Chaim Laskov

Chaim Laskov was born in 1919 in Barysaw

Chaim Laskov was born in 1919 in Barysaw, to Moshe and Ita Laskov. His family moved to Palestine in 1925 and settled in Haifa, where he studied at the Hebrew Reali School. His father, a coachman, was killed in 1930.

As a teenager he joined the Haganah and served in Orde Wingate's Special Night Squads. In 1940 he joined the British Army and served in the Jewish Brigade in Italy, reaching the rank of major. After the war he stayed in Europe and worked in the Aliyah Bet immigration effort.

In the 1948 war he organized the first officers' course and commanded Israel's first armored battalion at Latrun. He led the Israeli Air Force from 1951 to 1953, then studied in the United Kingdom. In the 1956 Sinai Campaign he commanded the 77th Division.

In 1958 he became Chief of the General Staff, replacing Moshe Dayan. During his term the IDF received its first submarine and Super Mystère jets, and he founded the National Defense College. He left the post in 1961.

In 1961 he became director general of the Ports Authority, and the port of Ashdod was built during his tenure. In 1972 he became the first Soldier's Ombudsman and later served on the Agranat Commission. He died on December 8, 1982.