One of the most pleasant surprises on a recent trip to Tel Aviv was finding Building 14 of the Israeli Defence Forces History Museum. The museum is located in the Tel Aviv Promenade area, which is right off of the main road running along Tel Aviv’s beautiful Mediterranean beach. While it is a short walk from a number of hotels, it is only accessible from that direction, so if you’re unsure of the area take a taxi.
After going through a real security screening and answering some questions about “Why” I was there, I paid the 15 Shekel (about 3 USD) entrance fee, got my English one-page guide, saw “The Rifle & Machine Gun Pavilion- Building 14″in the guide and started in that direction. After passing some very interesting rows of anti-aircraft guns including ZPU-2 and ZPU-4, a nice quad DShK 38/46 and some very unusual 13.2mm Hotchkiss magazine fed twins, there was an unmarked door that said “Building 14.” On opening the door of this low military barracks style building, it looked almost like “Pattern Room-Mideast.” There were hundreds of machine guns set up in excellent displays, a truly outstanding collection. There went the rest of the day. At SAR we decided that the collection was unusual enough that we would make a pictorial feature of this collection so that the readers can get a good feel for what is actually there and how historically important this collection is. If you visit Tel Aviv, be sure to visit this museum and block out some serious study time!
The IDF History Museum was formed as part of the Israeli Ministry of Defence Museums Unit. There are 19 buildings on the site and each one has a different focus. Displays that will be of special interest for the small arms community include:
Building 3- The Weapons Caches: “Slikim” Pavilion. Where it all began in 1920-1948 with underground operations in the land of Israel during the British Mandate.
Building 7- The IDF’s Early Weaponry Pavilion: The War of Independence and the Suez Campaign (1948-1956). Early weaponry and the stories behind them.
Building 10- the Pistol Pavilion. Also displays the Six Day War and the War of Attrition (1967-1970). A varied collection of pistols, contributions to the Independence War warriors, alongside the handguns of famous persons. The Six Day War includes authentic documents and clippings from the waiting period prior to the war until the end of the War of Attrition.
Building 14- The Rifle and Machine Gun Pavilion. Also displays the Yom Kippur War (1973). A rare collection of light weaponry from the earliest rifles until the personal weapons of IDF soldiers in various periods. The Yom Kippur War has authentic documents and testimonies from the war and from the political processes that led to a peace treaty with Egypt.
Building 16- Captured Weapons and Equipment Pavilion. From the Peace for Galilee Operation in 1982 until current times.
Israeli Defense Forces History Museum Tel Aviv Promenade Yehezkel Kaufman St (Corner of Hamered St) Tel Aviv, Israel
Open Sunday-Thursday, 08:30-16:00 To reserve guided tours of the museum: Tel: + 03-5161346 +03-5172913 Fax: +03-5106942
Italian Submachine Gun Display- (Left side top to bottom): Beretta 38A with bayonet lug, Beretta 38A with no bayonet lug, Beretta 38/42, Beretta 38/44, 1915 Villar Perosa in 9mm Glisenti. (Right side top to bottom): Beretta 38A with custom pistol grip, Italian FNAB 1943, Italian TZ-45, Beretta 38/49 and Beretta Modello 12.fs.
1926 Hotchkiss strip fed machine gun in 6.5mm for Greek use.Collection of home made weapons from the Underground. (Left side, top to bottom): Rifle from the collection of General H. Laskov, Home made single shot rifle, Home made single shot rifle, Carmi 9x19mm SMG made by Josef Carmi in 1935, one of 25 imported for the underground “Gras” 12 gauge single shot made in 1946 in a Kibutz. (Right side top to bottom and inset): Home made breachloader, Home made breachloader, Training rifle, 12 gauge “Dubigun” six shot made in 1946 in Kibutz Ein Gev and 12 gauge “Dubigun” six shot made in 1946 in Kibutz Ein Gev.
1913 marked Parabellum Aircraft machine gun in 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser). An unusual weapon to find in this region.
Italian Breda M1924 machine gun in 6.5mm on original infantry light tripod.
Top to bottom: Belgian FN Model 30 (1919 Browning variant) belt fed machine gun in .30 caliber, French M1931A1 “fortress machine gun” with side mounted drum (a variant of the Chatellerault 1924 series), Russian PTRS41 anti-tank rifle in14.5x114mm.
