Binyamin Kahane
Encyclopedia
Binyamin Kahane 5 March 1911 – 30 October 1956, was an Israeli air force
officer and pilot
who, while on a reconnaissance
sortie
, sacrificed his life to save the ground troops he was supporting from attack. For his action he was awarded the Medal of Courage
by the Israeli Defense Forces posthumously. The aerial tactics he used had been taught at military air academies worldwide for many years.
in then-Palestine to a family with roots in the First Aliyah
(immigration) from Belarus
. Kahane was the youngest of three brothers and a sister. He attended a trade school in Tel Aviv
, an agricultural high school (Mikve Israel), the Polytechnic School, and the Montefiore Technical School in Tel Aviv. Since his early childhood Kahane absorbed his family patriotism, and developed love for traveling the country by bicycle
and later by motorcycle
.
Both of Kahane’s parents were involved with Zionist
movements: His mother, Miriam Kahane, was part of the Bilu movement
, a small pioneer group brought to Israel and led by her cousin, Israel Belkind
. Another cousin was Fannie Belkind, Avshalom Feinberg
's mother. Kahane’s Father, Ephraim, assisted the Nili underground
in its activities to support the British forces during World War I
. Because of his familiarity with the Sinai Peninsula
and the routes in Palestine (and also as a carriage driver and owner), he was selected by Avshalom Feinberg to accompany him on his first trip to the British lines in Egypt
through the northern Sinai in December 1915.
Due to his Nili activity Ephraim Kahane was often imprisoned and interrogated by the Turks. In November 1917, Ephraim, his wife, and four of his five children (including Kahane) were arrested and held at the Turkish police station in Ramle to await transfer to Damascus
where, like other Nili activists, he was to face a court-martial. The family was released in the nick of time as the police station was captured by Australian cavalry
making their advance into Palestine.
He joined the Betar movement
in 1927, and like many members of Betar, proceeded to join the Irgun
upon its establishment. He attended training, and participated in operations intended to help secure Jewish settlements. He applied his skills as a motorcyclist as part of reprisals conducted by the Irgun during the Great Arab Revolt
. After the establishment of the Notrim Corp
, Kahane joined it, and attended its command training course in 1937.
since his early twenties. His first aerial activity was sky gliding
, as a member of The Aero Club of Israel. Devoting himself in aviation, Kahane developed extraordinary skills and achieved notoriety, also turning to training others along the Mediterranean coast. On his website "Air Space" that specializes in aviation history, Avinoam Misnikov cites that In 1936 Kahane participated in the first gliding training course sponsored by The Palestine Aviation Club and held at Givat Brenner
.
Aviation entered the mainstream as the Haganah
and the Histadrut
embraced the Aviation Club. As a ‘Revisionist'
, Kahane saw his role diminish, leading him to realize that his chance of migrating from gliding to powered flight became slim.
of the Jewish community attended, but many establishment leaders did not due to their opposition to the Irgun. Graduates received their flight licenses from the British High Commissioner
of the British Mandate of Palestine, Sir
Harold MacMichael
. Kahane’s pilot license carried the serial number 6. Kahane was the only graduate who maintained his pilot license current, leading to his becoming a pilot in the Israeli Air Force later on.
Betar leadership, correctly assessing that the Nazi regime would pose an existential threat to the Jewish people, took steps to establish a core air group based on an existing small cadre of pilots. The leadership estimated that there were two thousand Jewish pilots around the world who could form the basis of a network of clubs and pilots who could be recruited for action when needed. To that effect, the Pilots Club Tel Aviv was established, and an RWD-15
single engine plane was purchased in Poland
using contributions by the Jewish community. On August 20, 1939 three pilots (Abraham Schechterman, Binyamin Kahane, and Yitzhak Barash) were sent to Poland to bring the plane to Israel. They never made it to Poland. World War II
, which broke out only eleven days later, prevented their arrival in Poland, and the plane was never delivered.
Lack of funding, as well as strong opposition to the very existence of the Club eventually led to its closing. In an attempt to contribute to the war effort against the Nazis, Kahane applied as a volunteer pilot to the Royal Air Force
(RAF), but was turned down. The British were not interested in Jewish volunteers as pilots. Continued efforts by the Irgun to secure a plane finally succeeded. In 1941 a two-seater Czech
Zlin XII airplane was purchased in Egypt with funds from a prominent local Jew. Kahane was sent to Egypt to fly the plane from Cairo
to Lod.
