Merkava main battle tank. Tank "Merkava" - the revolutionary chariot of God Israel's new tank

Every summer, Jews drive around the cities of Russia in campers. Several cars leave Moscow and are divided along routes. Their path lies in big cities and remote towns where there are Jewish communities. These vehicles are mobile synagogues and are sometimes referred to as "tanks."

I took part in an ethnographic expedition as a blogger to tell you about how this happens. There are many people of Jewish origin among my readers, but I am sure that this report will be of interest not only to them.

To stand firmly on the ground, you need to feel the roots. I don't remember when I first learned about my Jewish origin. He never hid it, but he was not interested either. Awareness and pride came much later.

Two thousand years ago, the Jewish people were expelled from their land by conquerors. Scattering across the planet should have erased his memory in the corridors of time. This has already happened to other peoples, but the Jews were able to maintain their identity, carry it through all the wars and persecutions. And then, for the first time in history, to revive their state and collect the ancient language from the ashes of oblivion.

But there are still many people in the world who, although they know about the origin, are not familiar with Jewish traditions. Living in New York, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (7th Lubavitcher Rebbe), the leader of the Chabad movement, came up with a way to find as many people as possible with “roots” but far from the community. “If a Jew does not go to the synagogue, the synagogue goes to the Jew!” New York community activists rented two trailers, which were painted in bright colors and installed loudspeakers, and books and brochures were placed inside. In these cars, young rabbis began to travel to different parts of New York to agitate the Jews. The action turned out to be successful, and the number of campers began to increase, and the geography of their trips began to expand. Later, synagogues on wheels appeared in other countries of the world, including ours.

The tragic events of the 20th century in Russia affected many peoples of our country. People were resettled and exiled, shot in the back of the head and burned in ovens, forced to forget their history and identity. It affected everyone. Temples, mosques were blown up, synagogues were closed. Everything that was dear and sacred, family and communal traditions were thrown into the sacrifice of new ideologies.

In the 1990s, religious communities began to revive in Russia. Even in tiny towns there were a few Jews who began to gather together. At the same time, the “Iron Curtain” rose, the borders opened, and many people left to live in Israel: more than a million people repatriated from the Soviet Union. But even today there are many people who have lost touch with their roots. Jewish organizations conduct educational programs for children, adults and the elderly, and carry free tours to Israel and Europe. All this is not so that people will certainly “dumped”, not at all. To know and remember who they are.

This was a brief backstory. Now to history.

1 Our "tanker" crew - Yisroel, David and Menahem-Mendl. They are young rabbis, yeshiva students from around the world. I joined them in Kazan, before that the guys traveled around the cities of Russia for a week and a half and managed to visit Ivanovo, Kostroma, Ryazan, Penza and Izhevsk.

By the way, "tanks" have nothing to do with military equipment. So these machines were called by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, "tanks for the war against assimilation."

2 Our first point is the Deep Lake recreation center near Kazan, where the Gan Israel camp is being held this summer.

3 There are 90 children from the Volga regions in the camp, the shift lasts two weeks. During this time, they not only have time to relax and hang out with new friends, but also learn a lot about Jewish traditions and culture.

4 They had been waiting for Mitzvah Tank since the morning and came out to meet us with the whole camp.

5 The leaders and the "tankers" turned out to be well acquainted, and this is not surprising, in the Jewish party everyone knows each other. In general, the meeting was warm.

6 The kids love the camper! Everyone wanted to go inside and see how everything is arranged there. They literally bombarded me with questions, and since the rabbis were busy, I got the most tricky ones: “Is it comfortable to sleep? Are you falling out on the go?” “How does the toilet work here?” etc. Well, I have a “background”: last year, bloggers and I drove in exactly the same motorhome around Tatarstan, he will enlighten the guys what’s what.

7 Yisroel Lazar, the son of Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar, tells the children a story about a lonely Jew from Australia, if you want, I will tell it to you.

9 Walked around the camp. While some are playing

10 Others study and pray. In Gan Israel, children are taught to live according to Jewish commandments, including prayers.

11 The black boxes are called “tefillin,” and this is one of the most important commandments for a religious Jew to pray daily, placing tefillin on the hand and head. Tefillin is a symbol of the inseparable connection between the people of Israel and the Almighty.

