Dan Laner

Dan Laner was born in 1922 in Austria

Dan Laner was born in Austria in 1922 as Ernest Leiner, to a Jewish family. He left Austria in 1938 after its annexation by Nazi Germany. In 1940 he reached Mandatory Palestine and later helped found kibbutz Neot Mordechai.

He joined the Palmach and its German Squad. In April 1944 he parachuted into Slovenia for the British and fought with the Yugoslav partisans. He was captured once but escaped.

In the War of Independence he commanded a Palmach battalion at Mishmar HaEmek and Al-Malkiyya. In 1950 he became a colonel and commander of the Golani Brigade. A year later he left regular service and returned to his kibbutz, while serving in the reserves.

He returned to regular service in 1965 at the Northern Command and took part in the capture of the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War. In June 1970 he was promoted and given command of the 252nd Division. He retired from regular service in 1972.

In the Yom Kippur War he commanded the 210th reserve Division on the Golan Heights. He was married to Tirza and had a son and two daughters. He died in 1988 and was buried at Neot Mordechai.