Syrian Army Brigade List 1967 and 1973

v.1.0 September 2, 2001

A current brigade list including new raisings and new divisions is available in the subscriber-paid entry for the Syrian Army.

Note: While some divisions appear to have had three organic brigades and some four, attachments increased the strength of the 3rd Armored, and the 5th, 7th, and 9th Mechanized Divisions.

That General Herzog did not list brigades appearing on Mr. Bennett's tally is not surprising, because Israeli intelligence would not have known the location of every single brigade; and in any case General Herzog was not writing a comprehensive orbat of the Syrian Army. That General Herzog has listed one brigades not on Mr. Bennett's list is also not surprising: the General could be wrong, and also Mr. Bennett has not claimed his list is complete. In a list so extensive, one discrepency is of little consequence.

While Syria fielded only five divisions in 1973, it had at least 31 brigades. Mr. Bennett notes that the divisional structure was introuduced into the Syrian Army only in 1970 and the strategic decisions taken with Eygpt that led to the 1973 War. The transformation from a brigade to a division structure was probably incomplete at the outbreak of war.

The introduction of the division, by Soviet advisors, was largely for the confrontation with Israel, on the narrow front of the Golan. Elsewhere, Syria retained independent brigades, and does so to this day. In 2001 the divisions are between the Golan and Damascus or in the Lebanon; every where else the Syrian continue to use brigades.

Brigade

Identified in

 

Herzog

Bennett

   

1967

1973

       

Division

Brigade

     

X

GHQ Reserve [Damascus Garrison]

Assad Armored Brigade

     

X

9th Mechanized Division

1st Armored Brigade (attached)

8th Armored Brigade

 

X

X

GHQ Reserve [Damascus Garrison]

8th Armored Brigade

11th Infantry Brigade

 

X

X

Central Syria

11th Infantry Brigade

12th Armored Brigade

   

X

GHQ Reserve [Damascus Garrison]

12th Armored Brigade

14th Armored Brigade

 

X

X

Between Damascus & Lebanon border

14th Armored Brigade

     

X

Between Damascus & Lebanon border

15th Armored Brigade

17th Armored Brigade

 

X

X

5th Mechanized Division

17th Armored Brigade (attached)

19th Infantry Brigade

 

X

X

Between Damascus & Lebanon border

19th Infantry Brigade

     

X

Central Syria

32nd Infantry Brigade

33rd Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

9th Mechanized Division

33rd Mechanized Brigade

42nd Armored Brigade

   

X

Central Syria

42nd Mechanized Brigade

43rd Armored Brigade

   

X

9th Mechanized Division

43rd Armored Brigade (attached)

44th Armored Brigade

X

X

X

1st Armored Division [Central & South Reserve]

44th Armored Brigade

46th Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

1st Armored Division [Central & South Reserve]

46th Armored Brigade

47th Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

3rd Armored Division [Northern Reserve]

47th Armored Brigade

51st Armored Brigade

X

 

X

9th Mechanized Division

51st Armored Brigade (attached)

52nd Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

9th Mechanized Division

52nd Mechanized Brigade

     

X

7th Mechanized Division

58th Armored Brigade (attached)

61st Mechanized Brigade

X

       
     

X

5th Mechanized Division [Attached]

62nd Armored Brigade [1st Armored Division]

     

X

3rd Armored Division [Northern Reserve]

65th Armored Brigade

68th Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

7th Mechanized Division

68th Armored Brigade (attached)

78th Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

7th Mechanized Division

78th Mechanized Brigade

     

X

3rd Armored Division [Northern Reserve]

82nd Armored Brigade

85th Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

7th Mechanized Division

85th Mechanized Brigade

89th Infantry Brigade

 

X

X

Aleppo

89th Infantry Brigade

91st Armored Brigade

   

X

Between Damascus & Lebanon border

91st Armored Brigade

     

X

5th Mechanized Division

96th Armored Brigade (attached)

112th Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

5th Mechanized Division

112nd Mechanized Brigade

123rd Infantry Brigade

 

X

X

Jordanian border

123rd Infantry Brigade

132nd Mechanized Brigade

X

 

X

5th Mechanized Division

132nd Mechanized Brigade (attached)

Mr. Bennett adds: Some sources suggest Hertzog's 61st Brigade was a typo error for the 62nd, certainly the IDF maps I have seen do not list a 61st, and there are 31 brigades in 1973 without this unit.

 

 

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All content © 2003 Ravi Rikhye. Reproduction in any form prohibited without express permission.