There are four passages in the Torah that contain the injunction: "Tie them (the words of G-d) as a sign on your hand, and let them be a sign over your eyes!" This commandment, symbolically prescribing the subordination of actions and consciousness to the will of the Creator, literally obliges adult Jewish men to put "these words" (that is, the words of the Torah contained in these passages) on their hands and heads. The scribes of sacred texts (sofrim, singular sofer) write these four passages on small parchment scrolls made from specially treated skin of a kosher animal. The special boxes (also made from the skin of a kosher animal) that contain these passages are called tefillin. // en.chabad.org

13 Synagogue in Kazan. It is located in the very center, and I have seen it many times, but I have never been inside. Directly across from the synagogue is the Café Syria, which serves Middle Eastern food - hummus, falafel and all. It has always been interesting whether synagogue visitors go to this cafe, because the cuisine of neighboring countries is similar. Sposil - they don’t go, because there is no kosher certificate, this is important for religious Jews. But they could get it, there would be no end to the customers!

One way or another, this is what Tatarstan is beautiful for - its religious tolerance. A region where several peoples are closely intertwined can be a good example of how to live in peace.

16 Rabbi Yitzhak Gorelik of Kazan.

17 Let's walk around the synagogue. Scroll photos left and right using the arrows.

The synagogue building recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was built in 1915 with money raised by the community.
In the Soviet years, the synagogue was confiscated and given to the Ministry of Education. And only in the 90s the building returned to the Jewish community.

17 On other floors of the synagogue there are various organizations and foundations that help the community in life. There is also a small museum of the Kazan community.

18 Construction continues. On the top floor, under the roof, a yeshiva is now being built - the classrooms of a religious school.

20 I have wanted to be there for a long time: I traveled along the highway to Kazan many times, but I didn’t get here, I need to make a big detour. And there is something to see in Yoshkar-Ola. I'll show you in a separate post.

21 The Mitzvah mobile parked in one of the courtyards in the city center. An unusual car attracts attention, many come up, are interested, ask questions.

22 For all the time we have not met any negativity or rejection from passers-by.

23 The community in Yoshkar-Ola is very small, and now, in the summer, most people are in their dachas. Only a few people came, but the meeting was warm. There is no synagogue here, as well as buildings. Rent a small room in the basement. There is no rabbi, but this does not prevent people from gathering together. Most of them are elderly, their children and grandchildren grew up and left. A lot of people flee the city, to Kazan and Moscow, many Jews left for Israel back in the 90s.

24 The son of a community leader died during an operation in Gaza in the early 2000s.

25 These communities touch me very much. In 2015, I also traveled with a mitzvah tank along the Volga region, and the city of Syzran was most memorable then: even less “Yoshka”. An old brick house on the outskirts, a hundred-year-old synagogue that has only recently been returned to the Jews. The building needs major repairs, there is no money for it, but people support the old house and each other.

26 A gift from the expedition - a Jewish watch. Instead of numbers, there are letters of the alphabet, and the arrows go in the opposite direction.

27 The rabbis offered to go home to the people of the community and set up a mezuzah. Protective prayers in plastic cases that protect the house. It turned out that everyone already has a mezuzah.

28 After meeting in the community, we went to see the sights of the city. No, this is not Red Square, but one of the many copies of famous buildings in Yoshkar-Ola. I tell you - the city is unusual.

29 The main task of the expedition is to get acquainted with the activities of the Jewish communities in Russia, to involve people in the study of the history, culture and traditions of their people.

30 Speak with everyone in a language close to him. There is a lot of literature in the mitzvah tank, books for children telling about the history of the people.

31 On a pedestrian street, near the Kremlin, a man in a tracksuit rents gyro scooters. Ten minutes - one hundred rubles. The rabbis became interested in the topic, and quickly mastered the transport, although they stood on it for the first time.

32 Made a spectacular bow!

33 Then there was a difficult night drive to Nizhny Novgorod and an overnight stay in the car. In principle, this is not a problem, there is a whole house on wheels, with sleeping places, a shower room and a kitchen. But doing it on the move is still not very easy.

34 Late supper. The guys arranged a whole feast with a change of dishes. Most of the products they carry with them, but from time to time replenish stocks in local stores.

