The Sandstone Heritage Trust Military collection acquires a significantly important vehicle for its collection.
Resulting from our joint relationship with the Armour Museum at the School of Armour in Bloemfontein, coupled with a very strong relationship with the commercial vehicle manufacturing and refurbishment industry in SA, we have acquired an as new armoured fighting vehicle, namely a Ratel 656 MK3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
This is an iconic mine-protected infantry support vehicle which is legendary amongst South Africans, particularly those who served in the Military during the conflict in Namibia/Angola. It is fitted with the 90mm DEFA gun and turret, as used in the Eland Armoured Fighting Vehicle, which was in turn developed from the Panhard Armoured Car which was so successful in the French/Algerian conflict of the 1950s to '62. The Ratel 90 carries a crew of 3 plus 6 infantry. Its road speed is listed as 105 km/hr although some 'ou-manne' will tell you it goes up to 120! It can climb a step of 60cm, cross a trench of 1.15m and has a fording capacity of 1.2m. Road range with full tanks (480 litres!) is 1 000km. It carries 72 rounds of ammunition for the Main Armament and 6 000 rounds for the three machine guns. This is an Armoured Personnel Carrier with a punch!
This vehicle was locally designed and manufactured at the height of the period when sanctions isolated South Africa. It represents the pinnacle of Armoured Vehicle design of the time. Small wonder that these are being snapped up, even today, by other countries as they are disposed of by the SA Army!
The Sandstone collection is designed to maintain and demonstrate the very best of Military vehicles which were either designed in South Africa, such as the Ratel, or which were acquired from overseas and which saw service in South Africa or with the South African forces who might be deployed elsewhere. Our particular emphasis is definitely on the vehicles that were designed specifically for African operating conditions, and once again the Ratel is one of the best examples of this.
The Ratel will receive an official introduction at the Stars of Sandstone show in May this year. We believe that we have sufficient critical mass to provide a very credible opportunity for Military enthusiasts to visit us alongside our traditional visitors who tend to focus on our Narrow Gauge railway as being of specific interest.
The Ratel at home in its natural environment…