Civil Wars are famous as come-as-you-are conflicts. You use what you can find in the local arsenal or what you are able to capture. If you are lucky to have the support of a major power, you can often get from them, what their armies do not want. These hand me downs are often too old for their reserves or militias. Sometimes they may even not work.
This does not only apply to Lebanon, but the following list of what may be available to the different sides proves my point. I have broken these down by factions. In Myth Buster fashion, after the name I rate these vehicles as Confirmed, Plausible or Busted.
Confirmed means I have seen evidence that there were used. An example is the M113 used by Lebanese militias. There is lots of photographic evidence to prove they were used.
Plausible means I have seen evidence, but it is conflicting. The Charioteer is reported to have been used during the Civil War but I do not know if it lasted into the 1980s.
Confirmed means I have seen evidence that there were used. An example is the M113 used by Lebanese militias. There is lots of photographic evidence to prove they were used.
Plausible means I have seen evidence, but it is conflicting. The Charioteer is reported to have been used during the Civil War but I do not know if it lasted into the 1980s.
Busted is that the vehicles are reported to have been used in the conflict, but never used by anyone in the Middle East. I have seen the T10M reported to have been used by the Syrians against the IDF even though none were ever exported out of the Soviet Union. (The T10M is a great vehicle to have on a battlefield though. As I have a regiment of them in 3mm from PicoArmor.)
IDF
Merkava I - Confirmed
Merkava I - Confirmed
Merkava II - Busted
M113 Zeldas – Confirmed
M113 Zeldas – Confirmed
M113 TOGAs - Confirmed
Magach - Confirmed
Shot w & wo skirts - Confirmed
NagmaShot - Plausible
M163A1 - Confirmed
M109AL - Confirmed
BM24 - Confirmed
M-107 - Confirmed
M-151/MUTT - Confirmed
M3 Mk. A - Confirmed
M3 Mk. B - Confirmed
M3 Mk. C - Plausible
M3 Mk. D - Plausible
M3 TCM-20 - Plausible
Syria
T-55 – Confirmed
T-62 - Confirmed
T-72 - Confirmed
BTR-50 - Confirmed
Magach - Confirmed
Shot w & wo skirts - Confirmed
NagmaShot - Plausible
M163A1 - Confirmed
M109AL - Confirmed
BM24 - Confirmed
M-107 - Confirmed
M-151/MUTT - Confirmed
M3 Mk. A - Confirmed
M3 Mk. B - Confirmed
M3 Mk. C - Plausible
M3 Mk. D - Plausible
M3 TCM-20 - Plausible
Syria
T-55 – Confirmed
T-62 - Confirmed
T-72 - Confirmed
BTR-50 - Confirmed
BTR-60 - Confirmed
BTR-152 - Confirmed
BMP-1 - Plausible
BTR-152 - Confirmed
BMP-1 - Plausible
Zil 157 - Confirmed
Unimogs - Confirmed
Lebanese Militias
Charioteer - Plausible
Sherman - Plausible
Unimogs - Confirmed
Lebanese Militias
Charioteer - Plausible
Sherman - Plausible
AMX13 - Plausible
M41 - Plausible
M42 Dusters - Confirmed
AML 90 - Confirmed
V-150 Commando - Plausible
M113 - Confirmed
MUTT - Confirmed
T34/85 - Confirmed
BM24 - Confirmed
Gun Trucks w/ZPU2 - Plausible
Gun Trucks w/ZPU4 - Plausible
M-151/MUTT - Confirmed
M3 Mk. A - Plausible
South Lebanese Army
M41 - Plausible
M42 Dusters - Confirmed
AML 90 - Confirmed
V-150 Commando - Plausible
M113 - Confirmed
MUTT - Confirmed
T34/85 - Confirmed
BM24 - Confirmed
Gun Trucks w/ZPU2 - Plausible
Gun Trucks w/ZPU4 - Plausible
M-151/MUTT - Confirmed
M3 Mk. A - Plausible
South Lebanese Army
Sherman - Plausible
M50 – Plausible
M51 – Confirmed
M113 – Confirmed
MUTT - Confirmed
T34/85 - Confirmed
BM24 - Confirmed
M-151/MUTT - Confirmed
M3 Mk. A - Confirmed
M3 Mk. B - Plausible
This is a work in progress that will be updated often. Once done I will add in stats for Troops, Weapons & Tactics and I Ain’t Been Shot Mum! so they can be used with Rock the Casbah.
M51 – Confirmed
M113 – Confirmed
MUTT - Confirmed
T34/85 - Confirmed
BM24 - Confirmed
M-151/MUTT - Confirmed
M3 Mk. A - Confirmed
M3 Mk. B - Plausible
This is a work in progress that will be updated often. Once done I will add in stats for Troops, Weapons & Tactics and I Ain’t Been Shot Mum! so they can be used with Rock the Casbah.
The picture of the Charioteer is from QRF. It is to cool of a tank for me not to have at least one of them. I look forward to having it for my militia.
Syrians had T-72s, there was a whole hubub about them beating up the Merkavas which turned out to be a load since the two never met one another.
ReplyDeleteJon, I can confirm the BTR152 for the Syrians, I can recall watching the news back in the day from Lebanon and thinking 'they still use them???'. It was the open top version too!
ReplyDeleteI might be wrong but I'm sure the M113 TOGA was built in response to the Israeli 'experience' in Lebanon, even though it appears in books on it.
The T-72 did make its appearance in the Lebanon War, as tacobat says. It equipped at least one independent armoured brigade in the Bekaa Valley. Nine were lost in an ambush near Jabl Baruk to a TOW unit... there's a pic here http://uploaded.fresh.co.il/20040312224116T-72.jpg
The vehicle on the right is a ACRV2, so that's another you can add to the list!
Great blog! Keep up the good work!
81st Armoured Brigade was the Syrian unit with the T-72 btw. There may have been another, but that one was definitely involved in the '82 war.
ReplyDeleteMy assumption is it is the T-72M and not the T-72 Ural or the T-72A.
ReplyDeleteCan't help you there but it is likely to be the T72M.
ReplyDeleteBTR152s for the PLO too. Not sure how many there were, but I've seen one in olive green with various Arabic slogans on it and carrying a ZU-23-2 in the back on a news reel. Then there are the usual pick-ups with a DSHK on a pintle and pick-ups towing the ZPU-4 on its wheels (while the gunners tried to operate it!).
ReplyDeleteM42 Duster for the Lebanese Army? That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteEasy there boy.
ReplyDelete