The world ' s horse population is estimated at 72,600,000 , of which at least half are in Russia . Although other nations have discontinued it , Russian has continued to be noted for her cavalry . Even before World War II , Russian agents scoured the earth for battle horses and bought them . During the Second World War , Russian Cossacks met and defeated German mechanized forces . Horses are still the fastest and surest means of transporting men , light and heavy artillery , and field equipments over mountainous terrain . ( Paul Lee Tan , 7700 Illustrations , p . 565 .)
Israel Uncovers Stockpile of Russian Weapons ( p . 108 )
In June 1982 , Israel responded to a P . L . O . artillery bombardment of the villages of northern Galilee from a terrorist base in southern Lebanon . When the Israeli army entered Lebanon to destroy the P . L . O . bases , they expected to uncover substantial arms depots . However , they were astonished at the staggering number of weapons which Russia had stockpiled in tunnels carved out of the rock by an amazing tunneling machine developed in the U . S . S . R .
Reports from Lebanon stated that there were tanks , anti-tank missiles , and thousands of shells . Huge underground . supply dumps contained hundreds of thousands of uniforms , AK-47 assault rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition . These figures are so incredible that I would not have been able to report them without verification . An Israeli , Colonel ( Reserve ) Yehuda Levi , who was the Israeli Defense Forces media spokesman during the events in Lebanon was in a position to know firsthand about these captured Russian supplies . In a conversation I had with him in Vancouver , B . C ., after those events , I asked him if the reports were correct . While , of course , he would not give additional details , he agreed that the reports were substantially correct .
The implications of the Soviet weapons in Lebanon are significant regarding the possible timing of this attack . The stored Russian military food rations ( K rations ) had a shelf life of only six months , which indicates that the massive attack on Israel was planned for the fall of 1982 . ( Grant R . Jeffrey , Armageddon : Appointment with Destiny , p . 105 ).
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