NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Armored bulldozer

Armored bulldozers are a standard tool of combat engineering battalions, and the Israeli Defence Forces has gained notoriety for their use of armored bulldozers for urban warfare in the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Although the Israeli Engineering Corps has used bulldozers since the Israeli War of Independence (and specifically, the Caterpillar D9 bulldozers since the early 1960s) the D9 first rose to public attention in April 2002 during Operation Defensive Shield. The IDF's D9 bulldozers drew media attention when used to demolish structures and shrubbery, and through involvement in such incidents as the death of Rachel Corrie. Image File history File links D9-idf_pic214. ... Image File history File links D9-idf_pic214. ... The Caterpillar D9 is a large track-type tractor (commonly referred to as a bulldozer) with caterpillar tracks designed and manufactured by Caterpillar Tractor Company. ... Alternative meanings: vehicle armour, Armor (novel) A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... A bulldozer is a powerful crawler (caterpillar tracked tractor) equipped with a blade. ... Combat engineers place satchel charges and detonating cord, preparatory to blowing up a railway bridge during the Korean War, 30 Jul 1950. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... US Marines fight in the city of Fallujah during Operation Al Fajr (New Dawn) in November 2004. ... The wreckage of a commuter bus in West Jerusalem after a suicide bombing on Tuesday, 18 June 2002. ... The Israeli Engineering Corps are the combat engineering forces of ×¦×”×œ - the Israeli Defence Forces. ... The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, called the War of Independence by Israelis and al Nakba the catastrophe by Arabs, was the first in a series of wars in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... The Caterpillar D9 is a large track-type tractor (commonly referred to as a bulldozer) with caterpillar tracks designed and manufactured by Caterpillar Tractor Company. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Operation Defensive Shield (In Hebrew, ×ž×‘×¦×¢ ×—×•×ž×ª ×ž×’×Ÿ) was a large-scale military operation conducted by the Israeli Defence Forces in April 2002. ... Rachel Corrie Rachel Corrie (April 10, 1979â€“March 16, 2003) was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who traveled as an activist to the Gaza Strip during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. ...

Caterpillar does not manufacture a military version of the D9 per se, but the attributes that make the D9 popular for major construction projects make it desirable for military applications as well, and in this role - with Israeli modifications and armor - it has been particularly effective for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and later for the United States armed forces (the Marine Corps and the US Army) in Iraq. The striking caterpillar of the Emperor Gum Moth This article is about insect larva. ... The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

IDF D9R bulldozer (Taken from the Hebrew wikipedia) File links The following pages link to this file: Al-Aqsa Intifada Caterpillar D9 Israeli Engineering Corps ... IDF D9R bulldozer (Taken from the Hebrew wikipedia) File links The following pages link to this file: Al-Aqsa Intifada Caterpillar D9 Israeli Engineering Corps ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... Caterpillar Inc. ... A bulldozer is a powerful crawler (caterpillar tracked tractor) equipped with a blade. ...

Israeli usage

The Israeli Armored D9 — nicknamed Doobi (Hebrew: דובי; lit. teddy bear) — is a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer that was modified by the IDF and Israeli Military Industries to increase the survivability of the dozer in hostile environments and enable it to withstand heavy attacks. The main IDF modification is the installation of an Israeli-made armor kit which provides armor protection to the mechanical systems and to the operator cabin. The operator is protected inside an armored cabin, with bulletproof windows to protect against bombs, machinegun and sniper fire. The IDF also developed an armor add-on to deflect RPG rounds. The fitted armor package adds roughly 15 additional tons to the production-line weight of the D9. As for many customized packages, individually modified D9 bulldozers may be found with disparate features, such as crew-operated machine guns, smoke projectors, or grenade launchers. The heavy armor carried by modified D9s allows them to work under heavy fire in dangerous battle-zones and resist mine blasts. The Israeli armor kit has proven to be effective, as no D9 operator was killed during the 4-year long al-Aqsa Intifada. In contrast though, a Israeli D9 operator was killed when a Hezbollah anti-tank missile scored a direct hit during a land mine clearing operation on the northern border with Lebanon in January 2004.[1] Hebrew (×¢Ö´×‘Ö°×¨Ö´×™×ª â€˜Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ... The original Teddy bear (circa 1903). ... Israeli Military Industries Ltd. ... A bulldozer is a powerful crawler (caterpillar tracked tractor) equipped with a blade. ... Alternative meanings: vehicle armour, Armor (novel) A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... A cabin or cab is an enclosed space, in a ship, see cabin (ship), in an aircraft or spacecraft as a log cabin as in a hansom cab see also Uncle Toms Cabin This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... Bulletproof glass is glass that is capable of stopping all manner of bullets fired at it. ... An RPG or a rocket-propelled grenade is a hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon capable of firing an unguided rocket containing an explosive warhead. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... A grenade launcher is weapon that fires or launches a grenade to longer distances than a soldier could throw by hand. ... The wreckage of a commuter bus in West Jerusalem after a suicide bombing on Tuesday, 18 June 2002. ... The Hezbollah flag Hezbollah (Arabic â€®ØØ²Ø¨ Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‡â€¬, meaning Party of God) is a Shia Islamist group in Lebanon founded in 1982 to fight the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon. ... An Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) or weapon (ATGW) is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles. ... Various anti-tank and anti-personnel land mines A land mine is a type of self-contained explosive device which is placed onto or into the ground, exploding when triggered by a vehicle or person. ...

