Israeli tanks are modern. Tank "Merkava" - the revolutionary chariot of God

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 domestic tank. In 1974 the first prototypes the first Israeli tank, 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 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 professional engineer, and the military, who began his career as part of the “Jewish Brigade”, in 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 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 intelligence agencies Arab countries. In June 2010, the tank was declassified and exhibited at the 10th International Arms Exhibition and military equipment ground forces and ground-based 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-fledged 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 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 data significantly underestimated.

Israel is considered a great tank power: the IDF tank fleet is one of the largest in the world - it is armed with from 4 to 5 thousand tanks, the Merkava tank built at Israeli tank factories, according to many experts, is the best main battle tank in the world, Israeli 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 tank generals Israel Tal and Moshe Peled are presented in the Hall of Great Tank Commanders at the General Patton Tank Forces Center, 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 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 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 different countries world, who fought against the Nazis in the ranks of the British army and the Polish Army.

Israeli tank Sherman M4. War of 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

In those years, the doctrine began to take shape tank war, 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 the breakthrough, capable of attacking 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:
“Follow 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.

The 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 tanks Centurion, 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 sniper fire turret guns tanks for 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 units of Sherman and Centurion tanks with trained crews, and the place of the gunner in one of the tanks was taken personally by General Tal, and the loader by 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 the enemy’s rear with 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 ordeal 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 the world military 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; 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 difficult 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 of the 14th Tank Brigade fighting 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, which 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 behind enemy lines from landing ships The Israeli Navy landed tank and motorized infantry units.

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 waging war against terrorist groups.

Terrorist organization Hezbollah created a deeply echeloned system of fortified areas in southern Lebanon, including many camouflaged underground bunkers, connected by tens of kilometers of tunnels. and the equipment accumulated by the militants, according to their plans, should have been enough for 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 most modern Merkava 4 tank.
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 was 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.

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 General Assembly UN 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- 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 partition, but the Arabs refused to recognize it and demanded the creation of a unified Palestine. public education. 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 fighting 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, occupying 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 technical condition these machines left much to be desired, and already in October 1948 it was decided to withdraw them from combat personnel. 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 of Mk III or Mk IV), stolen from the English 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.

"Sherman" and AMX-13

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

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

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

Tank troops Israel appeared in the middle of the last century during the War of Independence. Today, the Israeli army's tank fleet numbers from 4 to 5 thousand tanks, and tank crews have invaluable combat experience, which they 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 become tank troops. For these purposes, 1000 units were purchased in the UK. “Centurions”, in the USA “M48” and somewhat later “M60”. After the war, over 500 Soviet captured T-52, T-55 and T-62 appeared in the army; in addition, the fleet included vehicles from the Second World War.

In attempts to modernize outdated models, and most importantly in the desire to unify the “motley” tank fleet among themselves, it allowed Israeli designers to accumulate production and design experience, which allowed them to start developing their own tank.

In the 70s, the Israeli government began implementing a program to create a national tank. The main requirement for the creation of a main battle tank was: ensuring high survivability of the tank as a whole and the crew in particular, possibly even to the detriment of some others technical specifications. The result of solving such requirements was the front location of the engine and transmission compartment as additional protection for the crew. Already in 1976, the main battle tank Merkava-1 was put into mass production at Israeli factories. After a number of upgrades “Merkava MK 2”, “Merkava” MK 3” and “Merkava MK 4” the tank is considered one of the best in the world.

At the first stage, the tanks only underwent standardization - repairs, replacement of machine guns and radio equipment, as well as a number of other minor changes (spare parts were partly produced independently, partly purchased in Finland). In total in 1968-69. According to official data, 146 tanks were standardized - 139 in 1968 and 7 in 1969 (previously, the numbers 147, 151 and 154 were found in unofficial sources). Later (before the 1973 war), the original 100 mm gun was replaced by the 105 mm M68. According to some sources, a total of 250 T-54/55 tanks were rearmed in Israel, including trophies from 1973.

