Parting

Israeli tanks 30 70s. Tanks of Israel - photo and description. Israeli armored forces

Steel Fist of Israel
Israel is rightfully considered a great tank power: the IDF tank fleet is one of the largest in the world - it is armed with from 4 to 5 thousand tanks, the Merkava tank built at Israeli tank factories, according to many experts, is the best main battle tank in the world, Israeli tankers have invaluable combat experience gained in numerous wars and armed conflicts. The Israeli combat example had a significant impact on the development of the strategy and tactics of the armored forces

Israeli Merkava Mk1 tanks are fighting in the city. Beirut. 1982

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Alexander SHULMAN
Steel Fist of Israel

Israel is rightfully considered a great tank power: the IDF tank fleet is one of the largest in the world - it is armed with from 4 to 5 thousand tanks, the Merkava tank built at Israeli tank factories, according to many experts, is the best main battle tank in the world, Israeli tankers have invaluable combat experience gained in numerous wars and armed conflicts.

The Israeli combat example had a significant impact on the development of the strategy and tactics of the armored forces: Israeli tank generals Israel Tal and Moshe Peled are represented in the hall of the Great Tank Commanders at the General Patton Center of the US Armored Forces, along with German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and American General George Patton .

Emblem of the Israeli Armored Forces (Heil HaShiryon) Creation of tank troops

Israeli armored forces, the main striking force of the IDF ground forces, were born in the battles of the War of Independence. In February 1948, the Armored Service was created under the command of Yitzhak Sade, but the tanks themselves did not yet exist - the main tank manufacturers - the USA, Great Britain and France, introduced a ban on the sale of weapons to the Jewish state.

Already during the battles of the War of Independence, 10 Hotchkiss H-39 tanks were acquired, which, together with the Sherman M4 tank stolen from the British and two Cromwell tanks, entered service with the first tank unit - the 82nd tank battalion. The battalion commander was a former Major of the Polish Army Felix Beatus, who had gone from Stalingrad to Berlin. The crews of the battalion included tankers - Jewish volunteers from around the world who fought against the Nazis in the ranks of the British Army and the Polish Army.

Israeli tank Sherman M4. War for independence. 1948

Among them were several former tank officers of the Red Army. They were called "suicide bombers" - they deserted from the Soviet occupation troops in Germany and reached Eretz Israel in different ways. In the USSR, they were sentenced to death in absentia for "treason." They went through deadly dangers to fight for the Jewish state.

Already by the middle of 1948, the 7th and 8th tank brigades were formed, which took part in the battles with the Arab aggressors.

Israeli tank general Moshe Peled. Portrait from the gallery "Great tank commanders" in

In those years, the doctrine of tank warfare, adopted by the IDF, began to take shape. It is based on the following principles:
The first is "Totality of the Tank". This means that tank formations, due to mobility, armor and firepower, are capable of independently solving the main tasks of a land war.
The second is the “Armored Fist as the main tank maneuver”, which consists in introducing large tank forces into the breakthrough, capable of conducting an offensive at high speed, destroying enemy forces in its path.
The main combat unit of the Israeli armored forces is the tank brigade. In the course of hostilities, tank divisions and corps are formed from tank brigades.

Israeli tank general Yisrael Tal. Portrait from the gallery "Great tank commanders" in
US Armored Forces Center named after General Patton

An analysis of tank battles showed a high percentage of casualties among tank commanders. This is due to the requirements of a kind of code of command honor adopted in the Israeli army:
"Follow me!" - the main team in the IDF, the commander is obliged to lead his subordinates by personal example.
Tanks go into battle with open hatches - the commander, standing in the tank turret with the hatch opened, controls the actions of the crew. This significantly expands the view and allows you to fight with "open eyes", but the commander becomes the primary target for enemy fire.

The formation of tank troops

The first combat test of this doctrine took place during Operation Kadesh in 1956. In three days, the 7th and 27th tank brigades, interacting with infantry and paratrooper units, broke into the enemy defenses and, having passed the Sinai desert, reached the Suez Canal. During the fighting, up to 600 enemy armored vehicles were destroyed or captured, Israeli losses amounted to 30 tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Israeli tanks AMX-13. Operation Kadesh. 1956

The IDF tank fleet began to be replenished with modern military equipment. During the fighting, the AMX-13 tanks purchased in France showed themselves well - the first modern tanks that entered service with the IDF. In total, the IDF then received about 200 of these tanks.
In the early 60s, hundreds of Super-Sherman M-50 and M-51 tanks entered service with the IDF.

Israeli Super Sherman tanks

In the early 1960s, the US finally agreed to sell the M48 tanks, known in Israel as Magah. However, the Americans tried to hide this deal from their Arab friends. Therefore, the deal was made between Germany and the United States, with Israel formally purchasing these tanks from Germany. In total, as part of this deal, more than 200 M48 tanks entered service with the IDF.

Israeli tanks Magah M48.

Around the same time, several hundred British Centurion tanks entered service with the armored forces, which received the name Shot in Israel (translated from Hebrew - "whip")

Israeli tank Shot Centurion.

With this updated tank fleet, Israel was to fight fierce tank battles in
Six Day War 1967 and the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

In 1964, General Israel Tal became the commander-in-chief of the tank troops. This most experienced tanker, based on combat experience, developed completely new tactics for tank warfare. Among them is the conduct of sniper fire from tank turret guns at long and ultra-long distances - up to 5-6 kilometers and even 10-11 kilometers. This immediately gave noticeable advantages in battle.