The Israeli Engineering Corps uses the D9 for a wide variety of engineering tasks, such as digging moats, clearing landmines, mounting sand barriers, building fortifications, clearing terrain obstacles and opening routes to armored fighting vehicles and infantry. On Yom Kippur War the D9s took part in the breaching of the Suez Canal, enabling Israeli forces to go through the canal and surround the Egyptian 3rd Army. In the northern front an Israeli D9 opened a route in the snow to elite infantry forces. It was the first ever motorized vehicle to reach the highest peak of Mount Hermon. One of the D9's primary roles is to clear landmine fields and booby-trapped areas. It can do it either by the regular heavy blade or by specially-designed mineplows attached in the front. The moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England Moats (also known as a Fosse) were deep and wide water-filled trenches, excavated to provide a barrier against attack upon castle ramparts or other fortifications. ... Various anti-tank and anti-personnel land mines A land mine is a type of self-contained explosive device which is placed onto or into the ground, exploding when triggered by a vehicle or person. ... Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ... Combatants Israel Egypt, Syria, (Jordan, Iraq) Commanders Moshe Dayan, David Elazar, Ariel Sharon, Shmuel Gonen, Benjamin Peled Saad El Shazly, Ahmad Ismail Ali, Hosni Mubarak, Mohammed Aly Fahmy, Anwar Sadat, Abdel Ghani el-Gammasy, Abdul Munim Wassel, Abd-Al-Minaam Khaleel, Abu Zikry Mustafa Tlas[2], [3] Strength 415,000... 1881 drawing of the Suez Canal. ... Mount Hermon (top of photo) supplies the bulk of the Jordan River water Mount Hermon (Arabic: Jabalu sh-Shaykh) is a mountain in the Anti-Lebanon range, on the border between Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. ... This article is about an antipersonnel trap designed for use against humans. ... U.S. Army M-1A1 Abrams tank with mine plow from 1995 or earlier A mine plow (plough in British English) is a tank-mounted device designed to clear a lane through a minefield, allowing other vehicles to follow. ...

