Affiliation The brigade has historical ties to the earlier
Jewish Brigade, which was raised during
World War II. The 7th Brigade once belonged to Israel's
Southern Command. The 7th was based in the Golan Heights as part of the
36th Armored Division from the end of the Yom Kippur War until February 2014.
Equipment During the 1948 War, the 7th Brigade primarily consisted of
Sherman tanks and mounted infantry. Early on, the 7th also contained an artillery element. During the 1960s, the brigade was equipped with British
Centurion tanks modified in Israel. These were gradually superseded in the late 1970s by the Israeli-made
Merkava main battle tanks, of which several versions have since been employed.
Wars The brigade took part in all of Israel's wars.
War of Independence During the
Battles of Latrun in 1948, the 3rd
Alexandroni and 7th Brigades together suffered 139 casualties. The 7th Brigade was initially equipped with jeeps and cars with a few machine guns in July 1948, when the experienced Canadian officer
Ben Dunkelman took over. He sized up two approaching Egyptian battle groups equipped with
half-tracks, US
M4 Sherman tanks and other vehicles. Dunkelman attacked both of them by surprise at night, when the crews were out of their vehicles. The Egyptian soldiers fled, allowing the 7th Brigade to appropriate their arms and vehicles. The Brigade had so many Canadian, American, and British volunteers that it became known as the "Anglo-Saxon Brigade." In 1948, the brigade's reputation was as one of the crueler combat forces of the period.
Six-Day War It fought in the 1967
Six-Day War under the command of Colonel
Shmuel Gonen (Gorodish).
Yom Kippur War In the 1973
Yom Kippur War, under the command of Colonel
Avigdor Ben-Gal, it was stationed at the defense line of the northern part of the
Golan Heights, sharing the defense with the
Barak Armored Brigade, where it successfully repulsed heavy attacks by much larger
Syrian forces. ==Brigade organization==