The Man in The Tank Wins: IDF Armor, Part 2

Urban Warfare Project

In this episode, the second in a two-part series, John Spencer continues his conversation with retired Brig. Gen. Yom Tov Tamir. In the previous episode, he reflected on his long career as an armor officer in the Israel Defense Forces, in which he held positions from tank commander to division commander. Part two picks up with a description of his experiences during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, including the last battle of the war, the Battle of Suez, which ended disastrously. Based on his experiences, he shares his his thoughts on the role of armor in urban warfare and complex layered defenses. The conversation ends with an explanation of two popular IDF Armored Corps mottos: “The tank is iron but the man is steel,” and “The man in the tank wins.”