יומנים > יומן - מלא 09/05/1948

Sunday, May 9, 1948 A meeting of department [heads]: the attack on Bet Mahsir did not go ahead. The Arabs captured strongholds all around, people asked for aerial bombardment. The aircraft that was sent for this purpose did not arrive due to cloudy conditions; it took off again and arrived at four. They told him that there had been a battle, our people had retreated, and there was nothing to gain by bombarding. I said they should appropriate forces from Jerusalem, send them to Bet Mahsir at once, and order them to capture Bet Mahsir no matter what. Yigael [Yadin] apologized for having botched the operation. He realizes that it's a mistake and he knows how urgent the matter is and is willing to fly to Jerusalem at once to give the requisite orders. Yigael reports that our effort at Kafr Qara (in Wadi ''Ara) also failed. The 3" [81 mm] mortars broke down, the Arabs massed Syrian forces. We occupied half of the village, blew up 20-30 houses, but then retreated. We had 10 killed, 30 wounded. Three companies were involved in the operation. Tonight, IZL will operate in that vicinity. The operation in Safed has been postponed again. The smoke bombs arrived late. Additional forces are coming. It'll be over tonight. This week [up to May 15] should be used for as many attacks and captures of as many places as possible. On Tuesday (May 11), 10:30 a.m., the operations officers of all the brigades will be invited to receive orders ahead of May 15. Yigael [Yadin] demands that I issue an order-of-the-day for May 15. For that day, two large aircraft with bombing material should be readied for whatever trouble may arise. Yigael complains about a shortage of equipment belts and shovels. I asked Shkolnik [Eshkol] to deal with it at once. The Logistics Department should send everything possible-food, supplies, etc.-to all the brigades. This morning, one battery of artillery is setting out for the Negev: 35 men, 4 [20 mm] cannon. Their day of furlough was canceled with the consent of Rapoport [Shmuel Admon]. Eliahu [Ben-Hur] complains about sluggishness in setting up the armored battalion. There's a shortage of weapons (submachine guns, hand grenades, machine guns). They have only one machine gun, a few mortars, some radio sets. There are half-tracks. Half of the drivers are unsuitable. The men who were sent from the brigades weren't equipped. From Golani and Carmeli, the men who were needed did not arrive. From the other brigades, the full complement that was needed did not arrive. The standard contingent is 457 men. There are only 150. Those who received the demands are Yosef [Avidar], medical service, signal. Alexandroni and Givati sent only 22 men each. Lehrer [Zadok] wants a men's camp at Tel Litvinsky. Yosef [Avidar] reports that they are working on getting it ready. Two hundred drivers have already been mobilized for a convoy to Jerusalem. A thousand-man unit of drivers is needed overall. Yosef suggests mobilizing everyone from the cooperatives who can be mobilized. They'll do less travel and we'll save on gasoline. 150 vehicles have arrived for us-they're still at the port. Domestically, we bought 700 vehicles in need of repair. The armored battalion should be given 90 vehicles, 180 drivers. Sacharoff [Sahar], Lehrer [Zadok], and Zvi [Ayalon] should be brought in to put the police in order. Lehrer complains about the lack of an arrangement for payments to various echelons. Yosef [Avidar] suggests that the committee for confiscation of motor vehicles (chair: [Yosef] Yaakovson, Dr. Shaul Lifschitz, Gorochowsky [Shraga Goren], Baruch Rabinov, Lubersky [Mila Bar], [??] and Yosef [Avidar] should be activated and that 50 passenger cars should be confiscated today. They'll pay for the wear-and-tear and either return them in three months' time or pay the money. Lehrer asks-what about the secessionists' [draft] evasion-should they be considered discharged? I'll present the matter to the Committee of Four. Zvi [Ayalon] volunteers to prepare for me a plan to organize the defense administration. Alon [Yehuda Arazi] informs Hillel [Y. Galili] that the ship with the cargo that he reported to Yosef [Avidar] will arrive on the 13th of this month. - [Yosef] Barfel [from the Mossad le-''Aliya Bet]: What will happen on May 16?