New tactics were tested in combat during the "Battle for Water" in 1964-1966. Then Syria tried to divert the water of the Jordan River, and thereby deprive Israel of water resources. The Syrians began to build a diversion channel, which Israel could not allow.
It was decided to destroy the enemy earth-moving equipment, tanks and artillery batteries that were covering the construction with the fire of tank guns.

To this end, the Israeli command staffed the units of the Sherman and Centurion tanks with trained crews, and General Tal personally took the place of the gunner in one of the tanks, and the commander of the 7th tank brigade, Colonel Shlomo Lahat, took the loader's place.

As a bait, the Israelis sent a tractor into no man's land. The Syrians immediately bought into the ruse and opened fire. The targets were immediately spotted. Israeli tank sniper fire destroyed all selected targets at a distance of up to 6 kilometers, and then tank fire was transferred to targets located at a distance of 11 kilometers.

Such tank fire strikes were carried out many times throughout the year. The Syrians suffered heavy losses and were forced to completely abandon their plans to divert water.

Six Day War. 1967
The Six Day War of 1967 was a true triumph for the Israeli tank forces. For the first time, Israeli tank formations operated simultaneously on three fronts. They were opposed by the many times superior forces of the five Arab states, but this did not save the Arabs from total defeat.

Six Day War 1967 Israeli tankers

On the southern front, the blow was delivered by the forces of three tank divisions of Generals Tal, Sharon and Ioffe. In the offensive operation, called the "March across the Sinai", Israeli tank formations, interacting with aviation, motorized infantry and paratroopers, made a lightning breakthrough of the enemy's defenses and moved through the desert, destroying the encircled groups of Arabs. On the northern front, the 36th Panzer Division of General Peled advanced along the difficult mountain paths, which, after three days of fierce fighting, reached the outskirts of Damascus. On the eastern front, Israeli troops drove Jordanian units out of Jerusalem and liberated ancient Jewish shrines from foreign invaders.

During the fighting, more than 1,200 enemy tanks were destroyed, thousands of armored vehicles, mostly Russian-made, were captured. Captured Russian tanks T-54/55 underwent major modernization at Israeli tank factories and entered service with tank troops under the name "Tiran-4/5".

Captured Russian armored vehicles captured in the Six Day War at a parade in Jerusalem.

On September 9, 1969, an armored group consisting of 6 captured Russian T-55 tanks and three BTR-50 armored personnel carriers captured in the Six-Day War was secretly transported by landing craft to the Egyptian coast of the Suez Canal. The main goal was the destruction of the Russian air defense system, which interfered with the actions of Israeli aviation. During this brilliantly conceived and executed operation, called Raviv, Israeli tankers for 9 hours went through the rear of the enemy with a shaft of fire, ruthlessly destroying radar stations, positions of missile forces and artillery, headquarters, warehouses and army bases. Having successfully completed the raid without loss, the Israeli armored group returned safely to their base on landing craft.

Yom Kippur War. 1973

The most difficult test for Israel was the Yom Kippur War, which began on October 6, 1973, on the day of one of the most important Jewish holidays, when most of the military personnel were on vacation. Israel was suddenly attacked on all fronts by the vastly superior forces of the aggressors, which included the armies of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, Libya, Algeria, Lebanon, Sudan, thousands of Russian "military advisers", Cuban and North Korean "volunteers". In the vastness from Sinai to the Golan Heights, one of the largest tank battles in world military history unfolded - up to six thousand tanks took part in it on both sides.

A particularly dangerous situation developed on the Golan Heights - there only 200 tanks of the 7th and 188th tank brigades opposed almost 1,400 Syrian tanks over a 40-kilometer stretch. Israeli tankers fought to the death, demonstrating mass heroism.

The names of the tank heroes who stopped the enemy entered the history of Israel. Among them are the platoon commander Lieutenant Zvi Gringold, the company commander Captain Meir Zamir, nicknamed "Tiger", the battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Kahalani.

Lieutenant (pictured already a captain) Zvi Gringold is a tanker who accomplished an unprecedented feat: during the battle, which lasted about a day, he destroyed up to 60 Russian tanks

The tankers fought to the last shell, from the tankers who survived the battle, who had just left the burning tanks, new crews were immediately formed, which again went into battle on repaired combat vehicles. Lieutenant Gringold went into battle three times in new vehicles. Being shell-shocked and wounded, he did not leave the battlefield and destroyed up to 60 Russian tanks. The Israeli tankers survived and won, the 210th Panzer Division, under the command of General Dan Laner, arrived in time to defeat the enemy.

Israeli tanks Centurion. Yom Kippur War 1973 Sinai desert

Israeli tank Centurion. War Yom Kippur 1973. golan heights

During the fighting, the Iraqi tank corps, which was sent to help the Syrians, was also defeated. Israeli troops launched a counteroffensive and on October 14 were already in the suburbs of Damascus.

Destroyed and captured Russian armored vehicles - T-62 tanks. October 1973 golan heights

An equally fierce tank battle took place in the sands of Sinai, where the Arabs at first managed to push back parts of the 252nd Panzer Division of General Mendler. General Mendler died in battle, but stopped the further advance of the enemy. On October 7, the 162nd Panzer Division under the command of General Bren and the 143rd Panzer Division under the command of General Ariel Sharon entered the battle. During heavy tank battles, the main forces of the Arabs were destroyed.

