CHARIOTS OF FIRE




In blog no. 60 I wrote about my grandson who was inducted into the Armoured Corps a short while ago. Last Friday,  the immediate family (including myself) and friends participated in the second ceremony of the Armoured Corps. It is known as the “Beret March”. It begins at 3 a.m., when the  Armoured Corps’ four brigades, with their faces camouflaged with black mud, begin a grueling march in the desert carrying equipment weighing 17 kgs. reaching 32 kgs. when the stretchers are opened and filled with sacks of sand.

We visitors joined the exhausted and sweaty boys for the last km. of the march to the places where the ceremony was held, in which they received the black berets particular to the Armoured corps. Every battalion in the IDF is distinguished by a different coloured beret.

Prior to the ceremony, the new recruits just finished eight weeks of basic training, followed by six weeks in their particular speciality. After completing this training, the cadets are granted their beret and move on to complete 10 weeks of exercises - during which they practice engaging in combat and functioning as tank crews.

The tank crew consists of four soldiers: commander, gunner, loader, and driver. Amitai has been alloted the job as a loader. Loaders are responsible for  loading  the shells into the main gun in an impossibly short amount of time, and for repairing any malfunctions in all the systems in the turret - including  weapons, communications, etc.

The tank crew must learn how to work and live together in a stuffy, confined space. There are situations in which they will be in the tank for two to five days without leaving, preparing for any unexpected challenges. From us outsiders it appears that there isn’t even enough room for one soldier, let alone four!

The Armored Corps is the decisive corps in GOC Army Headquarters, and bases its power on a combination of mobility, armour, and firepower. During wars, its primary role is to lead the first line of the attacking forces and to clear the area.

The  tanks took a significant part in all of Israel’s wars and the IDF Armoured Corps is considered one of the most progressive  in the world.

Israeli tanks are called “Merkavim” (chariots) and its particular Hebrew name derives from the fact that it is an Israeli innovation - over 80% of its parts are produced in Israel.

The combination of man and machine presents an exceptional challenge which   gives it a dominant role on the battlefield.


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