Situated at the top of the 200-acre site that consists largely of the Johannesburg Zoo and Zoo Lake, the South African National Museum of Military History was opened in 1947 by the Prime Minister, Field Marshall Jan Smuts, with the following words: "We are gathered here today to open what may not unfairly be looked upon as a memorial to the greatest united effort our country has ever been called upon to produce [participation in World War 2]. Memorials, of course, have more than one use. They serve to remind us of what is the past, of great deeds of heroism and sacrifice; they also serve as a pointer, and sometimes as a warning, to the future."
The Museum is an impressive memorial to the past with its collection of World War 1 and 2 fighter planes - some the only remaining planes of their kind in the world - tanks used by the South African Defence Force in war in Angola, armaments, medals, military insignia and uniforms.
It also has an interesting section on resistance to war, including the Rebellion of 1914, the Ossewa Brandwag, and the End Subscription Campaign. All in all, it has 44 000 items in its display halls and archives.
The Museum's library has a unique collection of books, journals and archival material, as well as official South African World War 2 art and photographs. It conducts interviews in the library as part of its on-going oral history collection and has a number of publications for sale.
On display are original Spitfire and Messerschmitt fighters (including what is claimed to be the only remaining ME110 jet night fighter), various tanks of English and American manufacture, and a wide array of artillery.
Among the most interesting objects are the modern armaments South Africa used in its war against the Cuban-backed Angolan army during the 1980s, including French-built Mirage fighters and Russian tanks stolen by the South Africans from a ship en route to Angola.
More recent exhibits include the national military art collection, memorabilia from the Anti-Conscription Campaign of apartheid days, and an exhibit on the history of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation, or MK, the African National Congress's military arm).
The tall, freestanding South African (Anglo-Boer) War memorial, which looks like a statue-adorned mini Arc de Triomphe, is the most striking landmark of the northern suburbs.
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