USING THE REAL THING
THE BEST TEACHING AID IN THE WORLD
DITSONG NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY AS THE ESSENTIAL RESOURCES FOR THE FIRST
WORLD WAR, SECOND WORLD WAR AND COLD WAR
“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand (Confucius)
Pictures and sketches can distance the viewer from reality. Often they deny the viewer the
realization of the size of objects. A typical learner comment is “it’s so big”. The real thing allows the
learner to use their own senses as a means to understanding. This understanding is direct and does
not have the sometimes distorting intervention of the text book.
At Ditsong National Museum of Military History we have the items which give an understanding of
the First World War. They start with a replica of a First World War trench which gives clear insights
into the nature of trench warfare. The artillery and aircraft give the viewer an understanding of the
technology and the realities of First World War warfare.
6-inch Gun
Artillery was the main killer during the First World War. Yet the statistics have an air of unreality. It is
a weapon like this seen close up that will give the learner an insight into the reality of First World
War artillery. At ten tons and with a range of 17km it allows the learner grasp the size of these guns..
It also shows why horses and oxen were beginning to be put out of the gun pulling business. Yet this
is a medium gun. The biggest British artillery piece was a 210 ton railway gun. In addition to the 6inch gun, we have three British field guns, two German field guns, a German Mountain Gun, an
Austro-Hungarian field gun and field howitzer. We also have two of the notorious five-nines from
Wilfrid Owen’s Dulce et Decorum est.
Equally important is the sheer number of shells fired. A major shock to the armies in August 1914
was the discovery that the annual 200 shell peace time limit could be expended during an hour of
battle. The consequences of this can be seen in the exploded breech of our Italian 75mm field gun
and the rope covering to the 18-pounder field gun recuperator. The rope was kept wet to keep the
recuperator cool. On the Western Front alone over 99 million 18-pounder shells were fired.
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The first thing that this aircraft does is that it gets the learner in touch with the technological reality
of the war in the air. This is not a Gripen or a MiG 31 or an F35. Controlled powered flight was eleven
years old when the First World War started. Aircraft were made out of wood and cloth and braced
with wire and not constructed from metal alloy. They burned easily. The British pilots and observers
who flew in the First World War until late 1918 did not have parachutes
“To issue pilots parachutes would encourage them to abandon their aircraft while they still could be
saved” {An official RFC document). This left pilots with three grim choices.
Trench Warfare had a direct influence on aviation development. The trench systems made
traditional methods of reconnaissance difficult if not impossible. Aircraft and observation balloons
replaced them. This brought with it a battle to deny the enemy access to information about your
forces. This generated a struggle for aerial superiority. This was eventually won by the British and
French who succeeded in developing more powerful engines than the Germans.
Trench Display
This gives a clear view of the spatial relationships of a trench and the fact that figures are wearing
gasmasks gives an excellent starting point for an explanation on gas warfare and how the principal
three poison gases used during the First World War killed people. Highlighted are the little items
required for survival in the trench. These include the periscope which serves to emphasize the sniper
threat. The increased complication of warfare created by the poison gas threat is shown by the two
warning systems. The rattle is for gas attacks and the shell casing is for conventional attacks.
Next to the trench display are displays of the South Africans in German South West Africa, German
East Africa, Palestine and France. There is a display of items used in trench warfare ranging from a
club through rifle grenades to a signalling torch,
In our Red to Brown display are two of the notable weapons used by the British Army which were
the Stokes Mortar and the Lewis light machine gun. The Stokes Mortar was developed by Sir Wilfrid
Stokes as an answer to the German Minenwerfers. Although light machine guns had been used in
minor conflicts at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, it was during the First World War that
they became a significant weapon. The Lewis gun which was used by the British and Belgians was
the best weapon of its type. The German “light” machine gun was far too heavy and the French was
highly unreliable.
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The Second World War can be experienced more fully. We can show the technological dynamics
which were integral to this conflict. We are especially well placed to show heroes like Job Maseko
and Lucas Majozi. We have the portraits of them which were painted in December 1942 by Neville
Lewis... Learners can see what they looked like as young men and heroes
An important part of visiting the Museum is to give the learners the personal experience of the size
of weapons of war. It is an important step towards understanding the nature of war. It is a very
personal understanding based on a direct interaction with the object. In addition the display label is
a tool for enhancing language and self learning skills. 88 FlaK was voted by 62 per cent of Allied
soldiers the most feared weapon of the war. The British 25-pr Field gun was equally feared by the
Germans.
The Museum’s large range of Second World War items provides a gateway to understanding the
conflict. Aircraft such as our Spitfire and FW 190 are the real thing and the learner can directly
experience their size and complexity. They cease to be an image (photograph or drawing) and
become a bridge to understanding the nature of the war.
