Yechidat Duvdevan

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Unit 217

active
Country Israel
Armed forces Israel Defense Forces
Armed forces Israeli army
Branch of service infantry
Type Special unit
Strength Secret (estimated 150 soldiers)
Insinuation Oz Brigade
Nickname Yechidat Duvdevan
motto (Hebrew: כִּי בְתַחְבֻּלוֹת, תַּעֲשֶׂה-לְּךָ מִלְחָמָה.) “Because through reflection you win the battle, many counselors help you to victory” ( Prov. 24.6  EU ).
Colours Red and white
Badge of Jechidat Duvdevan

The unit 217 , unofficially known as duvdevan unit ( Hebrew יחידת דובדבן Unit Cherry ), is a military special unit of the army of the Israeli armed forces with the focus on the fight against terrorism and the operational as well as covert ( intelligence ) reconnaissance in hostile surroundings (" Mista'aravim " dt. About: "Becoming an Arab"). She is part of the Commando Brigade of the Central Command .

history

The unit was set up at the beginning of the 1980s in order to have a powerful military anti-terrorist component of the army available, which should be able to carry out military undercover and command operations against terrorists in hostile urban areas and to kill or kidnap corresponding targets.

In 2002 the unit underwent some restructuring and changes. The basic training (7 months) was initially transferred to the headquarters of the paratrooper brigade , where the recruits trained together with the special forces unit 669 (rescue unit ) and the Oket'z unit. After a training accident in which two soldiers died, the basic training was transferred to the central infantry school of the armed forces, the Bislamach Brigade in the Negev . At the same time, the existence of the unit was no longer officially denied, but retained its confidentiality status . The unit got its own base, which it does not have to share with other units, which is very seldom the case within the army. Finally, the selection process for the one and a half year training was restructured.

In the same year the Jechidat Duvdevan was named the most effective special unit in the fight against terror by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon .

In January 2008, the unit was able to locate a long-sought commander of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank and kill him with three other companions.

assignment

The Jechidat Duvdevan is an airborne command unit for covert operations in urban environments (specializing in urban warfare ). Their range of activities includes operational and covert reconnaissance , defense against enemy reconnaissance, direct combat missions , asymmetrical warfare , counter-terrorism and hostage liberation as well as targeted killing or kidnapping of target persons ("public enemies").

Asymmetric warfare includes numerous covert operations in enemy-controlled or politically difficult environments, including guerrilla warfare against important targets behind enemy lines, psychological warfare and sabotage .

Since the Jechidat Duvdevan mostly only operates in small teams, covertly in Arab clothing and with modified civilian vehicles, they have little firepower and can easily be worn out if they are discovered by larger units. It is therefore important that they remain undetected during the mission and that their route of retreat is secured.

In addition to the Sajeret Matkal of the Aman Army Intelligence Service and the JAMAM of the border police, the Jechidat Duvdevan is considered the most successful anti-terrorist unit in Israel.

organization

The name of the reconnaissance unit Cherry is an unofficial nickname; internally it only has a secret number as a name. Like many other commando units of the Israeli military, it forms the top of the military training level of the combat units.

The unit, together with the Sajeret Matkal , is unique in several respects within the community of Israeli special military units. Firstly, it has no predefined mission for wartime, like any other military unit, so it is operationally free for all orders from higher command levels. Second, it has its own support units, such as intelligence reconnaissance, medical care, ex- and infiltration experts, sniper teams and pioneer units (demolition and defusing specialists), so it can operate completely independently. Furthermore, it is not, as is usually the case , under a brigade command , but directly subordinated to one of the four territorial commands, the central command. This means that you are not assigned a special area of ​​operation, such as the Egoz unit of the Golani Brigade or the 5173th Taipan (Sajeret Maglan) of the Paratrooper Brigade . Just like the Sajeret Matkal , their soldiers are authorized to wear uniforms without badges and badges of rank and operate mainly in civilian clothes. In terms of the range of operations, it is most similar to JAMAM , the anti-terrorist unit of the Israeli border police .

Recruitment and training

Originally, the recruits were selected and approached in a secret selection process, an application was not possible, similar to the recruiting practice for intelligence services. Since 2002 it has also been possible to apply directly, as the existence of the unit is no longer secret.

Since the Jechidat Duvdevan has an excellent reputation not only in military circles but also in Israeli civil society, many applicants already express the wish to be accepted into the Jechidat Duvdevan when they are recruited for military service . Nevertheless, only a tiny fraction manage to meet the admission criteria. In practice, direct access is only possible in exceptional cases and, as a rule, experienced soldiers with outstanding and impeccable military careers are recruited from other units.

In addition to the very high physical requirements, the main focus is on Arabic language training, which is geared towards perfect mastery, as the risk of exposure would be too great below the native speaker level.

The selection phase is divided into three sections. In the first part, the aspirants take a 24-hour motivational test, followed by a five-day second physical test. Finally, in the third selection section, the actual job interviews take place. If all three phases are successfully completed, the actual training begins, which lasts a year and a half and is divided into a seven-month basic training and a further special training.

equipment

TAR-21 assault rifle

Due to the special mission profile of the covert operation in hostile urban environments, the equipment differs from the general procurement. In particular, weapons and equipment are allocated that are tailored to the area of ​​operation, such as infantry weapons to be carried undercover as possible and specially modified civil vehicles with invisible Kevlar armor and electronic communication and reconnaissance equipment and weapons.

The unit uses Glock-17 and Glock-19 self-loading pistols, Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles, Micro Uzi and Micro Para Uzi submachine guns , IMI Galil Galat'z , Mauser 86SR , M24 and Steyr SSG 69 sniper rifles as well pump action of the types Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 .

Web links

Commons : Jechidat Duvdevan  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Steve Macko: THE IDF DUVDEVAN UNIT. In: EmergencyNet NEWS Service. Emergency Response and Research Institute, Aug. 11, 1997, archived from the original on March 2, 2005 ; accessed on August 19, 2014 .