Soviet tanks in the service of Israel (25 photos). Mikhail Baryatinsky Israeli tanks in battle Comparison with analogues

Every summer, Jews travel around Russian cities in houses on wheels. 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 called “tanks.”

I took part in an ethnographic expedition as a blogger to tell you about how this happens. Among my readers there are many people of Jewish origin, 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 heritage. I never hid it, but I wasn’t interested either. Awareness and pride came much later.

Two thousand years ago, the Jewish people were driven out of 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 preserve their identity and carry it through all the wars and persecutions. And then, for the first time in history, to revive your state and collect from the ashes of oblivion ancient language.

But there are still many people living in the world who, although they know about their origin, are not familiar with Jewish traditions. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (7th Lubavitcher Rebbe), the leader of the Chabad movement, who lived in New York, 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 they painted in bright colors, installed loudspeakers, and placed books and brochures inside. In these cars, young rabbis began to travel to different parts of New York to agitate Jews. The action turned out to be successful, and the number of motorhomes began to increase, and the geography of their trips expanded. Later, synagogues on wheels appeared in other countries of the world, including here.

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

In the 90s, 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, borders opened and many people went 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, they carry free tours to Israel and Europe. All this is not so that people will definitely “get out”, far from it. So that they know and remember who they are.

This was a short background. Now to the story.

1 Our crew of “tankers” are Yisroel, David and Menachem Mendel. They are young rabbis, yeshiva students from different countries peace. I joined them in Kazan; before that, the guys traveled around Russian cities 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. This is what the Lubavitcher Rebbe called these machines, “tanks for the war against assimilation.”

2 Our first point is the recreation center “ Deep lake” 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 the Mitzvah tank since the morning and came out to meet us with the whole camp.

5 The counselors and the “tankers” turned out to know each other well, and this is not surprising; in the Jewish community everyone knows each other. In general, the meeting was warm.

6 The children are delighted with the house on wheels! Everyone wanted to go inside and see how everything worked there. They literally bombarded me with questions, and since the rabbis were busy, I got the most tricky ones: “Is it comfortable to sleep? Don’t you fall out while walking?” “How does the toilet work here?” etc. Okay, I have a “background”: last year my bloggers and I traveled in exactly the same motorhome around Tatarstan, it will enlighten the guys what’s what.

7 Yisroel Lazar, the son of the chief rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, tells the guys a story about a lonely Jew from Australia. If you want, I’ll tell it to you.

9 I walked around the camp. While some are playing,

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

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

There are four passages in the Torah that instruct: “Tie them (the words of G‑d) as a sign on your hand, and let them be a sign over your eyes!” This commandment, which symbolically commands the subordination of actions and consciousness to the will of the Creator, literally obliges adult Jewish men to place “these words” (that is, the words of the Torah contained in these passages) on their hands and heads. These four passages are scribes sacred texts(sofrim, singular sofer) are written 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. // www.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. Right opposite the synagogue there is a cafe called “Syria”, where they serve Middle Eastern food - hummus, falafel and all that. I always wondered if synagogue visitors go to this cafe, because the cuisine of neighboring countries is similar. I asked - 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 clients!

One way or another, this is why Tatarstan is beautiful - its religious tolerance. A region where several peoples are closely intertwined may be good example how to live in the world.

16 Rabbi of Kazan Isaac Gorelik.

17 Let's take a walk around the synagogue. Scroll through 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.
During 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 different organizations and funds 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, they are now building a yeshiva - classrooms for a religious school.

20 I have long wanted to be there: 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 people come up, are interested, and ask questions.

22 During all this time, we have not encountered any negativity or rejection from passers-by.

23 The community in Yoshkar-Ola is very small, and now, in the summer, most people are at their dachas. Only a few people came, but the meeting was warm. There is no synagogue here, nor any buildings. Rent a small room in the basement. There is also no rabbi, but this does not stop people from gathering together. Most of them are elderly; their children and grandchildren have grown up and moved away. Many people are fleeing 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 Such communities touch me very much. In 2015, I also traveled with a mitzvah tank around the Volga region, and what I remember most then was the city of Syzran: even less “Yoshka”. An old brick house on the outskirts, a hundred-year-old synagogue, which was only recently returned to the Jews. The building requires overhaul, there is no money for it, but people support an 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 reverse side.