Chronic lack of resources made it impossible to keep the plane operational, so it was placed in make-shift storage in a Tel-Aviv basement. The opportunity for the Zlin arrived when Abraham Schechterman was recruited to manage the potassium
factories in Sodom in 1943. His condition for accepting the position was that an air link to the factory was to be established: an airstrip was to be built, the plane was to be taken out of storage, and based at the factory with a pilot. Management finally relented, and Kahane was appointed the company pilot.
Schechterman writes in his memoirs:
A. His requests for assignment to fighter planes were turned down (perhaps due to his age, 37), but in 1949 he was allowed to train flying dual engine airplanes. Since the second half of 1948 Kahane was attached to squadron 35 based at Ekron
where he flew the UC-64A Norseman
, with sorties also to the besieged Sodom, thus completing a personal circle. In January 1949 Kahane was assigned to a light aircraft
squadron flying Pipers; in June 1950 he completed instructor training, and was appointed a Piper flight instructor.
Kahane’s excitement of becoming an Air Force pilot was offset by many frustrations. He was at odds with the rest of the squadron both because of his background with the Irgun, and his age. Kahane was excluded from some activities, for example, Operation Shnunit in June 1954 (rescue of the crew and commandos off a stranded Israeli Navy near the Saudi coast). Perhaps as a result, he was never promoted beyond the rank of Seren
(Captain). This was reflected in letters he wrote to his soul mate friend Zvi ("Gammy") Rin, also a former Irgun member, who in 1950 left Israel to study in the United States
in frustration.
In March 1956 the Kahane family moved to Eilat, and Kahane became the liaison pilot of the regional headquarters. During the second day of the Suez Campaign, on October 30, 1956, several attacks on the IDF's ground forces by pairs of Egyptian MiG-15
were reported. The first two targeted forces at Temed
and the Mitla Pass
, and at 10:00 a third pair attempted attacking an Israeli column advancing toward Kuntila.
What happened next is described in the citation of the Medal of Courage Kahane received posthumously for his heroism:
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
officer and pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
who, while on a reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
, sacrificed his life to save the ground troops he was supporting from attack. For his action he was awarded the Medal of Courage
Medal of Courage
The Medal of Courage is an Israeli military decoration. The medal is awarded for carrying out acts of gallantry at the risk of life, during combat duty. The medal was established in 1970 by act of law in the Knesset....
by the Israeli Defense Forces posthumously. The aerial tactics he used had been taught at military air academies worldwide for many years.
Famliy
Kahane was born in JaffaJaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
in then-Palestine to a family with roots in the First Aliyah
First Aliyah
The First Aliyah was the first modern widespread wave of Zionist aliyah. Jews who migrated to Palestine in this wave came mostly from Eastern Europe and from Yemen. This wave of aliyah began in 1881–82 and lasted until 1903. An estimated 25,000–35,000 Jews immigrated to Ottoman Syria during the...
(immigration) from Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. Kahane was the youngest of three brothers and a sister. He attended a trade school in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, an agricultural high school (Mikve Israel), the Polytechnic School, and the Montefiore Technical School in Tel Aviv. Since his early childhood Kahane absorbed his family patriotism, and developed love for traveling the country by bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
and later by motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
.
Both of Kahane’s parents were involved with Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
movements: His mother, Miriam Kahane, was part of the Bilu movement
Bilu
Bilu was a movement whose goal was the agricultural settlement of the Land of Israel. "Bilu" is an acronym based on a verse from the Book of Isaiah "בית יעקב לכו ונלכה" Beit Ya'akov Lekhu Venelkha...
, a small pioneer group brought to Israel and led by her cousin, Israel Belkind
Israel Belkind
Israel Belkind was a Jewish educator, author, writer, historian and founder of the Bilu movement. A pioneer of the First Aliyah, Belkind founded the Biluim, a group of Jewish idealists aspiring to settle in the Land of Israel with the political purpose to redeem Eretz Yisrael and re-establish the...
. Another cousin was Fannie Belkind, Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg was one of the leaders of Nili, a Jewish spy network in Ottoman Palestine helping the British fight the Ottoman Empire during World War I....