Commander of the 162nd Panzer Division, General Avraham Adan (Bren)

On October 14, the largest oncoming battle of tank formations since the Second World War took place, "tanks against tanks", in which 260 enemy tanks were destroyed. Israeli tankers lost 20 of their combat vehicles.

On October 16, Israeli tank forces launched a counteroffensive. General Sharon's tankers broke through the front, set up a pontoon ferry across the Suez Canal, and Israeli tanks poured onto the African coast. In the ensuing battles, the Egyptian army was surrounded, all its reserves were destroyed, and a direct road was opened for an attack on Cairo.

Video of the 14th Armored Brigade fighting during the Yom Kippur War in Sinai

War Yom Kippur. October 1973

During the fierce tank battles of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli tank forces once again proved their superiority: more than 2,500 enemy tanks (T-62, T-55, T-54) and thousands of other armored vehicles were destroyed in the battles. However, a high price had to be paid for the victory - more than a thousand heroically fighting Israeli tankers died in the battles.

Merkava tank

One of the results of the past wars was the creation of our own tank, in which the requirements of Israeli tankers for a combat vehicle were most fully implemented and their combat experience was taken into account. Another reason that prompted the creation of the Israeli tank was the embargo on the supply of military equipment, introduced by foreign manufacturers every time a war broke out. This situation was intolerable, since a continuous stream of Russian weapons always went to the Arabs.

At the head of the Israeli tank project was General Israel Tal, a combat tank officer who had gone through all the wars. Under his leadership, in just a few years, the project of the first Israeli tank "Merkava-1" was created, which already in 1976 was put into mass production at Israeli tank factories. Such a pace of creation of the tank industry has not yet known the history of world tank building.

The commander of the paratrooper brigade, Colonel Rafael Eitan and the commander of the tank division, General Israel Tal. 1967 Six Day War

General Tal gave the new tank the name "Merkava", which means "war chariot" in Hebrew. This word came from the Tanakh, it is mentioned in the first chapter of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel as a symbol of movement, power and a stable foundation.

Tank of the first generation Merkava Mk1

Tank of the second generation Merkava Mk2

Tank third generation Merkava Mk3

Tank fourth generation Merkava Mk4

The first Merkava tanks were equipped with a tank battalion commanded by the son of General Tal. The Merkava tank is recognized as the world's best tank for the Middle East theater of operations. Now the fourth generation of Merkava tanks is being produced, and the Israeli tank industry has become one of the largest in the world - tens of thousands of engineers and workers work at more than 200 enterprises.

War in Lebanon. 1982

"Shlom a-Galil" (Peace in Galilee) - this is how the IDF General Staff called the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which began on June 6, 1982. in response to attacks by Palestinian terrorists operating from Lebanese territory.

On the Lebanese border, Israel has concentrated 11 divisions, united in three army corps. Each corps was assigned its own area of responsibility or direction: Lieutenant General Yekutiel Adam commanded the Western direction, Lieutenant General Uri Simkhoni commanded the Central direction, Lieutenant General Janusz Ben-Gal commanded the Eastern direction. In addition, two divisions were deployed in the Golan Heights, in the immediate vicinity of Damascus, under the command of Lieutenant General Moshe Bar Kochba. The armored divisions had 1,200 tanks. The overall command of the operation was entrusted to the Chief of the General Staff, Colonel General R. Eitan and the commander of the Northern Military District, Lieutenant General A. Drori.

Panzer divisions advanced in the coastal direction and already on June 10 entered the suburbs of the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. Later, Beirut was completely captured by Israeli troops. During the offensive, the largest amphibious landing operation was carried out, when tank and motorized infantry units were landed behind enemy lines from landing ships of the Israeli Navy.

Particularly fierce fighting unfolded in the eastern direction, where the strategically important highway Beirut-Damascus was the goal of the offensive. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli tanks were stopped about 30 kilometers from the Syrian capital Damascus.

Israeli tanks and infantry are fighting in Beirut. 1982 operation in Lebanon. 2006

During the operation in Lebanon in July-August 2006. The IDF was practicing completely new methods of warfare against terrorist groups.

The terrorist organization Hezbollah created a system in depth of fortified areas in southern Lebanon, which included many camouflaged underground bunkers connected by tens of kilometers of tunnels. The weapons and equipment accumulated by the militants, according to their plans, should have been enough for many months of defense, during which they expected to inflict heavy losses on the Israeli army.

The terrorists paid special attention to the anti-tank war - they carried out continuous mining in the tank-hazardous areas, including the laying of dozens of land mines with hundreds of kilograms of TNT in each. The terrorists were armed with the most modern Russian anti-tank weapons: ATGMs Malyutka, Fagot, Konkurs, Metis-M, Kornet-E, as well as RPG-7 and RPG-29 Vampire grenade launchers.

Despite such an impressive training of militants, the IDF successfully completed all the assigned tasks with minimal losses and completely eliminated the terrorist presence in the border areas.

According to Israeli data, during the fighting, the militants carried out hundreds of launches of anti-tank missiles, but their effectiveness was quite low: there were only 22 cases of penetration of tank armor, damaged tanks returned to service after repairs during the fighting in Lebanon. Irretrievable losses amounted to only 5 tanks, of which two were blown up by land mines. During the fighting, 30 Israeli tankers were killed.