36 Nizhny Novgorod also has a synagogue and a large congregation. This is a beautiful building in the form of a Torah scroll, which did not fit into the width of the corner of my cell, but on the Internet you can. Here our paths parted. The rabbis and the mitzvah tank stayed in the city to celebrate Shabbat, while I took the train to Moscow to go further.

Liked the post? Like and comment! More responses - more quality reports :)

Israeli tank forces appeared in the middle of the last century during the war for independence. To date, the tank fleet of the Israeli army has from 4 to 5 thousand tanks, and the tankers have invaluable combat experience that they have gained in numerous wars and armed conflicts.

Before the 1956 war, the Israeli government decided to reorganize the army, the core of which was to be tank troops. For this purpose, 1000 pieces were purchased in the UK. "Centurions", in the USA "M48" and a little later "M60". After the war, over 500 Soviet captured T-52s, T-55s and T-62s appeared in the army, in addition to this, the fleet included vehicles from the period of the Second World War.

In an attempt to modernize obsolete models, and most importantly in an effort to unify the "motley" tank fleet among themselves, Israeli designers have gained production and design experience, which allowed them to develop their own tank.

In the 70s, the implementation of the program of the Israeli government to create a national tank began. The main requirement for the creation of the main battle tank was to ensure high survivability of the tank as a whole and the crew in particular, possibly even to the detriment of some other technical characteristics. The result of the solution of such requirements was the front location of the engine compartment, as an additional protection for the crew. Already in 1976, the main battle tank "Merkava-1" was put into mass production at Israeli factories. After a series of upgrades "Merkava MK 2", "Merkava" MK 3 "and" Merkava MK 4 "tank is considered one of the best in the world.

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

All rights belong to Alexander Shulman(c) 2003-2009
2003-2009 by Alexander Shulman. All rights reserved
Use of material without the written permission of the author is prohibited.
Any violations are punishable by copyright law in force in Israel.

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 command honor code 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 enemy earth-moving equipment, tanks and artillery batteries that were covering the construction by fire from 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 the tank forces 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 whenever wars 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 serial 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 leading the way 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 Israelis consider their country to be a great tank power, and they see the Merkava tank, built at their own tank factories, as the best main battle tank in the world. Both statements are justified - indeed, the tank fleet of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF, in Hebrew - “Tsva hagana le Israel”, abbreviated as IDF), the most combat-ready and productive army in the Middle East, has up to 3 thousand tanks, and specially designed for the Middle East theater of operations, the Merkava tank remains one of the most advanced among those currently in operation.

Interestingly, the British contributed in many ways to the early appearance of the Merkava tank. “The Englishwoman crap” - the catchwords attributed to the famous Russian commander Alexander Suvorov and used to define the various “intrigues” of Great Britain are quite consistent with this case. But more on that below.

I must say that the Israeli tank forces did not always have equipment that was at the forefront of technical development. For much of its history, the Israel Defense Forces had to make do with second-hand tanks - cast-offs from the armies of other countries. So, in the 1950s. The basis of the IDF tank fleet was hopelessly outdated veterans of the Second World War - medium American Sherman tanks, although there were also a number of more modern French light tanks AMX-13.

The second prototype of the tank "Merkava" in the museum in Latrun

I must say that most Israeli Shermans were bought at the price of scrap metal (which, in fact, they were at that time), and after delivery to Israel they had to be literally restored again. At the same time, much more modern armored vehicles, mostly of Soviet production, were being put into service with Israel's Arab opponents. Under these conditions, the Israeli military was forced to become specialists in modernizing their combat vehicles and adapting them to local conditions.

For example, by the mid-1960s The forces of the artillery depots of the IDF carried out a deep modernization of the Sherman tanks. These old men received a new engine (diesel Cummings 460 hp) and suspension, but most importantly - a modified version of the powerful French 105-mm tank gun CN 105 Fl (developed for the French AMX-30 tank). This weapon gave Israeli tanks a real chance to successfully fight even with the new Soviet T-55 tanks that entered service with the Egyptian and Syrian armies.

Emblem of the Israeli Armored Forces

However, there were limits beyond which obsolete tanks could no longer be effectively upgraded. The IDF desperately needed more modern armored vehicles. In the early 1960s the possibility was considered to establish the production of the hull and turret of a tank of its own design in Israel itself, and to purchase the remaining components necessary for assembly abroad. However, at the time, the proposal was considered too ambitious and costly. Moreover, the "suppliers" managed to get several hundred relatively modern American M48 tanks, as well as older, but reliable British "Centurions" for the IDF.