's mother. Kahane’s Father, Ephraim, assisted the Nili underground
Nili
Nili of Israel will not lie") was a Jewish espionage network which assisted the United Kingdom in its fight against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War I.-Establishment:...
in its activities to support the British forces during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Because of his familiarity with the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
and the routes in Palestine (and also as a carriage driver and owner), he was selected by Avshalom Feinberg to accompany him on his first trip to the British lines in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
through the northern Sinai in December 1915.
Due to his Nili activity Ephraim Kahane was often imprisoned and interrogated by the Turks. In November 1917, Ephraim, his wife, and four of his five children (including Kahane) were arrested and held at the Turkish police station in Ramle to await transfer to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
where, like other Nili activists, he was to face a court-martial. The family was released in the nick of time as the police station was captured by Australian cavalry
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
making their advance into Palestine.
Activity in Betar and Irgun
Kahane engaged in boxing, fencing and Jujitsu, but his main activity was in the motorcycle riding. He took part in many riding competitions, and did very well. According to press reports from 1934, he was labeled "one of the best motorcycle riders in the country" after winning first place in the first motorcycle race held in the dunes of Rishon Letzion. In 1934 Kahane co-organized and co-led a motorcycle tour to Jewish communities in Europe to encourage immigration to Palestine.He joined the Betar movement
Betar
The Betar Movement is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir Jabotinsky. It has been traditionally linked to the original Herut and then Likud political parties of Israel, and was closely affiliated with the pre-Israel Revisionist Zionist splinter group...
in 1927, and like many members of Betar, proceeded to join the Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
upon its establishment. He attended training, and participated in operations intended to help secure Jewish settlements. He applied his skills as a motorcyclist as part of reprisals conducted by the Irgun during the Great Arab Revolt
Great Arab Revolt
The Great Arab Revolt may refer to:*The 1916-1918 Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule, led by Sharif Hussein bin Ali*The Iraqi revolt against the British in 1920.*The Great Syrian Revolt of 1924-1927.*The 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine....
. After the establishment of the Notrim Corp
Notrim
The Notrim were a Jewish Police Force set up by the British in the Mandatory Palestine in 1936 to help defend Jewish lives and property during the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. The force was divided into Supernumerary Police and highly mobile Settlement Police...
, Kahane joined it, and attended its command training course in 1937.
Sky gliding
Kahane was an avid aviatorAviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
since his early twenties. His first aerial activity was sky gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
, as a member of The Aero Club of Israel. Devoting himself in aviation, Kahane developed extraordinary skills and achieved notoriety, also turning to training others along the Mediterranean coast. On his website "Air Space" that specializes in aviation history, Avinoam Misnikov cites that In 1936 Kahane participated in the first gliding training course sponsored by The Palestine Aviation Club and held at Givat Brenner
Givat Brenner
Givat Brenner , also written Giv'at Brener, is a kibbutz in the Center District of Israel. Located around two kilometres south of Rehovot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Brenner Regional Council...
.
Aviation entered the mainstream as the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
and the Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
embraced the Aviation Club. As a ‘Revisionist'
Revisionist Zionism
Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement. It is the founding ideology of the non-religious right in Israel, and was the chief ideological competitor to the dominant socialist Labor Zionism...
, Kahane saw his role diminish, leading him to realize that his chance of migrating from gliding to powered flight became slim.
Pilot - until independence
Kahane’s opportunity came as the Irgun opened a flying course disguised as a civilian flight school at Lod airport. The course was headed by Moshe Haim Katz, and its graduation ceremony took place on April 21, 1939. This course was the first ever flying school to be completed in Palestine. Another course that was conducted by the Haganah started ahead of the Irgun’s course, but was completed three months later, and its graduates were awarded their licenses only on July 20, 1939. Attendance by dignitaries at the Irgun’s ceremony was mixed; the two chief RabbisChief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of the Jewish community attended, but many establishment leaders did not due to their opposition to the Irgun. Graduates received their flight licenses from the British High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
of the British Mandate of Palestine, Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Harold MacMichael
Harold MacMichael
Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael, GCMG, DSO , was a British colonial administrator.-Early service:MacMichael graduated with a first from Magdalene College, Cambridge. After passing his civil service exam, he entered the service of the British Empire in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan...
. Kahane’s pilot license carried the serial number 6. Kahane was the only graduate who maintained his pilot license current, leading to his becoming a pilot in the Israeli Air Force later on.
