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Technology and Maintenance Corps (Israel)
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>In 1941, the <a href="/facts/Haganah/23nxUEpt">Haganah</a>'s Ordnance Department (מחלקת החימוש, <i>Mahleket Himush</i>, abbr. <i>Mahash</i>) was founded. It engaged in the purchasing, concealment, and transport of <a href="/facts/Materiel/MekgWW9W">materiel</a>, in cooperation with <a href="/facts/Israel_Military_Industries/IxHz7m8C">Israel Military Industries</a>, created in 1933. It was headed by Asher "Oshraka" Peled, who also served in the British army.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> The Ordnance Department sold concealed weapons to the <a href="/facts/Yishuv/CuXfIbKj">Yishuv</a>, in accordance with the budget of each village. The British wrote that "There is a weapon to arm every combatant".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> The first ordnance course took place in Ju'ara, the Haganah's central training camp in 1942. In 1943 another course was held in <a href="/facts/Ruhama/Yl8JobYH">Ruhama</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p><p>In January 1948, the Ordnance Department was renamed into the Ordnance Service (שירות החימוש). During the <a href="/facts/1948_Arab%25E2%2580%2593Israeli_War/X3GSudUm">1948 Arab–Israeli War</a>, the service's first "Basic Workshops" were established to help restore and improve vehicles. In 1951, the Engineering Corps was renamed into the Ordnance Corps. </p><p> During the <a href="/facts/Suez_War/mlfbUT51">Suez War</a>, the corps rescued, collected and restored materiel. After the war, the first Ordnance Battalion was created. In the <a href="/facts/War_of_Attrition/0A325o5p">War of Attrition</a>, the corps engaged in many rescue attempts. During the <a href="/facts/Yom_Kippur_War/tTNe7UlK">Yom Kippur War</a>, the corps was able to restore and bring into service damaged war materiel. The pace of repair proved decisive. During the <a href="/facts/1982_Lebanon_War/72BQ3nuC">1982 Lebanon War</a>, the corps designated two regional ordnance units within <a href="/facts/Lebanon/2dReTXyp">Lebanon</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Merkava_tank/MtXyWs6R">Merkava tank</a>, developed under the corps and manufactured by the IMI, was tested in battle for the first time.</p><p>Following the <a href="/facts/Al-Aqsa_Intifada/PCqXCSXk">Al-Aqsa Intifada</a> in 2000, new defenses were added to <a href="/facts/Armoured_fighting_vehicle/RGHj9Y1r">Armoured fighting vehicles</a>. Several vehicles underwent upgrades, among these: upper turrets for the <a href="/facts/Nagmachon/NIuKM7lj">Nagmachon</a>, <a href="/facts/IDF_Achzarit/aEgNEsxR">Achzarit</a>, and <a href="/facts/Centurion_tank/bCNJl3uo">Centurion tank</a>-chassis <a href="/facts/Puma_CEV/HRC0D6D3">Puma CEV</a>; mini-turrets for Merkava tanks; further defences to the <a href="/facts/IDF_Caterpillar_D9/7uWla2Ff">IDF Caterpillar D9</a> (added <a href="/facts/Cage_armor/XeLXsLFJ">cage armor</a>); and the development of the "Scorpion," a Landing Bridge tank converted into a <a href="/facts/Combat_engineering/I3Th82Hf">combat engineering</a> tank able to carry a portable <a href="/facts/Bunker/WDHwf6sc">pillbox</a>. </p><p>In 2016, the corps' name was changed from Ordnance Corps (חיל החימוש, <i>Heil HaHimush</i>) to Technology and Maintenance Corps. </p> <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2> <p>The corps' <a href="/facts/Bahad/KRg36pMh">training base</a> (#20) is located in <a href="/facts/Tzrifin/FeCkwA81">Tzrifin</a>. Other <a href="/facts/Military_unit/M93qdLz7">units</a> do not fall directly under the corps’ command, but are professionally affiliated with it: </p> <ul><li>The Center for Maintenance and Restoration is the main centre for holding war materiel, including the factory where the <a href="/facts/Merkava/MtXyWs6R">Merkava</a> tank is manufactured.</li> <li>The Center for Combat Spare Parts administers the supply of spare parts to the IDF in ten bases.</li> <li>The Unit for Quality Assurance and Experiments conducts quality control and other experiments in two principal experiment bases and several other smaller, temporary bases.</li> <li>The Central Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 650 (formerly 652) provides ordnance to the <a href="/facts/Central_Command_(Israel)/2NuLRcVb">Central Command</a>, including forces stationed in the <a href="/facts/West_Bank/xzTTVNJl">West Bank</a>.