Ben Dunkelman (1913–1997) was a Canadian Jew who became a war hero for his efforts in World War II, when he enlisted with the Queen's Own Rifles and fought on some of the worst battlefields of the war during the allied Operation Overlord, including Caen, Falaise, and the Scheldt. [1] His father was David Dunkelman, the founder of the Canadian men's retailers, Tip Top Tailors. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II... The Queens Own Rifles of Canada is a militia regiment within the Canadian Armed Forces and is based in Toronto, Ontario. ... The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ... Location within France Hôtel dEscoville, 16th century, Caen Anonymous pen-and-ink birds-eye view of the fortifications of Caen (Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris) South Wall of the Castle, a huge fortress in the center of the city Town Hall of Caen Caen train station. ... During World War II, the Falaise pocket (also known as the Chambois pocket, Chambois-Montcormel pocket, Falaise-Chambois pocket) was the area between the four cities of Trun-Argentan-Vimoutiers-Chambois near Falaise, France, in which Allied forces tried to encircle and destroy the German Seventh Army and Fifth Panzer... The Scheldt (Dutch: Schelde, French Escaut) is a 350 km[1] long river that finds its origin in the north of France, enters Belgium and near Antwerp flows west into the Netherlands towards the North Sea. ... Dylex Limited was one of Canadas largest retailers, involved in the operation of specialty retail stores, such as womens wear, meanswear, and family stores. ...

After the war, he returned to Canada, but again decided to travel to war, this time to fight for Israel in the spring of 1948. He arrived there at a time when the Israeli army was short of officers with combat experience, and he became the commander of the 7th Brigade, the country's best-known armored brigade. In his autobiography, Dunkelman tells the story of how, between July 8 and 18, 1948 during Operation Dekel, he led the 7th Brigade and its supporting units as it moved successfully to capture the town of Nazareth (Dunkelman 1984). Following the capture, Dunkelman received orders from General Chaim Lasakov to evacuate the civilian population in the town. He refused to implement these orders and as a result, the citizens of Nazareth were the sole community which didn't face a widespread exodus of refugees. Shortly after his refusal, he was removed from his post. The 7th Brigade (Hebrew: Hativa Sheva) Israel’s most famous armored brigade, the 7th Brigade, had seen action in all of Israel’s wars. ... Operation Dekel (palm tree) was the largest offensive in the north of Palestine during the first and second truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. ... The factual accuracy of this article needs to be verified. ...

There is a bridge on the Lebanese border called Gesher Ben in Dunkelman's honor. His story is told in the film Ben Dunkelman: The Reluctant Warrior.

References

• Dunkelman, Ben. Dual allegiance: an autobiography, Goodread Biography, 1984, ISBN 0887801277

Further reading

• Kidron, Peretz. Blaming the Victims. Edward W. Said and Christopher Hitchens (eds.) 1988, p.85-97