Our relationship with the School of Armour Bloemfontein continues to go from strength to strength.

Once again the Sandstone Heritage Trust has supported the School of Armour at the prestigious annual Bloemfontein Show. This year we sent an 88 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun and a Moffel. This is the Police version of the famous Buffel which demonstrated such versatility and reliability in Angola in South West Africa during the conflict years.

Here is a report from Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Hohls of the School of Armour Museum in Bloemfontein...

 

 

Charles Viljoen, a great friend of ours, sent us these pictures from his father's photo album taken at the end of the Second World War. These are brand new Spitfire aircraft engines which the men were instructed to throw into the sea near Port Elizabeth as being surplus to requirements...

We reported earlier on the fact that a Crusader tank, built just before the Second World War, had been offered to the Sandstone Heritage Trust. It had stood for years outside the MOTH Club House in Olifantsfontein. As a result of a cooperative agreement between the School of Armour in Bloemfontein, the Sandstone Heritage Trust and the people responsible for the tank to date, we have agreed to take it into preservation...

Click here to download the PDF

 

Follow up e-mail

From: André Retief
Sent: 02 December 2008 15:03
To: 'Chris Gildenhuys'; 'Mike Myers'; 'raymond hohls'; Wilf red E. Mole; Shaun Carroll; Heinrich Janzen; Frik & Sienie Jankowitz; School of Armour
Subject: CRUSADER FROM MOTHS - OLIFANTSFONTEIN

Dear Mike, Gen and Raymond,

Excellent job done and nice article.

Just something regarding the Crusader article.

The one pictured in the article is probably a Mk VI Cruiser (A15) Crusader) (76.2mm/6pdr gun). The one moved to Sandstone (and typical of other in RSA) is probably a Mk I (A9), a Mk II (A10) or a Mk III (A13). It will be worthwhile to investigate these to know the real story.

Keep up the good work!

Kindest Regards

André

The Sandstone Heritage trust in association with the SA Armour museum have completed the restoration of a 70s/80s era land mine protected Military vehicle known affectionately by the Troops as a Moffel...

It is essentially a Buffel infantry support vehicle with extra protection for the troops on board. Modified for urban use during the apartheid era this vehicle was deployed in anti riot situations with the protection providing some insulation against projectiles such as petrol bombs etc. The army were not impressed and described the Police version as a Moffel... for a hint of the translation click http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moffie

Like the Buffel the vehicle was of Unimog origin.

The well-known Unimog chassis is widely thought to be the best 4-wheeled offroad vehicle in the world. 'Portal' axles with reduction gears in the hubs give a combination of huge power transmission potential through a smaller differential and crown-wheel and pinion. Both these add up to give exceptional ground clearance. Coil springs allow each wheel to travel through a large arc, making sure that each wheel stays firmly on the ground. Selectable diff-locks prevent any slip between left and right and front and back, for when the going gets really tough. Into this chassis, the ADE (Atlantis Diesel Engines) equivalent of the 136 BHP OM 352 6-cylinder Mercedes Benz engine is built, which means there's no shortage of power to get away, and to achieve a top speed in excess of 90 km/hr. Thousands of these entered service with a number of armed forces.

On to this chassis is mounted a locally produced state-of-the-art two-cell mine-resistant body, specifically designed for Police use under the South African 'unrest' situations of the '80s and early '90s. What is immediately apparent is the all round visibility afforded through the enormous bullet-proof windows in both compartments. The vehicle's empty weight is 5.14 tonnes, hardly surprising that this is more than the 3.9 to 4.5 tonnes Tare for the 'normal' bodies! This allows for a 2.36 tonne load, to stay inside the 7.5 tonne design Gross weight.

Also noticeable is the lack of any wire-breaking steel upright in the front to prevent any crew-member foolish enough to ride with head or body protruding through the top from being decapitated!

 

Crusader Tank donated to the Sandstone Heritage Trust.

An interesting addition to our classic Military vehicle collection is a pre World War Two Crusader Tank which has rested for many years at a MOTH Club which is no longer able to continue to maintain the unit.

The MOTH's are immensely proud of their achievements and went to great lengths to create an environment where members could get together and socialize. The front gate.

Creative iron work.

The Nuffield engine in the Crusader totally complete but showing signs of having slumbered for a long time.

The interior of the tank is messy but restorable.

The tracks and wheels are in good order.

Waiting patiently to come alive again.