Yad La-Shiryon
Yad La-Shiryon (officially: The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum at Latrun; Hebrew: יד לשריון) is Israel's official memorial site for fallen soldiers from the armored corps, as well as one of the most diverse tank museums in the world.[1] The cornerstone for Yad La-Shiryon was laid on December 14, 1982.
A Mandate era Tegart fort serves as the main building of Yad La-Shiryon. | |
Location of museum | |
| Established | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Location | Latrun, Israel |
| Coordinates | 31°50′17″N 34°58′50″E / 31.838056°N 34.980417°E |
| Type | Military Museum |
| Website | www.yadlashiryon.com |
The site was created through the initiative of veteran officers of the armored corps. The outdoor display includes 110 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, both Israeli and captured enemy examples including the Merkava and T-34, T-54, T-55, T-62 tanks, as well as vehicles obtained or purchased from allied nations specifically for diversifying the collection like the German Leopard tank or the only T-72 on display in Israel. Other notable items include: an M4 Sherman tank mounted high atop a former British water tower; a collection of mobile bridges constructed by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) which can be carried by tanks and erected while under fire; captured enemy vehicles, most of which Israel has modified and updated; a tank with a blown up gun; and a long, engraved commemorative wall bearing the names of Armored Corps soldiers killed in defense of the country.
Memorial site Edit
The main building, a Mandate-era Tegart fortress, houses a library with a publicly accessible computerized record of every fallen Israeli tank soldier, and a synagogue. The deeply pocked outer walls of the fort are a reminder of the building's wartime past and its use by the Arab Legion. The tower of the fortress has been converted into a Tower of Tears by Israeli artist, Danny Karavan. The inside of the tower is covered by steel taken from a tank and water circulating from a pool underneath the installation trickles down the walls.[2]
The museum also features a large amphitheater, an auditorium, and has photos, poetry, paintings and cartoons on display. Screenings are held regularly, showing both historical film footage and more recent tributes to Israelis injured and fallen.
The Wall of Names, erected outside, displays the names of all the soldiers from the Armored Corps killed in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and later wars.
Tank on the tower Edit
The most famous sight at Yad La-Shiryon is most likely that of a tank on top of a tower, which serves as the museum's logo. In 1979, by decision of late Major General (Ret.) Moshe Peled, the tank was hoisted on top of a tower on the site, which was originally used as a water tower. The tank that was chosen is an American M4 Sherman, one of the first tanks that fought in the service of the Israel Defense Forces. Since the water tower was only designed to support 25 tons and the tank weighed 34 tons, both the engine and transmission gears had to be removed.
Tank collection Edit
Yad La-shiryon is famous worldwide for its unique and diverse collection of tanks and armored vehicles. There are over a hundred different vehicles in the collection.[1]
Some of the tanks and military vehicles included are:
Israeli Edit
- Merkava mark I, II, III, IV and Namer
- Nimda Shoet
- Nodedet
- "Timsach" (Gillois amphibious tank-carrier)
American Edit
- Diamond T truck
- M24 Chaffee
- M42 Duster
- M3 Lee
- M3 Grant
- M3 Scout Car
- M3A1 Stuart
- M5A1 Stuart
- M41 Walker Bulldog
- M107 Self-Propelled Gun
- M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
- M901 ITV
- M551 Sheridan
- M578 Light Recovery Vehicle
- several variations of the M4 Sherman, including:
- Ambutank (Sherman Medical Evacuation Tank)
- Eyal observation post vehicle
- M4 Dozer
- M4A4 with FL-10 Turret (Egyptian variant)
- M50 and M51 Super Sherman (Israeli Variant)
- MAR-240
- MAR-290
- Sherman Crab
- M10 tank destroyer
- Several variations of the Patton tank including:
- M48 Patton
- M60 Patton
- Several variations of Magach - improved Israeli versions of the M48 and the M60
- Several variations of US halftracks
- Willys MB jeep
British Edit
- 17pdr SP Achilles
- Alvis Saladin
- Archer (tank destroyer)
- Cromwell tank
- FV 4101 Charioteer
- FV 4201 Chieftain
- Matilda tank
- Several variations of Centurion tank, including:
- Centurion Mk 5
- Bridgelayer
- Centurion BARV
- Puma
- Sho't
- Ferret armoured car
- Light Tank Mk VI (Vickers)
- Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car
- Scammell Contractor
French Edit
German Edit
Soviet Edit
- BTR-40
- BTR-50
- Improvised medevac version of BTR-50
- BTR-60
- BTR-152
- Improvised recovery version of BTR-152
- Several variations of BRDM-2
- IS-3
- ISU-152
- Recovery version of ISU-152
- ISU-152 with gun removed, labeled as command vehicle
- PT-76
- T-34-85
- T-34/100 or T-100 tank destroyer
- Several variations of T-54/T-55 tanks, including:
- IDF Achzarit
- Tiran-4 - upgraded T-54
- Tiran-5 - upgraded T-55
- T-62 (Israeli Tiran 6)
- T-72 (a machine from former East German Nationale Volksarmee)
- ZSU-23-4
- ZSU-57-2
Allied Forces Monument Edit
A monument was constructed as a tribute to the Allies of World War II, led by the United States, Great Britain and The Soviet Union. The monument is composed of a rock pile, on top of which the three main battle tanks that served in the armies of the Allied Forces on different fronts: a British Cromwell, an American Sherman, and the Soviet T-34. The monument is surrounded by the flags of 19 countries and organizations that actively participated in the struggle, including the flag of the Jewish Brigade, which fought within the ranks of the British army. It is being reconstructed as of December 2011.
Museum of Armored Corps History Edit
The museum includes several exhibits dedicated to the history of armored combat in general, including:
- Model room with dozens of tanks
- Full-scale models of:
- An armored knight
- Assyrian and Egyptian chariots
- Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of a proposed armed vehicle
- Stamp collection, featuring tanks and other armored vehicles
Other features Edit
The site also has a large outdoor theater where various ceremonies and performances take place, as it is one of the largest theaters in the country and centrally located. There is also a birdwatching facility equipped with a radar to track migratory birds.
Other tank museums Edit
- Deutsches Panzermuseum — Germany
- Holy Defense Museum — Iran
- Kubinka Tank Museum — Russia
- Musée des Blindés — France
- Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor — United States
- The Tank Museum — United Kingdom
- Royal Tank Museum — Jordan
- Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung — Germany
- American Heritage Museum — United States
- Polish Army Museum – large collection of Soviet, western and Polish AFVs
- Park vojaške zgodovine Pivka - Slovenia, large collection of US, USSR and Yugoslav armour and other army equipment (including a submarine)
References Edit
External links Edit
Media related to Yad la-Shiryon Museum at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in Hebrew)
- Yad Lashiryon (Armoured Corps) Museum
- Wehrtechnsiche Studiensammlung (Museum der Bundeswehr in Koblenz)