-''Aliya Dalet. 2,200 will arrive in May; 90 percent of them are inducted. Each ship will bring 400-500. They'll begin to leave today, [May] 11, 15, 19. Betar wants to immigrate in Bet [illegal and undocumented] and in Dalet [illegal and with forged documents]-without committing to join the Haganah. I said in Dalet-no, in Bet-yes. [Marc] Jarblum [from France] informs Goldman [Akiva Guvrin] that 10,000 inductees outside of Romania (?) are ready. He demands a budget-that's apparently the purpose of his saying this. Barfel says there's a rumor out of Cyprus that the British are going to move 2,000 people from Cyprus [to Eretz-Israel] aboard the "Pans." - I called Shlomo Gur: What about teargas, etc.? He said: we have material, we need canisters, he received a hundred although he asked for a thousand. I invited Avidar, told him to order the materials that are ready, and said that the order should be made only by him personally. Whether we will use them or not is something else we haven't yet decided about. S.G. promises that the new material (chlorine-acetophenone, CAP for short) is better than "Shimshon." Half a gram makes people run away. They have 12 kilograms now; they can produce 3 kilograms per day. You can fill every bullet and projectile with it. It's good for use in our artillery shells. - Yigael [Yadin] informed me that he spoke personally with the battalion commander [who was active in the Masreq-Bet-Mahsir operation]. He replaced the commander and the new commander-Itti [Amihai]-undertook to occupy Bet Mahsir tonight. I told Yigael that the objective this time is not to open the road but to take permanent control of both sides of the road with enough space and to maintain adequate forces after the conquest. - G. Zack [from the Naval Service] met with Ashe Lincoln. He makes a good impression; he knows his job. He has already solved several problems. He's going with Zack to Haifa today or tomorrow. They will send several pieces here from Italy to be tried out as a coast guard. If we want them, we'll buy them. If not-we can return them. The [British] manager of the port [in Haifa refuses] to give us the ships [the illegal immigration ships that were impounded, including fleet vessels]. On the 13th of this month, he will surrender them to the municipality and he will leave. Then we can take them from the municipality. The port manager proposes that a maritime flag and maritime registration be declared on May 15 at midnight. The lawyer [Ya'akov-Shimshon] Shapira is dealing with this question. As for [the rule that applies to] an armed vessel, Ashe (Lincoln): if one state on earth recognizes the state-then it's not a pirate vessel. - I invited Yisrael [Galili] at three. He came. I told him first of all to go back to work, eventually we'll define [his] powers or we won't. He promised to give me an answer later today. At four I invited National Headquarters. I told [them] why the Executive abolished the post of Chief of National Headquarters [and asked them] what they thought about [that post] and whether it should exist. - Dickie [Arnon Azaryahu of the Palmach staff] is back. The Messerschmitts, with bombs and machine guns and all the rest, cost $ 1,800,000 (the plane alone $ 440,000). They've paid only 900,000 for the time being. Ehud [Avriel]'s procurement is already on the shore and it won't go out before May 15. Alon [Yehuda Arazi]'s ship will arrive on the 14th (perhaps on the 12th). Itti [Avriel]'s and Alon's bills: Ehud: Contract A: 4,500 rifles, 200 machine guns, 6 million rounds-$ 991,314. Contract B: 10,000 rifles, 1,421 machine guns, and 16 million rounds, 1.5 million 9 mm rounds-$2,528,009 (all paid for. Approx. 