27 The rabbis suggested going to the homes of the people of the community and installing a mezuzah. Protective prayers in plastic cases to protect the house. It turned out that everyone already had mezuzahs.

28 After the meeting in the communities, 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’m telling you, the city is unusual.

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

30 Speak to everyone in a language close to them. 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 hoverboards. Ten minutes - one hundred rubles. The rabbis became interested in the topic and quickly mastered the transport, although it was their first time standing on it.

32 Made a spectacular bow!

33 Next came 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 and a kitchen. But doing this while moving is still not very easy.

34 Late dinner. The guys had a whole feast with a variety of dishes. They carry most of the products with them, but from time to time they replenish supplies in local stores.

36 In Nizhny Novgorod there is also a synagogue and a large community. This is a beautiful building in the shape of a Torah scroll, which did not fit into the width of the corner of my camera, but it is possible on the Internet. This is where our roads diverged. The rabbis and the mitzvah tank remained in the city to celebrate Shabbat, and I took the train to Moscow to travel further.

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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, is, according to many experts, the best main battle tank in the world, Israeli tank crews have invaluable combat experience gained in numerous wars and armed conflicts. The Israeli combat example had a significant impact on the development of strategy and tactics of armored forces

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

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Alexander SHULMAN
Israel's Fist of Steel

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

Emblem of the Israeli Armored Forces (Heil HaShiryon)

Creation of tank forces
Israeli tank forces, the main striking force ground forces IDF, born in the battles of the War of Independence. In February 1948, the Armored Service was created under the command of Yitzhak Sadeh, 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, it was possible to acquire 10 Hotchkiss N-39 tanks, which, together with the Sherman M4 tank and two Cromwell tanks stolen from the British, entered service with the first tank unit - the 82nd Tank Battalion. The battalion commander was former Polish Army major Felix Beatus, who served from Stalingrad to Berlin. The battalion's crews included tank crews - 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 Red Army tank officers. They were called "suicide bombers" - they deserted the Soviet occupation forces in Germany and reached Eretz Israel by different routes. In the USSR they were sentenced to death in absentia for “treason to the Motherland.” They went through mortal dangers to fight for the Jewish state.

By mid-1948, the 7th and 8th tank brigades were formed and took part in battles with the Arab aggressors.

Israeli tank general Moshe Peled. Portrait from the gallery of "Great Tank Commanders" in
General Patton US Tank Forces Center

In those years, the doctrine of tank warfare began to take shape, adopted by the IDF. 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 “Armored Fist” as the main tank maneuver,” which consists of introducing large tank forces into a breakthrough, capable of attacking at high speed, destroying enemy forces along the way.
The main combat unit of the Israeli armored forces is the tank brigade. During combat operations, tank divisions and corps are formed from tank brigades.

Israeli tank general Israel Tal. Portrait from the gallery of "Great Tank Commanders" in
General Patton US Tank Forces Center

Analysis tank battles showed a high percentage of losses among tank commanders. This is due to the requirements of a kind of code of commander’s honor adopted in israeli army:
"Behind me!" - the main command 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 folded back, controls the actions of the crew. This significantly expands the view and allows you to fight with " with open eyes", however, the commander becomes a prime target for enemy fire.

Formation of tank forces
The first battle test of this doctrine took place during Operation Kadesh in 1956. In three days, the 7th and 27th tank brigades, interacting with infantry and parachute units, broke through the enemy’s defenses and, having passed Sinai desert, reached the Suez Canal. During the fighting, up to 600 units of 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 battles, the AMX-13 tanks purchased in France performed well - the first modern tanks to enter service with the IDF. In total, about 200 of these tanks entered service with the IDF.
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 United States finally agreed to sell M48 tanks, called Magah in Israel. However, the Americans tried to hide this deal from their Arab friends. Therefore, a deal was concluded between Germany and the United States, and Israel formally purchased 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 in Israel received the name Shot (translated from Hebrew as “whip”)

Israeli tank Shot Centurion.

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

In 1964, General Israel Tal became commander-in-chief of the tank forces. This most experienced tanker, based on combat experience, developed completely new tactical techniques for conducting tank warfare. These include conducting 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 battle during the “Battle for Water” in 1964-1966. Then Syria tried to divert the water of the Jordan River, and thereby deprive Israel water resources. The Syrians began to build a diversion canal, which Israel could not allow.
It was decided to use tank gun fire to destroy the enemy’s earth-moving equipment, tanks and artillery batteries covering the construction.

