Unit 101

Unit 101
Unit 101 in 1954
Active	August 1953 – January 1954
Disbanded	January 1954
Country	Israel
Branch	Israeli Ground Forces
Type	Sayeret
Role	Air assault Anti-tank warfare Artillery observer Bomb disposal Clandestine operation Close-quarters combat Counterinsurgency Desert warfare Direct action Forward air control HUMINT Irregular warfare Long-range penetration Maneuver warfare Mountain warfare Parachuting Patrolling Raiding Reconnaissance Special operations Special reconnaissance Urban warfare
Size	50
Garrison/HQ	Tel Aviv, Israel.
Engagements	Bureij Qibya massacre
Commanders
Notable commanders	Ariel Sharon Meir Har-Zion

Commando Unit 101 (Hebrew: יחידה 101) was a sayeret (commando) unit of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), founded and commanded by Ariel Sharon on orders from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in August 1953.^[1] They were armed with non-standard weapons and tasked with carrying out retribution operations across the state's borders—in particular, establishing small unit maneuvers, activation and insertion tactics.

Members of the unit were recruited only from agricultural kibbutzim and moshavim. Membership in the unit was by invitation only, and any new member had to be voted on by all existing members before they were accepted.^[2]

The unit was merged into the 890th Paratroop Battalion during January 1954, on orders of General Moshe Dayan, Chief of Staff, because he wanted their experience and spirit to be spread among all infantry units of IDF starting with the paratroopers. They are considered to have had a significant influence on the development of subsequent Israeli infantry-oriented units.^[3]