The Israeli use of self-propelled guns began prior to the 1956 war with the supply by France of a number supplied Obosier automoteur de 105 Modele 50, (or 105mm self propelled M50 howitzers). They formed part of armament shipments to Israel which were in part in response to Egyptian support for Algerian guerillas. Prior to 1956 France had sold some 60 of these vehicles to Israel. 

The photograph to the left was taken in the Northern Suez area during the 1956 War in support of mechanised formations.  At the time of their supply they were a particularly modern vehicle having entered service around 1952. It is based on the AMX-13 light tank but the turret is a fixed unit with a limited 20 degree traverse. It carries some 56 rounds made up of HE, smoke and illumination rounds. Early models of the vehicle are likely to have had a range of 11,500 metres being based on US M1 ammunition.

Following on from the success of the self-propelled M50 in 1956 further self-propelled artillery was purchased by Israel to support the increasingly mechanised IDF. Two significant developments took place. 

Firstly, further self-propelled guns were purchased complete in the form of upgraded Priests. Sufficient vehicles were purchased from France to allow two battalions to be formed. They were similar to the World War II version but the 105mm gun had been improved by the French such that it had similar performance to the M101 howitzer.

I have not been able to find the actual in-service date but the photo to the left is indicated to have been taken during a parade in 1963. By 1967 the M7, or nicknamed the "Priest", due to the pulpit mounting the AA machine gun, had been in service with a number of countries for 26 years.  Heavier artillery was also required and prior to the Six Day War additional vehicles were converted to the self-propelled role.

These conversions were designed by French firm of EFAB and mount the French obusiers de 150mm Mle 1950. The Israeli Ordnance Corps made further modifications and the type was commonly known as the M50. A designation I find confusing given the designation of the AMX-13 based 105mm SPG. 

Several batteries were available by the time of the Six Day War. These vehicles are likely to have gone through several modification programs. Versions based on HVSS suspension system as well as the VVSS have been noted. In the photo to the right note the interesting helmet type of some crew. This photograph is reported to have been taken during 1969. Continued development of self-propelled guns continued before and after the Six Day War. From the perspective of the gun/howitzer development this was concentrated around the L-33 Soltam.

This weapon combines the Israeli produced Soltam M68 155mm gun howitzer with the modified chassis of the M4 Sherman tank. A number of these vehicles were operational by the Yom Kippur War of 1973. The vehicle has a road speed of 36kph with a fuel range of 260 km with a weight of some 41,500 kg. Advance features included a semi-automatic breech mechanism and a pneumatic lifting/loading system. 

With a fully enclosed armoured box the weapon fires a 43.7kg HE shell to a range of 21,500 metres. The gun can be elevated from -3 degrees to +52 degrees with a traverse of plus or minus 30 degrees. Interestingly the L-33 fires a heavier shell over a greater range than the American M109 entering Israeli service around the same time. Following the Six Day War the Egyptian and Israeli forces based in the Sinai entered the War of Attrition. During this time of long range artillery duels new American self-propelled guns began to enter Israeli service in limited numbers.

These includes the M107, M109 & M110 guns. The M10, known as "Romach" in Israeli service was of particular use both in the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War due to the extremely long range of it's 175mm gun. 

Using the same chassis as the M110 the M107 can fire it's 66.6kg shell 35,750 metres. The M107 has a crew of five, but a further 8 crew are carried on support vehicles for a total of thirteen. The photograph to the left is reported to have been taken on the Golan Front during 1973.  Interestingly the Israeli Weapons website indicates that a nuclear warhead capable round was developed and deployed just after 1973 and that three battalions, or 36 vehicles, were so equipped.

Finally, and certainly not least of all, mention must be made of the M109 self-propelled gun howitzer. Only one battalion was available for service during Yom Kippur. However, even with it's limited range of 14,600 metres it's short barrelled 155mm gun proved a useful self-propelled gun platform. Known as the "Rochev" the vehicle was to form the basis of Israeli self-propelled gun platforms for the next two decades.

In Modern Spearhead the requirement for on-table artillery is limited, whether it be for towed or self-propelled artillery systems.  However, for specific scenarios or campaign situations a selection of artillery models is still useful. As is to be expected self-propelled artillery formations are significantly more difficult to target in counterbattery missions. The combination of self-propelled gun factors and low counterbattery factors for Arab nations, due to their ratings, makes the limited number of self-propelled battalions avalable to the Israeli's particularly effective.

An Israeli M109 battalion deployed during a MSH game

The issue then becomes that of allocating this limited resource to the part of the battlefield where it is to be required the most.

Two battalions of L-33 Soltam's of an Israeli Ugda deployed for fire support during a 1973 Sinai based battle. Models by Heroics & Ros.

[Return to the Modern Spearhead Page] This article is compiled by Keith McNelly.