Another bit of challenging the accepted wisdom, etc.
There are plenty of claims that Egypt used FTs in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. That includes an online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit. So the next thought is: That's a bit odd. Where did they come from?
Egypt was under British control to one extent or another from 1882 until 1952, and the army was British influenced, fielding LT Mk VI, Matildas, Valentines, and Cromwells in 1948. Why would Egypt have French tanks?
Next thought was that several of Egypt's allies were former French mandates. It seemed likelier that they would have French tanks.
And so it proved. Syria had Renault 35s and 39s. That leaves Lebanon.
A bit of diligent googling revealed the following from various sources:
"I understand the Lebanese Army used FT-17s in 1948, against Israel."
"The Lebanese Army had a company of older French tanks, probably FT-17s in 1948-49."
"Herzog (1982) says 2,000 men in four infantry battalions with artillery and armoured cars. Zaloga (1981) mentions a company of older French tanks and assumes they are FT-17s."
"John R. Larson contacted me to say: The small group of tanks the Lebanese had for the 1948 war were possibly R-35's. In 1941 French Vichy forces in the area contained 90 Renault R35 tanks (from the dissolved 63 and 68 BCC, attached to 6 and 7 RCA). They were used during the fighting against commonwealth forces in Operation Exporter. There were only about 10 Ft's by in the French Levant by that time and they were on their last legs. They were part of regional protection units. The research I've done indicates that five Ft's were stationed in Damour, Lebanon, the Vichy Administrative Capital (30 miles south of Beirut). The other five were at Damascus, Syria."
"The (Lebanese) armored battalion had nine armored cars and nine Renault light tanks that had survived the desert battle of Bir Hakeim in 1942."
So not totally consistent, but it looks as if Egypt didn't field FTs in the 1948 war, and that if anyone did, it was Lebanon. Can anyone support/refute?
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Highly unlikely, there's no photographic evidence of FTs in the area, that late. More likely to be the R35/39. The quotes you've searched for have too many "probablies, assumed to bes & understoods" to be treated as gospel.
Such old soldiers would surely be photographed by somebody.
I agree there's nothing that would stand up in court at the moment. Operation Exporter and Bir Hakeim are very different things, for example. But I think it's safe to say that Egypt didn't have any FTs.
__________________
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