Israeli Armored Forces

All military experts note the high survivability of Israeli tanks, especially the most modern Merkava 4 tank.
The experience of the battles in Lebanon showed that despite the minimal losses of armored vehicles during the battles, the solution to the problem of the survivability of the main battle tank and its crew on a battlefield saturated with anti-tank weapons is the use of high-tech active protection equipment that ensures a change in the trajectory or the defeat of all types of incoming cumulative ammunition.

In Israel, the development of active protection for armored vehicles is carried out by the RAFAEL military-industrial concern, among the numerous projects, the Iron Fist and Trophy active protection complexes should be noted. Israel is the leader in this direction - the Trophy active protection system has become the first in the world to be installed on mass-produced Merkava Mk4 tanks.

The Israeli tank forces have come a long way and are rightfully considered one of the strongest in the world - according to open data, it is known that up to 5,000 tanks are now in service with the IDF. This is more than, for example, in countries such as the UK, France and Germany. But the main strength of the Israeli armored forces lies in people whose invaluable combat experience and courage are the guarantor of Israel's security.
Alex Shulman Shaon )

The deployment of armored troops of the Israel Defense Forces began during the period of the War of Independence 1947-1949. The event that became the starting point of this war was the vote of the UN General Assembly on November 29, 1947 on the partition of Palestine, which was under the control of Great Britain after the First World War. At 5:31 pm New York time, the decision was passed by a majority of 33 votes to 13, with 10 abstentions.

On the eve of the UN decision on the Palestinian issue, the delegation of the Yishuv (the Jewish population of Palestine) met with the leadership of the League of Arab States (LAS) in order to try to work out a compromise solution on the division of spheres of influence in Palestine. This attempt was met with a refusal. The chairman of the Arab League, the Egyptian diplomat Azzam Pasha, made it clear to the Jewish envoys that there would be no peaceful partition of Palestine and that they would have to defend their right to any part of its territory with weapons in their hands.

According to resolution No. 181 of the UN General Assembly of November 29, 1947 on the partition of Palestine, two independent states were to be created on its territory - Jewish and Arab, as well as Greater Jerusalem - a territory controlled by the UN. Each of the states was to consist of three territories bordering each other only at corners. The Jews agreed to partition, while the Arabs refused to recognize it and demanded the creation of a single state entity in Palestine. The very next day after the vote, November 30, the Arabs fired on a bus full of Jews heading from Netanya to Tel Aviv, killing five and injuring seven people. The war has begun.

At the first stage of the war, from November 29, 1947 to May 15, 1948, the low-intensity armed clashes that had taken place since the mid-1930s escalated into full-scale hostilities in almost all areas of contact between Jews and Arabs. This phase of the war was characterized by confrontation between Jewish and Arab irregulars. The British troops were preparing for the upcoming evacuation and had little interest in what was happening. Jewish and Arab militias sought to maximize the capture of territory and control over communications, occupying key points immediately after the withdrawal of British troops.

On May 14, 1948, the independence of the State of Israel was proclaimed, and on the night of May 15, the troops of five Arab states invaded Palestine. However, a description of the events of the War of Independence is not the purpose of this book. We are actually interested in tanks.

Light tank H39 "Hotchkiss" on display at the Israeli Tank Museum in Latrun. Judging by the shape of the commander's cupola, this machine was in the hands of the Germans during the Second World War

In the ranks of the "Russian" company of the 82nd tank battalion of the Israel Defense Forces. 1948 The machine with the number "612" has a French-style commander's cupola. Soviet-style tank helmets are noteworthy. Such helmets of Czechoslovak production were used in the IDF until the end of the 1950s.

So, the first tanks were captured by detachments of the Jewish paramilitary organization "Haganah" on May 20, 1948. These were 2-3 Syrian R35 light tanks. May 31, 1948 "Haganah" was transformed into the IDF - the regular Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In June, the 82nd tank battalion was formed in its composition, which became the only tank unit of the IDF during the War of Independence. It was armed with 10 Hotchkiss H39 tanks, purchased in France in March and arrived in Israel in June 1948. However, the technical condition of these machines left much to be desired, and already in October 1948, it was decided to withdraw them from combat strength. Instead, 30 Sherman medium tanks without weapons were purchased at a landfill in Italy at the price of scrap metal. However, we will talk about the "Shermans" separately.

In addition to the Hotchkisses, the 82nd battalion also had two Cromwell tanks (according to various sources, modifications of the Mk III or Mk IV), stolen from the British military base near the city of Haifa on the night of June 30, 1948.

"Cromwell" and "Sherman" from the "English" company of the 82nd tank battalion

In December 1948 - January 1949, during the fighting with Egyptian troops, nine M22 Locast tanks were shot down and captured, three of which entered service with the 82nd battalion. True, this happened after the end of the war. As of March 1, 1949, one tank of this type was listed as serviceable, and two were under repair.

All of the above tanks did not receive any special designations in Israel, but were simply called Renault, Hotchkiss, Cromwell and Locast, without specifying models and modifications. All these combat vehicles were withdrawn from service in 1952.

It should be noted that other types of tanks are also mentioned in connection with the War of Independence. So, for example, in 1948, several British-made Mk VI light tanks were captured from the Egyptian troops, but they were not accepted into service. In July 1950, one Valentine tank was under repair. Its origin is unknown, it may have been found in a scrap yard on one of the abandoned British military bases. It was also not accepted into service.