For this purpose, the Israeli command equipped the Sherman and Centurion tank units with trained crews, with General Tal personally taking the place of the gunner in one of the tanks, and the loader - the commander of the 7th Tank Brigade, Colonel Shlomo Lahat

The Israelis sent a tractor into the no man's land as bait. The Syrians immediately bought into the ruse and opened fire. The targets were immediately detected. Sniper fire from Israeli tank crews 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 the water.

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

Six Day War 1967 Israeli tank crews

On the southern front, the attack was carried out by the forces of three tank divisions of generals Tal, Sharon and Joffe. IN offensive operation, called the “March through Sinai,” Israeli tank formations, interacting with aviation, motorized infantry and paratroopers, made a lightning-fast breakthrough of the enemy’s defenses and moved through the desert, destroying the encircled Arab groups. On the northern front, General Peled’s 36th Tank Division advanced along impassable mountain paths, and 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 and thousands of armored vehicles, mostly Russian-made, were captured. Captured Russian T-54/55 tanks 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 on landing ships to the Egyptian shore of the Suez Canal. The main goal was the destruction of the Russian air defense system, which was interfering with the actions of Israeli aviation. During this brilliantly conceived and executed operation, called Raviv, Israeli tank crews for 9 hours walked through enemy lines like a fiery wave, mercilessly destroying radar stations and positions missile forces and artillery, headquarters, warehouses and army bases. Having successfully completed the raid without losses, the Israeli armored group returned safely on landing ships to its base.

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 military personnel were on leave. Israel was suddenly attacked on all fronts by vastly superior aggressor forces, 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 world military history unfolded - up to six thousand tanks took part in it on both sides.

Especially dangerous situation took shape on the Golan Heights - there, only 200 tanks of the 7th and 188th tank brigades confronted almost 1,400 Syrian tanks on a 40-kilometer stretch. Israeli tank crews fought to the death, demonstrating mass heroism.

The names of the tank heroes who stopped the enemy went down in the history of Israel. Among them are platoon commander Lieutenant Zvi Gringold, company commander Captain Meir Zamir, nicknamed “Tiger,” and battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Kahalani.

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

The tankers fought until 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, and the 210th Tank Division, under the command of General Dan Laner, arrived in time and completed the defeat of the enemy.

Israeli Centurion tanks. Yom Kippur War 1973 Sinai desert

Israeli Centurion tank. Yom Kippur War 1973. Golan Heights

During the fighting, the Iraqi tank corps, rushed to help the Syrians. 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 initially managed to push back units of General Mendler’s 252nd Panzer Division. General Mendler died in battle, but stopped the enemy's further advance. 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 Arab forces were destroyed.

Commander of the 162nd Tank Division, General Abraham Adan (Bren)

On October 14, the largest counter battle of tank formations since World War II took place, “tanks against tanks,” in which 260 enemy tanks were destroyed. Israeli tank crews lost 20 of their combat vehicles.

On October 16, Israeli tank forces launched a counteroffensive. General Sharon's tankers broke through the front, established a pontoon crossing 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 about the 14th tank brigade who fought during the Yom Kippur War in Sinai

War of Yom Kippur. October 1973

During the fierce tank battles of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli tank forces 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 Israeli tank crews who heroically fought died in the battles.

Tank Merkava
One of the results of past wars was the creation of our own tank, in which the requirements of Israeli tank crews for a combat vehicle were most fully realized 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 imposed foreign manufacturers whenever wars started. This situation was intolerable, since there was always a continuous flow of Russian weapons coming to the Arabs.

The Israeli tank project was headed by 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. The history of world tank building has never seen such a rate of creation of a tank industry.

The commander of the parachute 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 comes 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.