French light tank AMX-13

With this in mind, Israel, having so far abandoned the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bproducing its own tank, began searching for a suitable vehicle that could be produced under license. Some sources claim that the first candidate for such licensed production was the French AMX-30 tank. Indeed, the Israelis had extensive military contracts with France, and General Israel Tal, then commander of the IDF armored forces, was visiting France to familiarize himself with the new AMX-30. However, there were no preliminary negotiations with France for the joint production of the AMX-30, and the IDF never intended to acquire it.

British "Centurion" modernized in Israel - in this case it is "Shot Kal Aleph"

In fact, the main efforts were focused on negotiations with the UK to acquire a license for the production of the latest British tank "Chieftain". At the beginning of 1966, a preliminary agreement was reached - the British were ready to establish a joint production of the tank, provided that the IDF continued to purchase obsolete and no longer needed "Centurions" from the arsenals of the British army. Israel was ready to go for it.

M51 - a deep modernization of the Sherman tank, equipped with a French 105-mm tank gun CN 105 Fl

In November 1966, two Israeli delegations were already working in the UK - tank troops and weapons, whose task was to comprehensively study the Chieftain. At the beginning of the next 1967, two British tanks were delivered to Israel, where they were subjected to extensive tests. Having driven these "Chieftains" to the full development of the motor resource, they were sent back, receiving two new tanks in return. In total, the tests lasted two and a half years, and according to their results, the IDF put forward its proposals for changing the design of the tank, which would make it more appropriate for local conditions.

American tank M48, modernized in Israel ("Magach 3") with a 105-mm gun

In October 1968, the Israeli government officially approached the UK with a proposal to purchase the Chieftain tank. However, not everything was so simple. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Israel came under international sanctions, which included an arms embargo. Against this background, a struggle broke out in the British government between supporters and opponents of the sale of tanks to Israel. The military, represented by the Ministry of Defense, were naturally in favor, while the diplomats, represented by the Foreign Ministry, were against it. In the end, in December 1969, the politicians won, and the UK officially refused Israel - "the Englishwoman screwed up." In the same month, two Chieftain tanks, which were still being tested in Israel, were sent back.

Tank "Chieftain"

The Merkava development team (on the far right, General Tal) during testing

Scheme of the device of the tank "Merkava" Mk 1. For the tank, the layout with the front engine was chosen. The main part of the ammunition was stored in the aft compartment

Under the circumstances, Israel had no choice but to return to the idea of ​​​​producing its own tank. Although this was associated with large financial costs and technical risk, it promised independence from external arms supplies. Already on June 6, 1970, the results of an economic study on the feasibility of developing and producing their own tank were sent to the Israeli Ministries of Defense and Finance. And after just a month and a half, without the usual delays, the Israeli tank program was given the go-ahead.

The program was called the “Merkava Program” (“Tokhnit Merkava”), and later the tank itself became known as the “Merkava”. The word "Merkava" was translated into Russian in different ways. For example, in some sources the phrase "war chariot" or "divine chariot" was used. However, in Hebrew, "Merkava" simply means "chariot", and not a "war chariot", but rather a "carriage", which was used by the Egyptian pharaoh, but by no means a god. The tank was also called "Chariot", which is due to the effect of double translation - Chariot in English means "chariot". In addition, it may be mentioned that in the 1970s there was a version that the new tank being developed in Israel would be called the Sabra. Even when it became known that the name of the new tank was the Merkava, some sources claimed that two tanks were being developed in parallel in Israel - the 60-ton Merkava and the 40-ton Sabra.

General Israel Tal was appointed the head of the Merkava program, who led the project until the entry into service of the latest (and according to recent reports, possibly the last) modification of the tank, the Merkava Mk4. It was Tal, an outstanding tank commander and a talented self-taught engineer, that the Merkava owes its most innovative features, in particular its unusual configuration.

