Former Israel navy commander Avraham ‚Cheetah‘ Botzer commits suicide

04.06.2012                      14.Siwan. 5772

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Former Israel navy commander Avraham 'Cheetah' Botzer commits suicide

Officer credited with expanding navy's reach and preparing it for Yom Kippur War.

Retired IDF Maj. Gen. Avraham ("Cheetah" ) Botzer, who commanded the navy from 1968-1972, died on Sunday. Born in Poland in 1929, he committed suicide in Tel Aviv.
Born in Poland in 1929, Botzer served in the elite Palmach unit and joined the newly-formed navy during the War of Independence. A high point of his service occurred during the Six Day War when he headed the Red Sea Fleet that sailed from Eilat to Sharm el-Sheikh, taking control of an Egyptian base before an IDF Paratrooper unit reached the site in an airborne operation. That accomplishment came at a time when Israel's navy endured a number of setbacks….