First generation tank Merkava Mk1

Second generation tank Merkava Mk2

Third generation tank Merkava Mk3

Fourth generation tank 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 Eastern 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 shells and guided missiles. Blazer dynamic protection units were installed on Merkava tanks, and on most of the Centurions, M48 and M60 that remained in service with the IDF
The fourth generation of Merkava tanks is now 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 HaGalil” (Peace to Galilee) 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 concentrated 11 divisions, united into three army corps. Each corps was assigned its own area of responsibility or direction: the Western direction was commanded by Lieutenant General Yekutiel Adam, the Central direction - by Lieutenant General Uri Simhoni, and the Eastern direction - by Lieutenant General Janusz Ben-Gal. In addition, two divisions under the command of Lieutenant General Moshe Bar Kokhb were deployed to the Golan Heights, in the immediate vicinity of Damascus. The armored divisions included 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.

Tank divisions advanced in the coastal direction and already on June 10 entered the suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Beirut was later 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 the landing ships of the Israeli Navy.

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

Israeli tanks and infantry are engaged in street 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 deeply echeloned system of fortified areas in southern Lebanon, which included many camouflaged underground bunkers connected by tens of kilometers of tunnels. According to their plans, the weapons and equipment accumulated by the militants should have been enough for a multi-month defense, during which they expected to inflict heavy losses on the Israeli army.

The terrorists paid special attention to anti-tank warfare - they carried out continuous mining in tank-hazardous areas, including laying dozens of landmines 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 impressive training of the militants, the IDF successfully completed all assigned tasks with minimal losses and completely eliminated the terrorist presence in the border areas.

According to Israeli data, during the battles 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 battles in Lebanon. Irreversible losses amounted to only 5 tanks, two of which were blown up by landmines. During the fighting, 30 Israeli tank crews were killed.

Israeli Armored Forces

All military experts note the high survivability of Israeli tanks, especially the modern tank Merkava 4.
The experience of fighting in Lebanon has shown that despite the minimal losses of armored vehicles during the fighting, 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 defense means that ensure a change in trajectory or destruction of all types of incoming cumulative ammunition.

In Israel, the development of funds active protection armored vehicles are being developed by the military-industrial concern RAFAEL; among the numerous projects, the Iron Fist and Trophy active protection systems should be noted. Israel is leading in this direction - the Trophy active protection system became the first in the world to be installed on mass-produced Merkava Mk4 tanks.

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

1. Development of the Israeli Merkava tank began in 1970 after Great Britain 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 arms supplies, but still this demarche of the British came as a surprise to 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.

Merkava tanks in the Museum of Armored Forces near the Israeli village of Latrun
Photo by the author

2. Over the entire history 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 cannon, and its testing will begin in 2020.

Comparison of the main technical characteristics of modifications of the Merkava tank
Infographics by the author

3. The Merkava development team was headed by Israel Tal, who was not a professional engineer, but a military man who began his career as part of the Jewish Brigade during the Second world war who fought 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 to 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 tank crews prefer to be located in specially equipped positions located on the slopes of hills. For this reason, the probability of shells and bullets hitting the tank’s turret is quite high, which is why in the Merkava the fighting compartment is moved as deeply as possible inside the hull.

Tank "Merkava Mk.1" in the museum of armored forces near the Israeli village of Latrun
Photo by the author

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

7. At the rear of the tank there is a compartment for transporting wounded or landing 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 infantry fighting vehicle. This compartment has an armored door in the stern through which the crew can evacuate if this is not possible through the top hatch.

8. All Merkava weapons were manufactured by the Israeli military concern Israel Military Industries. The tank is equipped with an American 105-mm M68 rifled gun (licensed version of the English L7 gun); a 7.62-mm MAG machine gun coaxial with the cannon, produced in Israel under a Belgian license (installed to the left of the cannon); two more such machine guns are mounted on brackets next to the commander’s and loader’s hatches; 60mm mortar mounted on the left side of the turret roof. In addition, a remote-controlled 12.7 mm machine gun is installed 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. In this conflict, Israel deployed approximately 1,000 tanks, 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 prohibited due to fears that its design would be studied by the intelligence services of Arab countries. In June 2010, the tank was declassified and exhibited at the 10th International Arms Exhibition and military equipment 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 was concluded for the supply of Merkava Mk.4 tanks to Singapore - the amount of this transaction was 500 million US dollars.

11. The Merkava tanks are equipped with the Israeli Meil Ruach (Hebrew for “windbreaker”) active tank protection system. This is the only SATZ that has undergone a full baptism of fire, repeatedly protecting Israeli tanks from shells fired in their direction. The vast majority of Meil Ruach use occurred in the Gaza Strip or surrounding areas.