We have several of the important tanks of the Second World War. I have chosen the Sherman Firefly
for two important reasons. Firstly my mother who was an army doctor in the Second World War
could drive a Sherman. Secondly my maths master crewed one in Italy. He told us if it got hit you had
twenty seconds to get out. If you were leaving around the seventeenth second you got the back of
your legs burnt. You really have to stand next to the tank to grasp how big it is and the reality of
those twenty seconds.
The technology of the Cold War gives significant insights into the attitudes of both sides towards
their combatants. Our exhibits are essential to understanding the hot aspects of the Cold War.
The Centurion and T55 Tanks provide visual evidence of these differing attitudes. The key to a
successful tank design is a combination of firepower, mobility and protection. Both the Centurion
and T55 began as designs to counter the German Tiger and Panther tanks. The pre-production
Centurions just missed Second World War battle testing. The T55 entered production in 1949.
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Some 50 000 were produced. The dome shaped turret provides excellent ballistic protection but the
crew space is cramped and fatigue is a major problem. In addition although the tank has a low
silhouette this is compromised by the inability of the gun to depress no more than four degrees. The
T55 was a capable tank but relied on quantity rather than quality. By contrast 4,423 Centurions were
built. Crew comfort and protection were paramount. Although higher than the T55 the Centurion
could assume better hull down positions and the extra height allowed the Centurions to locate the
T55 first.
The same differences can be seen when comparing the AK 47 and the R1 and R4 rifles
One of the discoveries made by both the Germans and Americans was that the average rifleman
does not fire at targets at over 400metres. This was a significant discovery as the standard rifle
cartridges in use at the time could carry to 1000 metres or further. A side effect was the
considerable amount of heat generated by the explosion of the propelling charge. This amounted to
80% of the energy produced by the explosion. However, if the bullet needed only to lethal for half
the distance then the propelling charge could be reduced. A less powerful propelling charge had the
consequence that less heat would be generated which would allow sustained automatic fire.
The Germans, who produced the first assault rifle, decided to keep the same calibre but reduce the
power of the cartridge. The retaining of the existing calibre allowed the continued use of existing
machinery. The other significant decision concerned the production of the weapon. This was to use
as many metal stampings as possible in the construction of the weapon. This both eased production
and reduced reliance on scarce machine tools.
At the same time the Russians were considering reduced power cartridges. It is uncertain whether
this was the result of a parallel development or based on information obtained from German
sources. In July 1943 the design of the Russian reduced power 7.62mm cartridge began. It was
ordered into series production in mid-1947. The ammunition was now available for the AK47 to
designed. The process of designing the AK 47 began in 1947. The final product is a simple and
effective weapon which even a child could use. It equipped Soviet bloc forces and their surrogates.
Today its availability is responsible for much of the conflict in the world
R1 and R4 Rifles
The success of semi-automatic rifles during the Second World War ensured that the replacement of
bolt action rifles would take place as soon as it could be afforded. For Western countries the choice
of weapons was dictated by the American insistence that the cartridge now known as 7.62mm NATO
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be adopted. The Belgians developed the FN FAL (Fusil Automatique Leger) to fire the cartridge. As
will be seen, when your learners visit the Museum, that this was a more finely made weapon than
AK47. It was an excellent and reliable weapon but the full power cartridge had the result that unlike
the AK47 it was not capable of sustained automatic fire.
The R4 is a variant of the Israeli Galil Assault Rifle. The Galil was based on AK47 via the Finnish
variant. It shows the second solution to the problem of sustained automatic fire. Instead of reducing
the size of the cartridge the calibre is reduced. This allows a smaller cartridge with less propellant.
Again the R4 shows the higher and hence more expensive standards of manufacture of Western
weapons. It also shows how wood has been replaced as a material used in the construction of
military weapons. This process had begun with the German MP38 machine pistol in the 1930s. the
MP38 was the first military weapon to have a resin plastic grip.
The GV6 Rhino Self Propelled Gun is the result of the realization reinforced by battle experience that
Soviet bloc weapons outranged the largely Second World War weapons of the Western powers. This
began a process of designing weapons to surpass the Soviet bloc weapons. The GV6 is one result of
this process. It draws on Finnish, Israeli and the research data from Gerald Bull’s Space Research
Company. The Rhino was the most effective of the weapons designed to fire NATO 155mm
ammunition. It is a excellent example of the weapons technology produced by the Cold War arms
race.
MIRAGE IIICZ
Aircraft were one of the key areas of competition in the Cold War. The chance that it might turn hot
had the consequence that a technology race took place. The second problem for many countries was
the dangers of being dependent on one of the super powers for weaponry. The French until 1967 did
not put a political price tag on the weapons they supplied. One of the methods of control during the
Cold War was the supplying or withholding of spare parts. The buyers of Mirages had one big
advantage over those who had bought American Phantom IIs or Russian MiG21s. The French, unlike
the Americans and Russians, had decided to retain a cannon armament. This was wise as Air to Air
Missiles took until the 1970s to become an effective method of attack. Israeli Mirage IIIs scored most
of their kills with cannon. Our Mirage IIICZ allows the learner to see at close range a state of the art
fighter aircraft from the middle years of the Cold War. now that the learner has seen one the
fighters close up the others can be more readily visualized and understood.
