United States Army observers of the current German Army maneuvers have reported to Washington that Israel has sold more arms to West Germany and that the Bundeswehr is now using Israeli-made machine-guns, it was learned today.
The new development in Israel-German arms relations unfolded publicly when German Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss inadvertently posed for a photograph while inspecting one of the newly-acquired Israeli-weapons.
American Army observers had previously reported the acquisition by West German forces of thousands of Israeli sub-machine guns. Contracts have also been negotiated for a quantity of heavy and light Israeli mortars. The Israeli mortars and machine-guns were thoroughly tested by the German Army and found to be among the deadliest weapons on the world market.
It was also reported here today that the German Army is testing a wire-controlled anti-tank rocket produced in Israel. It is reportedly based on a NATO-approved French missile.
United States Army sources revealed that Germany has decided to equip its new panzer armored divisions with Israeli sub-machine guns, having found these weapons superior to the Thompson sub-machine gun. Both American and German ordnance officers have praised the Israeli weapon for its simple operation, durability and efficiency.
It was pointed out that Germany is buying Israeli arms because they are cheaper in price than other weapons of comparable quality. Mortar ammunition, for example, was 20 percent less than Germany had been paying France, its former source.
A German Army mission sent to Cairo to study Arab arms offered for sale, it was said today, reported disappointment in both quality and price and made a recommendation against purchase of the Arab arms.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
