During South Africa's border war with Angola in the 1980s, nothing inspired more fear than the sight of the infamous cop unit, Koevoet, racing to a contact in the bush.
That's right, those crazy bastards actually rushed to an ambush - it meant an easy kill that they didn't have to track through the bush for days.
Their panzered Casspirs would flatten trees, a bare-chested machine gunner on the roof ducking branches as he bullet-traced those lucky few insurgents who tried to level a rocket-propelled grenade launcher at the panzer. (The unlucky ones were armed only with AK47's, which is like taking a tin-opener to a chainsaw fight.)
In that bush war, the Casspirs offered unmatched agility and protection. One driver, Arn Durand, survived 127 contacts and three anti-tank mine explosions in his battered Mk1 Casspir. His book, "ZZG" is well worth the read.
After that simpler war between Russia and the rest of us who spoke English, things got more political and the fantastic Casspir got deployed to prop up the rotting remnants of apartheid in townships all over South Africa.
Hence today, for the mayority of the population, few silhouettes inspire more hatred than the Casspir's V-shaped hulk.
In those township wars, the fighters against aparheid soon learned how to stop a Casspir. The lack of a diff-lock meant just two concrete blocks, placed diagonally across a road, could create a high-enough axle bender that would have the Casspir uselessly spinning one wheel in the air.
Trapped thus, the last thing the young conscripts in the Casspir learned was that a cheap Molitov Cocktail, hurled through the open top, is as effective a killer inside the narrow confines of the panzer as was an expensive RPG missile.
Fast forward 20 years, to August 2011, when BAE (builders of the best SUV ever) introduced the sixth evolution of the Casspir.
It now has two live rear axles, comes with a snorkel for wading deep rivers, measure some 7.6 metres long and 2.7 metres wide; and it rides over 38-centimetre-high boulders.
This middle-age Mk6 Casspir also comes with love-handles, weighing some six tonnes heavier than the Mk1, 8-ton Casspirs.
It still seats a platooon with driver and medic and still uses one of several commercial diesel engines and gearboxes to make it more affordable for BAE's clients all over the world.
Looking at the photos, however, its clear the new Casspir is even less suited for a pitched urban battle than was the first Casspirs.
And, with Arab Springs showing the cracks in the West's bank-driven capitalist system, I moot cities are where the traditional clients of BAE will be fighting the disenfranchised youth, who will be armed with blackberries and bicycles.
The lumbering, not so friendly ghost of the old Casspir don't stand a snowball's chance.
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| BAE's new Casspir Mk6, now with love handles. |
Their panzered Casspirs would flatten trees, a bare-chested machine gunner on the roof ducking branches as he bullet-traced those lucky few insurgents who tried to level a rocket-propelled grenade launcher at the panzer. (The unlucky ones were armed only with AK47's, which is like taking a tin-opener to a chainsaw fight.)
In that bush war, the Casspirs offered unmatched agility and protection. One driver, Arn Durand, survived 127 contacts and three anti-tank mine explosions in his battered Mk1 Casspir. His book, "ZZG" is well worth the read.
After that simpler war between Russia and the rest of us who spoke English, things got more political and the fantastic Casspir got deployed to prop up the rotting remnants of apartheid in townships all over South Africa.
Hence today, for the mayority of the population, few silhouettes inspire more hatred than the Casspir's V-shaped hulk.
In those township wars, the fighters against aparheid soon learned how to stop a Casspir. The lack of a diff-lock meant just two concrete blocks, placed diagonally across a road, could create a high-enough axle bender that would have the Casspir uselessly spinning one wheel in the air.
 |
| A Casspir Mk3 with a custom-fitted 'long-drop' roof that keeps the petrol bombs out. |
Fast forward 20 years, to August 2011, when BAE (builders of the best SUV ever) introduced the sixth evolution of the Casspir.
It now has two live rear axles, comes with a snorkel for wading deep rivers, measure some 7.6 metres long and 2.7 metres wide; and it rides over 38-centimetre-high boulders.
This middle-age Mk6 Casspir also comes with love-handles, weighing some six tonnes heavier than the Mk1, 8-ton Casspirs.
It still seats a platooon with driver and medic and still uses one of several commercial diesel engines and gearboxes to make it more affordable for BAE's clients all over the world.
Looking at the photos, however, its clear the new Casspir is even less suited for a pitched urban battle than was the first Casspirs.
And, with Arab Springs showing the cracks in the West's bank-driven capitalist system, I moot cities are where the traditional clients of BAE will be fighting the disenfranchised youth, who will be armed with blackberries and bicycles.
The lumbering, not so friendly ghost of the old Casspir don't stand a snowball's chance.