Betar leadership, correctly assessing that the Nazi regime would pose an existential threat to the Jewish people, took steps to establish a core air group based on an existing small cadre of pilots. The leadership estimated that there were two thousand Jewish pilots around the world who could form the basis of a network of clubs and pilots who could be recruited for action when needed. To that effect, the Pilots Club Tel Aviv was established, and an RWD-15
RWD-15
-See also:-References:*Andrzej Glass: "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939" , WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977, p. 320-322 -External links:* at site...
single engine plane was purchased in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
using contributions by the Jewish community. On August 20, 1939 three pilots (Abraham Schechterman, Binyamin Kahane, and Yitzhak Barash) were sent to Poland to bring the plane to Israel. They never made it to Poland. World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which broke out only eleven days later, prevented their arrival in Poland, and the plane was never delivered.
Lack of funding, as well as strong opposition to the very existence of the Club eventually led to its closing. In an attempt to contribute to the war effort against the Nazis, Kahane applied as a volunteer pilot to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF), but was turned down. The British were not interested in Jewish volunteers as pilots. Continued efforts by the Irgun to secure a plane finally succeeded. In 1941 a two-seater Czech
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
Zlin XII airplane was purchased in Egypt with funds from a prominent local Jew. Kahane was sent to Egypt to fly the plane from Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
to Lod.
Chronic lack of resources made it impossible to keep the plane operational, so it was placed in make-shift storage in a Tel-Aviv basement. The opportunity for the Zlin arrived when Abraham Schechterman was recruited to manage the potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
factories in Sodom in 1943. His condition for accepting the position was that an air link to the factory was to be established: an airstrip was to be built, the plane was to be taken out of storage, and based at the factory with a pilot. Management finally relented, and Kahane was appointed the company pilot.
Schechterman writes in his memoirs:
Pilot - Israeli Air Force
As a former member of the Irgun it was not easy for Kahane to be accepted to the newly formed Israeli Air Force as a pilot. However after repeated efforts, he was allowed on April 5, 1948, and attached to squadronSquadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
A. His requests for assignment to fighter planes were turned down (perhaps due to his age, 37), but in 1949 he was allowed to train flying dual engine airplanes. Since the second half of 1948 Kahane was attached to squadron 35 based at Ekron
Ekron
The city of Ekron , was one of the five cities of the famed Philistine pentapolis, located in southwestern Canaan. Ekron lies 35 kilometers west of Jerusalem, and 18 kilometers north of ancient Gath, on the eastern edge of Israel's coastal plain.-History:...
where he flew the UC-64A Norseman
Noorduyn Norseman
The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.-Design and...
, with sorties also to the besieged Sodom, thus completing a personal circle. In January 1949 Kahane was assigned to a light aircraft
Light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross take-off weight of or less.Many aircraft used commercially for freight, sightseeing, photography and scheduled flights are light aircraft.Examples of light aircraft include:...
squadron flying Pipers; in June 1950 he completed instructor training, and was appointed a Piper flight instructor.
Kahane’s excitement of becoming an Air Force pilot was offset by many frustrations. He was at odds with the rest of the squadron both because of his background with the Irgun, and his age. Kahane was excluded from some activities, for example, Operation Shnunit in June 1954 (rescue of the crew and commandos off a stranded Israeli Navy near the Saudi coast). Perhaps as a result, he was never promoted beyond the rank of Seren
Seren
Seren may refer to:* Seren , an Israeli firm* Seren , a Welsh personal name* Seren Press, a Welsh publishing house* Seren, a lord of the Biblical Philistines* Seren, an Israel Defense Forces rank, equivalent to captain...
(Captain). This was reflected in letters he wrote to his soul mate friend Zvi ("Gammy") Rin, also a former Irgun member, who in 1950 left Israel to study in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in frustration.
In March 1956 the Kahane family moved to Eilat, and Kahane became the liaison pilot of the regional headquarters. During the second day of the Suez Campaign, on October 30, 1956, several attacks on the IDF's ground forces by pairs of Egyptian MiG-15
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all straight-winged enemy fighters in...
were reported. The first two targeted forces at Temed
and the Mitla Pass
Mitla Pass
The Mitla Pass is a 32 km-long snaky pass in the Sinai of Egypt, wedged between mountain ranges to the north and south, located about 50 km east of Suez...
, and at 10:00 a third pair attempted attacking an Israeli column advancing toward Kuntila.
What happened next is described in the citation of the Medal of Courage Kahane received posthumously for his heroism: