Video Thread

[Rad]

 

[Iarmor]

Footage taken in the summer of 1972, showing IDF Shot Cals training with the Cylinder Bridge in the lake created by the Ruaf'a Dam in the Sinai Peninsula.

 

 

The footage seems to have been cropped from this short film:

 

When the IDF had to cross the Suez Canal in the 1973 war, none of the two tank companies trained to tow the Cylinder Bridge was available: M company of the 9th armored battalion (Magach 3 - M48A3, 105 mm) was wiped-out on the first day of the war near Mifreqet stronghold, A company of the 82nd armored battalion (Shot Cal - Centurion, 105 mm, Diesel) was defending Mazra'at Beit Jinn in the Israeli bulge in Syria under the 1st infantry brigade. Instead, the Cylinder Bridge was towed by reserve tankers from the 257th (Magach 3) and 410th (Magach 6A - M60A1) armored battalions, who hastily trained with it during the war.

 

The Ruaf'a Dam was built in Wadi Al-Arish, which drains the rain water from the mountains of the central Sinai into the Mediterranean. The area was captured by the IDF 3 times, in 1948, 1956 and 1967.

The October 29th 1956 battle of the Ruaf'a Dam, during which A company of the 82nd battalion captured a heavily-defended Egyptian compound (Archer tank destroyers, 17 pound and 57 mm AT guns) despite suffering heavy losses, is considered the foundation stone of the Israeli Armor Corps. In the 1956 war, A/82 was the only company equipped with the most advanced IDF tank, the M50 Sherman (French 75 mm), which was designed to counter the Soviet T-34/85 supplied to Egypt. The company CO was Moshe Bar-Kokhva, who became famous for his stirring leadership and later served as the 45th mechanized infantry brigade CO in 1967 and as the 210th armored division XO in 1973. A reenactment of the battle, probably from 1968:

 

 

After 1967, the lake created by the dam was one of the sites used by the IDF for water obstacle crossing training. The last training exercise there took place in 1981, shortly before the area was returned back to Egypt. Some of the reserve tankers who took part in the last training at the Ruaf'a Dam were veterans of the 1973 crossing. The background picture on pages 136-137 in this Israeli Armor bulletin was probably taken during that training (note the crossing M60s have ERA).

Edited April 5, 2022 by Iarmor

[Rad]

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Rad

[Galileo]

 

[Bond_Villian]

 

 

 

[Rad]

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by Rad

[12Alfa]

[Iarmor]

On 9/25/2021 at 7:32 PM, Iarmor said:

When the IDF had to cross the Suez Canal in the 1973 war... the Cylinder Bridge was towed by reserve tankers from the 257th (Magach 3) and 410th (Magach 6A - M60A1) armored battalions, who hastily trained with it during the war.

 

Footage taken in the early morning hours of October 16th 1973, showing the Cylinder Bridge being towed by 257th battalion tanks:

 

 

Among the AFVs seen are M48A3s, M113s, halftracks (some with 20 mm AA guns), Shermans with dozer blades and a Sherman hull with a mine plow. These unique Sherman versions were fielded by the 606th armored assault engineer battalion, as opposed to the M50 and M51 Sherman MBTs fielded by the few remaining tank battalions still equipped with Shermans.

The moustached officer seen briefing his men at the start of the video is Colonel Haim Erez, the 421st armored brigade CO.

 

As the Cylinder Bridge broke down shortly after this footage was taken, the 257th battalion was sent to battle while the bridge repair lasted for some 6 hours. However, the breakdown didn't matter much, since the road designated for the Cylinder Bridge was still blocked by Egyptian 16th infantry brigade troops.

Eventually, after days of heavy fighting, the Egyptians retreated on the night of October 17th-18th, the Cylinder Bridge was towed by the 410th battalion on October 18th and launched on the night of October 18th-19th.

By that time, most Israeli forces planned to cross the Suez Canal have already crossed it, starting aboard Gillois amphibious tank carriers on the night of October 15th-16th and, since October 17th, on a full bridge made of Uniflote pontoons.

Edited October 16, 2021 by Iarmor

[Rad]

 

[daskal]

 

[Galileo]

ROK T-80U. 

 

 

[Rad]

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Rad

[Los]

 

This series has a fair amount of tank action is a Tank crew are one of the principal points of view. The IDF refurbished three SHot Kal's for the movie. I am enjoying so far (Apologies if this was already mentioned, but there are not a bunch of tank films out there).

 

Los

[Vikingo]

 

🤘

[Assassin 7]

 

 

[daskal]

I need one of these in my backyard to solve the constant cat poop issue on my lawn:

 

 

[Rad]

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Rad

[Rad]

Horror for russian and chinese NAVY.

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWog_JjhHvj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Russian SOF targeting Syrian militants.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWtdXNOoN2y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Russia added caged armour over their tank to protect them against Turkish Mam-L and Mam-C missiles which is fired from Turkish UAVs

Edited November 25, 2021 by Rad

[daskal]

 

[Rad]

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Rad

[Rad]

 

[daskal]

"Barricade busting" rounds?

 

 

[Rad]

I watch and listen to all these videos (playlist ''IDF ARTILLERY M109 FIRE'').

Edited December 10, 2021 by Rad

[Mirzayev]

 

Glad to see that the methods of enticing young people to join the Armed Forces hasn't changed very much. 

[Marko]