The design of the new tank was carried out by specialists from the research center at the state association IMI (Israel Military Industry). Colonel Israel Tilan, who held this post until 1975, was appointed chief engineer of the project. Despite the fact that initially only 35 people took part in the work, the design was carried out at a very high pace. All bureaucratic delays were minimized largely thanks to the authority of Tal himself and the closest cooperation between the military and designers.

When shaping the look of the future tank, General Tal insisted that it should provide an unprecedented level of crew protection. The population of Israel is not so large, so society is extremely sensitive to losses on the battlefield. In addition, the IDF was convinced that if damaged tanks can be restored fairly quickly, then it takes much more time to provide them with new trained crews. Naturally, the protection of the crew was given top priority.

As part of the program, a thorough study of armored vehicles damaged during the battles (both own and enemy) was undertaken. They determined - the type of projectile that hit the tank, the place of impact and the damage inflicted. As a result, it was determined that most often tanks were hit in the frontal area, within a sector of 60 °. Of these hits, about 45% were in the tower. In general, this information was not something unexpected, even during the Second World War, when studying the combat damage received by Soviet tanks during the Battle of Kursk, it was found that not all parts of the turret and tank hull were hit with the same degree of probability. It was the frontal elements that were hit in droves, while the number of hits on the turret was the largest. By the way, on the basis of these statistics, the differential armor of the Soviet heavy tank IS-3 was developed.

Tank shells. From left to right - high-explosive, cumulative, sub-caliber

As for the shells themselves, the Arab side widely used various cumulative ammunition (tank gun shells, ATGMs, RPG grenades). Their warhead was a thin-walled conical funnel (usually made of copper) pressed into an explosive mass (BB) and facing forward with a blunt end. When the explosive was detonated, the metal of the funnel collapsed and stretched along its axis in the form of a cumulative jet. Such a jet of metal with a diameter of 3-4 mm acquired a speed of up to 10 km / s and exerted pressure on the tank's armor of the order of 1 million atmospheres. As a result, a hole was formed in the armor with edges that had a melted appearance (at one time, this was precisely what led to the incorrect definition of cumulative shells as armor-burning ones).

But even after overcoming the armor barrier, the residual elements of the cumulative jet retained enough energy to cause the destruction of equipment, the detonation of ammunition, or the defeat of people in the armored space. The recently appeared armor-piercing sub-caliber feathered shells (BPS) also posed a mortal danger. Their long arrow-shaped core, made of heavy metals (tungsten, depleted uranium), leaving the barrel of a tank gun at a speed of up to 1800 m / s, pierced the armor due to its enormous kinetic energy.

Scheme of protection of the front of the case. In the Merkava, diesel fuel was placed between the armor plates of the hull. Similar tanks integrated into armor protection, with a fuel layer thickness of 7 cm, when hit by a cumulative projectile, were equivalent to 1 cm of rolled armor

The use of new ammunition led to a situation where "the projectile defeated the armor." The armor penetration of cumulative and sub-caliber projectiles exceeded the thickness of armor protection from homogeneous rolled armor of most tanks, and further increase in the thickness of the armor was impossible for practical reasons related to its weight and volume. Consequently, it was necessary either to use new materials to protect tanks, which would be more effective than uniform rolled armor, or to look for new ways to organize protection.

In response to this challenge, in the West and in the USSR, “combined armor” was developed, consisting of alternating layers of various materials (steel, ceramics), which protected well from cumulative ammunition, but did not completely save from BPS. Unfortunately, at the time of the design of the Merkava tank, the secret of such armor was not available to Israeli developers, and they had to look for other ways to provide reliable protection.

Special fire stowage for shots in the stern of the Merkava (view from the turret)

The layout of the crew and troops

Tower "Merkava" wedge-shaped in front, had a minimum height and cross section

Wooden model of the Merkava, stored in the Batey A-Osef Museum (view from the stern, the tower is turned back)

In the design of the Merkava, emphasis was placed on shielding the habitable compartment, and not the overall level of protection of the tank itself. In fact, all the main components and assemblies, such as transmission, suspension, fuel tanks, batteries, were designed and located in such a way as to provide additional protection to the fighting compartment. In the complex, all these nodes formed an additional protective shell integrated into the design of the tank - they had to "sacrifice themselves", preventing the projectile from entering the habitable compartment.

