Haynes manuals vital in war zone

Members of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (REME) and 4 CS Battalion REME have been using Haynes manuals to help train the Afghan National Army (ANA) to maintain and repair vehicles.

Copies of the Haynes manual for an American-made vehicle, the Ford Ranger, were supplied to the British Army for use in the Afghan conflict. They have subsequently been sent to the Afghan National Police who use similar vehicles.

Captain Ross Carter, a Maintenance Mentor, of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) to the 3/205 Brigade of the Afghan National Army says: "Working with the Afghan National Army (ANA) has been fun but challenging.

The workforce is mainly illiterate and uneducated. Therefore we have spent the majority of our time trying to establish a competent level of repair for vehicles and weapon systems. The ANA are excellent at carrying out basic maintenance, but we've needed to teach more complex tasks. The Haynes Workshop Manuals have helped enormously".

One of the main advantages of the Haynes manuals is the proliferation of images and diagrams, which have overcome language difficulties. The illustrations have also been helpful when the manuals were sent to Forward Operating Bases (FOB) so that infantry soldiers (as distinct from trained engineers) could work on vehicles alongside the ANA.

The Haynes manual for the Ford Ranger is one of over 300 titles covering American vehicles including vans, minivans, pick-ups and Jeep models. Haynes also publishes many military books, as well as manuals for the Supermarine Spitfire and Avro Lancaster.

Notes to Editors:

The information above is supplied courtesy of Haynes Publishing, please credit accordingly if you intend to use it. For more information please contact Eventageous PR on 01452 260063 or email info@eventspr.co.uk