The Luchs downunderIn 1986 the Dibb Report was issued by the Australian Government on Australian Defence. It detailed the idea of “fortress Australia” rather than “forward defence” as the basic strategy to defend the Australian continent. “Forward defence” was the idea that Australia needed to be defended, “over there” in Asia, well forward of it’s national boundaries, in case of the Domino Theory being correct. “Fortress Australia” had it that only the continent and it’s territories needed defending. This was a consequence of the failure of “forward defence” with the end of the Vietnam War in 1972. In the intervening years basically the Australian Defence Forces had floundered, trying to identify and defend against non-existent enemies.
In 1987, a Defence White Paper was issued. After the Dibb Report being severely criticised by the Opposition, the US Government and other interested parties, the Australian Government under the Hawke Government retreated from the extreme measures recommended. What wasn’t going to be retreated from was the need to move the mass of the Australian Defence Forces from the South East corner of the continent to the “top end” to defend against an attack by a likely Asian power. So, most of the army was moved and a large proportion of the air force. Barracks were created in and around Darwin and Tindall. New equipment was purchased. Most of that was wheeled, rather than tracked vehicles, able to run long distances across the arid terrain at high speed.
The Spähpanzer Luchs (English: Lynx) was one such vehicle. It was a German 8x8 amphibious reconnaissance armoured fighting vehicle (Spähpanzer) and was in service from 1975 to 2009 with the German Army, who used 408 in their armoured reconnaissance battalions. It was developed by Daimler-Benz between 1968 and 1975, replacing the M41 and the Schützenpanzer SPz 11-2 Kurz.
Downunder, the Luchs adopted in 1987 and was used by the Light Horse, inheritors of the WWI tradition of operating against enemy forces as a mounted force. The Luchs was well adapted to the sort of warfare envisaged. Able to run at 100 km/h for several hundred kilometres. It was armed with a 20mm automatic cannon and night vision devices. It was amphibious and equipped with propellers to run it in water. It proved popular with the soldiers who ran it. It was a powerful, hard hitting, vehicle. The Light Horse used it extensively across the “top end” keeping tabs on any possible enemy intrusion.
The vehicle depicted, belongs to 3/9 South Australian Mounted Rifles (SAMR) an ARes unit (Army Reserve – the inheritors of the CMF title) in 1990.
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The KitA Revell 1/35 kit of the Luchs. Painted with a hairy stick using Mousehouse enamels. Decals from the spares box.