So, in the Merkava, the engine, along with the transmission, was located in front (unlike the classic tank layout - with the engine in the back and the fighting compartment in front), so that it would make an additional contribution to protection if the thick frontal armor was nevertheless pierced by a projectile. As a result of a shell hit, the Merkava will most likely lose mobility, but the tank crew will avoid injury and mutilation.

View of the fighting compartment through the open aft hatch (levers to open its doors are visible on the sides)

Due to the fact that the engine was located in front, it was possible to organize a rectangular hatch in the rear of the hull with two doors that fold up and down. The hatch makes it easier for the crew to leave the vehicle, and also makes it easier to rescue the wounded crew members - their evacuation through the back door is a much simpler task than pulling them up through the narrow round hatches, as on other tanks.

The massive blocks of the Merkava spring suspension provided additional protection to the crew compartment.

The chosen layout made it possible to significantly increase the useful volume in the rear of the hull, which was used to store ammunition. The Merkava has much more of it than is generally accepted, and it is easier to replenish it (through a large rear hatch). If necessary, shells and equipment from the rear of the tank can be removed. The vacated space is used to evacuate the injured crews of wrecked tanks or even to transport an infantry assault group of four or five people in conditions of intense enemy fire. Thus, the Merkava is theoretically capable of performing the functions of not only a tank, but also highly protected armored personnel carriers / infantry fighting vehicles.

Place gunner "Merkava", visible sight and elements of the fire control system

Of course, the unconventional layout of the Merkava also had its drawbacks. The distribution of the weight of the units with this arrangement required the tank hull to be extremely rigid, and this made the vehicle heavier. In addition, due to the forward position of the power plant, the tank gun had to be shifted to the stern, as a result, the angle of inclination of the gun forward at the Merkava was only - 8.5 ° (for typical Western tanks, about - 10 °). Given the fact that the favorite positions of the IDF tankers were on the slopes of the hills, this limited the possibility of firing. Accurate aiming was also complicated by the haze of heated air rising above the running engine. Thermal radiation from it also facilitated the detection and capture of the tank by infrared homing ATGMs.

Novelties in the organization of the protection of the Merkava were not limited to the use of various units in the wooden model of the upper frontal part of the Merkava installed on the jeep with observation devices Prototype with a wooden model of the native tower installed as an additional shield. Experiments conducted by the developers have shown that, with the appropriate design, even fuel tanks are no longer just a potential source of fire hazard that needs protection, but they themselves begin to contribute to security.

In the Merkava, diesel fuel was placed between the armor plates of the sides and bottom of the hull. So, for example, the V-shaped bottom of the hull (this shape was chosen to reduce the effectiveness of anti-tank mines) was made of external and internal armor plates, fuel was poured into the space between them. Such tanks integrated into armor protection, with a fuel layer thickness of 7 cm, when hit by a cumulative projectile, were equivalent to 1 cm of rolled armor, however, such fuel cells were less effective against sub-caliber projectiles.

To reduce the likelihood of ammunition detonation, the shots for the gun were not placed in the turret, but were lowered below its shoulder strap, into the hull. In addition, the shots were placed in special lockable fire boxes (six boxes held two shots each and eleven stores four). Only six shots of the first stage were next to the loader. Thus, the standard Merkava ammunition load was 62 rounds, but, as already mentioned, it could be increased to 85 rounds when using the aft compartment in the area of ​​​​the evacuation hatch.

A wooden model of the future Merkava, on which the designers checked the layout of units and assemblies

Running mock-up on the extended body of the Centurion, on which the placement of the engine, the integration of the main systems, etc. were checked.

Prototype with installed wooden mock-up of native tower

The first prototype of the Merkava (Ts-820001, or simply "0001") left the assembly shop without waiting for the native tower. For weight compensation, a turret from the M48 tank was installed on it

One of the first prototypes of the Merkava under test. The spring suspension with a large dynamic roller stroke is clearly visible.

1. The development of the Israeli Merkava tank began in 1970 after the UK refused to sell a batch of Chieftain Mk 1 tanks to Israel. The Israelis had previously repeatedly faced all sorts of embargoes and disruptions in the supply of weapons, but nevertheless this demarche of the British turned out to be a surprise for them, and the Israeli government set the task of creating a domestic tank. In 1974, the first prototypes of the first Israeli tank were created, and in 1979 the Merkava Mk.1 tank was adopted by the Israel Defense Forces.