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY AND READING LIST
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A COMPILATION IN PROGRESS
FIRST WORLD WAR
Adler F et al.
The South African Field Artillery in German East Africa and Palestine 1915-1919, Van
Schaik, Pretoria, 1958
Bull S
World War I Trench Warfare (1) 1914-1916, Osprey, Oxford, 2002
Bull S
World War I Trench Warfare (2) 1916-1918, Osprey, Oxford, 2002
Chappell M
British Infantry Equipments (2) 1908-2000, Osprey, Oxford, 2000
Clarke D
British Artillery 1914-1918, Field Army Artillery, Osprey, Oxford, 2004
Clarke D
British Artillery 1914-1918, Heavy Artillery, Osprey, Oxford, 2005
Cormack A
British Air Forces 1914-1918 (1), Osprey, Oxford, 2000
Cormack A
British Air Forces 1914-1918 (2), Osprey, Oxford, 2001
Digby P K A
Pyramids and Poppies, The 1st SA Infantry Brigade in Libya, France and Flanders
1915-1919, Ashanti, Rivonia, 1993
Dunstan S
Flak Jackets, 20th Century Body Armour, Osprey, London, 1984
Giliomee H
The Afrikaners, Biography of a People, Tafelberg, Cape Town. 2003
Grant N
The Lewis Gun, Osprey, Oxford, 2014
Greer L and Harold A
Flying Clothing, The Story of Its Development, Airlife, Shrewsbury, 1979
Griffith P
Fortifications of the Western Front 1914-1918, Osprey, Oxford, 2004
Griffith P
Battle Tactics of the Western Front, The British Army’s Art of Attack, 1916-1918, Yale
University Press, New Haven, 1994
Gunston B
Development of Piston Aero Engines, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, 1999.
Gunston B
World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, 1986
Hogg I V and Thurston LF British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918, Ian Allan, London (1972).
Jäger H
German Artillery of World War One, The Crowood Press, Marlborough, 2001
Jones S
World War I Gas Warfare Tactics and Equipment, Osprey, Oxford, 2007
Kosar F
A Pocket History of Artillery; Light Field Guns, Ian Allan, London 1974
L’Ange G
Urgent Imperial Service, South African Forces in German South West Africa 19141915, Ashanti, Rivonia, 1991
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Myatt F
The British Infantry 1660-1945, The Evolution of a Fighting Force, Blandford Press,
Poole, 1983
Nicolle D
The Italian Army of World War I, Osprey, Oxford, 2002
Payne S HC
SAS Inkonkoni 1885-1985, SA Naval Printing Press, np, 1990
Rottgardt D
German Armies’ Establishments 1914/18, Volume 8: Schutztruppen and other
Overseas Troops, The Nafziger Collection, West Chester, 2009
Saunders A
Weapons of the Trench War 1914-1918, Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2000
Skennerton I,
The Lee-Enfield, Ian Skennerton, Labrador, (2007)
Skennerton I (comp)
Margate (1987)
List of Changes in British War Material; Volume III 1900-1910 Ian Skennerton,
List of Changes in British War Material; Volume IV 1910-1998 Ian Skennerton,
Margate (1993)
Tylden G
War Office
Armed Forces of South Africa, reprinted Trophy Press, np, 1981
Field Service Pocket Book (1914), HMSO, London, 1914, reprinted David and Charles,
SECOND WORLD WAR
Chappell M British Infantry Equipments (2) 1908-2000, Osprey, Oxford, 2000
Gunston B
Development of Piston Aero Engines, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, 1999.
Gunston B
World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, 1986
Hart S
Sherman Firefly vs Tiger Osprey, Oxford, 2007
Holmes T
Spitfire VS Bf109, Battle of Britain, Osprey, Oxford, 2007
Jewell B, British Battledress, Osprey, London, 1981
Norris J, 88MM FlAK 18/37/37/41 & PaK 43 1936-45, Osprey, Oxford 2002
COLD WAR
Aloni S
Mirage iii vs MiG 21, Osprey, Oxford 2010
Davies P
F-4 Phantom II vs MiG 21, Osprey, Oxford 2008
Dunstan S
Centurion vs T55, Osprey, Oxford 2009
Jarrett P eds
The Modern War Machine, Military Aviation since 1945, Putnam, London, 2000
Nicolle D and Cooper T Arab MiG 17 and MiG 21 Units in Combat, Osprey, Oxford 2004
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Rottman G
North Vietnamese Army Soldier, Osprey, Oxford 2009
Paper presentation
H R Paterson MA (Natal) Post Grad Museum Science Diploma (Pretoria)
Education Coordinator Ditsong National Museum of Military History
Email mheducation@ditsong.org.za
Tel: 011-646-5513
Cell: 079-167-0861
PO Box 52090
Saxonwold 2132
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