Book G3 - The Great National Weapon

During the war years, G3 passed through the hands of around a million Portuguese people – and perhaps many more in the following 5 decades. No other weapon is as well-known and loved and it is very likely that no other weapon will have its longevity.

After several years of archival research, field reports and dozens of interviews, the publisher Contra a Corrente and author Pedro Manuel Monteiro will launch, at the end of 2024, this new book that marks the History of the Armed Forces and also the 50 years of April 25th. We therefore invite you to join this project with your support, as the Portuguese Military History Commission has already done.

During the war years, G3 passed through the hands of around a million Portuguese people – and perhaps many more in the following five decades. No other weapon is as well-known and loved and it is very likely that no other weapon will have its longevity. It intersects with the trajectory of the national military industry and the most determining episodes in our contemporary history. Her role in the African war and the Carnation Revolution made her a true national icon. There are many ways to tell the story of G3 but, in the end, the simplest and most natural idea won out: giving a voice to the Portuguese. Everyone who made or used this mythical weapon has one or more stories to tell. Be it stories about a war and a revolution. Be it others from the times of the troop and peace missions.

Nenhuma outra arma é tão conhecida e querida.

Todos os que a fabricaram ou usaram esta arma mítica têm uma ou mais histórias para contar.

About the author

The promoter: Alexandre Coutinho, freelance journalist, 60 years old, is from Lisbon, where he completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Communication. He began his career in 1986, at the weekly newspaper O Jornal, joining the Economy Section of Expresso in 1988, where he was editor (1998-2000) and where he worked until the end of 2010. From 2007 to 2014, he was editor of the magazine “Sirius” and, from 2015 to 2016, director of the magazine “Avião". He is managing partner of the publisher Contra a Corrente, founded in 2011. In 1995, he created the pages Viagens no Meu Planeta and Volta ao Mundo de Faca e Garfo on the Janela na Web portal; and, in 2009, the Vida na Terra blog, on the Expresso website. In addition to collaborations in several publications, he is the author or co-author of the books “O Mensageiro de Fidel”, “How to Make a President”, “Chevrolet in Portugal”, “Microcrédito em Portugal – Uma Nova Oportunidade”, “Auto Palace – A Century of Life”, “The Brotherhood of Romeiros”, “F-16 Falcons and Jaguares”, “100 Years Chevrolet”, “Opel Ampera – New era in electric mobility”, “TAP Air Portugal”, “50 Years Alouette III in the Air Force”, “50 Years of Porsche 911 in Portugal”, “Glasses – History of optics”, “OMNI Group – 25 Years of Operation in Portugal”, “Land Rover in Portugal” and “Auto-Industrial – 100 Years of driving the future". He edited the collective work “50 Lojas com Histórias” for Expresso.

O livro que faltava!

Author of the book: Pedro Manuel Monteiro. Born in 1987 in the city of Viseu, he holds a European Master's degree in Organizational Psychology from the Universities of Coimbra and Bologna. He studied at Portland State University, in the United States, and later worked in Switzerland and Singapore. He currently lives in the Netherlands where he is responsible for training and training at a multinational. In the area of journalism and photography, he took advanced courses in Singapore and the Netherlands and published more than 50 articles in national and foreign magazines. In the military area, he reported with Atlantic Alliance forces during major exercises and with national troops in Kosovo and Lithuania. He published the monographs Military Vehicles of the Portuguese Army (2011), Berliet, Chaimite and UMM: Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais (2018) with Contra a Corrente and Portuguese Army Leopard 2A6 In Field Manoeuvres (2020). | www.pedro-monteiro.com

Budget and due dates

The edition of the book "G3 – A Grande Arma Nacional" has an estimated cost of €14,725 for a print run of 1250 copies. The amount raised through this crowdfunding campaign aims to cover at least 50% of printing costs (around €4,000), with the remainder covered by sponsors (companies and institutions) and subsequent sales of the books. To this cost are added the remuneration for design and layout (€2500), editing (€2000), image processing (€1000), copydesk and proofreading (€1500).

Commission cost of 7.5% of PPL (+VAT) for participant transfer costs for the minimum amount of €3000: €276.75.

The execution period for this project is seven months (from April to October 2024), with much of the collection of basic material and documentation, as well as part of the writing, being carried out over the last few months. All that’s left is to page and print the book!

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