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Middle East

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Israeli Sho't variant (Centurion up-gunned with the 105 mm L7 cannon) in 1969.

The first country which bought Centurion tanks was Egypt. The first tanks were received in 1950.[1] Israel's formerly British Centurions were first delivered in 1959. Differing varieties of the Centurion were bought by Israel over the years from many different countries or captured in combat. Following their acquisition the Israelis quickly upgraded the tanks with British 105 mm L7 instead of the original 20-pounder main gun and renamed them Sho't ("scourge" or "whip").[2]

Disabled Israeli Centurion in the aftermath of the Battle of Karameh

When the Six-Day War broke out in 1967, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had 293 Centurion / Sho't tanks that were ready for combat[3] out of a total of 385 tanks. In Sinai, Egypt had 30 Centurion tanks.[4] All 30 Egyptian tanks were destroyed or captured by Israel during the conflict.[5] Israel also captured about 30 Jordanian Centurion tanks from a total of 90 in Jordanian service. 25 tanks were abandoned in Hebron by the 10th Jordanian Independent Tank Regiment.[6][7]

All Sho't tanks were upgraded with the more efficient Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engine (also used in the M48 and the M60 tanks) and an Allison CD-850-6 transmission from 1970 to 1974. The upgraded version was named Sho't Kal Alef and were followed by three additional sub-variants called Bet, Gimel, and Dalet according to the upgrades added.[8] The upgrades included thicker armour, new turret rotating mechanism, new gun stabiliser, improved ammunition layout with more rounds and increased fuel capacity. A modern fire control system, an improved fire extinguisher system, better electrical system and brakes, and the capability of installing reactive armour completed the modifications. They had American radios and either the original 7.62 mm calibre MG on the commander's cupola or a 12.7 mm calibre HMG. The Sho't Kal could be distinguished from the Centurion by its raised rear deck, to accommodate the bigger engine.

A Sho't tank in a memorial near the Valley of Tears, Golan Heights

The Sho't Kal version of Centurion earned its legendary status during the Battle of "The Valley of Tears" on the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. 105 Sho't Kal tanks of the 7th Armoured Brigade and 20 Sho't tanks of the 188th Brigade defeated the advance of some 500 Syrian T-55s and T-62s and the Sho't Kal became emblematic of Israeli armour's prowess.[9] During the entire war, 1,063 Israeli tanks were disabled[10] (more than half of them Centurions), about 600 of which were completely destroyed or captured.[11] Some 35 Israeli Centurions were captured by Egypt,[12] dozens more were captured by Syria, Iraq[13] and four by Jordan.[14] On the other hand, 2,250 Arab tanks were disabled[10] (including 33 Jordanian Centurions, 18 of them destroyed[14]), 1,274 of them were completely destroyed or captured[15] (643 tanks were lost in the north and 631 were lost in the south[16]). After the war, to replace Israeli losses, the United States delivered 200 M60 and M48 tanks[17] and the United Kingdom delivered 400 Centurion tanks to Israel.[11]

Sho't Kal tanks with Blazer reactive armour package were used in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. During the war, 21 Centurion tanks were knocked out, 8 of them were destroyed.[18]

The Israelis started to retire the Sho't Kal during the 1980s and they were completely retired during the 1990s. Most of them were converted to Nagmasho't, Nagmachon, and Nakpadon (heavy armoured personnel carriers or Infantry Fighting Vehicles) and Puma armoured engineering vehicles.

Jordan

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Fifty Centurions were purchased by Jordan between 1954 and 1956 and by 1967 about 90 Centurions were in service. The Jordanian Army used its Centurion tanks in the Six-Day War. In 1967, the 10th Independent Tank Regiment was equipped with 44 Centurion Mk.V tanks armed with 20pdr guns, but was initially deployed on East Bank. Later, the unit was moved urgently to the Hebron area, in West Bank, in order to link with the supposed Egyptian advance. Some Centurion tanks were destroyed and about 30 captured by the Israeli Army. Israelis entering Hebron captured 25 Jordanian Centurion tanks. The Royal Guards Brigade had one regiment that was also equipped with Centurions.

After the 1967 war, the army was rearmed and more Centurion tanks were purchased.

In September 1970 (Black September) Jordan used Centurions of the 40th Armoured Brigade against invading Syrian T-55 tanks. Jordan lost 75 to 90 tanks out of 200 involved.[19] Most of them were destroyed by Syrian tank fire at ar-Ramtha.[20] But some of them were destroyed by the PLO in Amman.[21] Palestinians used captured Centurion tanks against the Jordanian army.[22]

In 1972, Centurion tanks were reequipped with 105 mm guns. During the Yom Kippur War, the Jordanian 40th Armoured Brigade was deployed in the Golan front to support Syrian troops and show King Hussein's concern for Arab solidarity. The 40th Armoured Brigade moved northward towards Sheikh Meskin, but its counterattack was uncoordinated and largely ineffective as the Israelis were in prepared defensive positions.

In 1982–1985, 293 surviving Centurions of the Jordanian Army were refitted with the diesel engine and transmission of the M60A1 tank in place of the original Meteor petrol engine, Belgian SABCA computerised fire-control system, which incorporated a laser range-finder and passive night sight for the gunner, Cadillac Gage electro-hydraulic turret drive and stabilisation system and a new Teledyne Continental hydropneumatic suspension in place of the Horstmann units. These upgraded vehicles were called the Tariq. After retirement from service with the arrival of ex-British Challenger tanks in the late 1990s, several Tariqs were converted into heavy APCs (Dawsar).


Israel

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All Israeli Centurion 105-mm-gunned "Sho't" variants are an upgrade and advancement of the previous variant, and were produced after one another. Sho'ts were converted to armoured personnel carriers after their service.

