Yad La-Shiryon

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Yad La-Shiryon

Yad La-Shiryon (officially: The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum at Latrun
Latrun

Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 15 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla....
, Hebrew

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
: ?? ??????) is Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
's official memorial site for fallen soldiers from the armored corps

Israeli Armor Corps

File:Idf armored corps flag.svgThe Israeli Armored Corps is a corps of the Israel Defense Forces, since 1998 subordinate to GOC Army Headquarters....
, as well as one of the most diverse tank

Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
museums in the world. The cornerstone for Yad La-Shiryon was laid on December 14, 1982. The site was created through the initiative of veteran officers of the armored corps in cooperation with the armored corps.

main building, a mandate era Tegart fortress houses an archive of the fallen, a library, and a synagogue

Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer.Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer , smaller rooms for study and sometimes a social hall and offices....
.

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Encyclopedia

Hebrew language

Israel

Israeli Armor Corps

File:Idf armored corps flag.svgThe Israeli Armored Corps is a corps of the Israel Defense Forces, since 1998 subordinate to GOC Army Headquarters....
, as well as one of the most diverse tank

Tank

Memorial Site

The main building, a mandate era Tegart fortress houses an archive of the fallen, a library, and a synagogue

Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer.Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer , smaller rooms for study and sometimes a social hall and offices....
. 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

Installation art

Installation art is the use of sculptural materials and other interesting material to transform a space or, argueably, an area. Installation art is not necessarily confined to gallery spaces and can be any material intervention in everyday public or private spaces....
trickles down the walls.

The Wall of Names, erected outside, displays the names of all the fallen soldiers from the Armored Corps, beginning with the War of Independence (1948) and up to this very day.

The Tank on the Tower

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.) Mussa 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 tank, one of the first tanks that fought in the service of the IDF

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew Acronym and initialism Tzahal , are Israel's military forces, comprising the GOC Army Headquarters, Israeli Air Force and Israeli navy....
. Since the water tower was only designed to support 25 tons and the aforementioned tank weighed 34 tons, both the engine and transmission gears had to be removed.

In a famous April Fools' Day prank, one of the soldiers serving at the site called the site's manager early in the morning and told him that the tower had collapsed. The manager rushed over only to find the tank in place and the tower intact.

Tank Collection

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, including Israeli made tanks, enemy tanks seized in combat, and vehicles purchased specifically for the collection.

Some of the tanks and military vehicles included are:

Israeli

Merkava
Merkava

The Merkava is the main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces. Since the early 1980s, four main versions have been deployed. The "Merkava" name was derived from the IDF's development program name....
mark I, II, III and IV
Nimda Shoet
Nimda Shoet

Shoet is a 6-by-6 wheeled armored personnel carrier developed by Nimda Group, Israel as a private venture, along the concept lines of the Soviet BTR-152....
Nodedet
"Timsach" (Gillois amphibious tank-carrier)

American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...

17pdr SP. Achilles
M10 Wolverine

The 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10 was a United States tank destroyer of World War II. US troops also called them TDs . The M10 was called the Wolverine in British service....
Diamond T
Diamond T

The Diamond T was an United States automobile manufactured in Chicago from 1905 until 1911 by the Diamond T Motor Car Company. It was a powerful touring car ....
truck
M24 Chaffee
M24 Chaffee

The Light Tank M24 was an United States Tank classification#Light tank used during World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War....
M42 Duster
M42 Duster

The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster" as it is known, is an armored light air-defense gun built for the U.S. Army from 1952 until December 1959....
M3 Lee
M3 Lee

The Medium Tank M3 was an United States tank used during World War II. In United Kingdom the tank was called "General Lee" named after General Robert E....

M3 Grant

M3 Scout Car
M3 Scout Car

The M3 Scout Car was an Armored car in United States service during World War II. It was also known as the White Scout Car, after its manufacturer, the White Motor Company....
M3A1 Stuart
Stuart tank

The M3 Stuart, formally Light Tank M3 was an United States light tank of World War II. It was used by United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces prior to the entry of the USA into the war, and thereafter by US and Allied forces until the end of the war....
M5A1 Stuart
Stuart tank

The M3 Stuart, formally Light Tank M3 was an United States light tank of World War II. It was used by United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces prior to the entry of the USA into the war, and thereafter by US and Allied forces until the end of the war....
M41 Walker Bulldog
M41 Walker Bulldog

The M41 Walker Bulldog was an USA light tank developed to replace the M24 Chaffee. It was named for General Walton Walker who died in a jeep accident in Korea....
M107 Self-Propelled Gun
M107 Self-Propelled Gun

The M107 175mm self-propelled gun was part of a family of self-propelled artillery that also included the M110 howitzer....
M113
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier

The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that formed the backbone of the US Army's mobile infantry units from the time of its introduction in the 1960s....

M901 ITV

M551 Sheridan
M551 Sheridan

The M551 Sheridan was an Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle developed by the United States, named after American Civil War General Philip Sheridan....
M578 Light Recovery Vehicle
M578 Light Recovery Vehicle

Light Recovery Vehicle M578 was a United States Cold War era armored recovery vehicle. The M578 utilized the same chassis as M107 Self-Propelled Gun and M110 howitzer....
several variations of the M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman

The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. It was also distributed to the Allies via lend lease....
, including:

Ambutank (Sherman Medical Evacuation Tank)
Eyal observation post vehicle
M4 Dozer
M4A4 with FL-10 Turret
M4 Sherman variants

The following is an extensive catalogue of the variants and specific unique elements of each variant and/or design stage of the M4 Sherman tank. For a broader article on the history of the M4, see M4 Sherman....
(Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
ian variant)
M50 and M51 Super Sherman
M50 Super Sherman

The Sherman M-50 and the Sherman M-51 were modified versions of the M4 Sherman tank that served with the Israel Defense Forces from the mid-1950s to early 1980s....
(Israeli Variant)
MAR-240
MAR-290
Sherman Crab
Mine flail

A mine flail is a vehicle-mounted device that makes a safe path through a mine-field by deliberately detonating Land mine in front of the vehicle that carries it....

Several variations of the Patton tank
Patton tank

The M46 Patton, M47 Patton, M48 Patton and M60 Patton Patton were the United States Army's principal battle tanks of the Cold War, with models in service from the late 1940s to the 1990s....
including:

M48 Patton
M48 Patton

The M48 Patton was the third and final US medium tank the M48 Patton would also serve as an interim tank until replaced by the US Army's first Main Battle Tank , the M60 Patton....
M60 Patton
M60 Patton

The M60 Series was an all-purpose main battle tank designed to have the firepower and armor of a heavy tank and the mobility of a medium tank....
Several variations of Magach
Magach

Magach or in full, Merkevet Giborei Hayil is a series of Israeli tanks, based on the United States M48 and M60 Patton tanks. Magach 3 and 5 are based upon M48 tanks; Magach 6 and 7 are based upon M60 tanks....
- improved Israeli versions of the M48 and the M60

Several variations of US halftracks
M3 Half-track

The Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armoured vehicle used by the United States and its allies during World War II and the Cold War....
Willys MB
Willys MB

The Willys MB US Army Jeep, along with the nearly identical Ford GPW, was manufactured from 1941 to 1945. They are the iconic World War II Jeep....
jeep

British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....

Alvis Saladin
Alvis Saladin

The Saladin was a six-wheeled Armored car built by Alvis Cars and used by the British Army. It replaced the AEC Armoured Car that had been in use during World War II....
Archer (tank destroyer)
Archer (tank destroyer)

The SP 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer was a United Kingdom tank destroyer used during World War II based on the Valentine tank chassis....
Cromwell tank
Cromwell tank

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell , named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by United Kingdom in World War II....
FV 4101 Charioteer
Cromwell tank

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell , named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by United Kingdom in World War II....
FV 4201 Chieftain
Chieftain tank

The FV 4201 Chieftain was the main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. It was one of the most advanced tanks of its era, and at the time of its introduction in 1966 had the most powerful main gun and heaviest armour of any tank in the world ....
Matilda tank
Matilda tank

The Tank, Infantry, Mk II, Matilda II was a United Kingdom tank of World War II. In a somewhat unorthodox move, it shared the same name as the Matilda Mk I....
Several variations of Centurion tank
Centurion tank

The Centurion was the primary United Kingdom main battle tank of the postwar period, and has proven itself be a successful tank design for most of the postwar decades; the Centurion's success has been mainly due to its thick armour, adaptability of its chassis to other roles, and numerous upgrades....
, including:

Bridgelayer
Centurion BARV
BARV

The Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle is a United Kingdom military support vehicle used for amphibious warfare.There have been three different BARVs in British service since their first introduction during World War II....
Puma
IDF Puma

The Puma is a heavily armored Combat engineering vehicle and armored personnel carrier used by the Israeli Engineering Corps of the Israeli Defence Forces....
Sho't
Sho't

Sho't is the Israeli designation of the 105 mm L7 gunned Centurion tank, which entered Israeli service in 1970....

Ferret armoured car
Ferret armoured car

The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret Scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes....
Light Tank Mk VI
Light Tank Mk VI

The Tank, Light, Mk VI was a United Kingdom Tank classification#Light tank, produced by Vickers-Armstrong in the late 1930s, which saw service during World War II....
(Vickers)
Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car
Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car

South African Reconnaissance Car, better known under its United Kingdom designation Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car, was an armoured vehicle produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during the World War II....
Scammell
Scammell Lorries

Scammell Lorries Limited was a United Kingdom manufacturer of trucks, particularly specialist and military off-highway vehicles, from 1921 to 1988....
Contractor

French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....