12. In 2006, the Military Channel named ten best tanks XX century, which included the Israeli Merkava tank. Along with it, the T-34, M-1 Abrams, Tiger, WW-1, Centurion, Mk-IV, Challenger, T-54/55 and M-4 Sherman tanks made it into the TOP 10.

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

Israel Defense Forces tanks

The first IDF tanks

The deployment of IDF armored forces began during the War of Independence of 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 issue of the division of Palestine, which was under British rule after the First World War. At 5:31 p.m. New York time, the decision was passed by a majority of 33 votes to 13, with 10 abstentions.

In anticipation of the UN decision on the Palestinian issue, a delegation of the Yishuv (the Jewish population of Palestine) met with the leadership of the League of Arab States (LAS) to try to work out a compromise solution on the division of spheres of influence in Palestine. This attempt was met with 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 division of Palestine and they would have to defend their right to any part of its territory with arms in hand.

According to resolution No. 181 of the UN General Assembly of November 29, 1947 on the division 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 state was to consist of three territories bordering each other only at corners. The Jews agreed to the division, but 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, Arabs fired at a bus carrying Jews heading from Netanya to Tel Aviv, killing five and wounding seven. The war has begun.

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

On May 14, 1948, the independence of the State of Israel was proclaimed, and on the night of May 15, troops of five Arab states invaded Palestine. However, describing the events of the Revolutionary War is not the purpose of this book. We are, in fact, 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 vehicle was in the hands of the Germans during World War II

The “Russian” company of the 82nd Tank Battalion of the Israel Defense Forces is in service. 1948 The vehicle with the number "612" has a French-style commander's cupola. Soviet-style tank helmets are noteworthy. Such Czechoslovak-made helmets were used by 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. On May 31, 1948, the Haganah was transformed into the IDF - regular Army Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In June, it formed the 82nd Tank Battalion, which became the IDF's only tank unit during the War of Independence. It received 10 Hotchkiss H39 tanks, purchased from France in March and arriving in Israel in June 1948. However, the technical condition of these vehicles left much to be desired, and already in October 1948 it was decided to withdraw them from service. Instead, 30 medium Sherman tanks without weapons were purchased from 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 Mk III or Mk IV), stolen from a 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 battles with Egyptian troops, nine M22 Locust 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 or 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 Revolutionary War. For example, in 1948, several English-made Mk VI light tanks were captured from Egyptian troops, but they were not accepted for service. In July 1950, one Valentine tank was under repair. Its origin is unknown, but it may have been discovered in a scrap metal dump at one of the abandoned British military bases. It was also not accepted for 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 United States. However, in July 1948 they were confiscated by the FBI and did not arrive in Israel. During 1948, negotiations were conducted with Czechoslovakia on the purchase of 32 light tanks of two types, referred to in documents as “9-ton” and “16-ton”. We were talking about Pz.38(t) tanks and Hetzer tank destroyers, or more precisely, LT-38/37 and ST-1. The deal did not take place because the parties did not agree on the price.

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The Israelis consider their country a great tank power, and see the Merkava tank, built in their own tank factories, as the best main battle tank in the world. Both statements have a basis - indeed, the tank fleet of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF, in Hebrew - “Zva Hagana Le-Israel”, abbreviated as IDF), the most combat-ready and effective army in the Middle East, numbers up to 3 thousand tanks, and was specially designed For the Middle Eastern theater of operations, the Merkava tank remains one of the most advanced tanks currently in operation.

It is interesting that the British contributed greatly to the early appearance of the Merkava tank. “The Englishwoman is shitting” - the winged words attributed to the famous Russian commander Alexander Suvorov and used to define various “intrigues” of Great Britain, are quite consistent with this case. But more on that below.

It must be said that Israeli tank forces did not always have equipment stationed on cutting edge technical development. Throughout much of its history Israeli forces defense had to make do with tank “second-hand” - cast-offs from the armies of other countries. So, in the 1950s. The basis of the IDF tank fleet was made up of hopelessly outdated veterans of the Second World War - medium American Sherman tanks, although there were also a number of more modern French AMX-13 light tanks.

