Israel’s Air force, which destroyed Arab air power in the first hours of last June’s Six-Day War, will dominate the Independence Day display of military strength here next Thursday. Some three hundred planes of all types will take part in a mass “fly-over.” Among them will be the newly-acquired A-4 American Sky hawk fighter-bombers, making their first public appearance, and Bell 205 helicopters, also to be seen for the first time. Both types of aircraft however are already in active service.
But, as in past years, Israel’s air power will be represented in the main by French-built planes, such as the Ouraganes, the Mirages and the Mystere and Super-Mystere jets. Vautours, Nord-Atlas and Dakota transports and stratocruisers will also participate.
Israel’s ground forces will be represented in the Independence Day Parade here by 198 tanks, including Pattons and Centurions, a variety of armored vehicles and 99 artillery pieces including self-propelled cannons and recoil-less rifles. There will also be a fleet of over 200 flag-flying military jeeps.
But the anticipated half-million spectators are expected to be roused to their loudest cheers by the parade of military equipment captured by Israeli forces in last June’s war. This will include 34 tanks of various types, most of them Russian-built, 34 artillery pieces and two of the six Soviet long-range ground-to-ground missiles captured in the Sinai.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
