South African Colours & Markings

About our author's

The aim of this website is to supply the plastic modeler and historian with some basic colour and markings information regarding South African military equipment through the years. It also supplies information regarding our books, posters and decals. Corporate gifts can be made on request using our researched colour profiles.

Piet (Petrus Jacobus) van Schalkwyk was born in Pretoria in 1955 and completed his schooling during 1972 at the Lyttelton Hoerskool, today Centurion Hoerskool.
He joined the South African Air Force (SAAF) and was accepted as a pupil pilot during 1973.  He obtained his SAAF wings at FTS Langebaanweg in 1975 and a B Mil degree at the Military Academy (Faculty Military Science of the University of Stellenbosch) in 1976.  He served on various squadrons, including a tour as the Officer Commanding 42 Squadron.  During his career in the SAAF he flew as an operational and instructor pilot on the AT-6 and T6-G Harvard, Impala Mk 1 and 2, Canberra B-12A, T-4 and B-2, Boeing 707-300C, AM-3C Bosbok and various models of the Cessna 185.  He served in the SAAF for a period of 25 years, of which the final four years was spent serving in Division Intelligence in the post of SO Air, Section Military Technology.  Here he was responsible for Air Force Technical Intelligence and Air Force Technology.
Piet joined South African Express Airways as a pilot in 1999 and served as a Captain on the De Havilland Dash 8-300 turbo propeller airliners.  During October 2000, he was appointed as a Captain at Comair Ltd, where he presently serves as the Fleet Manager Rosters, flying the Boeing 737-200, -300 and -400 airliners.
 The South African Colours and Markings series of books, were set up as a result of Piet and William’s quest for information on SAAF and SA Army colour and markings information.  The authors are both plastic modelers with a passion for South African operated equipment.  Piet has also completed computer graphic profile artwork for a number of publications on South African Air Force aircraft by the author and publisher, Winston Brent.  He has also completed some artwork and joint articles with Stefaan, including profiles for The Aegean Pirates, that has been published during 2009.

William Marshall was born in Benoni, grew up in Pilgrims Rest and matriculated at Barberton High School in 1975.
He then went for his 24 month National Service in the Infantry Corps at Potchefstroom. He like the military and strayed on. Doing an officers course at the Infantry School in Oudtshoorn. He was commissioned in Dec 1976 and has since served in the military, progressing to the rank of Lt Col.
Serving in an operational capacity in the SWA/Namibia conflict, internal security duties in many of the local townships and on the infamous Mozambique border.
Seconded to the newly formed KwaNdebele Defence Force during 1987 he was then converted to mechanised Infantry at 4 SA Infantry Battalion in Middelburg. Becoming a company commander at this unit. He was then transferred to 115 SA Infantry Battalion as the Second in Command and during 1998 to 73 SA Bde as the HQ Unit Commander.
Currently he is assigned to the Joint Operations Division as a staff officer at the Doctrine Development Centre.
He has a passion for things Second World War and has helped with the development of the SA Colours & Markings series of books.  He has also assisted with a number of other publications notably the Polish printed Armor Color Gallery, the Armor Photo Gallery on the Comet tank, a French publication on the Marmon-Herrington armoured car and did the layout for the publication Aegean Pirates.
He has published a number of book on the 6th SA Armoured Division in Italy during WW2, this was done during 2010/11. Part 1 discribs the armour colours and Part 2 concerns softskinned colours and markings. During 2013 he published a comprehensive History of the Marmon-Herrington armoured car.