250,000 Witness Israel’s Anniversary Parade: New Weapons Displayed

Israel’s Army of Defense proudly displayed for the first time today the new weapons strengthening its, anti-tank defenses. These included an American, Jeep-mounted recoilless gun; the French remote-controlled guided S-10 anti-tank missiles; and French-made, ground-to-ground, armor-piercing guided rockets.

The new arms were displayed in an Impressive parade through the streets of Haifa marking the climax of Israel’s 12th anniversary and the opening of Heral Year, dedicated to The odor Herzl founder of the Zionist movement that brought about the establishment of the Jewish State.

To mark this occasion, the Zionist flag– a blue and white flag with seven gold stars–which Dr. Herzl proposed to the first Zionist Congress in Basle in 1897, was raised above the parade alongside the flag of Israel.

More than 250,000 spectators lined the streets of Haifa to watch the hour-long procession of Israel’s defensive might, to marvel at the Jet fighters and other planes that roared and maneuvered overhead and to applaud excitedly as units of the Israel Navy Slowly sailed along the coast, outside the port.

Taking the salute of the parading units from a vantage point in the central reviewing stand were President Izhak Ben-Zvi, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Chief of Staff Brigadier Chaim Laskov and Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Zionist Organisation, Mrs, Vera Weizmann, widow of the first president of Israel, had a place of honor in the stand,

A fleet of 70 buses and three special trains brought thousands of tourists into Haifa from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to join the celebrating throngs and witness the spectacle. The slopes of Mt, Carnel, overlooking the parade route, were almost hidden by the thousands filling every vantage point.

As Israel’s armor, slowly paced by French-built light tanks, followed by 40 heavy Super-Sherman tanks and half-tracks, moved toward the reviewing stand, squads of jet fighters–Ouragons, Super-Mysteres and Vautures–streaked across the skies, leaving smoke trails. An aerial parade followed with more jets, older propeller planes and a squad of helicopters.

The naval display was opened with the firing of a salvo of 21 guns by the destroyer Eilat.. Then three destroyers in single file, followed by the submarine Tanin, sailed a course parallel to the land parade. It was the first public display of the submarine, one of two Israel recently acquired from the British Navy. Behind the destroyers and around them, the torpedo-boats on which Israel is placing increasing reliance, dashed and circled, sending up jets of spray.

Foreign observers commented on some of the defensive weapons displayed by Israel today for the first time. There were heavy mortars, mounted on half-tracks for increased mobility; the new anti-tank 106 mm, recoilless guns obtained from the United States and used here on motorized mounts, and the French S-10, mounted on a command-car, able to pierce heavy armor and having a one-and-a-half-kilometer range. The American anti-tank gun has been made standard equipment of infantry units for the regional defense network and border settlements.

In his formal "State of the Union" address at Jerusalem’s official anniversary celebration, Premier David Ben-Gurion pointed out that only 15 percent of the world’s 12.000,000 Jews live in Israel. Then, in an obvious reference to the Jews living in countries in the Soviet orbit, he declared: "We know that hundreds of thousands of Jews are pent up in countries where their only hope of salvation is returning to Israel. We know they are longing and praying for their day of salvation."