The Ga'ash Formation (36th Division) is a regular armored division in the Northern Command of the Israeli Defense Forces.
The current division commander is Brig Gen Avi Gil.
Table of Contents
- 1. Structure
- 2. History
- 2.1 The First Years
- 2.2 The Lebanon War
- 2.3 The Division Today
- 3. Division Commanders
- 4. External Links
- 5. Footnotes
Structure
The division force structure consists of maneuever units (armored and infantry) that include the 188th Brigade, the 7th Brigade[1], the Golani Brigade and the Etzioni Brigade. In addition there is the Golan artillery, special operations battalion, a divisonal communications battalion and other combat formations.
| Tag | Name | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Brigades | |||
| Golani | 1 | ||
| 7 | |||
| Barak | 188 | ||
| 282 | |||
| Reserve Brigades | |||
| 6 | |||
The division includes additional forces, among them are:
The logistics unit of the division
The Sion computer component of the division
History
The First Years
The command headquarters was established in 1954 as a mission headquarters without permanent forces under its responsibility. The first commander was Avraham Yaffe.
During the Six Day War the unit fought in northern Samaria, conquered Jenin, Dotan Valley, Nablus and the Adam Bridge later participating in the occupation of the southern Golan Heights.[2] Under its command during the conflict were 3rd and 9th Infantry Brigades, 37th Armored Brigade, 45th Mechanized Brigade and commando battalion (GASP) 181. גש״פ - גדוד שריון פיקודי In 1971 the unit was restructured as a permanent formation, and was given responsibility for the Golan Heights as a territorial command with the division's headquarters located at Camp Yitzhak (Nafakh) to the southwest of Ein Zivan.
During the Yom Kippur War the division fought against the Syrian forces who had reached the division HQ at Nafakh. After the war it was organized as a regular division (the Basalt Formation אוגדת הבזלת/Ugdat HaBazelet).
During Operation Litani the division fought in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon.
The Lebanon War
During the First Lebanon War the division was commanded by Avigdor Kahalani who leds its advance from the Galilee through Ramat Nabatiya toward Sidon. The Golani and 188th Brigades advanced from Galilee, crossed the Litani river at the Akiya Bridge without any resistance and then continued north towards Ramat Nabatiya while the Golani Brigade headed west towards the sea. The battle for Beaufort occurred on the night of 7 June. During the arrival of the force its commander, Moshe Kaplinsky, was injured and six Golani Brigade soldiers were killed including the commander that replaced Kaplinsky - Maj. Giorna (Goni) Harnik.
On 7 June following the conquest of Beaufort by the Golani Brigade, the 769th Brigade advanced with a force under the command of Gabi Ashkenazi, the commander of the Golani Brigade, toward the city of Nabatieh which fell that evening. That evening the division forces arrived at the outskirts of Sidon and during the night were joined by the 96th Division which had been transported by ship to the mouth of the Awali river, along with the 211th Brigade that had come from the south along the coastal road and put under the control of the division.
On 8 June the division fought a difficult battle in Sidon to open the main road for use. Its task was to find a way to pass through the city quickly and then move northward while the 91st Division was to clear out any remaining pockets of resistance in the city. The division continued fighting until it reached the outskirts of Beirut.
The Division Today
After the Second Lebanon War, the formation began a series of training exercises to implement the digital land army system and in September of 2009 it became the first division to conduct a full-scale division-level digital land army exercise.[3]
In January 2014 the Bashan Division (NB: 210 Div) assumed the role of the division as the division responsible for the Golan Heights and the Golan formation (NB: 474 Brigade) was transferred to the Bashan Division. In Operation Tzuk Eitan the division fought with the Golani Brigade, 7th Brigade, 188th Brigade and BISLAMACH Brigade (NB: 828 Brigade, School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders) under its control.
Division Commanders
| Name | Period | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Avraham Yaffe | 1954-1958 | later GOC Southern Command |
| Zvi Zamir | 1958-1962 | later OC Southern Command and head of Mossad |
| Uzi Narkis | 1962-1965 | later OC Central Command |
| Elad Peled | 1965-1968 | Col., commander during the Six-Day War |
| Shmuel Gonen | 1969-1972 | later OC of Southern Command |
| Rafael Eitan | 1972-1974 | commander during Yom Kippur War, later 11th Chief of Staff |
| Avigdor Ben-Gal | 1974-1976 | later GOC Northern Command and Commander of Northern Corps |
| Amir Drori | 1976-1977 | Deputy Chief of Staff |
| Uri Orr | 1977-1979 | later OC Northern Command |
| Uri Saguy | 1980-1980 | Head of Military Intelligence |
| Amram Mitzna | 1980-1981 | Head of Planning Division |
| Avigdor Kahalani | 1981-1982 | Medal of Heroism, commander during the First Lebanon War |
| Matan Vilnai | 1982-1984 | Deputy Chief of Staff |
| Yehuda Peled | 1984-1986 | Commander of the Interdepartmental College of Command and Headquarters |
| Nati Golan | 1986-1987 | Medal of Heroism |
| Meir Dagan | 1987-1989 | future General and Head of Mossad |
| Amiram Levine | 1989-1990 | later OC Northern Command |
| Yitzhak Brick | 1990-1992 | future commander of Military Collges and the Commissioner of Soldiers' Admissibility |
| Moshe Ivri Sukenik | 1992-1994 | later IDF Attache in USA |
| Shay Avital | 1994-1996 | Col., commander of the Depth Command |
| Benny Lidor | 1997-1999 | |
| Zvi Gendelman | 1999-2001 | became Mayor of Hadera |
| Avi Mizrahi | 2001-2003 | later OC Central Command |
| Gershon Hacohen | 2003-2005 | future commander of Military Colleges |
| Eli Reiter | 2005-15 OCT 2007 | |
| Sami Turgeman | 15 OCT 2007-17 JUN 2009 | later OC Southern Command |
| Eyal Zamir | 17 JUN 2009-07 JUL 2011 | future commander of Southern Command |
| Tamir Heiman | 07 JUL 2011-31 JUL 2013 | commander of Military Colleges and Northern Corps, Head of Military Intelligence |
| Yitzhak Turgeman | 31 JUL 2013-26 AUG 2015 | Head of Operations Division at Military Intelligence |
| Jacob Banjo[6] | 26 AUG 2015-18 MAR 2018 | |
| Avi Gil | 18 MAR 2018- | current commander |