Israeli soldiers inspect a captured Syrian Renault R35 tank. 1948

In March - April 1948, 35 (according to other sources - 38) M5A1 Stuart light tanks were purchased in the USA. However, in July 1948 they were confiscated by the FBI and did not arrive in Israel. During 1948, negotiations were underway with Czechoslovakia on the purchase of 32 light tanks of two types, referred to in the documents as "9-ton" and "16-ton". It was about Pz.38(t) tanks and Hetzer tank destroyers, or rather LT-38/37 and ST-1. The deal did not take place because the parties did not agree on a price.

Sherman and AMX-13

The first Sherman tank was handed over to representatives of the Haganah organization on May 14, 1948. This was done by English soldiers sympathetic to the Jews, who were engaged in the destruction of armored vehicles that were not subject to export from Palestine. It was an M4A2 modification vehicle with a faulty cannon and a running gear in need of repair. Until June 3, 1948, this tank was listed as out of order and did not participate in hostilities. The second M4A2 tank was discovered at a scrap yard in the summer of 1948 and repaired by October.

"Sherman" M4A2 from the 7th tank brigade of the IDF at the parade in Tel Aviv. April 1953

In September 1948, 41 Sherman tanks were purchased from Italy. Some sources report that these were M4A1 tanks with a Continental engine and 105 mm howitzers. However, there was no M4A1(105) modification. In the fire support version, only M4 and M4A3 tanks with welded hulls were produced. At the same time, only the first was equipped with a Continental radial engine. So, most likely, tanks of the M4 (105) modification were bought in Italy, or rather, scrap metal, not tanks. All the vehicles had a faulty undercarriage, there were no machine guns, optics, communications equipment, etc. But most importantly, they had practically no main armament. Formally, there were guns, but without shutters and with trunks cut in several places by autogenous. But only 30 units of such cars managed to be shipped, and the rest were confiscated by the Italian authorities. Of the vehicles that arrived from November 1948 to January 1949, only 4 Shermans were completely restored by the end of the war, 5 more were on the move, but did not have guns and were used as training and tractors.

In this article we will talk about weapons. Let's analyze in detail the three models of the most common Israeli tanks, consider their combat characteristics and use.

"Merkava MK.4"

One of the brightest representatives of our list. The project was developed and approved in August 1970. In December 1974, the first two prototypes of the Merkava MK.1 tank were produced, and 5 years later this tank was officially adopted by the Israeli army.

After "MK.1" will take part in the Lebanese war, the Israeli government will decide to modernize this model. In the period from 1982 to 2002, the combat vehicle will be modernized three times, and in 2004 the final version of the Merkava MK.4 tank will appear in service with the Israeli army.

The tank is equipped with a diesel engine from the American manufacturer Generals Dinamics, whose power is 1500 horsepower. There is no equipment designed to overcome water obstacles on the combat vehicle, there are no mechanisms for self-digging either.

The Israeli tank has a mass of 70 tons, but the degree of its protection is lower than that of the T-90, whose mass is 50 tons. The new turret, after a series of changes, received the highest armor, but the lower armor plate of the tank has only 100 mm of armor.

The Merkava MK.4 is equipped with a MG 253 gun, which has an excellent rate of fire and a drum loading mechanism, the number of rounds in the drum is ten. The entire ammunition load is 46 rounds (together with the initially loaded drum). Another advantage of this weapon is that the crew is able to fire LAHAT light anti-tank missiles.

During its entire existence in combat, Israeli Merkava MK.4 tanks were tested twice: the Second Lebanese War (2006), the Gaza Strip (2011).

"Magah 3"

In the period from 1964 to 1966, 150 units of M48A1 tanks and about 100 M48A2S combat vehicles, which were later called "Magah", which means "ramming strike", were supplied to the Israeli army from Germany and the United States.

On December 15, 1966, work began on the modernization of the Magah 1 and Magah 2 models. As a result, after a series of changes, the Israeli tank "Magah 3" appeared, which differed from its predecessors in a new English L7 gun with a caliber of 105 mm, an American M41 gun with a caliber of 85 mm was previously installed. The turret was completely replaced and had a very low profile, the gasoline engine was replaced by a diesel engine with a power of 750 horsepower, and a non-flammable liquid was used for the hydraulic system, and Blazer dynamic protection was added to the tank for greater crew protection.

Subsequently, the Magah-3 tank went through about 15 upgrades; at the beginning of the 1990s, more than 1,800 units of tanks of the Magah family of various modifications were in service with the Israeli army.

Israeli tanks of the "Magah" family proved to be excellent in combat operations and participated in such wars as the Six Day War, the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanese War. Also, these combat vehicles participated in the fighting in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

In 2006, all obsolete Magah models were replaced with Israeli Merkava tanks. After replacing all the old models, it was decided that the 460th training brigade would be armed with tanks of the Magah model, the rest of the combat units were transferred to the army reserve.

Brief history of the tank "Magah 3" in the Russian tank museum

During the fighting in Lebanon, Syrian troops managed to capture the Magah 3 tank, three members went missing, the Israeli government announced a reward of 10 million dollars for information about their whereabouts, currently an Israeli tank in Kubinka. The media have previously discussed many different versions about the capture of a military vehicle by Syrian troops.

