Chief of Staff LTG David ‘Dado’ Elazar

The IDF's ninth Chief of the General Staff:

Lt. Gen. David "Dado" Elazar

Lt. Gen. David "Dado" Elazar was born in 1925 in Yugoslavia. In 1940, at the age of 15, he moved to Mandatory Palestine. In 1946 Elazar joined the Palmach, and with the outbreak of the War of Independence, served in the Harel Brigade as a Platoon Commander, participating in the intense fight to free the approaches to Jerusalem. In Operation Yevusi, he fought in the bloody battle at the San Simon Monastery in Jerusalem's Katamon neighborhood.  Elazar later participated in the attempt to penetrate the walls of the Old City, and commanded a company in the battles for the Jerusalem Corridor. During the war's second cease-fire he was appointed commander of Harel's HaPortzim Battalion, which he led in battle against the Egyptian army during Operation Horev.

After the War of Independence, Elazar was an instructor in the Battalion Commanders course, and in 1952 became the Operations Officer in the IDF's Central Command. From 1954-1955, he was the head of the Doctrine Department in the General Staff, and in June 1956 was appointed commander of the Infantry School (Bahad 3). In addition, he had a secondary appointment as commander of the 12^th reserve infantry brigade. Months later, Operation Kadesh began in the Sinai Peninsula, during which he commanded the infantry brigade that was responsible for maintaining order in the Gaza Strip.

In 1957 Elazar converted to the Armored Corps, and commanded the 7^th Armored Brigade. From 1959 until 1961, he served as the deputy commander of the IDF's Armored forces. From 1961-1964, with the rank of General, Elazar commanded the Armored Corps headquarters. During his tenure, the Armored Corps' combat doctrine and instruction methods were improved, and methods for penetrating fortified enemy compounds  were developed.

At the end of 1964 he was appointed Commander of the IDF's Northern Command. He first focused on combat against Syria and Lebanon over water sources, and stopped attempts to divert the Jordan River's headwaters. The climax of his command was the capture of northern Samaria and the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War. After the war, he focused on defending the new border with Syria, and on thwarting attempts by terrorists to infiltrate Israel.

From 1969-1971, Elazar commanded the General Staff Branch. His tenure primarily focused on combat along Israel's borders as part of the War of Attrition. Elazar took part in planning a series of operations deep inside enemy territory, especially on the Egyptian front, and was responsible for the IDF's force design.

On January 1, 1972, Elazar was appointed the IDF's ninth Chief of the General Staff.

The beginning of Elazar's tenure was marked by anti-terror operations both within Israel's borders and beyond them. There were a number of operations deep inside Lebanon, including the raid on terrorist headquarters in Beirut during Operation Spring of Youth.

But Dado's tenure will always be remembered for the 1973 Yom Kippur War, in which the IDF fought simultaneously on two fronts against Syria and Egypt. Despite being at a significant disadvantage at the outset of the war, the IDF managed to stop the enemy, breach their lines, and transfer the finding to enemy territory. In the wake of the Agranat Commission report, which investigated the developments that led to the outbreak of war, Elazar stepped down from his position. He left the IDF in 1974.

David Elazar passed away on Thursday, 15 Nissan 5736 - April 15 1976.