</li> <li>The Northern Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 651 provides ordnance to the <a href="/facts/Northern_Command_(Israel)/axPmknc0">Northern Command</a>.</li> <li>The Southern Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 653 provides ordnance to the <a href="/facts/Southern_Command_(Israel)/4mmhQMpM">Southern Command</a>.</li></ul> <h2 id="commanders">Commanders</h2> <p>Below is a list of all Chief Ordnance Officers:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <table><tbody><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Name</th><th>Years</th></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Colonel/ASSc95Et">Colonel</a></td><td>Asher Peled</td><td>1948–1949</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Lieutenant_Colonel/Ep9T6K8V">Lieutenant Colonel</a></td><td>Zvi Ben-Ya'akov</td><td>1949–1950</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Colonel/ASSc95Et">Colonel</a></td><td>Dov Shemer</td><td>1950–1951</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Colonel/ASSc95Et">Colonel</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Manes_Pratt/5semPgG8">Immanuel Prat</a></td><td>1951–1954</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Colonel/ASSc95Et">Colonel</a>later <a href="/facts/Major_General/4v4nzpy7">Maj. Gen.</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Amos_Horev/IgRCD8yy">Amos Horev</a></td><td>1954–1962</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Colonel/ASSc95Et">Colonel</a></td><td>Inon Azruni</td><td>1963–1965</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Haim Domi</td><td>1966–1973</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Eliezer Barak</td><td>1973–1978</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Ben Zion Ben Bashat</td><td>1978–1983</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Toviah Margalit</td><td>1983–1985</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Moshe Keidar</td><td>1985–1988</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Zvi Oren</td><td>1988–1992</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a>later <a href="/facts/Major_General/4v4nzpy7">Maj. Gen.</a></td><td>Ami Sagis</td><td>1991–1995</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Michael Dayan</td><td>1995–1998</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Shalom Koren</td><td>1998–2000</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Zekharia Hai</td><td>2000–2003</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Haim Ronen</td><td>2003–2007</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Eyal Alok</td><td>2007–2010</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Tzvika Kraous</td><td>2010–2014</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Eliezer Ben Harush</td><td>2014–2017</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Mishel Yanko</td><td>2017–2019</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Ilan Eliya</td><td>2019–2022</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Brigadier_General/PwvzgxKv">Brigadier General</a></td><td>Ariel Shima</td><td>2022–present</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="bibliography">Bibliography</h2> <ul><li>Roy, Natan; Klein, Ze'ev (1982). "Ordnance Corps". In Yehuda Schiff (ed.). <i>IDF in its Corps: Army and Security Encyclopedia</i> (in Hebrew). Vol. 13. Revivim Publishing.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/units/forces/ground/Ordnance/default.htm">Overview</a> at IDF official website</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Roy, Natan; Klein, Ze'ev (1982), "Technical Spirit in the Underground", pp. 49–50 <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Roy, Natan; Klein, Ze'ev (1982), "'Sliks' in the Settlements", p. 50 <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Roy, Natan; Klein, Ze'ev (1982), "Ordnance Instruction", pp. 50–51 <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Ordnance Corps – Commanders" (in Hebrew). Israel Defense Forces. Retrieved 2010-05-14. <a href="http://dover.idf.il/IDF/units/services/ground/armament/commanders/default.htm" target="_blank">http://dover.idf.il/IDF/units/services/ground/armament/commanders/default.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>