In the tank museum near Moscow there are no similar exhibits that have Blazer dynamic protection or something like that installed, Magah 3 remains the only representative for now, but, most likely, the tank will be returned to its homeland in the near future.

"Sabra"

Israeli tanks are also represented by a combat vehicle, which was developed by an Israeli company in the period from 2002 to 2005, its name is "Sabra".

This model is a deep modernization of the US M60A3 tank. In comparison with the American predecessor, the armor and security of the Sabra is much higher, and due to the fact that the vehicle is equipped with a passive modular armor protection kit, it is possible to change the mass of the combat vehicle depending on the situation on the battlefield, which is a big plus.

The tank is equipped with an MG 253 gun with a caliber of 120 mm. The advantages of this choice are that the gun has a very long target range, for its guidance a periscope day vision device with a magnification of X8 and a night vision device with a magnification of X5.3 are used.

It is possible to fire using a computer; the Israeli companies Elbit Systems and El-Op were engaged in the development of this function. The fire extinguishing system of the machine is automatic.

In addition to the main gun, the tank is equipped with a 60 mm mortar and two machine guns of 7.62 and 5.56 mm calibers, and smoke grenade launchers are also installed on the equipment, which provide the vehicle with camouflage after a shot. Ammunition of the main gun includes 42 rounds.

Israeli armored forces

Israel's tank forces consist of four tank brigades:

7th - in service with tanks of the brand "Merkava 4"
188th - "Merkava 3".
401st - "Merkava 4".
460th training tank brigade - many different types of equipment are in service.

Since July 2016, Major General Kobi Barak has headed the ground command staff.

Conclusion

During the existence of the Israeli army, the country participated in many military conflicts, so the development of the military industry in Israel remained one of the main tasks. To date, the Sabra tank is adequately capable of competing in the world market with its "classmates" from other countries. Although most models of Israeli tanks are based on American combat vehicles, the differences in them are really significant.

Israel is considered a great tank power: the IDF tank fleet is one of the largest in the world - it is armed with from 4 to 5 thousand tanks, the Merkava tank built at Israeli tank factories, according to many experts, is the best main battle tank in the world, Israeli tankers have invaluable combat experience gained in numerous wars and armed conflicts.

Emblem of the Israeli Armored Forces (Heil HaShiryon)

Creation of tank troops

Israeli tank Sherman M4. War for independence. 1948

Already by the middle of 1948, the 7th and 8th tank brigades were formed, which took part in the battles with the Arab aggressors.

Israeli tank general Moshe Peled. Portrait from the gallery "Great tank commanders" in

In those years, the doctrine of tank warfare, adopted by the IDF, began to take shape. It is based on the following principles:
The first one is "Totality of the tank". This means that tank formations, due to mobility, armor and firepower, are capable of independently solving the main tasks of a land war.
The second one is the Armored Fist as the main tank maneuver, which consists in introducing large tank forces into the breakthrough, capable of conducting an offensive at high speed, destroying enemy forces in its path.
The main combat unit of the Israeli armored forces is the tank brigade. In the course of hostilities, tank divisions and corps are formed from tank brigades.

Israeli tank general Yisrael Tal. Portrait from the gallery "Great tank commanders" in
US Armored Forces Center named after General Patton

The formation of tank troops

Israeli tanks AMX-13. Operation Kadesh. 1956

Israeli Super Sherman tanks

Israeli tanks Magah M48.

Around the same time, several hundred British Centurion tanks entered service with the armored forces, which received the name Shot in Israel (translated from Hebrew - "whip")

Israeli tank Shot Centurion.

With this updated tank fleet, Israel was to fight fierce tank battles in
Six Day War 1967 and the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

Such tank fire strikes were carried out many times throughout the year. The Syrians suffered heavy losses and were forced to completely abandon their plans to divert water.

Six Day War. 1967

The Six Day War of 1967 was a true triumph for the Israeli tank forces. For the first time, Israeli tank formations operated simultaneously on three fronts. They were opposed by the many times superior forces of the five Arab states, but this did not save the Arabs from total defeat.

Six Day War 1967 Israeli tankers

Captured Russian armored vehicles captured in the Six Day War at a parade in Jerusalem.

Yom Kippur War. 1973

The most difficult test for Israel was the Yom Kippur War, which began on October 6, 1973, on the day of one of the most important Jewish holidays, when most of the military personnel were on vacation. Israel was suddenly attacked on all fronts by the vastly superior forces of the aggressors, including the armies of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, Libya, Algeria, Lebanon, Sudan, thousands of Russian "military advisers", Cuban and North Korean "volunteers". In the vastness from Sinai to the Golan Heights, one of the largest tank battles in the world military unfolded - up to six thousand tanks took part in it on both sides.

Lieutenant (pictured already a captain) Zvi Gringold is a tanker who accomplished an unprecedented feat: during the battle, which lasted about a day, he destroyed up to 60 Russian tanks

The tankers fought to the last shell, from the tankers who survived the battle, who had just left the burning tanks, new crews were immediately formed, which again went into battle on repaired combat vehicles. Lieutenant Gringold went into battle three times in new vehicles. Being shell-shocked and wounded, he did not leave the battlefield and destroyed up to 60 Russian tanks. The Israeli tankers survived and won, the 210th Panzer Division, under the command of General Dan Laner, arrived in time to defeat the enemy.

