The Arab League began to believe that the Palestinian Arabs, reinforced by the Arab Liberation Army, could put an end to partition. The British decided on 7 February 1948 to support the annexation of the Arab part of Palestine by Jordan. [5] Benny Morris (2008). 1948: a history of the first Arab-Israeli war. Yale University Press. p.116. ISBN 9780300126969 . Retrieved 13 July 2013. At the time, Ben-Gurion and the HGS believed that they had initiated a one-shot affair, albeit with the implication of a change of tactics and strategy on the Jerusalem front. In fact, they had set in motion a strategic transformation of Haganah policy. Nahshon heralded a shift from the defensive to the offensive and marked the beginning of the implementation of tochnit dalet (Plan D)—without Ben-Gurion or the HGS ever taking an in principle decision to embark on its implementation. The Chinese produced a version of the T-54A in large numbers and it entered service with the People’s Liberation Army in 1959, giving rise to its designation of T-59. It remained in production until the early 1980s by when some 8,000 were built with many sold for export, particularly to Pakistan and latterly to Africa. Entered service in 1970; by 1974 all Israeli Centurions were upgraded to Sho't Kal. Subvariants indicate upgrades received by Sho't Kal tanks during their operational life, including a new turret rotating mechanism, a new gun stabilizer, a new fire-control system and preparations for the installation of the Blazer Reactive armour. Both versions of the Centurion tank, were upgraded to the 105mm L7 gun. Usually it was limited artillery duels and small-scale incursions into Sinai, but by 1969 the Egyptian Army started larger-scale operations. On March 8, 1969, Nasser proclaimed the official launch of the War of Attrition, characterized by large-scale shelling along the Suez Canal, extensive aerial warfare and commando raids. [45] [47] Hostilities continued until August 1970 shortly before Nasser's death and ended with a ceasefire, the frontiers remaining the same as when the war began, with no real commitment to serious peace negotiations.

The highest level of the military collaboration was reached between 1956 and 1966. [70] At this time France provided almost all the tanks along with aircraft and military ships. In 1969 the French president Charles de Gaulle limited the export of weapons to Israel. This was the end of the "golden age" 20 years of relations between Israel and France. Israeli M22 Locust tank in Negba, Israel Merkava IV during a training day held in the Golan Heights for the 401st Armored Brigade

The first Centurion prototype is completed and six prototypes are despatched to Germany in the following month for combat trials, but the war ends before their arrival. Tira, Ron, ed. (2009). The Nature of War: Conflicting Paradigms and Israeli Military Effectiveness. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-84519-378-2. Hussars supported the British Army contingent. It was at the battle of the Imjin River in April 1951 that the Centurions of the 8th Hussars won lasting fame when their tanks covered the withdrawal of the 29th Infantry Brigade in heroic fashion in the face of the overwhelming Chinese spring offensive. Once the fighting became static, the Centurions proved their worth on many occasions when they acted as direct fire

Still, the Centurion wasn’t the most prolific of tanks. Only 4,423 were manufactured between 1946 and 1962, compared to 12,000 M48s and 100,000 T-55s. The British Army replaced its Centurions in the late 1960s with the 60-ton Chieftain, a powerful though underpowered tank, which never achieved the fame of its predecessor. A few Centurion AVREs (Armored Vehicle Royal Engineers), armed with a big 165-mm cannon for demolishing fortifications, saw service in the 1990 Persian Gulf War. The Israelis also got two Cromwell tanks from sympathizers at a arms depot in the Haifa port area, which would form the basis of the Israeli Armored Corps. A modified T-44 is fitted with a larger turret mounting a 100mm gun to become the T-54 and is accepted for service with the Red Army. The TSh 2-22 gunner’s sight has a magnification of X3.5 or X7 but in the final battles of the Syrian offensive the tanks were so close that range assessment was unnecessary and opposing AFVs often filled the gunner’s field of view, but only if they left the safety of the firing ramps. M48 (Patton) – The M48 "Patton" first generation main battle tank (MBT) was supplied to the IDF by the United States.

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But even before the Outline Specification of the A41 was released in October 1943, these limits were removed, and the weight was increased from 40 tons to 45 long tons (50 short tons; 46t), because of the need for heavier armour and a wider turret (too wide for 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. The Magach 1, 2, 3, and 5 were based upon M48 tanks; the later Magach 6 and 7 were based upon M60 tanks. These tanks had modifications included replacement of the original 90mm gun with the British 105mm L7, lowering the command turret's profile, upgraded communication suite, and replacement of the flammable and weak gasoline engine with a 750hp diesel one. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Israel had a total of 540 of the modified M48A3 (with 105mm gun) and M60A1 tanks. [59] [60] But during the war, the tanks suffered heavy losses. The location of flammable hydraulic fluid at the front of the turret was discovered to be a severe vulnerability. A large number of these Israeli tanks were destroyed or terminally hit during the war, mostly in the Sinai front against entrenched Egyptian infantry armed with AT-3 Sagger anti tank missiles. [59] After the war, the losses were replaced with new M48A5 (Magach 5) and M60 (Magach 6) which were fitted with better armor in response to the anti tank missile losses. Roislien, Hanne Eggen (2013). "Religion and Military Conscription: The Case of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)". Armed Forces & Society. 39 (3): 213–232. doi: 10.1177/0095327X12449429. S2CID 144226866.