AMX-13
AMX-13

The AMX-13 was a France light tank produced from 1953 to 1985. It served with the French Army and was exported to over twenty-five other nations....
AMX-VCI
AMX-VCI

The AMX-VCI is one of the many variants of the French AMX-13 light tank. It was the front line Armoured personnel carrier of the French Army until replaced by the AMX-10P....
Hotchkiss H35
Hotchkiss H35

The Hotchkiss H35 or Char l?ger mod?le 1935 H was a French light tank developed prior to World War II....
Panhard AML
Panhard AML

The Panhard AML 60/90 is a light Armored car with permanent 4x4 drive for mobility. It can carry either a 90 mm quick firing low pressure gun, or a 60 mm breech loading Mortar as main weapons....
Renault R35

German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....

Leopard tank
Leopard tank

The Leopard is a tank designed and produced in Germany that first entered service in 1965. It was used as the main battle tank by over a dozen countries worldwide....
Panzer IV
Panzer IV

The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the World War II....
Sturmgeschütz III
Sturmgeschütz III

The Sturmgesch?tz III assault gun was Nazi Germany most produced armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank....

Soviet
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....

BTR-40
BTR-40

The BTR-40 is a Soviet Union non-amphibious wheeled armored personnel carrier and reconnaissance vehicle It is often referred to as Sorokovka in Soviet service....
BTR-50
BTR-50

The BTR-50...

Improvised medevac version of BTR-50

BTR-60
BTR-60

The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for BTR-152 and was seen first time in public in 1961....
BTR-152
BTR-152

The BTR-152 was a non-amphibious Soviet Union wheeled armored personnel carrier that entered Soviet service in 1950. By the early 1970s it had been replaced in the infantry vehicle role by the BTR-60....

Improvised recovery version of BTR-152

Several variations of BRDM-2
BRDM-2

The BRDM-2 is an Armoured patrol car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. It was also known under designations BTR-40PB, BTR-40P-2 and GAZ 41-08....
IS-3
Iosif Stalin tank

The Iosif Stalin tank , was a heavy tank developed by the Soviet Union during World War II. The tanks in the series are also sometimes called JS or ?? tanks....
ISU-152
ISU-152

The ISU-152 was a Soviet Union self-propelled gun used during World War II....

Recovery version of ISU-152
ISU-152 with gun removed, labeled as command vehicle

PT-76
PT-76

The PT-76 is a Soviet light tank amphibious vehicle tank which was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armies....
T-34-85
T-34

The T-34 was a Soviet Union Tank classification produced from 1940 to 1958. It is widely regarded as having been the world's best tank when the Soviet Union became involved in World War II, and although its armoured fighting vehicle and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the war's most effective,...

T-34/100 or T-100 tank destroyer

Several variations of T-54/T-55
T-55

The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the World War II....
tanks, including:

IDF Achzarit
IDF Achzarit

The Achzarit is a heavily armored armored personnel carrier manufactured by the Israeli Defence Forces Corps of Ordnance....
Tiran-4 - upgraded T-54
Tiran-5 - upgraded T-55

T-62
T-62

The T-62 is a Soviet Union main battle tank, a further development of the T-55. Its 115 mm gun was the first smoothbore tank gun in use.The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975....
(Israeli Tiran 6)
T-72
T-72

The T-72 is a Soviet Union-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1971. It is a further development of the T-62 with some features of the T-64#T-64A and has been further developed as the T-90....
ZSU-23-4
ZSU-23-4

The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored, self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system . ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount", 23 stands for the caliber of the armament and 4 stands for the number of gun barrels....
ZSU-57-2
ZSU-57-2

The ZSU-57-2 is a Soviet Union self-propelled anti-aircraft gun armed with two 57 mm autocannons. ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount", 57 stands for the bore of the armament and 2 stands for the number of gun barrels....

Allied Forces Monument

A monument was constructed as a tribute to the Allies of World War II

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers of World War II during the World War II. Within the ranks of the Allies powers, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America were known as "The Big Three"....
, 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: the Soviet T-34, a British Cromwell and the American Sherman. 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

Jewish Brigade

The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group was a military formation of the British Army that served in Europe during the World War II. Although the brigade was formed in 1944, some of its experienced personnel had been employed against the Axis powers in Greece, the Middle East and East Africa....
, which fought within the ranks of the British army.

Museum of Armored Corps History

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
Knight

File:Gothic armor 2.jpgKnight is the term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. In the Commonwealth of Nations, knighthood is a non-heritable form of gentry....
Assyrian
Assur

Assur , was one of the capitals of ancient Assyria. The remains of the city are situated on the western bank of river Tigris, north of the confluence with the tributary Little Zab river, in modern day Iraq....
and Egyptian chariot
Chariot

The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Chariots were built in Mesopotamia by the Mesopotamians as early as 3000 BC and in China during the 2nd millennium BC....
s
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italy polymath, being a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, Painting, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer....
's design of the first tank

Stamp collection, featuring tanks and other armored vehicles

Other Features

The site also has a large amphitheater where various ceremonies and performances take place, as it is one of the largest amphitheaters in the country and centrally located. There is also a birdwatching

Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars....
facility equipped with a radar

Radar

Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic radiation waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain....
to track migratory birds.