I know that there are plenty of other good tanks out there. But believe me: if you had a son serving as a tank crewman, you'd want him to be in a Merkava.
I worked alongside Pattons, Centurions, and Merkavas. I don't know why, but as a (sometimes mounted) ground soldier, I found the Merkava most intimidating. Of course, the real critical factor are the men inside. As the motto read over the gate of one armored base I recall, The Man Is The Armor. The soldiers of Hativa 7 were always trained to take that to heart. I bet they still are.
Indeed. I remember how proud I felt, both to be a part of Hativat 7, and to call our rides Merkavot (albeit the MKII version). We were able to rescue our share of troops as well with that still unique back hatch in Lebanon in the early eighties.
Solomon, you often come up with some really excellent photos. This time I want to thank you for Shimon and myself (and lurking others, I'm sure). These are a particular treat for us.
thanks....i'm just a fan boy of the IDF.....especially the armor corps. don't get me wrong, the elite units are cools but i've always thought that it was the armor corps and the golani brigade that actually held the line when the beasts crossed the line to attack Israel.
Essentially I agree with you. IDF full-on war doctrine from the sixties until recently was built heavily on armor. And it paid off. And, though I agree too about Golani more or less; you know that in the end whoever is on the spot will have to stand in the breach when the fire comes. I just finished a fascinating and disturbing (for its realness and close-to-home sense) history of the battle of Chinese Farm in the Sinai in '73 in Hebrew. The primary tasks fell to tanks and paratroops; but armored infantry and artillery and everyone else had to be in the thick of it without respite or the IDF would not have turned the tide of that battle along the canal. The medical platoons were real heroes. In the north it was indeed Golani and the tankers of brigade 188 who held the line in the southern Golan, and brigade 7 who turned the tide in the northern half. BTW, Avigdor Kahalani's account of that tank battle (the Valley of Tears) in the Golan is available in English, and really excellent. It's called The Heights of Courage. I think Lebanon was more mixed combat in the late 70s and 80s; but maybe that's just because that was what I knew more personally. SabaShimon might know better than I. http://www.eze33.com/brigade/barak.htm
Lastly, you can probably relate that part of the debacle of the 'Second Lebanon War' was when previous ground doctrine was neglected in favor of a too heavy reliance on air assets (the only time an Israeli Chief of Staff was from the Air Force). Sounds a little like your USMC, no?
EXCELLENT! i forgot about that! time to do a little research and tell my bro's in the USMC about the Second Lebanon War! IT MESHES WITH WHAT THE USMC IS DOING TO A TEE!
I always find something new to appreciate about the Merkava whenever i see it.
ReplyDeleteAlways wonder how something design for pure destruction can look absolutely amazing. For me it is one of the best looking tank ever made.
DeleteI know that there are plenty of other good tanks out there. But believe me: if you had a son serving as a tank crewman, you'd want him to be in a Merkava.
ReplyDeleteI worked alongside Pattons, Centurions, and Merkavas. I don't know why, but as a (sometimes mounted) ground soldier, I found the Merkava most intimidating. Of course, the real critical factor are the men inside. As the motto read over the gate of one armored base I recall, The Man Is The Armor. The soldiers of Hativa 7 were always trained to take that to heart. I bet they still are.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I remember how proud I felt, both to be a part of Hativat 7, and to call our rides Merkavot (albeit the MKII version). We were able to rescue our share of troops as well with that still unique back hatch in Lebanon in the early eighties.
ReplyDeleteSolomon, you often come up with some really excellent photos. This time I want to thank you for Shimon and myself (and lurking others, I'm sure). These are a particular treat for us.
ReplyDeletethanks....i'm just a fan boy of the IDF.....especially the armor corps. don't get me wrong, the elite units are cools but i've always thought that it was the armor corps and the golani brigade that actually held the line when the beasts crossed the line to attack Israel.
DeleteEssentially I agree with you. IDF full-on war doctrine from the sixties until recently was built heavily on armor. And it paid off. And, though I agree too about Golani more or less; you know that in the end whoever is on the spot will have to stand in the breach when the fire comes. I just finished a fascinating and disturbing (for its realness and close-to-home sense) history of the battle of Chinese Farm in the Sinai in '73 in Hebrew. The primary tasks fell to tanks and paratroops; but armored infantry and artillery and everyone else had to be in the thick of it without respite or the IDF would not have turned the tide of that battle along the canal. The medical platoons were real heroes. In the north it was indeed Golani and the tankers of brigade 188 who held the line in the southern Golan, and brigade 7 who turned the tide in the northern half. BTW, Avigdor Kahalani's account of that tank battle (the Valley of Tears) in the Golan is available in English, and really excellent. It's called The Heights of Courage. I think Lebanon was more mixed combat in the late 70s and 80s; but maybe that's just because that was what I knew more personally. SabaShimon might know better than I. http://www.eze33.com/brigade/barak.htm
DeleteLastly, you can probably relate that part of the debacle of the 'Second Lebanon War' was when previous ground doctrine was neglected in favor of a too heavy reliance on air assets (the only time an Israeli Chief of Staff was from the Air Force). Sounds a little like your USMC, no?
EXCELLENT! i forgot about that! time to do a little research and tell my bro's in the USMC about the Second Lebanon War! IT MESHES WITH WHAT THE USMC IS DOING TO A TEE!
DeleteSolomon, if you could post some in action Merkava APC Namer pics that would be great...its just what the doctor ordered, a 60 ton APC.
ReplyDeletei'll try and find some. the Israeli websites drive me crazy with the right to left writing and reading style though. i'll give it a try.
DeleteRight to left....you know how to read hebrew ?
ReplyDelete