Shlomo Shamir | |
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| Native name | שלמה שמיר |
| Born | 15 June 1915 Berdychiv,Russian Empire |
| Died | 19 May 2009(2009-05-19) (aged 93) Tel Aviv,Israel |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom (1940–1946) Israel (from 1948) |
| Service |  British Army Israeli Navy Israeli Air Force |
| Years of service | 1929–1951 |
| Rank | Aluf |
| Commands | Founder and Commander of the 7th BrigadeIsrael Defence Forces, Commander of theIsraeli Navy, Commander of theIsraeli Air Force |
| Battles / wars | World War II 1947–1949 Palestine war |
Shlomo Shamir (Hebrew: שלמה שמיר) (15 June 1915 – 19 May 2009) was the third Commander of theIsraeli Navy (1949–1950), and the firstIsraeli Navy Commander to receive the rank ofAluf. He was the third Commander of theIsraeli Air Force (1950–1951).
Shlomo Shamir was born Shlomo Rabinowitch, inBerdychiv,Russian Empire. He was taken toMandatory Palestine in 1925. In 1929 he joined theHaganah and was instrumental in smuggling weapons and illegal Jewish immigrants into Palestine during the time of the British Mandate and theWhite Paper of 1939. In 1940 he received his pilot license, and in the same year he joined the British Army's infantry in order to fight theNazis. In 1944 upon the establishment of the Jewish Brigade he was appointed Internal Commander of the Brigade on behalf of the Haganah and the Jewish Institution in Palestine. In 1946 he was discharged from the British military with the rank of major.
In 1948 he was ordered by Prime MinisterDavid Ben-Gurion to establish theIsraeli 7th Armored Brigade in the fight to conquerLatrun so as to open the road to Jerusalem. He commanded over creating theBurma Road. At the end of the1947–1949 Palestine war he was offered to be appointed as theChief of the General Staff, but he refused. Instead he served other capacities, eventually becoming the second Commander of theIsraeli Navy in December 1949. He helped build the small Israeli Navy by purchasing a newcorvette and advancedtorpedo boats. In 1950, he was replaced as Commander of the Israeli Navy byMordechai Limon and became the third Commander of theIsraeli Air Force. Under his leadership, theIsraeli Air Defense Network was created, and theHatzor Israeli Air Force Base built. In August 1951, he handed command of the Air Force over toHaim Laskov and retired from theIsrael Defence Forces.[1][2]
In civilian life, Shamir established Israel's Phosphate mines and headed Israel's land Authorities. He received a master's degree in Social Sciences fromTel Aviv University and is a graduate ofHarvard University AMP Program of 1970.
On 19 May 2009 Shamir died inTel Aviv at the age of 93, leaving his daughter Yael, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.[3]
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