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. 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.

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. [http://www.arcm-latrun.org.il/english/TowerTear.htm]

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. 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.Fact|date=September 2008

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 mark I, II, III and IV
* Nimda Shoet
* Nodedet
* "Timsach" (Gillois amphibious tank-carrier)

=American=

* several variations of the M4 Sherman, including:
** Sherman Crab
** M4 Dozer
** M4A4 with FL-10 Turret (Egyptian variant)
** M50 and M51 Super Sherman (Israeli Variant)
** MAR-240
** Ambutank (Sherman Medical Evacuation Tank)
** MAR-290
** Eyal observation post vehicle
* M41 Walker Bulldog
* M3A1 Stuart
* M5A1 Stuart
* M551 Sheridan
* M578 ARV
* M113
** M901 ITV
* Several variations of the Patton tank including:
** M48 Patton
** M60 Patton
** Several variations of Magach - improved Israeli versions of the M48 and the M60
* M3 Lee
** M3 Grant
* M24 Chaffee
* M42 Duster
* Several variations of US halftracks
* M3 Scout Car
* 17pdr SP. Achilles
* M107 Self-Propelled Gun
* Diamond T truck
* Willys MB jeep

=British=

* FV 4201 Chieftain
* Cromwell tank
* Matilda tank
* Several variations of Centurion tank, including:
** Sho't
** Puma
** Bridgelayer
** Centurion BARV
* Light Tank Mk VI (Vickers)
* Archer (tank destroyer)
* Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car
* Alvis Saladin
* FV 4101 Charioteer
* Ferret armoured car
* Scammell Contractor

=French=

* AMX-13
* AMX-VCI
* Renault R35
* Hotchkiss H35
* Panhard AML

=German=

* Panzer IV
* Sturmgeschütz III
* Leopard tank

=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

A monument was constructed as a tribute to the Allies of World War II, led by the United States, Great Britain and Russia. 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 Russian T34, 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.

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
** Assyrian and Egyptian chariots
** Leonardo Da Vinci'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 facility equipped with a radar to track migratory birds.

ee also

*Kubinka Tank Museum - Russian Tank Museum
*Musée des Blindés - French Tank Museum
*Bovington Tank Museum - United Kingdom Tank Museum
*Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor - United States Tank Museum
*Deutsches Panzermuseum — German Tank Museum

Links

* [http://www.arcm-latrun.org.il/english/index_e.htm Official Site]
* [http://www.ilmuseums.com/museum_eng.asp?id=133 Yad Lashiryon (Armoured Corps) Museum] at ilMuseums.com