In article ,
(Kevin Brooks) writes:
(Peter Stickney) wrote in message ...
Not Panthers, but Panzer IVs, and Jagdpanzer IVs. Reportedly, some
were still in service in 1967. I don't recall Syria having any part
of the 1956 war, other than providing a haven for the Egyptian Air
Force. Until the attempted forming of the United Arab Republic with
Egypt, Syria was pretty much too poor to buy weapons, and not as
attractive a Soviet client as the Egyptians.

Thanks. So the Israelis were not the only military paupers in the
region, at least until sometime after 56. One has to wonder if the
Syrian PzKw IV's ever engaged Israeli Super Shermans in 67 or during
the years immediately prior.

It wasn't until the 1960s, and the widespread Nationalization of the
Oil Industry, that the various National Governments in the region
could afford much in the way of weapons. The '56 war, adn the
intervening time between then & '67 saw teh most amazing collection of
castoff & one-offs. (Egyptian Shermans with the FL-10 turret off of an
AMX-13, anyone?) Of course, Israel wasn;t the only place in the
region where things were happening. There was, of course, the very
nasty war that the French were fighting in Algeria, and the
neighboring Arab countries were involved to some extent. The Iraqis
made a couple of attempts to take Kuwait, one of which was staved off
by the rapid introsuction of a British force of Paratroopers, the
Royal Tanks, and the RAF Transport Command's Mibile Strike Force of
Hunters. We ended up deploying an Airborne Task Force, and a Marine
Regiment to Lebanon, (Some nice film of the Marine Landing Craft
storming ashore, with the Marines being met by women in bikinis and
Ice Cream vendors came out of this. All invasions should work out
that way. Oh, yeah, and how Lebanon has changed) The Jordanians,
with King Hussein's remarkable diplomacy, managed to stay aloof, more
or less, and build up a small but very professional Army and Air
Force.
Figuring out Orbats & TO&E data must have driven the S-2 folks nuts.


--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster