Post War use of Allied vehicles and tanks

There is nothing much wrong with the Ellis and Chamberlian books considering when they were written and the access to information available at the time. faced with the "Thirty year rule" what was written in pencil on the back of a snapshot in a file in a military museum was often the only information available.
The attachment is a Centurion Mk1 -which just qualifies as a WW2 tank in Jordanian Service. These tanks were supplied after the formation of the Jordanian Army after the British officers who commanded the Arab Legion were asked to leave in 1958. I have never found an earlier types used in Jordan other than Armoured Cars used by the Arab legion - Staghounds and Marmon Herrington MK4 and 4F. It would be good to be proven wrong and learn more.

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The British sold 24 Charioteers to Jordan in 1954. Jordan then passed them on to Lebanon. When the Lebanese army disintegrated during the civil war (1975-1990), the PLO took a few and used them in Southern Lebanon.

 

This photo was taken from a moving car.....

On the 15th of May, 1948, in the evening, car lights were seen moving from Kfar Hareb (today Kfar Haruv) along the Golan Heights. This was the Syrian invasion force. Facing a reinforced Syrian brigade assisted by an armored battalion and an artillery battalion, stood the units of the “Barak” battalion of the Golani Brigade as well as men fron the settlements.

After shelling and bombarding the settlements, part of the Syrian force descended and took position at Tel-el-Kasr (Tel Katzir of today) and from there advanced under the cover of artillery towards the military camp near Tzemach (Kibbutz Ma’agan of today) and towards the new quarantine, east of Kibbutz Ma’agan. The Syrian advance was not decisive and the battle for the Tzemach police station was delayed for as long as the kibbutzim Sha’ar Hagolan and Massada held out. However at daybreak of May 19th, after the inhabitants of Massada and Sha’ar Hagolan were evacuated, the way was open before the Syrian army and after heavy fighting it gained control of Tzemach.

On the morning of the 20th of May a delegation from the two “Deganias” arrived in Tel Aviv, demanding reinforcements from the high command for the defence of the settlements. Yigael Yadin, then Chief Operations Officer of the General Staff, said: “there is no way out but to let the Arabs draw 20-30 meters closer to the gates of Degania and then fight face to face against their armour”.

After the Syrian Bombing on Degania - 1948

The Syrian tank at Degania's gates - 1948

The attack on Degania started on the 20th of May at 04:30 hours. Its main objective was the Jordan River bridge north of Degania. Five tanks moved forward under artillery cover, along with several armored cars and a company of infantry.

The armor, deployed before the bridge, gave the infantry cover and hit the positions along the perimeter fence. The defenders evacuated them and deployed in the communications ditches, alongside the fence. There were about seventy of them - Degania members, people from the surrounding settlements, remnants of the “Barak” battalion and additional reinforcements. Some of the Syrian armor was hit by a 20 mm cannon located in the Beit Yerach area, and some continued moving up to the fence. One tank even succeeded in breaking throught it. The defenders hit this tank with “Molotov cocktails” and caused heavy casualties to the infantry behind the armor. The failed attempts and high casualties eroded the confidence of the Syrian army and on the night of the 21st of May the soldiers of the Syrian brigade withdrew from the Degania line and returned to their opening positions at Tel-el-Kasr. The defenders took position again at Tzemach and served as a buffer between the defenders of Degania and the Syrians on the Tel (hill). The Syrians abandoned Tel-el-Kasr in the wake of the Armistice agreements.

Sixty seven of the fallen in the battle for the Jordan Valley are buried in the military cemetery at Degania ‘A’, among them eight members and sons of Degania.

Google Image Result for http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2370370843_400f344fd6.jpg?v=0

 

B**er I forgot about those!

This photo shows one in Depot with a Canadian Lynx Scout Car (Canadian equivelent of the Daimler scout Car).

I have a tendacy to think of the Charioteer as Lebanese, some in Lebanese were different from the standard as they had a locally manufactured ring cupola mounting an M2 HB, whether this was Jordanian or Lebanese mod. I don't know but Lebanese Staghounds were also fitted with them. Most enigmatic The Jim Mesko armor in action book Patton mentions M3mediums being used in 1958.

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Well since they were passed on to the Lebanese They are kinda both LOL. I would like to know more about the M3s though.

 

All I've got on the M3s is

In the Lebanon in 1958 M48A1s of 3rd Marine Btn landed in support of Marinew Infantry units were confronted on their journey inland by two Lebanese Army M3 grants at a Road block....

page 34 M48 Patton in Action Armor No.22 squadron/signal publications.

I have looked into this including Lebanese Gov't officials, without satisfactory results. It is possible that the tanks in question could be M4s , however the French were nominally in charge of the Lebanon until independance in 1944 and the French had a few M3 handed over to them by the U.S.A. in 1943 as training vehicles, it is possible they were passed on.

that's it for the present

Steve

 

Well hopefully there is more . Hard to mistake the two though. LOL

 

World War II, U.S. M4A3E8 Sherman
with an M2 plow



Glad this one was rescued . Sad it was buried for so long though.

1942 M4A3E8 Sherman Tank with the M2 plow

 

More IDF Shermans

 

Here's one from across the border

View attachment 5289

Gun is a bit of problem possibly a Fk18

 

Thats a new one to me. Looks like quite a few Middle Eastern countries would use whatever they could find in addition to Israel.

 

T-34/122

 

That's an eygptian t34/122 (D30) SPG the syrian one is different, I will upload some photos of it soon- photocopier gone wierd again.

Steve

 

Syrian D30 T34 spg

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OK. What is this??

 

it,s a russian t-34 tank with twin missle launchers actually I don,t know what those are they look like rockets with machine gun under them

 

I assume it is a T34/85 used by the Chinese as a marketing thing at some Military arms fair, possibly dubai. At first I though the pods were multiple AGS 17-30 30mm auto grenade launchers but on closer inspection the barrels don't look big enough so perhaps standard MGs.

Here is another one similar concept to the Syrian D30

View attachment 5346

Chinese T34+ 130mm Type 59 Field Gun

 

North Vietnam T-34s

 

A Chinese or Vietnamese attempt (no one is quite sure) to prove a cheaper alternative to the ZSU-57-2 this vehicle was a rough conversion of a T34 hull with a new turret mounting twin 37mm AA guns added. One example was captured by ARVN troops during the 1972 "Easter Offensive".