PMMS
bookPeace-Keeping Armour of New Zealand
Kiwi Armour No. 5

by Jeffrey Plowman and Malcolm Thomas.
Soft covers, A4, 56 pages.

Review by Peter Brown

The years since the end of the Second World War have seen many major and minor conflicts, with various forces deployed in peace-keeping roles in several of them. Among the nations which have supplied forces, those from New Zealand have been part of a number of these. This has seen the use of various armoured vehicles, and this account covers the different deployments and shows the development of lighter AFVs as time went on.

First of these units was J-Force, part of the Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. Its men and equipment came from New Zealand forces in Northern Italy. Its armour was limited to various carriers, but a wider variety was used by K-Force in Korea. Their own New Zealand Pattern Wheeled Carrier was used as an artillery observation post vehicles, along with Dingo scout cars and some British Centurions were manned by New Zealand crews.

More wheeled vehicles were used in Malaya. Several Dingos used for convoy escort were modified with fixed armoured roofs and external twin Bren guns, while others had tall dustbin-like turrets. These served alongside armoured Bedford RL "Pig" trucks and Ferrets. Those troops sent to monitor the ceasefire in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe used mine protected Land-Rovers.

The most recent deployments saw various M113 series vehicles fitted with add-on armour packages bought in from Israel. These were first used in Bosnia-Hertzogovina in UN plain white, and latterly in East Timor with the basic vehicles in their usual sand-red-black-white MERDC Red Desert scheme with the additional armour in plain tan.

All of these make good modelling subjects. A list of suitable basic kits in various scales is included, most will need some modification but the photos show what needs to be done. The uparmoured M113 are very well covered, with good clear photos including close-ups and interior views. There are also 1/35 plans of the Wheeled Carrier, three styles of Dingo and the uparmoured M113 APC.

As well as colour notes in each section, there are colour plates of a Universal Carrier in Japan, a Wheeled Carrier and a Dingo in Korean schemes and two different Dingos in Malaya on the back cover and an M113 in East Timor on the front.

There is a lot of new material here for modellers, all adding to this good series which, like the earlier books, comes highly recommended.

For more details on how to obtain a copy of this or earlier titles in this series, see Kiwis In Armour web site.


Page created 24 February 2005

Click Browsers BACK button to return to list
Home / Book Reviews / Kiwi Armour