יומנים > יומן - מלא 18/07/1948

Sunday, July 18, 1948

The Egyptians received reinforcements for Majdal. Our men conquered Karatiyya. We had about a hundred losses - more than seventy wounded, 23 killed and missing. Moshe Dayan lost 3 half-tracks and a number of jeeps.

         In Latrun we took the stronghold between Budrus and Beit Nabala. Presumably [our forces] will enter Latrun today. In the morning we came within a kilometer from Beit Nuba. Yesterday we destroyed a number of armored [vehicles] near Latrun [in Al-Burj]. [We] found 42 dead Legionnaires and their weapons.

         The "Hammers" set out at 6 a.m. to bomb Majdal.

         In Nazareth the conquest went okay. Holy sites were preserved, of course. There are 16,000 people in the city, 10,000 of them Christians. We destroyed 5 of the enemy's armored [vehicles] in Nazareth.

         Yesterday morning Moshe Carmel issued an order to uproot all the residents of Nazareth. The [7th] Brigade commander was reluctant. When this question was conveyed to me yesterday [by Haim Laskov, commander of Operation Dekel], I immediately cabled not to evacuate the residents.

         I asked whether there's a source for reserves - because there may be a few surprises today. Today [in light of the truce scheduled for the evening] is different from other days because it entails a number of new possibilities: 1) The end of the war in actuality - if the Arabs agree to a truce out of a sense of weakness and acknowledgement of weakness. 2) An attempt by Egypt, the Legion, Iraqis, Lebanese, or some or all of them to capture important places before the truce - or after it if there is [if they see] a need - and to implement the truce after the scheduled time. Because sanctions [against the Arabs if they violate the truce] are not easy to implement (there's England, China, Syria, Argentina, Belgium, and maybe others who protect the Arabs in the Security Council), and they certainly won't use sanctions just because the truce was delayed by a day or two.

         If the frontlines at the time of the truce are in our favor - this does not guarantee the territory for the state, because now there will begin a diplomatic struggle, which might be decisive where the military struggle was not; if the frontline favors the Arabs, it practically guarantees the territory for the Arabs, and therefore what happens at the end of the truce [that is, when the fighting ceases and the truce commences] is of great significance.

         - After numerous deliberations and opposition on the part of Moshe Zadok we agreed to establish the following reserves: 1) One battalion of men from intake. 2) Two battalions of 1,300 Gadna [Youth Battalions] men [born in 1931] in Pardes Hannah, who've already been training for two weeks. 3) A transport battalion. 4) A reserve battalion of 600 for the Negev. 5) Maybe also 400-500 policemen who will be ready for any problem that might arise. I'll raise the question of Gadna with the government today. Reserve commanders: Ze'ev Glazer, Dov Tzesis, David Freund [sp.], Joe Eisen [sp.], Kalman Kit, [Ze'ev] Melyon.

         - Zeev Hayam came to see me. He bought 2 landing crafts in Italy, P£ 10,000 each; one is already here, one is on the way; 2 motorboats, P£ 2,000 each, one is here one is on the way; a gasoline tanker, P£ 6,500 on the way. 6 small landing crafts, [P£] 1,300 each, 1 here, 5 on the way; 10 small boats [manned torpedo boats] 5 meters long, weight one ton, [capable of] handling 300 kg of explosives against a ship, P£ 700 each, all still over there. About half the cost hasn't yet been paid.

         Zeev Hayam is ready for service. He believes that all the professionals ([Eliezer] Chodorov, Yerahmiel Yerhovsky [sp.] [Yarden], Ringer, [Yosef] Goldanski) have left. Commissars who don't know what a navy is were placed above [in charge of] them. Paul Shulman knows his craft. Spector was a radar expert in the British navy as a lieutenant, they didn't find a use for him in our navy, and now he's working in the air force. Benjamin Kessel [sp.] served in the English navy on landing crafts. Wasn't admitted into [our] navy, and now he's at the southern Dead Sea (coincidentally on vacation in Haifa right now). According to Gershon Zak there are 72 men at the naval headquarters. In Zeev Hayam's view this is too many.

         Zeev Hayam told Gershon Zak to send someone to whom he would relay the secrets of the small boats. [Elyakim] Epstein is commander of the ship Northland [Aleph-16, the Eilat], which was attacked last week by Egyptian planes. One young man was killed (a Swede, Gentile). The ship's men downed the plane using [heavy] machine guns. This Epstein is qualified to be a commander, but [here] he must eat among the sailors.

         All the Staff personnel, who may have brought clandestine immigrant ships here, haven't actually worked at sea and are not capable of commanding seamen.

         - [Yoel] Palgi returned a week ago from South Africa. To date about 200 volunteers from South Africa have arrived in the country; about seventy are in the air force; the volunteer movement aroused great interest, and there are about 3,000 volunteers in South Africa. Their ''aliya hasn't yet been authorized over here, for financial reasons. Palgi is calling for the ''aliya of 1,000 men, mostly young, a few of them discharged soldiers. They'll come by sea.

