Magach 3 Tank

MAGACH 3 TANK (PATTON)
STATE MEDAL 5763/2003
6th in the “Tanks that made History” Series

Just as the Israeli Air Force controls the skies of the country and protects from above, the Armored Corps ensures ground protection. This series of medals is dedicated to the Armored Corps and salutes “the soldier in the tank” – the tens of thousands of men and women who have served and fought in the Armored Corps since the establishment of the State of Israel. The various Magach tanks are upgraded versions of the American Patton tank. The Magach 3 tanks were upgraded from Patton M-48 tanks and equipped with a diesel engine and 105mm barrel. Advanced control systems such as automatic fire control and protection systems were subsequently installed. The Magach 3 tanks took part in the Six Day War and constituted the primary armored force that halted the Egyptian attack, crossed the Suez Canal and cut off the Egyptian Third Army during the Yom Kippur War. The tanks were also used during the 1982 War in Lebanon (Operation Peace for the Galilee).

Obverse: The Patton in motion along mountainous terrain; the inscription “Magach 3”, appears along the bottom section in Hebrew and English, as well as the inscription “(M-48)”.

Reverse: A war chariot from the Period of Israel’s Kings with the words and source in Hebrew and English “Chariots of Salvation”, “Habakkuk”; the Armored Corps emblem appears in the lower part of the medal.

Edge: State emblem with the words "STATE OF ISRAEL" inscribed in Hebrew on the right and in English on the left; serial number and metal.

Designer: Eliezer Weishoff.

Engraving: Tidhar Dagan

Mint: Hecht Ltd., Israel.