The SAAF Forum

So I had the opportunity to visit the SA Armour Museum at Tempe, Bloemfontein.



The museum lies within the lines of the School of Armour and 1 South African Tank Regiment. About 60 armoured, tracked and wheeled vehicles are on display, together with various guns, radar, mine rollers and ploughs.











The beautiful building that houses the Museum dates back to 1902 and was restored and officially opened in September 1996. It houses the indoor display, an auditorium and a functions hall.





Lesakeng (Corral for old horses) houses numerous tracked and wheeled vehicles, mainly ‘runners.’ It was constructed from donated funds and officially opened in March 2001. Unfortunately, it was locked when I was there.





Each vehicle has a corporate sponsor, herewith some photos of just a selection of vehicles.

Please excuse the poor quality of the photos, all taken with a small mik 'n druk.

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How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

Sherman 1C Firefly (1946 - 1972)










BTR-152 V3 (Angola 1981)


BRDM-2 (Angola 1981)


BTR 60-PB (Gift from Israeli Armoured Corp 1976)


T-62 (Gift from Israeli Armoured Corp 1985)

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How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

T-34/85 (Angola 1981)




Centurion Mk 5 "Project Skokiaan" and Centurion Mk5/7


Centurion Mk 5 "Project Skokiaan"


Centurion Mk5/7

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How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

Ferret Mk 2 scout car (1954 - 1989)


Saracen APC


Prototype 2B armoured car (1982/3 for the New Generation Armoured Car Project)


T16 Bren Carrier (1946 - 1963)


Armoured Command Vehicle 4x4


PT76 Amphibious Recce Light Tank

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How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

Prototype vehicle










GAZ-66 Command/Comms Truck (Angola 1981)


There is also car park with lots of interesting stuff.


These prototype vehicles overlook the Parade Ground

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How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

Very nice Dean
The place has all the potential to be something really special, but I'm sorry to say, it looks like the rest of SA
The neglect and lack of pride is tangible!

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Da-di-da-da-da

Boertjie....I am not seeing what you are seeing. The place looks immaculate, save for the one holding section (car park area - pre renovation?) from what I can see in this amazing photo essay. I have also met some of the guys that run the Museum of SA Armour, albeit at an off-site event (Sandstone Heritage Trust where SA Armour Museum proudly display - in action - a lot of their equipment). They are passionate about their history and equipment in my opinion.
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=7396&hilit=Ficksberg
I will be interested to see what Dean says.

Hmmm ...

All the displays and surrounding areas were very neat, with the vehicles spread over a large area. The only real issue was that many of the tyres of the wheeled vehicles were flat, but that is something which is very difficult to keep inflated on a continual basis, with the rubber tyres tending to perish.

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How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

Would it not be practical to mount the wheeled armour on mounts to reduce further deterioration of the tyres. Like the do with aircraft in museums...?