In urban warfare and counter-terror operations, the D9s has also been used in standoff situations with armed opponents barricaded in buildings, usually rigged with explosives and booby-traps, when no hostages are present. In order not to risk Israeli soldiers, the D9 shakes the house until the barricaded gunmen surrender. After the building is evacuated, the D9 razes the structure in order to detonate and bury any explosives that remain inside. Hamas chief bomb-maker and the plotter of the Passover massacre, Case Aduwan, was killed in April 7, 2002, after he was tracked by the SHABAK and the YAMAM and a D9 destroyed the house in which he was hiding after heavy exchanges of fire. In Hebron, the IDF used the armored D9 to stop the local Hamas leader, Bassal Qawasameh, who shot at the D9 with machinegun, but was killed when the D9 demolished the house where he was hiding. One year after, Imad Qawasameh surrendered to IDF forces, after a D9 started demolishing his house. Armored D9 bulldozers have demolished many structures in Rafah,Gaza strip during battles with militants and operations to uncover smuggling tunnels. US Marines fight in the city of Fallujah during Operation Al Fajr (New Dawn) in November 2004. ... Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ... The Hamas emblem shows the Dome of the Rock, two crossed swords, Palestinian flags, and a map of the land they claim as Palestine (present-day Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). ... The Netanya suicide attack (also known as the Netanya bombing and the Passover massacre) was a Palestinian suicide bombing in Park Hotel at Netanya on March 27, 2002. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Shabak emblem Defender who shall not be seen The Shabak (in Hebrew, ×©×‘×› ) an acronym of ShÃ©rÅ«t BÄ«tÄhÅn KlÄlÄ« ×©×™×¨×•×ª ×‘×™×˜×—×•×Ÿ ×›×œ×œ×™) known in English as the Shin Bet (which was how the Shabak was known in Israel in its early days) or the GSS (General Security Service... YAMAM symbol The YAMAM ( ×™×ž×ž ), is the acronym for Special Police Unit (×™×—×™×“×ª ×ž×©×˜×¨×” ×ž×™×•×—×“×ª) in Hebrew, Israels elite civilian counter-terrorism unit. ... Hebron (Arabic al-á¸ªalÄ«l; Hebrew , Standard Hebrew á¸¤evron, Tiberian Hebrew á¸¤eá¸‡rÃ´n: derived from the word friend) is a town in the Southern Judea region of the West Bank, in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. ... The Hamas emblem shows the Dome of the Rock, two crossed swords, Palestinian flags, and a map of the land they claim as Palestine (present-day Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). ... Many Hamas and activists in Hebron came from the local Qawasameh tribe. ... Many Hamas and activists in Hebron came from the local Qawasameh tribe. ... Rafah (Arabic: Ø±ÙØ Hebrew: ×¨×¤×™×—) is a town in the Gaza Strip, on the Egyptian border, and a nearby town on the Egyptian side of the border, on the Sinai Peninsula. ... Smuggling tunnels are secret tunnels, usually hidden underground, used for smuggling of goods, illegal weapons and people. ...

Controversy

The destruction of structures, especially homes, in the Rafah refugee camp is a highly controversial issue. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) an estimated two thirds of the 2,500+ homes that Israel destroyed in the occupied Gaza strip between 2000 and 2004 were in Rafah. The Israel Defense Forces claim that the destruction of buildings and tunnels is a security necessity and that most houses destroyed were used for terrorist activity. However, Palestinians and human rights groups claim that the destruction has left thousands of people homeless, and is done systematically in order to create a cleared "buffer zone" between Rafah and Philadelphi Route. Protests against this destruction have caused further controversy, through such as incidents as the death of civilians such as Rachel Corrie. According to the Jewish Voice for Peacegroup whose goal is to prevent selling of Caterpillar equipment to Israel) "since 1967 Israel has used Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish nearly 9,000 Palestinian homes, leaving more than 50,000 people homeless. Since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, Israel has razed the homes of 12,737 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the past two years the Israeli army deployed Caterpillar bulldozers to uproot 200,000 Palestinian olive trees." The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a relief and human development agency, providing education, healthcare, social services and emergency aid to over four million Palestinian refugees living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab... The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ... A terrorist is one who promotes widespread feelings of overwhelming imminent danger in order to change the mindset of the general populous, usually for political purposes. ... The Philadelphi Route (corridor / buffer zone) was an IDF code name for the strip of land along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. ... Rachel Corrie Rachel Corrie (April 10, 1979â€“March 16, 2003) was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who traveled as an activist to the Gaza Strip during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. ... Jewish Voice for Peace is an American Jewish campaigning organisation that seeks to influence American public opinion and policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... A homeless man pushes a cart down the street. ... Intifada (also Intefadah or Intifadah; from Arabic: انتفاضة shaking off) is an Islamic term for uprising. ...

