יומנים > יומן - מלא 21/07/1948

Wednesday, July 21, 1948

The battles have subsided. Mishmar HaYarden remains in Syria's hands. Our forces in the Western Galilee advanced eastward a few kilometers. The difficulty lies in the south. The Egyptians have continued to encircle Karatiyya [thus cutting off the route to the Negev], but we're also severing their line [of access], and negotiations are underway between our army and the Egyptian army.

         The northern stronghold of Faqqu'a [in the Gilboa mountain range] is in our hands, although the village is in the hands of the Iraqis.

         The Arab losses were greater than we thought. The Legion had 2,100 men in action, not counting the services (Artillery Corps, Infantry, Armored Corps). There were 50 deserters, about 700 killed and wounded.

         Over these ten days the Egyptians had 2,000 losses (among them 700 killed). Over the entire duration of the war - 4,000 casualties.

         - Yosef [Avidar] on the situation in the Logistics Department: Today there are 65,000 soldiers (aside from 850 POWs held by the Arabs). Over the course of this month we'll reach 82,000. 40 field battalions, 22 garrison battalions (750 in each, aside from services). 18,000, not including [the various] corps, will be added following another draft, youth and ''aliya [new immigrants].

         [We'll] need 13,514 vehicles (including motorcycles). Right now [we] have 4,500 motorized vehicles; [we're] short 4,000. If we buy them we'll be short 2,500 mechanics (without drivers. Each vehicle requires half a mechanic).

         The equipment (clothing, footwear) warehouses have been emptied out.   The supply warehouses are run-down. There are goods that cannot be supplied (oils).

         Remedying the situation requires: 1) Money - in July a million was needed for equipment and supplies, so far they've received P£ 420,000. 2) Additional credit. ([The clothing factory] ATA gave us 35,000 uniforms per month. [We] owe it P£ 100,000, no arrangements have been made, and it's suspending its work). 3) Confirmation of orders, because confirmed orders have been suspended.

         The additional drafts led to the closure of factories that work for the army. Skilled workers must be released.

         Transport as it exists is wasteful: misuse of vehicles, sabotage; the waste is not in the Transport Corps, but in the brigades. There's reciprocal theft - the Navy steals from infantry [brigades], Palmach from other brigades. There's too much driving in Tel Aviv, they drive carelessly and there are crashes. Staff officers have too many vehicles. Commanders should be assigned responsibility for carrying out orders. An oversight mechanism is needed. The military police needs to oversee this. Transport officers need to be granted more powers. Vehicles need to be redistributed among all the brigades, including vehicles taken as booty.

         I proposed that a committee of three (Operations Department, Personnel Department, and Logistics Department) prepare a set of guidelines and means of implementation.

         - Yohanan [Ratner]: [P£] 400,000 has been spent on 17 new settlements that have already been settled, and another 6 that will be settled in the coming days. Another 600,000 is needed for another 30 settlements. This slightly reduces the budget for fortifications and also reduces the brigades.

         - I spoke with Shlomo Shamir about the arrangement for the military assembly [parade] on the 20th of Tammuz [July 27[. He doesn't believe it will be possible to teach our men to march properly while brandishing weapons in the short time available and therefore suggests that they adopt a battle march, with their weapons on their shoulders, and salute by turning their heads to the right.

         [We] need to invite the Yishuv's elderly, HaShomer leaders, [World War I] Jewish Legion members, and original members of the Haganah. James [Michael Ben-Gal], as [brigade] field commander, wants to be commander of the assembly.

         - Eliahu Ben-Hur [who resigned his position as head of the Training Department] informed me that he's not prepared to go to the Negev as a commander, and he asks to be transferred as a soldier to the Artillery Corps. If he weren't subject to conscription (he's 40 years old) he'd request a discharge. I told him that his news is surprising, because Zvi [Ayalon] told me explicitly, already after the truce, that he was going to the Negev, and with the truce the reasons for him to go are even stronger. I'll clarify the matter with Zvi.