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

It must be said 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 from scratch. At the same time, significantly more modern armored vehicles, mostly Soviet-made, entered 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 IDF artillery depots carried out a deep modernization of Sherman tanks. These old guys received a new engine (Cummings 460 hp diesel) 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 modernized. The IDF desperately needed more modern armored vehicles. In the early 1960s. the possibility was considered of establishing the production of the hull and turret of a tank of our own design in Israel itself, and purchasing the remaining components necessary for assembly abroad. However, at that time the proposal was considered too ambitious and expensive. Moreover, the “suppliers” managed to obtain for the IDF several hundred relatively modern American M48 tanks, as well as older, but reliable British Centurions.

French light tank AMX-13

Taking this into account, Israel, having abandoned the idea of producing its own tank for now, began searching suitable car, which 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 tank forces, visited France to familiarize himself with the new AMX-30. However, there were no preliminary discussions with France about 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 Alef

In reality, the main efforts were focused on negotiations with the UK to acquire a license to manufacture the latest British tank, the Chieftain. At the beginning of 1966, a preliminary agreement was reached - the British were ready to establish joint production of the tank, provided that the IDF continued to purchase outdated and no longer needed Centurions from the arsenals of the British Army. Israel was ready to do this.

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 already worked in Great Britain - tank forces and weapons, whose task was to comprehensively study the Chieftain. Early next year 1967 two British tank were delivered to Israel, where they were subjected to extensive testing. Having driven these “Chieftains” until their service life was completely exhausted, they were sent back, receiving two new tanks in return. In total, the tests lasted two and a half years, and based on their results, the IDF put forward proposals for changing the design of the tank, which would make it more suitable for local conditions.

American M48 tank, modernized in Israel (“Magach 3”) with a 105 mm cannon

In October 1968, the Israeli government officially approached Great Britain with a proposal to purchase the Chieftain tank. However, not everything was so simple. After the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, Israel came under international sanctions, including an arms embargo. Against this background, a struggle between supporters and opponents of the sale of tanks to Israel unfolded in the British government. The military, represented by the Ministry of Defense, were naturally for it, and the diplomats, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were against it. In the end, in December 1969, the politicians won, and Great Britain officially refused to Israel - “the Englishwoman messed up.” That same month, two Chieftain tanks, still undergoing testing in Israel, were sent back.

Tank "Chieftain"

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

Diagram of the design of the Merkava Mk 1 tank. A front-engine layout was chosen for the tank. 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 risks, 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 its 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 began to be called “Merkava”. The word “Merkava” has been translated into Russian in different ways. For example, some sources used the phrase “war chariot” or “divine chariot.” However, in Hebrew, “Merkavah” simply means “chariot”, and not a “war chariot”, but rather a “carriage”, which was used by the Egyptian pharaoh, but not by any means a god. The tank was also called "Chariot", which is due to the effect of double translation - Chariot to English language means "chariot". In addition, it can be mentioned that in the 1970s. There was a version that the new tank being developed in Israel would be called “Sabra”. Even when it became known that the name of the new tank was 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 head of the Merkava program, who headed 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 talented self-taught engineer, who owed the Merkava its most innovative features, in particular its unusual configuration.

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

When shaping the appearance of the future tank, General Tal insisted that it must provide an unprecedented level of crew protection. Israel's population is not that large, so the society is extremely sensitive to losses on the battlefield. In addition, the IDF realized that while damaged tanks can be repaired fairly quickly, it takes much more time to provide them with new trained crews. Quite naturally, the protection of the crew was given top priority.

As part of the program, a thorough study of armored vehicles damaged during battles (both our own and the enemy's) was undertaken. The type of shell that hit the tank, the location of impact and the damage caused were determined. 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 on the turret. In general, this information was not something unexpected; even during the Second World War, when studying combat damage received by Soviet tanks during the Battle of Kursk, it was found that not all parts of the turret and hull of tanks were hit with the same degree of probability. It was the frontal elements that were hit en masse, with the largest number of hits in the turret. By the way, on the basis of these statistics, differential reservation of the Soviet heavy tank IS-3.

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 a mass of explosive material (EV) and facing the blunt end forward. When the explosive detonated, the metal of the funnel collapsed and was 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 a pressure of about 1 million atmospheres on the tank’s armor. As a result, a hole was formed in the armor with edges that had a melted appearance (at one time this was what led to the incorrect definition of cumulative shells as armor-burning).

