Infantry Branch of Service Flag (Armed Forces, Israel)

Heyl Raglim

Last modified: 2024-01-20 by martin karner
Keywords: infantry | heyl raglim | idf | israel defence forces | triangle: bottom hoist (yellow) | triangle: top fly (green) | gdud herev | herev |
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3:4 | 90×120 cm
image by Dov Gutterman

• Description
• "Sword" Battalion

• Parachutist Infantry Regiment Branch of Service Flag
• Giva'ati Infantry Brigade Branch of Service Flag
• Golani Infantry Regiment Branch of Service Flag
• Kfir Infantry Regiment Branch of Service Flag

See also:

• Branch of Service and Unit Flags (Israel)
• Israel Defense Forces
• Israel

Description

The flags are rectangular, 90 cm × 120 cm and divided diagonally by a line going from the upper hoist to the bottom fly. Bottom hoist is yellow, upper fly is green.
Nahum Shereshevsky, 23 June 1997

The main element of the flag is usually the shoulder patch or a similar design. Since these are awarded to brigade-level (or equivalent) formations while flags are awarded to regiment/batallion-level formations, the latter flags have additional elements to distinguish the specific battalion. (...) The finials are in the shape of the corps emblems and attached to them are campaign streamers.
Nahum Shereshevsky, 25 May 1998

"Sword" Battalion (Gdud Herev)

image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 March 2009

There is a photo at www.theodoresworld.net with the associated article:
"22/07/2006 – During an IDF forces' activity tonight in the village of Mervachin in southern Lebanon, the forces uncovered anti-tank missile launcher, a number of anti-tank missiles, a machine gun, a Kalashnikov gun, and a large number of bullets. The weapons were confiscated. Photo: Aviv Divon, IDF Spokesperson".
The flags (two of them, behind the captured stash) are white with a sky-blue shield in containing two crossed scimitars over a filled-in Star of David.
Eugene Ipavec, 11 January 2008

It is the flag of Battalion 299 (a.k.a Gdud Herev = Battalion Sword, a.k.a HaGdud HaDruzi = The Druze Battalion) which is a regular army infantry battalion whose soldiers and commanders are Druze and Cherkess. It was founded in 1974 to replace the former Unit 300 (Minorities Unit – est. 1948) and it is one of most decorated units of the IDF.
Once, it was the only unit that was available for Druze soldiers. However, since 1982 the Druze soldiers are serving in all IDF units, but it was decided to keep this battalion as such to maintain its special character and legacy.
Dov Gutterman, 11 January 2008