Avraham Botzer
Encyclopedia
Avraham Botzer was the Commander of the Israeli Navy between 1968 and 1972.
and he made aliyah
to the Land of Israel
in 1936 at the age of 7. In 1946 he joined the Palmach
and in 1947 he took part in operations to bring Jews to smuggle Jews from post-Holocaust Europe into Mandate Palestine (the British prohibited Jewish emigration to Palestine, see White Paper of 1939
). In one of his operations Botzer was caught and expelled to Cyprus internment camps
, after two weeks he was sent back to Palestine because of his young age.
.
During the Six Day War, Botzer command the Red Sea Fleet in which his forces conquered Sharm el-Sheikh.
and given command of the Israeli Navy.
Botzer commanded the Israeli Navy during the War of Attrition
.
His most important operations were as follows:
Operation Bulmus 6
- a military raid conducted by special operations units of the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) against an Egyptian early warning radar and ELINT station located on a small island in the Gulf of Suez on the night of July 19, 1969.
Operation Escort - On September 7, 1969, Israeli commandos blew up Egyptian Navy torpedo boats in the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez. This was necessary in order for the IDF
to carry out Operation Raviv, a highly successful invasion of the western shore of the Gulf.
Operation Raviv
- On September 9, 1969, Israeli Navy landing craft vehicles allow for the Israeli raid against Egypt's Red Sea coast.
Cherbourg Project
- The Boats of Cherbourg (Hebrew: ספינות שרבורג) was an Israeli military operation which took place on 24 December 1969, and involved the escape of five class 3 missile boats from the French port of Cherbourg. The boats had been paid for by the Israeli government but had not been delivered due to the French arms embargo
in 1969. The whole operation was planned by the Israeli Navy, and was codenamed "Operation-Noa", after the daughter of Captain Binyamin (Bini) Telem
.
Botzer helped build up the Israeli Navy tremendously. Up until his time the Navy had always been second to the ground and air forces of the IDF
, under Botzer they would become just as important. Under his command the Israeli Navy bought three submarines, missile boats, corvettes, state of the art torpedos and missiles all of which would prove to be imperative during the Yom Kippur War
.
On 1 September 1972, Avraham Botzer resigned from his post as Commander of the Israeli Navy.
where he worked for over 20 years. He also studied law and became a successful attorney.
Pre-establishment of the State of Israel
Avraham Botzer was born in PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and he made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
in 1936 at the age of 7. In 1946 he joined the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
and in 1947 he took part in operations to bring Jews to smuggle Jews from post-Holocaust Europe into Mandate Palestine (the British prohibited Jewish emigration to Palestine, see White Paper of 1939
White Paper of 1939
The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over it, was a policy paper issued by the British government under Neville Chamberlain in which the idea of partitioning the Mandate for Palestine, as recommended in...
). In one of his operations Botzer was caught and expelled to Cyprus internment camps
Cyprus internment camps
Cyprus internment camps were camps run by the British government for internment of Jews who had immigrated or attempted to immigrate to Mandatory Palestine in violation of British policy...
, after two weeks he was sent back to Palestine because of his young age.
Post-establishment of the State of Israel
With the outbreak of the Israeli War of Independence, Botzer joined the newly-formed Israeli Navy. After the war, Botzer remained in the navy and by 1952 he was promoted to the rank of Captain. Botzer continued to serve in the Israeli Navy taking part in operations and the Suez CrisisSuez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
.
During the Six Day War, Botzer command the Red Sea Fleet in which his forces conquered Sharm el-Sheikh.
Commander of the Israeli Navy
In September 1968, Botzer was promoted to the rank of AlufAluf
Aluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...
and given command of the Israeli Navy.
Botzer commanded the Israeli Navy during the War of Attrition
War of Attrition
The international community and both countries attempted to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Jarring Mission of the United Nations was supposed to ensure that the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 242 would be observed, but by late 1970 it was clear that this mission had been...
.
His most important operations were as follows:
Operation Bulmus 6
Operation Bulmus 6
Operation Bulmus 6, also known as the Green Island Raid, was a military raid conducted by special operations units of the Israel Defense Forces against an Egyptian early warning radar and ELINT station located on a small island in the Gulf of Suez on the night of July 19, 1969.-Background:Green...
- a military raid conducted by special operations units of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
(IDF) against an Egyptian early warning radar and ELINT station located on a small island in the Gulf of Suez on the night of July 19, 1969.
Operation Escort - On September 7, 1969, Israeli commandos blew up Egyptian Navy torpedo boats in the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez. This was necessary in order for the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
to carry out Operation Raviv, a highly successful invasion of the western shore of the Gulf.
Operation Raviv
Operation Raviv
Operation Raviv , also known as the Ten-Hour War, was a mounted raid conducted by the Israeli Defence Forces on Egypt's Red Sea coast during the War of Attrition. Taking place on September 9, 1969, Raviv was the sole major ground offensive undertaken by the IDF against Egypt throughout the war...
- On September 9, 1969, Israeli Navy landing craft vehicles allow for the Israeli raid against Egypt's Red Sea coast.
Cherbourg Project
Cherbourg Project
The Boats of Cherbourg was an Israeli military operation which took place on 24 December 1969, and involved the escape of five class 3 missile boats from the French port of Cherbourg. The boats had been paid for by the Israeli government but had not been delivered due to the French arms embargo...
- The Boats of Cherbourg (Hebrew: ספינות שרבורג) was an Israeli military operation which took place on 24 December 1969, and involved the escape of five class 3 missile boats from the French port of Cherbourg. The boats had been paid for by the Israeli government but had not been delivered due to the French arms embargo
Embargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
in 1969. The whole operation was planned by the Israeli Navy, and was codenamed "Operation-Noa", after the daughter of Captain Binyamin (Bini) Telem
Benjamin Telem
Benjamin Telem was the ninth Commander of the Israeli Navy .-Early life and education:Born Benjamin Blumenthal in Dessau, Germany in 1928, Telem immigrated to Haifa, Israel as a child in 1933. He attended the Haifa Naval School, joining the Palyam shortly after graduation...
.
Botzer helped build up the Israeli Navy tremendously. Up until his time the Navy had always been second to the ground and air forces of the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, under Botzer they would become just as important. Under his command the Israeli Navy bought three submarines, missile boats, corvettes, state of the art torpedos and missiles all of which would prove to be imperative during the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
.
On 1 September 1972, Avraham Botzer resigned from his post as Commander of the Israeli Navy.
After Retirement
Botzer became the CEO of the Trans-Israel pipelineTrans-Israel pipeline
The Trans-Israel pipeline , also known as the Tipline or the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline was built in 1968 to transport crude oil from Iran to Europe. The Iranians stopped the use of the pipeline after Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown as a result of the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979...
where he worked for over 20 years. He also studied law and became a successful attorney.