Danny Matt

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Matt manned a machine-gun post at Ein Tzurim (renamed Rosh Tzurim following the Six-Day War), part of the block of settlements just south of Jerusalem that formed the Gush Etzion block. Arab attacks on the block were sporadic at first but intensified as the British departure date neared. In May 1948, Arab irregulars backed by the Jordanian Legion attacked the Gush Etzion block. Matt stood his ground and sprayed machine gun fire into the attacking forces. The fighting was so intense that at one point, he was throwing hand grenades with his right hand while firing the machine gun with his left. However, with supplies and ammunition exhausted and hopelessly outnumbered, the defenders were ordered by the nascent Israeli government to surrender and Matt was taken prisoner by the Jordanian Legion, however Matt managed to escape and ran into a forest. Matt was known for having a very large beard and as a result, he ripped it off with only his hands and walked out of the forest un-recognised by the Jordanians.

Danny Matt (third from right with beard and beret) with members of 890th Paratroop Battalion

Following his release from captivity, Matt returned to civilian life for a short duration but soon returned to the IDF. He enrolled in an officer's training course and was given command of a unit responsible for thwarting Arab infiltrations into southern Israel. Ariel Sharon took note of Matt's military talents and persuaded him to join the elite and newly formed Battalion 890. The Battalion, a merge of the paratroops with members of Unit 101, was at the forefront of Israel's counter insurgency and retaliatory operations of the 1950s. Sharon appointed Matt to be a Company Commander. In February 1955 Matt along with Aharon Davidi led a force of 150 paratroopers on a night raid against an Egyptian military encampment in Gaza killing 37 Egyptian soldiers.[4] The raid, which was carried out in retaliation for the murder of an Israeli boy on orders from Egyptian military intelligence,[5] was hailed as a success by Israeli Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion.[6]

During the Sinai Campaign of 1956, Matt took part in the battle for the Mitla Pass and was wounded in the neck and shoulder. Some 260 Egyptian and 38 Israeli soldiers were killed in the battle.[7] After his recovery, he was given various command positions within the military.

During the Six Day war of 1967, Matt commanded a reserve paratroopers brigade assigned to General Ariel Sharon's division and was tasked with silencing Egyptian artillery positions at Um-Katef in the Abu Ageila military complex. After being heliported deep into the enemy's rear, Matt's paratroopers marched several miles over dune-covered ground and surprised the Egyptian gunners and neutralized their artillery. The feat enabled General Sharon to mount a divisional assault unmolested by Egyptian artillery.[8] On June 10, 1967, on the last day of the war, Matt's paratroops ferried by helicopter secured the southern Golan Heights defeating Syrian forces they encountered.[9]

Following the Six Day war, Egypt and Israel became locked in a series of localized engagements along the Suez Canal. In addition, Palestinian guerilla groups staged infiltrations and terrorist attacks with the (ultimately unsuccessful) aim of establishing a permanent presence in the West Bank. During this period, Matt was given command of Paratroop Brigade 35. On March 21, 1968, he led the brigade in an assault against the Palestinian guerilla base at Karameh. Matt's men along with other infantry elements destroyed the Karameh base killing 150 guerillas and taking another 128 captive. Jordanian forces who attempted to intervene suffered 61 killed, 108 injured and four taken prisoner.[10] The IDF sustained 28 KIA and eight of these were from Matt's paras.[10] As a result of the operation, the guerrillas realized that they were vulnerable to Israeli reprisal actions and were forced to move their base of operations farther from the border.[11]

Matt also led his para forces on a daring deep penetration commando raid into the heart of Egypt's Nile valley. On the night of 31 October/1 November, Matt's troops, ferried by Super Frelon helicopters over some 300 km of Egyptian airspace, attacked and destroyed two bridges over the Nile as well as an electrical transformer near the town of Nag Hammadi.[12] The Israelis suffered no casualties but the damage to Egypt was immense and underscored its vulnerabilities to Israel's formidable commandos.

On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a multi-front, surprise attack on Israel. After neutralizing the Syrian threat, the Israelis turned their attention southward to deal with the Egyptians, who had by now dug into defensive positions on the east bank of the Suez Canal. On October 14, large Israeli and Egyptian tank formations dueled in Sinai in a battle that was decidedly one-sided in Israel's favor and resulted in a thorough Egyptian rout. The Egyptians lost some 260 tanks against only six Israeli.[13] Capitalizing on their success, the Israelis embarked upon Operation Stouthearted Men, a complex plan involving a multi-divisional crossing of the Suez Canal. These forces would then encircle the Egyptian army. Spearheading the operation was the 247th Paratroopers Reserve Brigade under the command of Danny Matt.[14] On the night of October 15, Matt and his brigade crossed the Canal and established a bridgehead on the western bank of the Canal Zone. Matt played a critical role in this operation, which ultimately resulted in the encirclement of the 3rd Egyptian army. However his own force was encircled by the 2nd Egyptian army, leading to failure of the ultimate objective of the operation. This ultimately lead to cease fire, and withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Sinai, and signing of a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.