Sho't Kal Alef
Sho't (English – "Whip")
A standard Israeli designation of the Centurion with a 105 mm L7.
Sho't Meteor
Centurion Mark 3, 5, and 8 tanks with the original Meteor engine, with new additions of a 105 mm L7 cannon, exterior rear fuel tank,[23] .50 caliber M2 machine gun attached to commander's cupola, and more minor modifications. Entered service in 1963.
Sho't Kal Alef
Modernised Centurion Mark 3, 5, and 8 tanks upgraded with a new Continental AVDS1790-2AC engine, and new Allison CD-850-6A transmission,[24] new fire control system,[25] and etc. Original British smoke launchers were removed.[26] Entered service in 1970.
Nagmashot
Sho't Kal Bet
New hydraulic traverse system installed (only for one armor brigade),[24] loader received a .30 caliber M1919 machine gun mounted closely to the loader's hatch, mounting points for explosive reactive armour added. Produced in 1975.
Sho't Kal Gimel
New installations of an upgraded engine (AVDS1790-2AG), new alternator,[24] Blazer ERA, IS-10 smoke grenade launchers, new stabilisation system,[24] and engine smoke generating system (ESS).[27] Turret traverse mechanism from the Bet was fully installed.[27] Manufactured in 1979.
Sho't Kal Dalet
MAR-290 / Eshel ha-Yarden.
New thermal sleeve for the L7 cannon,[24] all .30 caliber M1919 machine guns were replaced with FN MAG 60-40's, a new FCS was installed.[24] Production began in 1984.
Nagmashot / Nagmachon / Nakpadon
Israeli heavy armoured personnel carriers based on the Centurion tank's chassis.
Puma
Israeli combat engineering vehicle on Centurion tank chassis.
Eshel ha-Yarden
A quadruple tubular launcher for 290 mm ground-to-ground rockets mounted on Centurion tank chassis. The project was cancelled after a single prototype was built. Both this vehicle and an earlier version based on Sherman chassis are often referred to as MAR-290.
Tempest
Operated by Singapore, modernised with Israeli assistance, similar to Israeli variant, with diesel engine and new main gun, and possibly reactive armour.[citation needed]


Tanks of comparable role, performance and era

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Notes

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References

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Citations
  1. ^ Jabber, Paul (1981). Not By War Alone : Security and Arms Control in the Middle East. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-520-04050-2.
  2. ^ "The Centurion Sho't of Israel – Centurion (A41) – Main Battle Tank". Military Factory. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  3. ^ Tucker, Spencer C.; Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 995. ISBN 978-1-85109-842-2.
  4. ^ Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015 (4th ed.). McFarland. p. 575. ISBN 978-1-4766-2585-0.
  5. ^ Dunstan, Simon (2009). Centurion vs T-55 : Yom Kippur War, 1973. Oxford, New York: Osprey. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-84603-369-8.
  6. ^ Hammel, Eric (1992). Six Days in June: How Israel Won the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Pacifica Military History. ISBN 978-0-935553-54-3.
  7. ^ Foss, Christopher F. (2002). Jane's Armour and Artillery. Vol. 23. Jane's Publishing Company Limited. p. 57. ISBN 9780710624253.
  8. ^ Dunstan 2003.
  9. ^ Dunstan, Simon (2013). The Yom Kippur War 1973 (1): The Golan Heights. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-4728-0210-1.
  10. ^ a b McDermott, Rose; Bar-Joseph, Uri (2017). "Chapter 5". Intelligence Success and Failure: The Human Factor. New York City: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19934-173-3.
  11. ^ a b "Britain Mum on Centurions to Israel". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 16 September 1974. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  12. ^ Ware, Pat; Delf, Brian (2013). The Centurion Tank. Casemate Publishers. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-78159-011-9.
  13. ^ O'Ballance, Edgar (1991). No Victor, No Vanquished: the Yom Kippur War (PDF). Novato, California: Presidio Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-89141-017-1.
  14. ^ a b "Arab States-Israel" (PDF). Central Intelligence Bulletin. Central Intelligence Agency. 25 October 1973. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Israel". Anderson Daily Bulletin. Anderson, Indiana. 29 November 1973. p. 14.
  16. ^ Weapons Systems Evaluation Group Report 249 (Report). Institute for Defense Analyses. October 1974. p. 44.
  17. ^ Bowman, Martin (2016). Cold War Jet Combat: Air-to-Air Jet Fighter Operations 1950–1972. Pen and Sword. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-4738-7462-6.
  18. ^ שריו [Armor] (in Hebrew), December 2007
  19. ^ "Minutes of a Washington Special Actions Group Meeting, Washington, September 24, 1970" (PDF). Foreign Relations, 1969–1976. XXIV. United States Department of State: 912. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  20. ^ Pollack, Kenneth Michael (2002). Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 337–345. ISBN 978-0-80323-733-9.
  21. ^ Raab, David (2007). Terror in Black September: The First Eyewitness Account of the Infamous 1970 Hijackings. St. Martin's Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-40398-420-3.
  22. ^ Siiak, Ivan (2 October 2015). "Black September: How Palestinian Terrorism Was Born". Bird In Flight.
  23. ^ Manasherob 2009, p. 1.
  24. ^ a b c d e f Mass, Michael (20 March 2005). "נו טוף". fresh.co.il. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  25. ^ Manasherob 2009, p. 13.
  26. ^ Manasherob 2009, p. 19.
  27. ^ a b קלו, ניסים. "חיל החימוש מציג את אמצעי הלחימה החדשים שפותחו על ידו - שנת 1979". www.himush.co.il. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
Bibliography
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