King & Country
Captain
- Joined
- May 23, 2005
- Messages
- 5,014
KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES
March 2021
March 2021
WELCOME to the ‘Merry Month of March’ and the latest edition of ‘DISPATCHES’.
As you will discover it’s an eclectic collection of releases covering a varied selection of historical periods in some of King & Country’s most popular ranges.
1. BEING RELEASED THIS MONTH...
A. ‘Yom Kippur & The Valley of Tears’
On the afternoon of 6 October 1973, a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israeli positions across the Suez Canal in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights above northern Israel.
Both areas had been successfully captured and occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967.
Perhaps lulled and maybe even over-confident by their previous victories over much larger Arab armies the Israeli Defence Forces were at first almost overcome by the wave after wave of Arab aircraft bombing their defences.
This was followed by massive artillery bombardments which then gave way to combined infantry and armoured assaults, first across the Suez Canal itself and then, further north, into the Golan Heights.
What made the Arab attack a ‘double surprise’ was that it took place on ‘Yom Kippur’ , the holiest day of the Jewish religious calendar.
AGAINST ALL ODDS
Although initially caught unaware and, in some places, unprepared the Israeli Defence Forces rapidly called up their reserves and rushed reinforcements directly onto the battle fronts in the Sinai and up across the Golan Heights.Even though vastly outnumbered by their enemies the Israelis fought desperately to regain the military initiative, by first delaying and then halting the Arab advance.
The Israelis then, launched a series of bold counter attacks that sent Egyptian and Syrian forces reeling back in disarray and confusion.
Once, more Israel had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with superior tactics, better training and weapons wielded by men and women fighting for the very survival of their country and themselves.
IDF028 “General Ariel ‘Arik’ Sharon”
One of Israel’s greatest heroes and finest military commanders of the ‘Yom Kippur War’ was Ariel ‘Arik’ Sharon (1928-2014).
A native-born Israeli, Sharon first served in the army during the War of Independence in 1948. A natural leader he proceeded rapidly up through the ranks in all of Israel’s wars and confrontations and by the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in October 1973 he was assigned command of a reserve armoured division.
Almost immediately he led his division in an unauthorized counter attack across the Suez Canal before moving north intending to cut supplies to Egypt’s Second Army.
Along with another Israeli armoured division he went on to encircle and partially destroy the Egyptian Third Army before threatening its capital, Cairo.
A UN-brokered cease fire was declared on 25 October 1973. The war had lasted just 19 days and cost Israel over 2,500 killed and three times that number wounded. This was more than all of Israel’s casualties in the previous wars combined.
Arab losses however are estimated to have been much greater... in excess of 50,000 killed and wounded.
Ariel ‘Arik’ Sharon was an often controversial figure but a superb and intuitive military commander who was described by former Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin as ‘Israel’s greatest field commander’
After retiring from the army, ‘Arik’ Sharon entered politics and eventually became the country’s 11th Prime Minister from 2001-2006. He died in 2014.
Our K&C tribute to this formidable Israeli General shows him as he appeared during the Yom Kippur War of 1973, moving among his troops.
IDF029 “Israeli Tank Commander”
This standing figure is dressed in the typical Israeli tank crew ‘overalls’ complete with binos around his neck and carrying his ‘bone-dome’ helmet under his left arm. On his right side he carries a 9mm Browning Hi-Power semi-automatic pistol in a holster on his web belt.
Israeli tank commanders were ‘infamous’ for exposing themselves in the open top turret hatch... All the better to see what was happening all around their tank.
Their Arab opponents however preferred to stay ‘locked-down’ , inside their turrets therefore limiting their visual awareness of what was happening all around their tanks.
IDF030 “Dismounted Israeli Tank Crewman”
This walking Israeli ‘tanker’ is again dressed in the standard, olive drab ‘overalls’ but wearing his ‘bone-dome’. In addition, for personal protection, he carries the excellent 9mm ‘UZI’ submachine gun.
IDF035 “The Israeli Army ‘CENTURION SHO’T Main Battle Tank”
This is the ‘STAR’ of these ‘Yom Kippur War’ releases... The CENTURION SHO’T was the Israeli adopted and adapted designation of the British-designed 105mm L7 gun-armed Centurion tank.
These entered IDF service in the late 1960’s and fought throughout the 1970’s with some even serving until the early 1980’s.
SHO’T in Hebrew means ‘whip’ and that’s exactly what this Israeli-modified and improved main battle tank did to its Arab opponents during the SIX-DAY War of 1967 and Yom Kippur War of 1973.
On the Golan Heights in October 1973 a single brigade of 180 Centurion / SHO’T tanks held off 2 reinforced Syrian armoured divisions with almost 1300 Soviet tanks (mostly T54’s and T55’s) destroying more than half for the loss of 70 of their own.
This K&C model has mounds of crew stowage on top of and around the turret in typical Israeli military fashion.
Also included is the tank commander figure behind a turret-mounted, shoulder-fired FN General Purpose Machine Gun. Peering out of the other open turret hatch is a second member of the crew.
This very special tank model comes in its own very special box.
AVAILABLE: Early March
SPECIAL NOTE: ‘Valley of Tears’ is an Israeli television series that depicts the dramatic battle to hold on to the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
One part of the story focuses on the exploits of a troop of Centurion SHO’T tanks attempting to hold back hordes of Syrian T54’s and T55’s.
Another part of the story is the desperate struggle of a small group of Israeli infantry trying to defend and then escape from one of the ‘Listening Posts’ on top of a hill in the Golan.
Well worth looking out for.
I watched the series on HBO here in Hong Kong and thoroughly enjoyed it... Seek it out!