But even after overcoming the armored barrier, the residual elements of the cumulative jet retained enough energy to cause destruction of equipment, detonation of ammunition, or injury to people in the armored space. The recently introduced armor-piercing sub-caliber finned projectiles (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 armor due to enormous kinetic energy.

Protection scheme for the front part of the case. In the Merkava, diesel fuel was placed between the armor plates of the hull. Such tanks integrated into the 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 the armor protection made 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 that would be more effective than homogeneous rolled armor, or to look for new ways to organize protection.

In response to this challenge, the West and the USSR developed “combined armor”, consisting of alternating layers various materials(steel, ceramics), which protected well from cumulative ammunition, but did not completely save from BPS. Unfortunately, at the time of designing 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-fighting stowage for shots in the rear of the Merkava (view from the turret)

Layout of the crew and landing force

The Merkava turret was wedge-shaped in the front part and had minimum height and cross section

Wooden model of the Merkava, stored in the Batey HaOsef Museum (view from the stern, the turret turned backwards)

The design of the Merkava placed emphasis on shielding the habitable compartment, rather than general level protection of the tank itself. In essence, all major components and assemblies, such as transmission, suspension, fuel tanks, batteries, were designed and located to provide additional protection for the fighting compartment. Together, all these components formed an additional protective shell integrated into the design of the tank - they had to “sacrifice themselves”, preventing the projectile from penetrating into the habitable compartment.

Thus, in the Merkava, the engine and transmission were placed at the front (as opposed to the classic tank layout - with the engine at the rear and the fighting compartment at the front) so that it would make an additional contribution to protection if the thick frontal armor was nevertheless penetrated by a shell. As a result of being hit by a projectile, the Merkava will most likely lose mobility, but the tank’s crew will avoid injuries and injuries.

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

Thanks 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 provides the crew with a more convenient exit from the vehicle, and also facilitates the rescue of wounded crew members - their evacuation through the rear door is much more convenient. simple task than pulling up through narrow round hatches, as on other tanks.

The Merkava's massive spring suspension blocks provided additional protection for the crew compartment

The chosen layout made it possible to significantly increase the usable volume in the rear part of the hull, which was used for storing ammunition. The Merkava has a significantly larger tank than is generally accepted, and replenishing it is easier (through the large rear hatch). If necessary, shells and equipment from the rear of the tank can be removed. The vacated space is used to evacuate injured crews of destroyed tanks or even to transport an infantry assault team 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.

The Merkava gunner's position, the sight and elements of the fire control system are visible

Of course, the unconventional layout of the Merkava also had its drawbacks. The distribution of the weight of the units with this arrangement required making the tank hull extremely rigid, and this made the vehicle heavier. In addition, due to the forward position power plant The tank's gun had to be moved to the stern, as a result the forward angle of the Merkava's gun was only -8.5° (for typical Western tanks about -10°). Considering that the favorite positions of IDF tankers were on the slopes of hills, this limited the possibilities 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 the infrared homing heads of the ATGM.

New developments in the organization of Merkava protection were not limited to the use of various units in a wooden mock-up of the upper frontal part of the Merkava mounted on a jeep with surveillance devices. A prototype with a wooden mock-up of the original turret installed as an additional shield. Experiments carried out by the developers have shown that with appropriate design, even fuel tanks cease to be just a potential source of fire hazard that needs protection, but themselves begin to contribute to protection.

In the Merkava, diesel fuel was placed between the armor plates of the sides and bottom of the hull. For example, the V-shaped bottom of the hull (this shape was chosen to reduce the effectiveness of anti-tank mines) was made of outer and inner armor plates, with fuel poured into the space between them. Such tanks integrated into the 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 elements 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 fireproof stowages (six stowages contained two shots each and eleven – four). Only six first-stage shots were close to the loader. Thus, the standard ammunition of the Merkava was 62 rounds, but, as already mentioned, it could be increased to 85 rounds by using the aft compartment in the area of the evacuation hatch.

Wooden model of the future Merkava, on which designers checked the layout of units and components

A running mock-up on the extended Centurion hull, on which engine placement, integration of main systems, etc. were tested.

Prototype with installed wooden model of the original tower

The first Merkava prototype (Ts-820001, or simply “0001”) left the assembly shop without waiting for its original turret. To compensate for weight, a turret from an M48 tank was installed on it.