SAYARET GOLANI EGOZ UNIT: ISRAEL

January 22, 2007 at 3:05 am | Posted in Globalization, History, Israel, Middle East, Military, Zionism | Leave a comment

Golani Brigade Insignia

Egoz Reconnaissance Unit

Golani Brigade

Active 1948 –

Country Israel

Branch Army

Type Infantry Colors Brown beret

Commanders

Current commander Tamir Yadai

The Golani Brigade (also known as Brigade No. 1) is an Israeli infantry brigade which was formed on February 28, 1948 when the Levanoni Brigade in the upper Galilee was merged with the Carmeli Brigade to form the Golani Brigade. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the Israel Defense Forces.The Golani Brigade’s equipment includes a number of heavy IDF Achzarit armored personnel carriers, which is built around a remanufactured T-55 tank chassis with a new 850-hp engine. The Achzarit is a very heavily-armored vehicle designed for the requirements of urban fighting, after Israeli M-113 APCs proved insufficiently armored against car bombs, mines, and rocket-propelled grenades.

Golani’s recon company, or Sayeret Golani, is one of the most respected SF units in the IDF, with one of the most difficult training regimens, that begins in an area known as area 100 in the upper Galilee. This unit, in conjunction with Sayeret Matkal, re-took the Mount Hermon position in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. This unit’s soldiers are so dedicated that in 1994 one of the operators who was a team leader (a second lieutenant designated to lead the smallest size unit within the recon) extricated himself from a Hezbollah minefield, after half his right leg was blown-off. He applied the tourniquet to his leg himself, so as not to endanger any of the other soldiers in his team. He is now a senior commander in the IDF.In 1976, elements of the Golani Brigade were sent to Entebbe in Uganda to rescue 246 Jewish hostages on Air France flight 139, hijacked by PLO terrorists who boarded during an Athens stopover. The operation was a success, but its mission commander was killed (Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Israel’s former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu).

As of 2004, Golani operates within the northern border of Israel and in the West Bank (mainly Jenin). During 2004, a Golani battalion reinforced the Givati Brigade in the Gaza Strip.

In July 2006, The humiliating performance of the Elite Golani Brigades in die-hard battles against Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon has cost its commander his prestigious post on Monday, August 7. Thirteen Golani troopers were killed and 12 others wounded in clashes with Hezbollah fighters in the battle of Bint Jbeil.

Battalions of the Golani Brigade

• Barak Battalion – Gdud 12
• Gideon Battalion – Gdud 13
• “Golani Buds” – includes platoons being trained for all of its units.
• The Egoz Reconnaissance Unit (a company)
• The First Breachers’ Battalion (HaBok’im HaRishon) – Gdud 51

Commanders of the Golani Brigade

(A partial list)

• 1948–1949,
  Moshe Mann, Mishael Shaham, Nahum Golan
• 1986–1988,
  Gaby Ashkenazi
• 1988– 1990
  Baruch Spiegel
• 1991–1993,
  Yair Nave
• 1993–1995,
  Moshe Kaplinsk
• 1995–1997,
  Meir Klifi
• 1997–1998,
  Gadi Eizenkot
• 1999–2001,
  Shmuel Zakai
• 2001–2003,
  Moshe Tamir
• 2003–2005,
  Erez Tzukerman
• 2005–current, Tamir Yadai

Egoz Reconnaissance Unit

The Egoz Reconnaissance Unit (Hebrew:Yechidat Egoz) is an Israel Defense Forces infantry unit that specializes in guerilla and anti-guerilla warfare. The Egoz Battalion is part of the Northern Command‘s Golani Brigade.

Egoz is a Hebrew word meaning ‘nut’ (meaning ‘seed’, not ‘crazy’), although in the case of the unit, it is also an abbreviation for Anti Guerilla and Micro-Warfare (Anti Gerila VeLohama Zeira).

Before the year 2000, Egoz operated mainly in Israel’s Northern Command, combatting threats from the Hezbollah. Following Israel’s withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, its operations were moved to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 2003 and 2004, Egoz prevented more terrorist acts than any other IDF unit.The unit still does some reconnaissance in southern Lebanon.

The Egoz Unit was founded in 1956 as a special forces unit (sayeret), but was disbanded and re-organized in 1964 due to a friendly fire incident. After the Six-Day War, it became a battalion.

It was disbanded again following the Yom Kippur War due to manpower shortages in other units, and re-formed in 1995 as an anti-guerilla unit (company). Most of the initial fighters came from the Shimshon Unit. Its commander was from the Navy Commandos and so much of the discipline, tactics and professionalism come from the Navy Commandos, not from Golani.

The training of an Egoz units begins with basic training, advanced exercises, and unit marches, after which each soldier is interviewed with Israeli intelligence to determine if he should be screened out from the second phase of training.
The second phase consists of learning camouflage warfare, various kinds of assaults, land navigation in pairs, and completing the squad leaders course, jeep driving course, parachute course, concealment course and the alpine course – if there is snow in the Hermon area.

When operating in Lebanon, the unit uses unmarked bullets, as well as the Russian-made RPD and PK light machine guns.
Soldiers using the M16 standard issue weapon have the Litton Akila night vision system mounted on it.

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

In the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, five members of the Egoz Unit were killed and six wounded in Maroun al-Ras. According to the IDF, 20 members of the Hizbullah were killed.

Golani Brigade Insignia Egoz Reconnaissance Unit