Israel Tal

Israel Tal
Nickname(s)	Talik, Mr. Armour
Born	(1924-09-13)13 September 1924 Mahanayim,Mandatory Palestine
Died	8 September 2010(2010-09-08)(aged 85) Rehovot,Israel
Allegiance	Israel
Service/branch	Israel Defense Forces
Years of service	1943–74, 1979–89
Rank	Aluf(Major General)
Commands	Bahad 1-IDF Officers School (1954–56),7th Armored Brigade(1959–60), Commander of the Armored Forces (Gaysot Hashiryon), 84th Armored Division, Deputy Chief of the General Staff
Battles/wars	World War II,1947–1949 Palestine war,Sinai War,Six-Day War,Yom Kippur War
Awards	Israel Security Award (1961, 1973) Israel Prize(1997)

Israel Tal(Hebrew:ישראל טל,13 September 1924– 8 September 2010), also known asTalik(Hebrew: טליק), was anIsrael Defense Forces(IDF)generalknown for his knowledge oftank warfareand for leading the development of Israel'sMerkava tank.

Biography

Tal was born inMahanayim,Mandatory Palestine.On his mother's side he was descended from Hasidic Jews who migrated toSafedandTiberiasin 1777. He lived in Safed from the age of five and lived through the1929 Palestine riots.Later he lived in moshavBe'er Tuvia.

Tal began his military service at the age of 17, with the British Army'sJewish Brigade,serving as a machine gunner in North Africa and Italy during theSecond World War.After the Jewish Brigade was disbanded in 1946, he enlisted in theHaganah.He served as a juniorinfantryofficer during the1947–1949 Palestine war,as a brigade commander during the 1956Sinai War,an armored-division commander inSinai Peninsuladuring theSix-Day War,and commander of the southern front during the final stages of theYom Kippur War.

Israel Tal died inRehovoton 8 September 2010.

Military career

Tal (left) during the Yom Kippur War

Tal, who had been a hero of theSix-Day War,was an early opponent of theBar Lev Line.He and GeneralAriel Sharonargued that it would not succeed in fending off Egyptian forces.After the official end of theYom Kippur War,Tal, serving as commander of the southern front, received an order fromChief of StaffGeneralDavid ElazarandDefense MinisterMoshe Dayanto attack Egyptian forces. Tal refused to follow the order, insisting that it was an unethical order and requesting authorization for the requested attack from the Prime Minister and theSupreme Court.Such authorization never came. Tal won the argument, but his refusal to follow the order as a practical matter eliminated his chance of being nominated for the position of Chief of Staff to succeed General Elazar.

In 1970, the Israeli government decided it needed an independent tank-building capability due to the uncertainty of overseas sales for political reasons. Tal led a development team that took into consideration Israel's battlefield characteristics and lessons learned from previous wars, and began the development and building of Israel'sMerkava tank.

Armor doctrine

Tal with Merkava tank model, 2005

Tal was the creator of the Israeli armored doctrine that led to the Israeli successes in the Sinai surprise attack of theSix-Day War.In 1964, General Tal took over the Israeli armored corps and organized it into the leading element of theIsraeli Defense Forces,characterized by high mobility and relentless assault. He re-trained all Israeli gunners to hit targets beyond 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi).In open terrain, such long-distance gunnery proved vital to the survival of the Israeli armored corps in subsequent wars. Israel's Arab opponents, especiallyEgyptandSyria,normally fired their Soviet-made tank guns from a distance of between 200 and 500 metres (220 and 550 yd), and quite often tank units advanced to within 100 metres (110 yd) of their targets before firing their main guns. This gave the Israelis an opportunity to exploit this weakness in Arab military doctrine. Its mobility is considered comparable to the GermanBlitzkriegand many hold it to be an evolution of that tactic. Tal's transformation and success in 1967 led the IDF to expand the role of armor. However, this resulted in reduced attention to other less glamorous, but essential aspects of the army, such as theinfantry.Following the1973 surprise attack,this excessive focus on fast-striking offensive armor left the IDF temporarily without adequate defensive capability. Only in the latter stages of the war (with the aid of a US$1.1 billion airlift,Operation Nickel Grass) did the armor break out and show its potential; GeneralAvraham Adan's armor broke through the Egyptian lines, crossed theSuez Canaland enveloped the Egyptian 3rd Army nearSuez.While the IDF has become a more balanced force since 1973, Tal's development of armored doctrine has been very important to the IDF and has influenced armored doctrines in other parts of the world.

Awards and honours

Major-General Israel Tal memorial in Latrun

Israel Tal was awarded theEliyahu GolombIsrael Security Award in 1961 and 1973. In 1997, Tal was awarded theIsrael Prizefor his special contribution to the society and State of Israel.

In 1991, he received anhonorary doctorateatBen-Gurion University of the Negev.In 2002, he was chosen "Knight of Quality Government" by theMovement for Quality Government in Israelin the "Military and Security" category. Israel Tal's picture appears in thePatton Museum of Cavalry and Armor's "Wall of Greatest Armor Commanders" along with compatriotMoshe Peled,AmericansGeorge S. PattonandCreighton AbramsandGermanField MarshalErwin Rommel.

See also

• List of Israel Prize recipients

External links

• Israeli Gen. Tal Honored by U.S. Armor Center
• Great armor commanders in History
• The International Commander’s Wall
• Israel Tal, Exhibition in the IDF&defense establishment archives