Israel Tal Israel Tal ( , September 13 , 1924 , – September 8 , 2010 also known as Talik ( Hebrew : טליק ) , was an Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) general known for his knowledge of tank warfare and for leading the development of Israel ' s Merkava tank . Biography . Tal began his military service with the British Army ' s Jewish Brigade , serving in Italy during the Second World War . He later served as a junior officer during the Israeli War of Independence , was a brigade commander during the 1956 Sinai War , an armored - division commander in Sinai Peninsula during the Six - Day War , and commander of the southern front during the final stages of the Yom Kippur War . Israel Tal died in Rehovot on September 8 , 2010 . Military career . After the official end of the Yom Kippur War , Tal , serving as commander of the southern front , received an order from Chief of Staff General David Elazar and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan to attack Egyptian forces . Tal refused to follow the order , insisting that it was an unethical order and requesting authorization for the requested attack from the prime minister and the supreme court . Such authorization never came . Tal won the argument , but his refusal to follow the illegal order as a practical matter eliminated the chances of his being nominated for the position of Chief of Staff to succeed General Elazar . In 1970 , Israel decided it needed an independent tank - building capability due to uncertainty of overseas sales for political reasons . Israel Tal led a development team which took into consideration Israel ' s battlefield characteristics and lessons learned from previous wars , and began the development and building of Israel ' s Merkava tank . Armour doctrine . Tal was the creator of the Israeli armour doctrine which led to the Israeli successes in the Sinai in the Six Day War . Well after the Suez Crisis , Tal organized the armour into the leading element of the Israeli Defense Forces , characterized by high mobility and relentless assault . Starting in 1964 , General Tal took over the Israeli armor corps and re - trained all Israeli gunners to hit targets beyond 1 . 5 km . In open terrain , such long distance gunnery proved vital to survival of Israeli armor corps for subsequent wars . Its mobility is considered comparable to the German Blitzkrieg and many hold it to be an evolution of that tactic . Tal ' s transformation and success in 1967 led the IDF to expand the role of armour . This resulted however , in reduced attention to other less glamorous , but essential aspects of the army , such as the Infantry . Following the 1973 surprise attack , this excessive focus on fast striking offensive armour left the IDF temporarily without adequate defensive capability . Only in latter stages of the war did the armour break out and show its potential ; General Avraham Adan ' s armour penetrated the Egyptian lines , crossed the Suez Canal and , despite a cease - fire being agreed , Israel enveloped the Egyptian 3rd Army near Suez . While the IDF has become a more balanced force since 1973 , Tal ' s development of armour doctrine has been very important to the IDF and has influenced armoured doctrines in other parts of the world . Tal and his Egyptian counterpart sat in the sand to negotiate the terms of the cease fire on the Sinai . Awards and honours . Israel Tal was awarded the Eliyahu Golomb Israel Security Award in 1961 and in 1973 . In 1997 , Tal was awarded the Israel Prize for his special contribution to the society and State of Israel . In 1991 , he received an honorary doctorate at Ben - Gurion University of the Negev . In 2002 , he was chosen " Knight of Quality Government " by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel in the " Military and security " category . Israel Tal ' s picture appears in the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor ' s " Wall of Greatest Armor Commanders " along with compatriot Moshe Peled , Americans George S . Patton and Creighton Abrams and German field - marshal Erwin Rommel .