Orde Wingate, a legendary and eccentric British Army officer who was born in India (and died there) and was not Jewish, is widely regarded as the father of the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF. David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, said that if Wingate had not died fighting the Japanese in 1944, he would surely have become the IDF’s first chief of staff.
Wingate, a special operations officer and intelligence expert, became best known for his sabotage and guerrilla tactics against the Japanese in Burma, and is widely regarded by military historians as one of the best commando fighters ever.
