Centurion vs T-55: Yom Kippur War 1973: No. 21 (Duel)

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The failure of the convoys and the loss of Jewish armoured vehicles has shaken the Yishuv leaders confidence. A tightly focused illustrated study comparing the design, development, and combat performance of two of the Cold War's first main battle tanks. Note the crew retain the Soviettype tank crewmen padded helmets while the commander has made himself comfortable with a large cushion at his cupola.

The vehicles went through a number of modifications, both major and minor, culminating in the Sho't with blazer package seen in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and retired with honour during the 1990s. This allowed the commander to concentrate on his specific duty of directing the tank and any others under his command. The suspension units and the hull sides were protected from infantry hand-held anti-tank weapons by three detachable skirting plates that gave the Centurion its distinctive profile, as did the stowage bins around the turret.The IDF had also a number of Magach (מגח; Ma-GAKH) tanks in Israeli service which were based on the American M48 and M60 Patton tanks. When the frontlines stabilized at the gates of Moscow in December 1941, the Red Army possessed only 4,495 tanks of which 2,124 were stationed in the Far East. The heaviest fighting occurred in Jerusalem and on the Jerusalem – Tel Aviv road, between Jordan's Arab Legion and Israeli forces. At the outset of Operation Barbarossa in July 1941, it possessed 24,000 tanks; more than the rest of the world put together. Complete with expert analysis of the machines’ design, development and operational history, this is a fascinating look at a high-stakes duel that would shape the region for years to come.

The Yom Kippur War began when a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur which happens to be the Jewish day of atonement and the holiest day for people of the Judaic faith. Being externally mounted to the hull, these did not encroach on the internal space of tank as torsion bar systems did and were easier to replace following mine damage. In the north on the Golan Heights, the Israeli forces faced the Syrian army which consisted of about 75,000 men grouped in nine brigades, supported by an adequate amount of artillery and armour. The Israelis had about 14,000 men and 150 post-World War II tanks including the AMX-13, Centurions, and M50 Super Shermans (modified M-4 Sherman tanks). Some feel the reason that Israeli Centurions defeated the Arab T-55's and even T-62's is because the Centurion has good sights and the Arab tanks were downgrades of the original design, as the T-55 used by the Soviet and Warsaw pact Armies had 200mm armor thickness while T-55's sold to the Arabs had only 120mm frontal armor and mediocre side and rear armor.

In Western Europe, Haganah agents amassed guns and mortars but most importantly ten H-35 light tanks, and a large number of half-tracks. The few tanks and armoured cars of these Brigades were the beginning of what was to become a long history of armoured forces in the Israeli Army. The crew commander was situated at rear of the turret on the right-hand side with a vision cupola above his position providing all-round observation from under armour.

After the US refused, Israel applied again in 1958, this time to purchase 100 M47 tanks, but the answer was the same. When Britain began rearmament in face of the growing Nazi threat, it lacked both the design capability and the manufacturing capacity to produce tanks in quantity. An IDF force entered the al-Dayyiqa and at dawn on 31 October attacked Abu Uwayulah and after an hour's fighting, Abu Uwayulah fell to the IDF. The Arab Legion joined the war in May 1948, but fought only in the areas that King Abdullah wanted to secure for Jordan: the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser pushed for a military initiative to compel Israel or the international community to facilitate a full Israeli withdrawal from Sinai. The Sh'ot can be distinguished from the Centurion by its raised rear deck, to accommodate the bigger engine. The Jordanian M48 Pattons, with their external fuel tanks, proved vulnerable at short distances, even to the Israeli-modified Shermans.