Yossi Ben Hanan
Encyclopedia
Aluf
(res.) Yossi Ben Hanan was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1945. His father, Michael Ben Hanan served as one of the top commanders, (Haganah
) in Jerusalem.
During the Six Days War Ben Hanan was a young Israel
i officer, a lieutenant
, serving as the operations officer of the 7th Armored Brigade. He was featured on a famous cover of LIFE
magazine after the war which showed him, as a young soldier, triumphantly clutching an AK-47
rifle while standing in the waters of the Suez Canal.
In 1973, while on his honeymoon in Nepal
, then lieutenant colonel
Ben Hanan learned of the start of the Yom Kippur War
. Over the course of a few days, he returned to Israel and arrived on the Golan Heights on about October 8, 1973. Ben Hanan participated in the fierce fightings with the Syrians in the holding defence of the Golan Heights along with then lieutenant colonel Avigdor Kahalani
, and was wounded for the first time, but refused to be evacuated and continued fighting.
On October 9, 1973, Ben Hanan took command of a scratch force of Israeli tank
s that had been put together by Shmuel Askarov, one of the survivors of the decimated 188th Armored Brigade. Leading his command in a desperate battle against overwhelming numbers of Syrian T-62
s, Ben Hanan restored the tactical situation but at the cost of most of his command and his own Centurion tank
. Blown out of the turret when his tank was hit by a Sagger anti-tank missile, Ben Hanan lay wounded on the battlefield until he was rescued from behind enemy lines by Yonatan Netanyahu, a legendary member of the IDF's elite Sayeret Matkal
and brother of future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
.
Ben Hanan received the second highest decoration, the Medal of Courage
for his part in the fierce battles of the Yom Kippur War.
Yossi Ben Hanan subsequently served in the IDF. He commanded the 7th Armored Brigade, the IDF R&D department, the Israeli National Security College, and the Armored Corps. As a reservist, he attained the rank of Major General
(Aluf
). He is currently the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's developing countries defense assistance division, SIBAT.
Aluf
Aluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...
(res.) Yossi Ben Hanan was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1945. His father, Michael Ben Hanan served as one of the top commanders, (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 :...
) in Jerusalem.
During the Six Days War Ben Hanan was a young Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i officer, a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, serving as the operations officer of the 7th Armored Brigade. He was featured on a famous cover of LIFE
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
magazine after the war which showed him, as a young soldier, triumphantly clutching an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
rifle while standing in the waters of the Suez Canal.
In 1973, while on his honeymoon in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, then lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Ben Hanan learned of the start of the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
. Over the course of a few days, he returned to Israel and arrived on the Golan Heights on about October 8, 1973. Ben Hanan participated in the fierce fightings with the Syrians in the holding defence of the Golan Heights along with then lieutenant colonel Avigdor Kahalani
Avigdor Kahalani
Brigadier-General Avigdor Kahalani is a former Israeli soldier and politician.-Background:Kahalani was born in Ness Ziona during the Mandate era. He studied at Tel Aviv University, gaining a B.A. in History, before going on to Haifa University, where he studied for an M.A. in Political Science...
, and was wounded for the first time, but refused to be evacuated and continued fighting.
On October 9, 1973, Ben Hanan took command of a scratch force of Israeli tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s that had been put together by Shmuel Askarov, one of the survivors of the decimated 188th Armored Brigade. Leading his command in a desperate battle against overwhelming numbers of Syrian T-62
T-62
The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank, a further development of the T-55. Its 115 mm gun was the first smoothbore tank gun in use.The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975. It became a standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, partly replacing the T-55, although that tank continued to be...
s, Ben Hanan restored the tactical situation but at the cost of most of his command and his own Centurion tank
Centurion tank
The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...
. Blown out of the turret when his tank was hit by a Sagger anti-tank missile, Ben Hanan lay wounded on the battlefield until he was rescued from behind enemy lines by Yonatan Netanyahu, a legendary member of the IDF's elite Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
and brother of future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
.
Ben Hanan received the second highest decoration, 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....
for his part in the fierce battles of the Yom Kippur War.
Yossi Ben Hanan subsequently served in the IDF. He commanded the 7th Armored Brigade, the IDF R&D department, the Israeli National Security College, and the Armored Corps. As a reservist, he attained the rank of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
(Aluf
Aluf
Aluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...
). He is currently the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's developing countries defense assistance division, SIBAT.