of the vehicles in question can still be seen on many battlefields around the world, especially those riddled by land mines and so-called improvised explosive devices.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. is based in England.
This book is soft-cover of 96 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a Olifant Mk.1A above a color side view of a Rooikat 76 Mk. 1D.
The book contains 144 black and white photos and 8 color ones, a map of Africa, abbreviation explanations and a 2 page bibliography.
The black and white photos consists of:
5 photos of an Eland 90 Mk. 7 (with 3 interior photos of it), a Eland 90 Mk. 6, a Buffel MPV, 3 photos of a Buffel APC (with 2 interior photos of it), a Bosvark Mk.1 & Mk.2, a Moffel APC & Mk.1B, a Baffle Ambulance prototype, a Ratel 12.7 & SS & 20 Mk.3 & 90 & 60 & ZT3 PPM & ZT3-A & B1 Mk.3 (with 3 interior photos) & 81 Mk.3, a ZT3A1 missile, a Ingive ZT3A2 missile, Battle Group 20 advancing, a T-34/85, soldiers from Platoon 2, a Casspir Mk.3 APD & 81mm Mortar Weapons Platform, a Blesbok, a Duiker fuel truck, a Gemsbok recovery truck, a Plofadder dedicated mine-cleaning vehicle, a Casspir ambulance, a Groundshout psychological warfare system, a S. African Public Order Police Casspir, the Koffolt fighting group.
10 photos of an Olifant Mk. 1A., a Skokiaan, a T-55 (one whole and one destroyed), 7 photos of an Olifant Mk. 1B, a group photo of Olifant crews, 10 photos of an Olifant Mk.2, 4 photos of a TTD-SA, 2 photos of GS60 gun sights, a LEW 120mm smooth-bore gun, 2 photos of a Rooikat 76 Mk. 1D & one of a Mk.1C & 105 & 7A-3S & SPAAM & CVED-AAD 2010, a Concept 1,2 & 3, a class 1 prototype, a class 2C prototype, 4 photos of a class 2B prototype & 2 photos of a class 3 prototype, a MTTD, a Mamba Mk.2 & 3 photos of the Mk.3 and 7 photos of a Badger.
Color profiles consists of:
An Eland 90 Mk. 7 & 60 Mk.7, a Buffel, a Ratel 12.7 Mk.3, a 20 Mk.3, a 60 Mk.3, a 90 Mk.3, a 80 Mk.3 and a 27-3A1, a Casspir Mk.3, a G6-45, a Bateleur FV2, a Olifant Mk. 1A and Mk.1B and Mk.2, a TTD, a Rooikat 105 and ZA-35 SPAAG, a Mamba Mk.2 and Mk.3, a Badger Section Variant and missile variant.
This is a neat book showing these vehicles. However, other than the T-55 & T-34/85, I know of no model kits of the other vehicles.
Still this book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I wish to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Helion books for this review sample.
All Helion & Co. Ltd. Books can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Recommended.