Dan Shomron
Lt. Gen. Dan Shomron was the 13th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, from 1987 to 1991.
Shomron first saw combat in the 1956 Sinai campaign. During the Six-Day War, he commanded a unit on the Egyptian front, and was the first paratrooper to reach the Suez Canal. He was decorated with the Medal of Distinguished Service for this action.
In 1974, Shomron received the command over the Infantry Corps and Paratroopers Brigade of the IDF. He planned and commanded Operation Entebbe in 1976, during which Yonatan Netanyahu was killed fulfilling his duty as breaching force commander. Although Shomron was proclaimed a hero for that role, he did not always feel comfortable with that appellation, saying
When asked what he most remembered about Operation Entebbe and the rescuing of the hostages, he said,
In 1978, Shomron was in charge of the evacuation and dismantling of Yamit and army bases in the Sinai Peninsula, which occurred within the framework of the Camp David Accords with Egypt.
In 1983, Shomron established the ground forces command, to be in charge of the infantry, tanks, artillery and engineer corps. He was its first commander.
In 1987, Shomron became the 13th Chief of Staff of the IDF, holding this position until 1991. After finishing his term, he served as the Chairman of the Israeli Military Industries.
Shomron died on February 26, 2008, from complications of a brain aneurysm three weeks earlier. He was 70 years old.
Shomron was played by Harris Yulin in the film Victory at Entebbe. He was portrayed by Charles Bronson in Raid on Entebbe.