Tanks "Merkava" in the museum of armored forces near the Israeli village of Latrun
Author's photo

2. Over the entire history of the existence of the tank, four modifications were created: Merkava Mk.1, Merkava Mk.2, Merkava Mk.3 and Merkava Mk.4. According to representatives of the Israeli defense industry, the next generation of this tank will not be the Merkava Mk.5, but a fundamentally new tank with improved fire and protective characteristics, maneuverability and speed. Based on press reports, it is assumed that this tank will be equipped with a laser gun, and its testing will begin in 2020.

Comparison of the main technical characteristics of modifications of the tank "Merkava"
Author infographic

3. The Merkava development team was led by Israel Tal, who was not a professional engineer, but a military man who began his career as part of the Jewish Brigade, which fought in the Second World War as part of the British army, and subsequently took part in all the Arab-Israeli wars.

4. The word "Merkava" is translated from Hebrew as "chariot" and also has a religious and mystical meaning. This word is mentioned in the vision of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel and means the “Divine chariot-throne”, which is harnessed by four winged creatures - tetramorphs, each of which has four wings and four faces: a man, a lion, a calf and an eagle.

5. The design of the tank was influenced by the nature of the defensive battles waged by the Israelis. IDF tankers prefer to be located in specially equipped positions located on the slopes of the hills. For this reason, the probability of shells and bullets hitting the tank turret is quite high, therefore, in the Merkava, the fighting compartment is moved as deep as possible into the hull.

Tank "Merkava Mk.1" in the museum of armored forces near the Israeli village of Latrun
Author's photo

6. Another requirement of the Israeli military to the development team was to maximize the security of the crew. Therefore, the engine compartment was moved to the front of the tank, which provided the tankers with additional protection.

7. In the stern of the tank there is a compartment for transporting the wounded or troops. It can also be used to transport ammunition. Thus, the Merkava can perform the functions of not only a tank, but also an armored personnel carrier and an infantry fighting vehicle. This compartment has an armored door in the stern, through which the crew can carry out evacuation, if such is not possible through the upper hatch.

8. All weapons of the Merkava are manufactured by the Israeli military concern Israel Military Industries. The tank is equipped with an American 105-mm M68 rifled gun (a licensed version of the English L7 gun); a 7.62 mm MAG machine gun coaxial with a cannon, manufactured in Israel under a Belgian license (mounted to the left of the cannon); two more such machine guns are mounted on brackets next to the hatches of the commander and loader; 60mm mortar mounted on the left side of the turret roof. In addition, a remote-controlled machine gun of 12.7 mm caliber is provided above the gun barrel.

9. The Merkava Mk.1 tank was created after the last full-scale Arab-Israeli war - the Yom Kippur War, and received its baptism of fire during the First Lebanon War in 1982. Israel deployed about 1,000 tanks in this conflict, 200 of which were Merkava tanks in six tank battalions.

10. Until 2014, the Merkava was only in service with the Israel Defense Forces, and the export of the tank was banned due to fears that its design would be studied by intelligence agencies of Arab countries. In June 2010, the tank was declassified and exhibited at the 10th international exhibition of armaments and military equipment of the ground forces and ground air defense systems Eurosatori-2010 in connection with the search for partners for its further modernization. In 2014, the first export contract for the supply of Merkava Mk.4 tanks to Singapore was signed - the amount of this transaction amounted to 500 million US dollars.

11. The Israeli system of active tank protection "Meil Ruach" (Hebrew - "windbreaker") is installed on the Merkava tanks. This is the only SATZ that has undergone a full-fledged baptism of fire, repeatedly protecting Israeli tanks from shells fired in their direction. In the vast majority of cases, the use of "Meil Ruach" took place in the Gaza Strip or areas adjacent to it.

12. In 2006, the Military Channel named the ten best tanks of the 20th century, including the Israeli Merkava tank. Together with him, the T-34, M-1 Abrams, Tiger, WW-1, Centurion, Mk-IV, Challenger, T-54/55 and M-4 Sherman tanks got into the TOP-10.

13. Combat losses of Merkava tanks during their combat use are only 8 copies. Three of them were destroyed during the First Lebanon War, the rest - during the conflicts in the Gaza Strip. The Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah calls these figures significantly underestimated.