יומנים > יומן - מלא 25/05/1948
Tuesday, May 25, 1948
Shlomo was late setting out [for Operation Ben-Nun], and at 5 a.m. fighting broke out in Latrun. At 7:30 they requested air support.
A column of the Legion [actually - the Iraqis] is advancing [from Jenin] toward Zar'in, apparently heading for Afula.
Tonight we (Givati and the IZL) attacked Ramle. Our situation in the Jordan Valley has improved. Another column is positioned near Gesher.
- The Yad Mordechai commander arrived with the injured in armored [vehicles] (18 injured) (also 22 killed - for the enemy 300 killed):
The settlement is surrounded by Arab villages, [Deir] Suneid [to the south, near the Erez Crossing today] and others. It overlooks the Gaza-Tel Aviv road. There were 210 adults (mostly women) in the settlement. The children were evacuated only a week ago. They were promised reinforcement - and it wasn't sent. The Staff deceived them (I objected to this phrasing, and proved to him that his own remarks indicate there was no deception) - and according to friends of theirs who were in Stalingrad, what happened to them bears absolutely no resemblance to what happened in Stalingrad. On Sunday they left - and won't return.
- Dolik [David Horowitz] and Hai [Yissacharov]: [Bernard] van Leer arrived. He's prepared to lend us a Dakota [military transport aircraft], and if it's destroyed - we won't have to pay. If it survives the war - we'll return it. He also brought building material and steel and food, which he's offering us on the condition that we pay 20% now in cash, and the rest in a year. He has an expert pilot with him, and they want to take Hai to Europe and America, to buy 20 Spitfires ($15,000 each) and two transport aircraft, each $40,000. Hai is concerned about leaving because the air force isn't in a good state internally. I insisted that he go, because we mustn't miss any opportunity to buy a Spitfire.
- I called a special government meeting to discuss the new situation resulting from the Security Council decision to postpone the cease-fire by two days as the Arabs requested. According to credible sources, this was on the advice of the English, and based on the assumption that Jerusalem would fall in the meantime. Under these circumstances we should not accept the cease-fire, in my opinion. We sent a telegram to the Security Council stating we had decided on a cease-fire in order to comply with the Security Council [resolution]. Its postponement at the Arabs' request, the scheming behind this postponement, and the continuing bombardment of Jerusalem compel us to re-examine the question.
I explained that it was not the Lake Success [UN] resolutions, but rather force, that would determine the country's fate, and we are not obligated to comply in all circumstances with resolutions adopted under Arab threat. Kaplan asked whether there's any certainty that we would liberate Jerusalem in 3 or 4 days. I said that there's no certainty in these matters, but there's a reasonable chance that in a few days we'll prevail, after the shipment tonight and a second shipment that's due to arrive, and airplanes that will be fitted for action in the meantime.
- At ten I left with Yigael [Yadin] for Hulda [in the aftermath of the failure in Latrun on May 24-25].
20-50 killed, 300 injured. What's lacking? One Battalion, Zvi German's, was finished.
Initially he [Shlomo - 7th Brigade] had: Battalion A (Yehuda Werber 620, B - Zvi Hurwitz [Gilat]), (new recruits) 520, C (Alexandroni, [Zvi] German) 450, armored [battalion] 450. Battalion C is completely out of action. Battalion B has also suffered (20 killed).
Fulfilling the mission requires an entire trained battalion, and support [auxiliary] weapons: another 6" mortar, four 120 mm mortars, four 65 mm cannons, 1-2 anti-air cannons; he had 8 PIATs, 3 are completely out of service. Zvi German told me that his men can't fight until they're fully rested, because they came to Hulda after five days of continuous fighting.
[Haim] Laskov [armored battalion commander] - they say - worked wonders, and in many cases saved the situation.
I came home at 2:30 a.m.