Yad La-Shiryon

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The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum at Latrun

A Mandate era Tegart fort serves as the main building of Yad La-Shiryon.
Location of museum
Established 1982
Location Latrun, West Bank
Coordinates 31°50′17″N 34°58′50″E / 31.838056°N 34.980417°E / 31.838056; 34.980417
Type Military Museum
Website www.yadlashiryon.com

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 (1982-12-14). The site was created through the initiative of veteran officers of the armored corps in cooperation with the armored corps.

It is located on the West Bank but administered by Israel.

Memorial Site

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

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] 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

Latrun tanks
Israeli Merkava III at Yad La-Shiryon
"Eyal observation post" Israeli adaptation of American M4 Sherman at Yad La-Shiryon
American M42 Duster at Yad La-Shiryon
British Alvis Saladin at Yad La-Shiryon
British Charioteer tank destroyer at Yad La-Shiryon
French Renault R35 light tank at Yad La-Shiryon
German Panzer IV at Yad La-Shiryon
Captured Egyptian T-100 at Yad La-Shiryon
BTR-50 based Medevac vehicle at Yad La-Shiryon
  • Merkava mark I, II, III and IV
  • Nimda Shoet
  • Nodedet
  • "Timsach" (Gillois amphibious tank-carrier)

American

British

French

German

Soviet

  • 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
  • ZSU-23-4
  • ZSU-57-2

Allied Forces Monument

Allied Forces Monument at Yad La-Shiryon

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: 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, which fought within the ranks of the British army. It is being reconstructed as of December 2011.

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:
  • Stamp collection, featuring tanks and other armored vehicles

Other Features

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.

IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer at an IDF Ground Command (Army) exhibition on Yom Ha'atzmaut 2012

See also

Tank museums

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Latrun Armored Corps Museum
  2. ↑ Yadlashiryon.com (Hebrew)

External links

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