Europe's Scrapyard Goes to War: The Israeli Armored Corps in the Six-Day War

In discussing the Six-Day War of June 5-10, 1967, a great emphasis has been placed on the role of Israeli airpower in achieving Israeli victory by scholars. This however is only half the picture. Israel's massive territorial gains were only possible thanks to major ground operations led by the tanks of the Israeli armored corps. Prior to the Six-Day War, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) possessed a myriad of different tanks that were acquired in various ways from across Europe. The IDF’s tanks were all outdated by 1967 standards, all formerly retired by their original owners and sold to Israel or cobbled together out of World War II scrapyards. This varied collection of tanks posed a major training and logistical problem for the IDF. Israel’s outdated and scattered force was, on paper, completely outmatched by the tanks of Israel's hostile Arab neighbors. To the West and North, Egypt and Syria were equipped with modern Soviet made tanks, while to the East, Jordan was outfitted with modern American hardware. In order to survive the looming war with the Arab nations, Israel needed to transform its tank corps into a capable fighting force. IDF  General Israel Tal took on this challenge, implementing a massive standardization program for the IDF’s tanks and new intensive training programs for their crews. Thanks to General Tal’s reforms, the IDF’s tank corps was transformed into a more than capable fighting force who led the way to Israel's victory across all three fronts of the Six-Day War.