800 tons). Contract C: 10,000 rifles, 3,400 machine guns, 30 million rounds, $ 4,467,000, paid: 1,983,973. This purchase was divided into three shipments [the first has already arrived], the second is already at the port in full, and the third is en route to the port, and by the 15th of this month 5,000 rifles, 1,200 machine guns, [and] 12 million rounds will have arrived (the rest in another few weeks). Contract D: 10 Messerschmitts $ 1,800,000 ($ 900,000 paid) (including all gear: machine [guns], artillery, bombs, livery). Contract E: 75 37-ZB heavy machine [guns] ["Beza"], 1 million armor-piercing rounds, 5 million regular rounds, 2 million loaders, price $ 700,000, not paid. Contract F: 100 37-ZB heavy machine [gun]s-$210,000-not paid. Norseman aircraft-20-165,000-paid for in full (two have already arrived, three more will arrive by the 15th; air transport (the first plane) $ 5,000, fully paid). Two ships (one that delivered the pieces, the second one in "Yoram" ([Yugoslavia]), known to the degenerates [the British]. $ 350,000 paid-total 11,216,323, paid 6,923,296, owed $ 4,293,027. Alon [Yehuda Arazi]'s bills: Order A: 25 Hispano [Suiza-20 mm anti-aircraft cannon] $ 1,025,000 (paid in full). Order B: 50 65 mm cannon ["Napoleonchiks"], 50,000 shells, 15 Hotchkiss machine guns, 1 million rounds for the Hotchkiss, 10 [Hotchkiss] tanks (12½ tons each), tank ammunition: 25,000 7.5 mm [rounds], 10,000 37 mm [rounds]; ten 75 mm anti-aircraft cannon, twelve 120 mm mortars, 12,000 shells, ½ million 7.92 mm armor-piercing rounds, 5,000 7.92 mm rifles, 5 million 7.92 mm rounds, 1,000 8 mm Hotchkiss magazines, 5,000 five-round loaders, 25,000 three-round loaders-the whole thing 3,910,800 (paid in full). Order C: 10 Ventura [aircraft], one light bomber, ammunition and machine [guns] for the aircraft $ 249,000 (not paid), the Attu piece [ship] 178,000 (paid), the same [on account of the ship]-payment in America 200,000 (paid), aircraft 607,500 (paid), the same [on account of the aircraft] payment in America 150,000 (paid), cargo for the pieces [ships] 105,000 (paid), purchase of warehouse 36,000 (paid). 26 half-tracks and misc. 150,000 (paid), 200 bazookas 20,000 (paid), 200 tons of TNT 25,000 (paid), current expenses 500,000-300,000 paid (?), extra Hispano orders 500,000 (not paid), 2,100 rifles 70,000 (not paid). Misc.: sundry payments 200,000, total 7,961,300, 6,641,500 paid, yet to pay: 1,319,800. Munya [Mardor]'s bills were submitted in Eretz[-Israel] by February 16, 1948. Pozner's bill (also signed by Shaul [Avigur]): Received from Hammer for Ehud 6,265,000, Alon 5,600,000, Munya 600,000, total $ 12,465,000. To order of Amitai: 300,000, total 15,465,000. Spent: Ehud 7,104,558, Alon 6,217,082, Munya 688,000, total 14,009,653. Remainder for procurements: 1,455,346 (April 27, 1948). Expenditure after April 27, 1948: On Ehud's Contract D 321,775, second payment Ehud's Contract D 234,475, 200 tons of 100-octane aviation fuel 40,000, payment Yoram (?) 180,000, Louis's goods (?) 60,000, Munya's project 100,000, total 936,250. 1,455,346 in Haim's possession, 936,250 spent, $ 518,096 remains. Income Expenditure Ehud 6,265,000 6,923,296 Alon 5,600,000 6,641,500 Munya 600,000 688,011 From Haim (?) 3,000,000 1,655,346 Alon spent in America --------- 430,000 15,908,153 15,895,000 Liabilities and needs Ehud 4,293,000 Alon 1,319,000 Munya 200,000 5,812,000 Funds available to us: In Haim's possession (?) 1,455,346 In cash 200,000 1,655,346 So the shortfall is: 1,157,454