Morrocan Army 1956 -1990
Moroccan Army organisation
The Moroccan army was very different to its fellow Arab nations coming with western style professionally trained and officered by men who had attended the French Military schools and colleges, many of the senior Officers and Ncos had fought in the French army in the Congo, French Indochina, Algeria, and Western Sahara campaigns and then after independence constant border wars with Algeria and the conquest of Spanish Morocco.
The Moroccan army follows the French “Javelot” divisional doctrine developed in the 50s. The infantry Brigade consisted of four or five regiments of Infantry with attached artillery and if motorised light armour, as required by the task. The infantry Regiment consisted of four to six companies with support elements with enough regimental HQ officers to form small or large subordinate combat sized/battalion teams as required. Each regiment consisted on paper of 812 officers and men and was commanded by a chef de battalion, the regimental support element had two sections of mortars, two sections of heavy machine guns and two sections of light recoilless rifles. Each combat team/battalion as assigned was commanded by a captain. Each platoon was commanded by a 1st lieutenant and sous lieutenant, it had two light 60mm mortars, two MMG teams, two manhandled anti tank weapon teams, and three rifle grenade teams, then typically broken into two fire and movement teams lead by Sergeants. Motorised and airborne regiments had an attached armoured car or light tank regiment, a motorised anti tank and motorised recoilless rifle platoon plus vehicles to carry the motorised infantry this bought the strength up to 1271 officers and men. Administration and Supply elements were only attached at the brigade level.
The French Javelot structure was developed originally for nuclear war in Europe but proved its value in the 56 suez crisis, shocking the English with it combat teams approach. It was further developed by the French fighting experience in Indochina, Congo and Algeria and served its purpose for the frontier type fighting of the Moroccan army, during the 60s and 70s.
Uniforms and equipment
The infantry deployed for the Arab Israeli war were equipped with French uniforms, rank structure and unit structure. The uniform was either medium green or lizard camouflage, the French M51 (American m1) helmet, and French 1950s TAP infantry webbing equipment.
Personal weapons were very mixed and included the MAS-36 (MAS-36 LG48 and MAS-36/51) and the rifle-grenade capable variants, the MAS-49/56 (airborne & infantry) , FN FAL rifles, AK-47 and the MAT-49 sub machine gun (Officers and Ncos). Squad automatic weapons included the French AA-52 NF1, MAC 24/29 and the FN Mag-58 were also in service. Heavy machine guns include the American browning 30 cal and the M50 50 caliber HMG. Mortars were Brandt 60mm and the Brandt 27/31 81mm mortar.
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| Troops arriving in Syria |
Moroccan Armour and vehicles
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| Moroccan operated T54s Yom Kippur War |
The armour available to the Moroccan army for Yom Kippur War.
AMX13 FL
One hundred and twenty French AMX 13 FL light tanks (4 AMX CD recovery) arrived in 1966 out of service by 1990.
T-54 Main Battle Tank
40 Russian T-54B D10 TG 100mm
80 Czechoslovakian T-54B built models with the latest 100mm D10T2S stabilised gun
ten T-54AR
Ten T54 AK command tanks.
M-48a3 main battle tank
Twenty six M48a3 MBTs formed the first tank regiment vehicles by March 1974
SU 100 SP Anti tank - SP artillery
Twenty six Czech built SU-100 SP guns
M56 scorpion SP anti tank
50 x American M56 scorpion 90mm Self propelled Anti tank guns, (I have not found any record of them being deployed in Syria)
SK105 kurassier
Purchased 109 units in 1979 nine served in the Arab Israeli wars
Armoured cars
Panhard EBR 75
Thirty six panhard EBR 75
Panhard AML 90
one hundred and ninety Panhard AML 90
AML 60-7
thirty AML60-7
M8 Armoured car
Forty M8 Armoured cars.
Armoured personnel carriers
OT- 64
ninety five Czech OT 64
M5 and M3 halftracks
forty American M5 and M3 halftracks (ex French stock)
Panhard M3 VTT
fifty Panard M3 VTT APCs.
Soft Skins
hotchkiss M201
(French made - American ww2 Jeep)
American mutt jeeps
Series II and series III Land Rover Santana (Spanish built)
J40 Toyota landcruisers
mini Mokes armed with recoiless M20 75mm!
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| Moroccan paratrooper mini moke with recoilless rifle and 30 cal. |
Trucks
Romanian Bucegi SR11 3t, Berliet GBD (6x6)
American general M813a1 (6x6)
French ACMAT TPK 425 (4x4)
TPK 640 (6x6) trucks
I have seen some Simca Marmon also in a parade but nothing in export documents.
Mack F900 heavy transport trucks for tank transport.
Anti armour
M20 super bazooka
RPG-7
M20 75mm recoilless rifle
M40a1 106mm recoilless rifle
D44 85mm AT gun
MGM 32A Entac missiles. (500)
Artillery
Towed systems included -
twenty American M2A1 (now a M101A1)
Thirty eight HM-2 105mm howitzers ( model 1924)
eighteen soviet M-46 122mm
twenty M114 155mm howitzers
Self propelled systems included :-
ninety eight Amx53 155mm sp howitzer
thirty self propelled AMX mk61 105mm howitzer
twenty self propelled M44 155mm howitzer
Thirty six BM-21 122mm rocket launchers
Anti aircraft equipment
Information for this part is taken from export lists, but also includes captured equipment. I have more research to do here, but I have types as follows.
Towed systems :-
ninety ZPU-2 14.5mm
nineteen ZPU-4 14.5mm
ninety Zu 23-2 W23mm
thirty 50 cal M45 Qaud
sixty AZP S60 57mm
missile systems SA-7 Grail
French Hawksystem (cannot locate source for this but have a image of one deployed for the Algerian war in 73)
I am not sure if the MIM-72 Chaparral launchers were available in time for the Yom Kippur war.
The equipment available to the Moroccan army in 1956 was post ww2 American equipment, French and soviet equipment. New equipment was on order and started to arrive in early October 1973.
The major wars and engagements fought by Morroco include Angolan war of Independence (61-74), the Tuareg War (62-64), Sand War (63-64), and October War (Yom Kippur), Green March (75), Western Saharan war (75-91), Shaba I (77)Shaba II (78) and the 1st Gulf War in 90-91.
Captured equipment
BTR 152
T-55
BMP 1
BTR 60
I will add more information as I find it
Cheers
Matt