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 Post subject: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 07 Sep 2014, 23:26 
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Location: ILS RWY19, FACT (Cape Town)
The Olifant is turning out to be a monster challenge !!! Two weeks later & the chassis is almost complete ... 8-[

I'll be doing Greg's "Moemfie" 11B, from 1986, & I eventually also want to depict one of the three tanks abandoned at the Tumpo battles in 1988.

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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 10 Sep 2014, 21:17 
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Kremlin wrote:
The Olifant is turning out to be a monster challenge !!! Two weeks later & the chassis is almost complete ... 8-[

I'll be doing Greg's "Moemfie" 11B, from 1986, & I eventually also want to depict one of the three tanks abandoned at the Tumpo battles in 1988.

:smt023 :smt023 :smt023
Stunning effort as per your norm, Kremlin!

All I can say is:
"How do you profile an Olifant?" - "One idler wheel at a time "
:lol: :lol:


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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 11 Sep 2014, 09:36 
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Cheers Mark :-)


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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 13 Sep 2014, 19:53 
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Eventually some progress ... I got bogged down whilst researching & found some articles on the Israeli modified Centurions called "Sho't Kal". The Yom Kippur war of October 1973 had some hectic tank battles !!!

The "Sho't Kal" is very similar to the Olifant :wink:

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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 15 Sep 2014, 10:13 
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Outstanding!!! \:D/ \:D/ \:D/


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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 19 Sep 2014, 23:11 
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Cheers Greg :smt023

Some progress ...

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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 22 Sep 2014, 20:23 
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Bugger ... I see there was an Olifant at AAD :( :mrgreen:

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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 24 Sep 2014, 21:54 
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So what do you do if you don't braai on the heritage day holiday .... you draw :D

More details added.

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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 25 Sep 2014, 06:56 
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Phew...sooo prretty :D
Looking good Kremlin :smt023


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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 25 Sep 2014, 20:31 
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Like the 61 Mech flash on the turret bustle. :)

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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 28 Sep 2014, 11:37 
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H1017412 wrote:
Like the 61 Mech flash on the turret bustle. :)
That is something I don't quite understand yet .... history is always full of twists & turns!!!

During Operation Packer, at Tumpo3 we abandoned three tanks ie. 52, 53 & 12A. Operation Packer was primarily a citizen force operation under 82 SA brigade. The tank regiments came from Regiment President Steyn. So how do the tanks 52 & 52, lost during this operation, have emblems for 61 Mech Bn & E Squadron, School of Armour, on the turret bustle? These units were not there ?

The composition of 82 Brigade:
2 x Olifant tank squadrons - Regiment President Steyn
1 x Ratel-90 anti-tank squadron - Regiment Mooirivier
2 x Ratel-20 mechanized companies - Regiment Groot Karoo & Regiment de la Rey
1 x G5 battery - Regiment Potchefstroom University
1 x G2 battery - Regiment Potchefstroom University
1 x 120mm mortar battery - 44 Parachute Brigade
1 x 127mm MRL battery - 19 Rocket Regiment
3 x companies - 32 Battalion
AA, engineer and reconnaissance (4 Reconnaissance Regiment) platoons

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Olifant #53 after being later being recovered by FAPLA ... note the emblems. There are also photos of 52, as she is still today lying in the minefield, with both emblems clearly visible.

Some progress ....
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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 28 Sep 2014, 13:56 
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The personnel involved in Moduler, Hooper and Packer changed a number of times but major equipment was not swopped out unless it needed major servicing or replacement.
The crews from departing units handed over their tanks to the incoming people - so the markings on the tanks no longer matched the units the crews were from.


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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 29 Sep 2014, 10:57 
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Cheers Roger. That is probably the only rational answer that fits :-)


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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 29 Sep 2014, 22:58 
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Kremlin wrote:
Cheers Roger. That is probably the only rational answer that fits :-)

Heitman mentioned it somewhere in "War in Angola - The Final South African Phase"

BTW, do we know why they didn't/couldn't destroy the damaged tanks? Just "giving" them to FAPLA was a PR disaster.


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 Post subject: Re: Olifant Mk.1A MBT
PostPosted: 01 Oct 2014, 18:34 
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A nightmare indeed .... which the Cubans promplty displayed as proof to their claims, that they had inflicted a crushing defeat over the SADF/Unita forces. :lol:

From what I'm reading ... Initial requests to destroy the abandoned tanks was denied, ... the thinking was that they would be going back for them the next day. ... then came politics :roll:

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