Author Topic: The Luchs downunder  (Read 1728 times)

Offline Rickshaw

  • "Of course, I could be talking out of my hat"
The Luchs downunder
« on: April 08, 2021, 07:05:33 PM »
The Luchs downunder

In 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.







://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/1204/aU8e4R.jpg

The Kit

A Revell 1/35 kit of the Luchs.  Painted with a hairy stick using Mousehouse enamels.  Decals from the spares box.


Offline Old Wombat

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Re: The Luchs downunder
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2021, 08:16:17 PM »
Nice one, Brian! 8)



(Note to self: I need to get me a Luchs! ;))
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline LemonJello

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Re: The Luchs downunder
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2021, 08:26:23 PM »
I like it. Nicely done.


And thus, a run on Luchs kits begins...

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: The Luchs downunder
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2021, 03:04:14 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Camthalion

  • The man has done a pink tank...need we say more?!
Re: The Luchs downunder
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2021, 12:38:22 PM »
very cool

Offline Volkodav

  • Counts rivits with his abacus...
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Re: The Luchs downunder
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2021, 04:03:28 PM »
Yet again, I think and plan while you do!  Top job Brian.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: The Luchs downunder
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2021, 02:52:15 AM »
It looks good in that camo, but the Luchs outline and layout looks a lot like a Russian APC; I can just imagine a TOW team pumped with adrenalin and not enough sleep seeing a "BTR!"and firing off a round.

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: The Luchs downunder
« Reply #7 on: April 10, 2021, 02:55:30 AM »
I can just imagine a TOW team pumped with adrenalin and not enough sleep seeing a "BTR!"and firing off a round.

 ;D
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.