Human Rights Watch has published a report criticizing the mass demolition in Rafah, in which it argues against many of the IDF's justifications for the destructive activities carried out by D9s. HRW supports Palestinian claims that the existence of tunnels in Rafah is simply being used as a pretext to demolish homes in order to create a "buffer zone". These claims are in part based on a statement made by IDF former head of Southern Command Major-General Yom-Tov Samiya in an interview to Kol Yisrael Radio on September 26, 2001 in which he said: "These houses should have been demolished and evacuated a long time ago … Three hundred meters of the Strip along the two sides of the border must be evacuated … Three hundred meters, no matter how many houses, period". HRW believes that instead of using available and effective technologies for neutralizing tunnels where they cross the border, the IDF is instead undertaking unnecessary and highly destructive incursions into the camp. HRW's report also contends that the extensive destruction of roads, water, and sewage networks by D9 bulldozers is not plausible as an anti-mine technique, as most of the destruction is wrought using the rear blade of the bulldozer, which would do nothing to protect bulldozers from improvised explosive devices. Instead, HRW claims that the IDF destruction of roads, utilities and civilian structures is vindictive, punitive and illegal. HRW has called on Caterpillar Inc. to suspend sales of D9s and related parts and services to the IDF so long as illegal demolitions continue. Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Rafah (Arabic: Ø±ÙØ Hebrew: ×¨×¤×™×—) is a town in the Gaza Strip, on the Egyptian border, and a nearby town on the Egyptian side of the border, on the Sinai Peninsula. ... Operation Rainbow (In Hebrew, ×ž×‘×¦×¢ ×§×©×ª ×‘×¢× ×Ÿ) is a controversial military operation which began on May 18, 2004 in the Gaza Strip. ... Human Rights Watch is a U.S.-based international human rights non-governmental organization located in New York City, USA, that conducts advocacy and research on human rights issues. ... IED is also an abbreviation for Intelligent Electronic Device IED is also an abbreviation for Intermittent explosive disorder A large cache of munitions found in Afghanistan in 2004. ...

The Israeli position regarding operation Rainbow described Rafah as the "Gateway to terrorism". The IDF stressed that "... the IDF traditionally does its utmost to avoid harming the civilian population. It employs infantry forces whenever possible – as opposed to air or artillery strikes – to minimize the possibility of doing unintentional harm. At times, this humanitarian concern comes at the price of risking the lives of soldiers – two of whom were killed last week by Palestinian snipers while helping an elderly woman get food" and claimed that most demolitions are carried out against houses which are used by terrorists to shoot at IDF forces, and were approved by the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice: "Even though these demolitions were the direct result of terrorist activity – and were thus the responsibility of the terrorists themselves – 46 Palestinian families involved exercised their right to appeal the demolitions to Israel’s High Court of Justice this week. In ruling to allow the demolitions, the court noted that they were permissible due to the overriding need to protect the lives of Israelis."

Both military armored D9s and civilian non-armored D9s are being used by Israel's Ministry of Defense in the building of the Israeli West Bank barrier. The main D9 contributions to the project are earthmoving and soil-leveling, clearing a path for the security fence, and digging trenches in front of the security fence. The Ministry of Defense (or Ministry of Defence) of the goverment of Israel, is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Israel from internal and external military threats. ... The barrier route as of May 2005. ...

United States usage

The United States Army has purchased several D9 armor kits from the IDF and used them to produce similarly fortified D9s. These have been used to clear destroyed vehicles from roads, dig moats, erect earthen-barriers, and construct field fortifications. D9s have also been used to raze houses which hosted snipers who shot at American forces (similar to the Israeli usage). There were some reports about the use of large bulldozers against Iraqi trenches during the first Gulf War. Military reports on the Conflict in Iraq say that the D9s were found very effective and "received highly favorable reviews from all that benefited from their use" (Field Report: Marine Corps Systems Command Liaison Team , Central Iraq , 20 April to 25 April 2003). USMC D9R bulldozer PhotoID: 20053711914 Submitted by: 1st Marine Division Operation/Exercise/Event: Operation Iraqi Freedom Caption: Marines from Company C, 2nd Combat Engineers Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 7, improved the international border between Iraq and Syria near the town of Husaybah by building a massive dirt barricade. ... USMC D9R bulldozer PhotoID: 20053711914 Submitted by: 1st Marine Division Operation/Exercise/Event: Operation Iraqi Freedom Caption: Marines from Company C, 2nd Combat Engineers Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 7, improved the international border between Iraq and Syria near the town of Husaybah by building a massive dirt barricade. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... A bulldozer is a powerful crawler (caterpillar tracked tractor) equipped with a blade. ... This article deals with the post-invasion period in Iraq and its occupation. ... United States Marine Corps seal The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military, which along with the U.S. Navy, is under the United States Department of the Navy. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Israeli usage

Controversy

United States usage

See also

External links

Contents

Israeli usage GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Controversy

United States usage

See also

External links

Israeli usage