Military Vehicles, December 1996,: Israeli Half-Track w/gun

Israeli Half-Track w/gun

Hanno Spoelstra (H.L.Spoelstra@wbmt.tudelft.nl)
Sat, 28 Dec 1996 17:41:33 +0100

Some weeks ago I photographed some Israeli Half-Tracks at a Dutch MV dealer's
yard. They are modified as follows:
- gun pedestal mounted right behind the driver's compartment;
- front windshield armour narrowed down to a portion in front of the
driver only, fitted with armoured glass vision block; extra armour
directly to the right of the driver (co-driver position omitted);
- gun clamp on front scuttle;
- ammunition stowage fitted in the rear of the hull;
- as far as I know, they have not been converted with diesel engines.
(For photos see Wheels & Tracks magazine 43:7 and 51:10.)

Apparently, a French DEFA 90-mm AT gun was once fitted.
Who can tell me more about this conversion?
Were they a development of the Half-Track with 6-pdr. gun as used in 1948?
During which period were they used and how many were converted?

I hope someone can help me out. Thanks in advance,
Hanno Spoelstra <H.L.Spoelstra@WbMt.TUDelft.NL>
Bloemendaal, The Netherlands