The IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, and its 52nd Battalion in particular, have become one of the clearest symbols of the army’s “follow me” ethos during the long months of war: a chain of command repeatedly battered in combat, with every officer who led the battalion since the start of the war either wounded or killed.
Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, who was killed overnight between Thursday and Friday in southern Lebanon, was the fourth commander of the 52nd Battalion to be hit in battle, after his three predecessors in the role were wounded.
The brigade has also paid a heavy price at the top. Its commander, Col. Ehsan Daxa, was killed in Gaza in October 2024, and less than a month ago his replacement, Col. Meir Biderman, was seriously wounded in Lebanon.
The first in the chain of battalion commanders to be hit was Lt. Col. Daniel Ella, who was moderately wounded during an encounter in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in July 2024. After being wounded, he told his troops: “Keep fighting. I’ll finish at the hospital and I’ll come back to you.” After a period of recovery, Ella returned to service. Today, he commands the next generation of armored corps soldiers as commander of the training battalion at Shizafon.
He was replaced at the helm of the 52nd Battalion by Lt. Col. Yehuda Shalev, who was seriously wounded in the deadly incident in Jabalia in October 2024 in which brigade commander Daxa was killed by an explosive device. Shalev has since been undergoing complex rehabilitation for his severe wounds.
The third battalion commander to be hit was Lt. Col. A., who was seriously wounded in April during the advance of IDF forces in southern Lebanon, amid intense fighting in the Bint Jbeil area.
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Lt. Col. Yehuda Shalev lights Hanukkah candles with his family, about two months after being wounded
(Photo: Elad Gershgorn)
The incident in which Ben Simhon was killed took place shortly before midnight, after his command tank was directly hit by Hezbollah fire in the village of Tebnine, north of the historic Beaufort fortress. According to the terrorist organization, an anti-tank missile struck the force. Three other soldiers from the tank crew were also killed in the incident.
The sacrifice at the front of the armored forces did not stop at battalion level. The 401st Brigade lost its commander, Col. Ehsan Daxa, in October 2024 during heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Only last month, his successor, Col. Meir Biderman, was seriously wounded after a Hezbollah FPV drone detonated near his forces during an operational activity in the village of Debel in southern Lebanon.
After Biderman was wounded, the brigade’s battalion commanders spoke to ynet and said, half-jokingly, that wherever the 401st Brigade goes, the war follows.
Lt. Col. L., commander of the 9th Battalion and formerly Daksa’s operations officer, stressed at the time that the brigade’s strength lies in its ability to absorb such blows and continue operating.
“The power of this brigade is that there are no gaps,” he said. “Exactly 20 minutes after Biderman was wounded, his replacement went in. The system stabilizes itself immediately and remains effective.”