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Originally Posted by LeEnfield My choice....Orde Wingate. Here is a real old ball. he helped defeat the Italians in North Africa and captured huge numbers of them. He also help in the formation of the LRDG. He went off to Burma and set up the Chindits to take the fight to Japanese. He was killed in a plane crash in Burma and is buried in Arlington Cemetery. |
Indeed. In addition to this, Orde Wingate used his expertise to create and train the Special Night Squads, an elite unit of night raiders who performed reprisal attacks. In imparting his knowledge to some members who would later become high ranking officers (such as Moshe Dayan, the fourth Chief of the General Staff), Wingate had made a considerable contribution to the development of the IDF. The most prominent health and fitness center in Israel, Wingate Institute, is named after him.
Speaking of which, there is also
Mickey Marcus. He donated from his extensive knowledge as a U.S Colonel to the highly inexperienced Haganah (preceded the IDF, it means "Defense") during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, creating a strong foundation of military proficiency that would serve Israel for the years to follow. He became Israel's first General. Unfortunately, as he returned to his base one night, the guard stationed outside the gates, who didn't recognize him (the guard was new and Marcus wore no ranks at that moment), told him in Hebrew to say the password. Marcus did not understand what the guard was saying and responded in English. As he approached closer to the gate, the guard shot him, and he died.