The father of the Merkava tank was laid to rest. President Perez, Minister of Defense Barak, Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, Knesset members and other senior officials participated.
In preparation for the Six Day War, Maj. Gen. (dec.) Israel Tal, then serving as Commander of the Steel Formation of the IDF’s Central Command, gathered all of his commanders, reviewed fighting tactics and showed them how he’d planned the battle in the northern Sinai Desert. The moment he finished presenting them with this doctrine of war he said, “Now, when the battle takes place, nothing in the battle field will happen the way it was planned here. The battle never develops the way the arrows on a map project, it will not be as we expect and we will need to respond in different ways. Only the main idea standing at the foundation of these lands will remain. Everyone will charge and will fight for the State of Israel. If this main idea will happen, then the battle will unfold the way it was planned. The first battle is the most important, as the side that wins it will be on the offensive and the other side will retreats We have nowhere to retreat, and therefore we must win no matter the price.” ....