         The situation in South Africa is similar to that of Germany in 1933. In Palgi's view [Dr.] Malan [the prime minister] will be brushed aside by a more right-wing fascist faction. At a private party [Jan] Smuts [former South African prime minister and one of the Balfour Declaration architects] said that he has no chances of returning to power in the foreseeable future. The Jews are living in an illusion of 1936. The Jews are becoming the bearers of "Czechoslovak" nationalism in South Africa [a reference to an interwar joke, according to which Czechoslovakia's inhabitants were either Czechs or Slovaks, except for the Jews - the only Czechoslovaks] - they are becoming "South Africans" [as opposed to either Afrikaner or English]. South African immigrants acclimate nicely in the country. The thousand will enlist. There's no talk in South Africa of anything other then the army. Many wrote down that they want to stay in the country. The league for recruitment [presumably the South African League for the Haganah] can raise funds for ''aliya. The fundraising campaign for security raised 1.2 million.

         In cash?

         He doesn't know. 1.1 million was transferred in cash and various purchases, of this 100,000 for airplanes. I told Palgi that we won't make a decision today, we'll wait a day or two until the issue of the truce becomes clear and we'll know where we stand. Then we'll decide.

         - Gershon Zak: During the night the navy shelled Tyre at a distance of one mile from the city. Two ships were engaged, fired 85 shells. The ships returned to Haifa, and will reach Tel Aviv in the afternoon.

         [Yisrael] Kirstein, an expert, examined the ETZEL ship [the Altalena on the Tel Aviv coast] and in his opinion it's completely unviable, and should be sunk.

         What should be done with Zeev Hayam? The naval people - Shmuel Tankus, Avraham Zakai, Shmuel [Samek] Poznanski [Yannay], [Eliezer] Chodorov - think that he's not an important naval person. In the [British] navy, according to Gershon [Zak], he was a relief officer.

         Regarding the small explosive boats, it is suggested that the (Gentile) Italian expert come here. He requires a payment of P£ 1,000, aside from living expenses for him and his technical assistant. Gershon agreed to this.

         I asked about the naval people who have been let go. Gershon [Zak] says that [blank space] embezzled funds from the Mossad [le-''Aliya Bet] (according to Shaul [Avigur]). Chodorov himself left because he wanted to join the merchant fleet (Chodorov currently receives a salary from the Mossad le-''Aliya). Yerhovsky [sp.] was let go at his own request (as he was a vice-captain rather than a captain) and transferred to the merchant fleet. Goldanski is an important mechanic, but decidedly an ETZEL man. He sabotaged a ship (when and where?), came to the headquarters and announced: "I am deserting." He was sent to intake. Elyakim Epstein is now commander of the Eilat - for years he was in the merchant fleet. Paul [Shulman] left today for two weeks in America. He'll purchase books and maps, and inquire whether it's possible to bring naval experts from America, for training.

         Yesterday a course for naval officers (50 men) opened in Jaffa. They'll study for a month, return to the ship for a month, and continue for 2 months again. The course director is Shmuel Tankus, [and] the course commander is [Shlomo] Lisbona (brother of the [bank employee who] was killed [by ETZEL during a bank robbery in August 1947]. A Zebulun man.

         We have 3 Corvettes; the fourth was shelled in Haifa after the truce [started]. Its repair will require 2-3 weeks. We have 3 large police boats, 2 chartered ships. The corps [navy] has 1,600 men, 500 on ships, 500 working in shipyards, 100 in courses (signal, officers), 100 were sent south, the rest are in services, 76 men at the headquarters.

         There's no clothing. The financial issue was settled.

         - Four o'clock. Majdal was bombed twice, in the morning and during the day. Damascus was bombed in the morning. There were direct hits in the city and the airport. Mishmar HaYarden and surroundings were bombed by us.

         [Mount] Miss Carey [Har Ora] near ''Ein Kerem was conquered by us. In Jerusalem there's reciprocal sniper shooting.

         We're coming under attack in ''Isluj. No news from Latrun or Lubiyye. In Latrun the clashes are continuing. Don't know about Lubiyye. Harel is one kilometer from Beit Nuba.

         Qula was reconquered by us.

         - From four to seven government meeting. The government decided to oppose another defense committee and a foreign affairs committee - against the opinion of Mapam and Gruenbaum.

         - In the afternoon the Egyptians attacked ''Isluj - to reverse what we'd achieved before the truce started on June 11. Three "Knives" [Messerschmitts] were sent there to bomb the Egyptian position. The "Hammers" worked all day - bombed the Syrians (Damascus) and Majdal (twice) and are ready to continue - if the truce doesn't break out [begin].

         Egypt informed Rhodes [Count Bernadotte's headquarters during the first truce] that it's conceding to the truce decree. There's no news on whether Latrun was conquered (I'm writing at 8 p.m.).

         The Syrians suffered heavy losses, and in Yarda [we] found many Syrians who were killed [along] with their weapons.

         - M. Shapira informed me that from May 15 until May 15 [should be July 15] 7,500 new immigrants (out of 22,000) were sent to intake as soldiers.

         - It appears that the truce will break out in any event - this time certainly before it's due.