(Top to bottom): Austrian Steyr MPi69 SMG, Austrian Steyr-Solothurn 1930 SMG and Australian Austen MKI SMG
Israeli 1949 .303 DROR machine gun with its radically curved single stack magazine. The U.S. Model 1941 Johnson is the model this is derived from, but that single stack magazine is in 30.06 and does not require the same curve that the rimmed .303 British round does. The later model DROR uses a bottom located double column magazine.
Spanish ZB26 copy called the 1937 F.A.O. in 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser).
Hungarian M53 (K1) submachine gun in 7.62x25TT caliber. There are several examples of this on display, all labeled as “Police.”
A nice example of an MP18i submachine gun, first model, in the German section, with a 100 round luger type drum of unknown manufacture. The insertion section would not work in a Luger due to the length so it is probable this drum was designed for the first model MP18i it is shown with.
(Top to bottom): Mini-Uzi side mounted two-bar sliding stock with foregrip, Mini-Uzi side mounted one-bar sliding stock with foregrip and Mini-Uzi side mounted two-bar sliding stock made in 1982.
(left side, top to bottom): – Uzi with grenade launcher barrel 1955, Uzi Military version 1989 with wood stock, Uzi long barrel and bayonet lug and grenade launching system. (Right side, top to bottom): Uzi with underfolding stock, Uzi with long barrel and side folding stock, Uzi in 45acp with long barrel and underfolding stock and Uzi with wood stock.
Sten MKII Hagana production 1944, Uzi prototype 1951, Uzi Mod 52/53 (one of five made), Uzi Mod 1954 Pilot test gun, Uzi 1955 IDF wooden stock and Uzi SMG standard folding stock.
(Top): Mini Uzi submachine gun (Bottom): Micro Uzi machine pistol.
Assorted home made firearms from the 1946-48 period. Some are Arab manufacture. Many have a “Sten” theme using Sten magazines or other parts scavenged together. A wall full of inventiveness under stressful times.
Italian submachine guns, (top to bottom): Beretta Modello 1918 SMG, Beretta Modello 1918 SMG with folding bayonet and Beretta 1918/30 rifle.
Danish Madsen 03/14 machine gun in undetermined caliber using single stack magazine.
(Top to bottom left side): 7.62 Galil SLR 1976 export model, 7.62 Galil Short barrel 1978 export model, 5.56 Galil export model 1982, 5.56 Galil short barrel export model. Right side, (top to bottom): 7.62x51mm “Uzi Gal” model 1960-63 prototype (1 of 3 using a 25 round magazine), 7.62x51mm “Gal” model 1968 prototype (1 of 6) and “Balashnikov” assault rifle. (This is a second model Russian milled receiver AK47 converted to 5.56x45mm with some Galil parts. 1 of 20 made for IDF.
.45 ACP “INA” submachine gun is a Brazilian Madsen M50 copy.
(Top to bottom): IMI “Barak” Bullpup 5.56x45mm 1971, IMI “Shiran” Bullpup chambered in 5.56x45mm 1991 and IMI Tavor TAR-21 5.56x45mm 2001.
1960 FAL variant with 9mm prototype conversion select fire, obviously Uzi parts on this rifle.
IMI Production RPG-7. This is the first time that this author has heard of the Israelis manufacturing an RPG-7. The workmanship was of a production line quality, and the unique bipod and adjustable front sight were quite interesting. More information in the future, we hope.
(Top to bottom): 45 ACP SMG marked “M. Canadin” 1950 unknown origin, 9mm SMG marked “M. Canadin” and “MP52” unknown origin, 9mm SMG marked “M. Thompson” and “A.R.A. USA” unknown origin and PPSH-41 Russian manufactured.
(Top to bottom): 9mm SMG marked “M. Thompson No 203” and “A.R.A. USA.” Unknown origin, 9mm SMG marked “M. Thompson No 206”, 9mm Italian F.N.A.B. Model 1943 and 5.56x45mm SG543 Swiss assault rifle SN 10049 captured in 1975.
RPG-7 trigger group marking- this is from a Fateh made RPG-7 serial number 625.
DShK 38/46 Quad mount with drums.
This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V14N7 (April 2011) and was posted online on November 1, 2011
