Avraham Adan
The Israeli general immortalized in a single, iconic photograph, raising the homemade flag that marked the triumphant end of his nation's war for independence.
1926–2012 (age 86)·Israeli military officer and author·Birthday: October 5·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Avraham 'Bren' Adan's life was woven into the fabric of Israel's military history from its very first threads. He fought as a young commander in the Palmach, the elite strike force of the Jewish community before statehood, and then stepped into the formal role of an officer in the newborn Israel Defense Forces. His moment of symbolic immortality came at the very end of the 1948 war. Leading a weary armored brigade on a daring dash south to the Red Sea, he reached the abandoned police station at Umm Rashrash. With no official flag at hand, his troops improvised one with ink on a white sheet—the 'Ink Flag.' Adan hoisted it, a moment captured in a photograph that became a national emblem of victory and the founding of Eilat. His subsequent career was no less intense, commanding armored divisions in the Sinai during the 1967 and 1973 wars. A soldier's soldier, he later turned to writing, providing a clear-eyed, analytical record of the battles he helped fight.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Avraham was born in 1926, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Avraham Was Born
The biggest hits of 1926
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Avraham's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1926Born
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1931Started school
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1939Became a teenager
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1942Could drive
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1944Could vote
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Turned 21
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1956Turned 30
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 40
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 50
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 60
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 70
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 80
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2012Died at 86
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Commanded the force that captured the southern tip of the Negev and the Gulf of Aqaba in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
- Was the officer who raised the improvised 'Ink Flag' at Umm Rashrash, the act that marked the end of the War of Independence and the securing of Eilat.
- Served as a division commander in the armored corps during both the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
- Authored several military history books, including a detailed account of the Sinai front in the 1973 war.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Bren' came from the Bren light machine gun he carried during his early service.
The famous 'Ink Flag' photograph was actually staged a day after the initial flag-raising for a newspaper photographer.
After retiring from the military, he served as the Israeli Defense Attaché in Washington, D.C.
“We crossed the Canal with nothing but our wits and our guns.”