T-54/55 tanks took part in the War of Attrition 1969-1970. (including Operation Raviv 09/09/69 - a raid of 6 T-55s and 3 BTR-50s with paratroopers along the African coast of the Gulf of Suez), then in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 (by the beginning of the war they made up 7.6% of the Israeli tank fleet). The irretrievable losses of the T-54/55 amounted to 7 vehicles (it should be noted that the brigade equipped with these tanks entered the battle only on October 12).

During the 1973 war, Israel captured about 1,500 Arab tanks (including 200 T-62), of which 550 were operational. Of these tanks, 400 were put into operation, incl. 72 T-62. In the mid-70s. T-54/55/62 accounted for up to 20% of the IDF tank fleet. T-62 tanks underwent the same standardization as the T-54/55, but retained the 115 mm smoothbore gun. In the late 70s - early 80s. T-54/55/62 received mounted dynamic protection, a heat-insulating casing for the gun barrel, etc. It is possible that after the 1973 war, T-54s were no longer used - more advanced T-55s were enough.

Israeli T-54/55s did not participate in the main battles of the 1982 war. However, after the start of the siege of West Beirut, a number of T-54/55s were transferred by sea to Christian areas to strengthen the blockade of Palestinian-controlled areas from the east. It is not clear whether they were immediately transferred to Christian militias - Israel has been supplying them with such tanks since the early 80s. - or acted as part of IDF units. In the 1982 war, Israel captured up to 400 Arab tanks (of which up to 200 were serviceable), mainly T-62, as well as T-54/55, etc. Perhaps a number of these vehicles were subsequently put into service.

Estimates of the number of these tanks in the IDF by the IISS reference book vary greatly different years- 250-488 for T-54/55, 70-150 for T-62. Since 1999, it has been estimated at 200 T-54/55 (in storage) and 100 T-62. As for the JCSS, for the modernized T-55s it gave the figure 250 in 1983-1986, then their withdrawal from service began, ending in 1993. The number of T-62s was estimated at 150 in 1983-1991, 140 in 1992- 94, 70 in 1994-95, 50 from 1996 until now.

As for the re-export of T-54/55, then, as already mentioned, since the beginning of the 80s. they were supplied to the Lebanese Christian militias, as well as the South Lebanon Army (SLA). For example, about 18 T-54s were delivered to ALE in 1987. Since the late 80s. ALE constantly had approximately 30 T-54/55. Back on 12/03/99, less than six months before the withdrawal of the IDF from the Security Zone in Southern Lebanon, the Bamahan magazine reported Israel’s intention to transfer another 15 such tanks to the SLA (although it was not reported whether the transfer took place). After the collapse of the SLA in May 2000, some of the tanks returned to Israel, some were destroyed (including bombing by Israeli aircraft), and several ended up with Hezbollah.

In 1990, 30 T-55s were sold to Ethiopia, and in 1997-98. 15 (11 according to another source) T-55 - to Uruguay.

In the IDF, the T-54/55 tanks, and then the T-62, received the name “Tyrant”, and the word is not from the name of the island at the exit of the Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea, but “cruel ruler”...
Distinguished:
- "Tiran-4" - T-54;
- "Tiran-4Sh" - T-54 with a 105 mm cannon;
- "Tiran-5" - T-55;
- "Tiran-5Sh" - T-55 with a 105 mm cannon;
- "Tiran-6" - T-62.
Here "Sh" (the letter "shin" in Hebrew) comes from the word "Sharir" ("Strong") - this is how the IDF called the 105-mm English gun (both the original L7 and its American version M68, as well as the version produced in Israel under license from IMI).

By 1984, the Israeli company Nimda upgraded the T-54/55/62 into the T-54/55/62 S series (Samovar). The above tanks sold to Uruguay were modernized according to this project. The IDF never used the name "Samovar".

The last message related to "Tiran" appeared at the end of 2005 (Hadashot Bamahane, 12/30/2005). The article states that the IDF is replacing Tiran tanks in units of the Southern Military District with MAGAHs, and the old Tirans will be converted into heavy armored personnel carriers.
(Waronline, 2006)