Israeli tanks Centurion. Yom Kippur War 1973 Sinai desert

Israeli tank Centurion. War Yom Kippur 1973. golan heights

During the fighting, the Iraqi tank corps, which was sent to help the Syrians, was also defeated. Israeli troops launched a counteroffensive and on October 14 were already in the suburbs of Damascus.

Destroyed and captured Russian armored vehicles - T-62 tanks. October 1973 golan heights

Commander of the 162nd Panzer Division, General Avraham Adan (Bren)

Video of the 14th Armored Brigade fighting during the Yom Kippur War in Sinai

War Yom Kippur. October 1973

Merkava tank

The commander of the paratrooper brigade, Colonel Rafael Eitan and the commander of the tank division, General Israel Tal. 1967 Six Day War

Tank of the first generation Merkava Mk1

Tank of the second generation Merkava Mk2

Tank third generation Merkava Mk3

Tank fourth generation Merkava Mk4

The first Merkava tanks were equipped with a tank battalion commanded by the son of General Tal. The Merkava tank is recognized as the world's best tank for the Middle East theater of operations. Israeli designers were the first in the world to develop dynamic armor, the use of which greatly reduced the likelihood of a tank being hit by projectiles and guided missiles. Blocks of dynamic protection "Blazer" were installed on Merkava tanks, and on most of the "Centurions", M48 and M60, which remained in service with the IDF
.Now the fourth generation of Merkava tanks is being produced, and the Israeli tank industry has become one of the largest in the world - tens of thousands of engineers and workers work at more than 200 enterprises.

War in Lebanon. 1982

Israeli tanks and infantry are fighting in Beirut. 1982

operation in Lebanon. 2006

During the operation in Lebanon in July-August 2006. The IDF was practicing completely new methods of warfare against terrorist groups.

The terrorist organization Hezbollah created a system in depth of fortified areas in southern Lebanon, which included many camouflaged underground bunkers connected by tens of kilometers of tunnels. and the equipment accumulated by the militants, according to their plans, should have been enough for many months of defense, during which they expected to inflict heavy losses on the Israeli army.

Despite such an impressive training of militants, the IDF successfully completed all the assigned tasks with minimal losses and completely eliminated the terrorist presence in the border areas.

Israeli Armored Forces

In Israel, the development of active protection for armored vehicles is carried out by the RAFAEL military-industrial concern, among the numerous projects, the Iron Fist and Trophy active protection complexes should be noted. Israel is leading in this direction - the Trophy active protection system has become the first in the world to be installed on mass-produced Merkava Mk4 tanks.

Israeli tank troops have come a long way and are rightfully considered one of the strongest in the world - according to open data, it is known that now the IDF is armed with up to 5,000 tanks. This is more than, for example, in countries such as the UK, France and Germany. But the main strength of the Israeli armored forces lies in people whose invaluable combat experience and courage are the guarantor of Israel's security.

The Israeli main battle tank Merkava (Chariot) was first shown in 1979 and surprised many with its layout, eventually becoming the subject of debate as to whether such a modern MBT design is justified. During its development, mainly defensive battle tactics and the need for maximum crew protection were taken into account, which led to a change in priorities. Most MBTs are designed on the principle of firepower-protection-mobility, while the Merkava has protection as a priority.

The Israelis created MBT, which was to be used only in their country and not exported to others. Therefore, the Merkava fully meets their specific requirements, while having disadvantages that would be noticeable in other armies, but we will talk about them at the end of the article.

Design

The chief designer, Yisrael Tal, led an armored brigade during the Suez Crisis and a division during the Six Day War, so he, like no one else, knew about the peculiarities of warfare and significantly influenced Israel's armored doctrine.

According to her, most of the fighting had to be conducted from pre-prepared defensive positions in natural shelters due to elevation changes. Thus, often only the tower will be vulnerable to enemy fire. Therefore, when developing the Merkava, the frontal silhouette of its turret was reduced as much as possible, and the fighting compartment was moved as much as possible to the hull.

The second task to be solved was the maximum protection of the crew. And here the car stands out again. Its layout is not similar to other modern MBTs, since the engine, transmission and fuel tank are moved forward, separated from each other by an armored partition and separated from the crew by another armored partition, which is thus protected not only by frontal armor.

In addition, the fighting compartment in the hull is maximized and has a door at the rear, so the Merkava MBT can transport 6 paratroopers, 4 stretchers with wounded or additional ammunition, which is a unique feature.

armor protection

By itself, the protection of the tank is unusual and stands out from the others. The differences are in the already mentioned layout, in which the engine and transmission act as additional armor, and the high altitude contributes to more hits. The hull and turret are cast, have a strong slope, and the upper armor plate can be removed and has a special ledge that closes the junction of the turret and hull.

On the sides of the hull are screens that protect the undercarriage.

The Merkava tower, as already mentioned, has a small frontal projection, which is provided by a wedge-shaped shape, which also increases the chances of a rebound. Its design is original, since the protection consists of two layers of spaced armor, between the walls of which there are cartridge boxes for machine guns. The battles in Lebanon showed that this was not enough, so the following modifications received additional armor.

An interesting feature is the headlights, which are hidden in the body under the cover of armor and open during use.

With each modification, the armor protection of the Merkava grows upwards. For example, additional screens and modular armor appear.

