Yad La-Shiryon (officially: The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum at Latrun; he, יד לשריון) is Israel's official memorial site for fallen soldiers from the

armored corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armou ...

, as well as one of the most diverse tank museums in the world.Latrun Armored Corps Museum
/ref> The cornerstone for Yad La-Shiryon was laid on . The site was created through the initiative of veteran officers of the armored corps. The outdoor display includes 110 tanks and other

armored fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked. Examples of AFVs are tanks, armoured cars, ...

s, 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 Leopard tank may refer to one of four tanks: *VK 1602 Leopard, a German experimental tank developed in 1942 that never entered mass production *Leopard 1, a German tank introduced in 1965 *Leopard 2, a German tank introduced in 1979, successor to t ...

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

The main building, a

Mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also ...

-era

Tegart fort A Tegart fort is a type of militarized police fort constructed throughout Palestine during the British Mandatory period, initiated as a measure against the 1936–1939 Arab Revolt. Etymology The forts are named after their designer, British p ...

ress, houses a library with a publicly accessible computerized record of every fallen Israeli tank soldier, and a

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

. 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.Yadlashiryon.com
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 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

and later wars.

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 The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

. 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. Some of the tanks and military vehicles included are: M551 Sheridan Light Tank Israel

Israeli

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

American

* Diamond T truck *

M24 Chaffee The M24 Chaffee (officially Light Tank, M24) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the War in Algeria and the Firs ...

* M42 Duster *

M3 Lee The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. In British Co ...

** 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 The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, -ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog ...

jeep

British

17pdr SP Achilles The 17pdr SP Achilles (officially 17 pounder, Self-Propelled, Achilles) was a British variant of the American M10 tank destroyer armed with the British Ordnance QF 17-pounder high-velocity 76.2 mm (3-inch) anti-tank gun in place of the M10 ...

* Alvis Saladin *

Archer (tank destroyer) The Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer was a British tank destroyer of the Second World War based on the Valentine infantry tank chassis fitted with an Ordnance QF 17 pounder gun. Designed and manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs, 655 w ...

Cromwell tank The Cromwell tank, officially Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), was one of the series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War. Named after the English Civil War-era military leader Oliver Cromwell, the Cromwell was th ...

* FV 4101 Charioteer * FV 4201 Chieftain * Matilda tank * Several variations of

Centurion tank The Centurion was the primary British Army main battle tank of the post-World War II period. Introduced in 1945, it is widely considered to be one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seeing ...

, including: ** Centurion Mk 5 ** Bridgelayer ** Centurion BARV **

Puma Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...

** Sho't * Ferret armoured car * Light Tank Mk VI (Vickers) * Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car * Scammell Contractor

French

* AMX-13 *

AMX-VCI The AMX-VCI (french: Véhicule de Combat d'Infanterie) is one of the many variants of the French AMX-13 light tank. It was the front line APC of the French Army until replaced by the AMX-10P. It is still used by some countries, for example Mexico ...

Hotchkiss H35 The Hotchkiss H35 or was a French cavalry tank developed prior to World War II. Despite having been designed from 1933 as a rather slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank, the type was initially rejected by the French Infantry becaus ...

* Panhard AML * Renault R35

German

* StuG III * Panzer IV *

Soviet

* BTR-40 *

BTR-50 The BTR-50 (BTR stands for ''Bronetransporter'' (БТР, Бронетранспортер), literally "armored transporter") is a Soviet amphibious armored personnel carrier (APC) based on the PT-76 light tank. The BTR-50 is tracked, unlike mos ...

** Improvised medevac version of BTR-50 * BTR-60 * BTR-152 ** Improvised recovery version of BTR-152 * Several variations of BRDM-2 *

IS-3 The IS-3 (also known as Object 703) is a Soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. Its semi-hemispherical cast turret (resembling that of an upturned soup bowl), became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks. Its pike nose design would also be ...

* ISU-152 ** Recovery version of ISU-152 ** ISU-152 with gun removed, labeled as command vehicle * PT-76 *

T-34-85 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The Chri ...

** 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

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

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

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...

s ** Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of a proposed armed vehicle * 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. IndependenceDay2012-Israel 0006a

Other tank museums

* 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

External links

*
Yad Lashiryon (Armoured Corps) MuseumWehrtechnsiche Studiensammlung (Museum der Bundeswehr in Koblenz)
{{Authority control Military and war museums Tank museums Military and war museums in Israel Buildings and structures in the West Bank Museums established in 1982 1982 establishments in Israel Birdwatching sites