As mentioned before, Latrun has one of the bloodiest history in Israel. It was here that Joshua defeated the Amorites (Joshua 10:1-11); Later, King David, the Egyptians, the Maccabees and the Crusaders all battled here. However, the most ferocious and bloodiest battles occurred in Latrun between Jewish and the Arab armies after the declaration of modern Israel (1948). Earlier, the British had a military fortress in Latrun called Tegart Fort, designed by Sir Charles Tegart in 1938. After the withdrawal of British army from Palestine in May 14, 1948, this fort was handed to Arab Legion. Since this strategic place was so crucial in deciding the fate of Jews in Jerusalem, the Israeli army desperately tried to capture the Tegart fort. The food and ammunition supply to Jerusalem’s Jews had to pass through the road adjacent to this fort and for obvious reasons were blocked by Arab forces who controlled the area. From May 15, 1948 onwards Israelis fought at least 5 battles with Arab forces for Latrun and in all of them they faced humiliating defeat. If you have read my earlier posts, you will know how these events compelled the Jewish forces to construct an alternate path called Burma Road to Jerusalem and the siege ended. However, almost 20 years later on June 6, 1967, Israeli forces with their superior tank battalions finally captured Tegart Fort of Latrun.
Today, the fort is a memorial site for the armored and tank force and maintains an international display of models of over 200 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles (AFV) from every army in the world, since the first tank participated in World War I. One of the biggest tank museum in the world. One can still see the marks of bullets and shells and the Arabic writing on the walls of this fort which were left as it is. The museum is called Yad Le-Shiryon in Hebrew. For me it was like entering some military fort. Almost every face I saw inside this museum from entrance to exit was that of uniformed men. Initially I was a bit embarrassed to feel like a rare civilian inside a military camp. May be its like more a national heritage for the Israelis and the intensity of feeling they have will be much different from mine. But if you are a military gadget lover then you are going to love this place for sure. There were so many models of tanks (even a transparent one) along with their details. I was little bit confused as most of the labels were in Hebrew. While searching for Merkava, the main battle tank of IDF (Israel Defense Force) I got the help of a young soldier who explained me everything in English and made me feel comfortable. The other interesting site which took my attention was the Wall of Names, displaying the names of all the fallen soldiers from the formation of Israel (1948) and up to this very day. The roof top of this fort has a nice view covering the entire Ayalon valley. Any one interested to know more about this museum can visit the official site http://www.arcm-latrun.org.il/english/index_e.htm
Today, the fort is a memorial site for the armored and tank force and maintains an international display of models of over 200 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles (AFV) from every army in the world, since the first tank participated in World War I. One of the biggest tank museum in the world. One can still see the marks of bullets and shells and the Arabic writing on the walls of this fort which were left as it is. The museum is called Yad Le-Shiryon in Hebrew. For me it was like entering some military fort. Almost every face I saw inside this museum from entrance to exit was that of uniformed men. Initially I was a bit embarrassed to feel like a rare civilian inside a military camp. May be its like more a national heritage for the Israelis and the intensity of feeling they have will be much different from mine. But if you are a military gadget lover then you are going to love this place for sure. There were so many models of tanks (even a transparent one) along with their details. I was little bit confused as most of the labels were in Hebrew. While searching for Merkava, the main battle tank of IDF (Israel Defense Force) I got the help of a young soldier who explained me everything in English and made me feel comfortable. The other interesting site which took my attention was the Wall of Names, displaying the names of all the fallen soldiers from the formation of Israel (1948) and up to this very day. The roof top of this fort has a nice view covering the entire Ayalon valley. Any one interested to know more about this museum can visit the official site http://www.arcm-latrun.org.il/english/index_e.htm
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