Armament

Initially, they installed the American 105 mm M68, which is a licensed version of the English L7A1, but immediately provided for the installation of a larger caliber gun in the turret design. Ammunition is 62 rounds, but can always be increased by the fighting compartment.

Starting with the Mk.3 modification, the tank began to be equipped with an Israeli-made 120 mm MG251 gun.

Auxiliary armament consists of a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and two additional removable FN MAG machine guns on the roof of the turret. The total ammunition load is 2000 rounds. Optionally, a 12.7 mm M2NV machine gun can be mounted on the gun mantlet.

To set up smoke screens, a mortar is provided, which allows you to fire while under cover of armor starting from Mk.2.

The fire control system of the Matador is at a high level and is updated with each modification. However, the accuracy and rate of fire are at a rather mediocre level. This is due to both the layout and the requirements of the Israeli military.

As in all modern MBTs, aiming at the target is carried out using sighting devices. The problem is that the front-mounted engine with jets of hot air greatly reduces the capabilities of these devices, creating a constant thermal field around the tank. This is partly solved by the tactics of firing from pre-prepared positions and with a cold engine, but this is far from always applicable in practice.

Moreover, due to the layout, the front of the Merkava is heavily overweight, which creates strong longitudinal oscillations when firing, significantly reducing the accuracy of the repeated shot and forcing the rate of fire to decrease several times due to pauses between shots.

But all this is not considered critical by the Israeli military, due to tactics and the use of corrective ammunition, which allow them to hit targets with almost 100% accuracy with the first shot.

Chassis and engine

Israeli engineers decided to build a running gear based on the Centurion, as its suspension had excellent resistance to mines and explosive devices. It uses coil springs and four bolts to the hull of each hardpoint, making it easy to replace damaged parts and make the hull bottom V-shaped, resistant to explosions from below.

In total, on each side of the Merkava there are 6 rubber-coated road wheels, 5 support rollers, a drive wheel in front and a rear guide.

Caterpillars are also borrowed from the Centurion.

Most of the tanks are equipped with American AVDS-1790 diesel engines with 900 horsepower. and modified American Allison CD-850-6B semi-automatic transmissions. Due to their specific location, almost any projectile that penetrates the frontal armor immobilizes the vehicle. But they are assembled in one module, which allows quick and easy replacement in the field. Once again, the Merkava is not like other MBTs, in which part of the crew is disabled in such a situation, but the tank itself does not lose its ability to move.

Modifications

Merkava mk.1

The first version, serial production began in 1979, about 250 units were created in total. Participated in the 1982 Lebanese war, after which, given the shortcomings and vulnerabilities that appeared, it was decided to create a new version, as a result of which a modification of the Merkava MK.2 (Merkava Mk.1B) appeared. All tanks of the first modification were later brought to a new level.

Merkava mk.2

Version created on the basis of the experience of the Lebanese war. Received much better protection, increased firepower and increased cross-country ability. The side screens were replaced and the turret protection was improved by installing overhead screens. Behind the turret, baskets for property are installed and metal chains with balls are hung, all this provides additional protection against cumulative ammunition.

The MSA Matador-2 and a thermal imager were installed, the transmission was replaced with the Israeli "Ashot", the capacity of the fuel tanks was increased by 25% and the suspension was modernized.

In total, about 600 of these tanks were produced.

Merkava mk.3

The tank used modular armor protection for the hull and turret, which consists of special modules bolted to the hull and turret. This design allows you to easily and quickly replace damaged parts of the armor and increase the protection of the Merkava by simply replacing modules with more advanced ones.

The LWS-2 laser radiation system appeared, warning the crew about pointing various weapons at the tank, the FCS was replaced with Matador-3, the hydraulic drives for turning the turret and aiming the gun were replaced with electric ones, adding the possibility of manual duplication.

To increase firepower, a locally produced 120 mm MG251 smoothbore gun was installed, and to improve mobility, the AVDS-1790-9AR diesel engine was boosted to 1200 hp. and replaced the transmission with an Israeli one, also improved the suspension.

In total, about 640 units of such modifications were produced.

Merkava mk.4

The latest and most advanced version.

The protection has been increased even more, due to which the dimensions have increased, the mass has reached 70 tons. To maintain mobility, a new 1500 hp GD 883 engine was installed. The Trophy active protection complex has been installed, protecting the Merkava from guided missiles and anti-tank grenade launchers.

The turret has grown in size, is protected by modular armor and has only one hatch used by the commander, a new commander's cupola has been installed. Bottom protection added.

The Merkava Mk.4 tank promises to be the last in the series, after which it will be replaced by a fundamentally new next-generation vehicle.

Epilogue

As can be seen from the article, the Merkava tank was created purely for the requirements of the Israeli army, therefore it has pronounced strengths and weaknesses. It was not designed for long-distance transportation, so the large weight and dimensions practically do not affect anything. The impossibility of accurate shooting with minimal pauses, as well as shooting from the move, is gradually being corrected by new SLAs and adjustable ammunition, in addition, modern technologies make it possible to correct the increased thermal field in front of observation devices. The inability of the tank to move after breaking through the frontal armor is more than compensated by the protection of the crew, which, although it turns into simple infantry after the defeat of the tank, survives, and this is the main thing in Merkava's idea.

It is incorrect to compare this tank with other modern MBTs, since they are trying to be made universal and adapted to various climatic and combat conditions. Merkava is completely different.