         - Isser [Harel] reports that 50 ETZEL men (Begin too, they say) left for Haifa to seize the Ben Hecht [a clandestine immigrant ship arranged by ETZEL and captured by the British] and sail it to sea. The Navy was issued instructions to guard the ship and use the minimum force necessary to keep it from falling into foreign hands.

         - Isser suggests that Katriel Katz take a three-month trip to discuss the conditions and needs of SHAI [the Information Service, i.e. intelligence] abroad. During the two weeks [until his trip] he'll prepare pamphlets describing the actions taken by the army against Arab states since the declaration of statehood.

         - From the Personnel Department I received a report on the status of our forces as of July 17, 1948, staffs, brigades, and battalions: 1174 officers, 1305 sergeants, 1610 squad commanders, 23289 privates, total 27428, of these 1757 women, 3295 shortfall from the standard.

         Garrison force: 189 o [officers], 244 s [sergeants], 268 sc [squad commanders], 68730 [?], total 9941, of these 502 women, 8012 shortfall from the standard.

         Services: 826 o, 723 s, 682 sc, 12573 p [privates], total 14804, of these 1982 women.

         [The Various] Corps: 310 o, 98 s, 98 sc, 7729 p, total 8235 (of these 591 women).

         5 in Intake (o, s, sc), 3099 privates, of these 625 women, total 2499 o 02899, 2658 cc [company commanders], 20 554 L. Total 63586, of these 5457 women.

         Aside from the above, [we] have: 1684 hospitalized wounded, 532 deserters, 37 prisoners, 788 POWs held by the enemy, 1764 fallen soldiers, total (counting the above) 68,391.

         Palmach manpower, July 17, 1948:

         In Palmach staff and in the factories (?): 56 o, 105 s, 49 sc, 907, total 1117, of these 70 WC [Women's Corps].

         In Yiftah (two battalions[:] 1, 3): 57 o, 60 sergeants, 157 sc, 1986 p, total 2260, of these 548 WC

         In Harel (3 battalions: 4, 5, 6): 20 o, 24 s, 12 sc, 1996 p, total 2054, of these 150 WC.

         In the Negev (4 battalions: 2, 7, 8, 9)[:] 88 o, 133 s, 107 sc, 1271 [p], total 1599, of these 254 WC (total for Palmach 165 o, 217 s, 276 sc, 5253 p, total 5913, counting the staff 221 [o], 324 s, 325 sc, 6160 p, total 7030, of these 1022 WC

         In Golani 4 B. [battalions]: (12, 13, 14, 15): 133 o, 72 s, 120 sc, 2511 p, total 2836 (240 WC).

         Oded - 3 B. (11, 91, 92): 65 o, 33 s, 118 sc, 1672 p, total 1888 (102 WC).

         Carmeli 4 B. (21-24): 113 o, 123 s, 150 sc, 2275 p, total 2661 (70 WC).

         Alexandroni 4 B. (32-35): 145 o, 178 s, 219 sc, 2486 p, total 3028 (719 WC).

         Kiriati 3 B. (42-44): 52 o, 105 s, 140 sc, 1547 p, total 1814 (11 WC).

         Givati 5 B. (51-55): 110 o, 154 s, 267 sc, 3037 p, total 3616 (145 WC).

         Etsiyyoni 2 (61, 62): 106 o, 123 s, 131 sc, 1106 p, total 1769.

         7th Brigade (3 B. [-] 72, 75, 79): 81 o, 152 s, 87 sc, 1266 p, total 1581 (12 WC).

         8th Brigade (2 B. [-] 82, 92): 68 o, 45 s, 75 sc, 927 p, total 1145 (36 WC).

         Grand total: 1174 [o] + 1305 s, 1610 sc, 23,239 p, total 27,428 (1757 WC).

         - At 1 [Arthur] Sulzberger of the New York Times came to see me and presented me with a series of questions: Will we take back the Arab refugees? Is it true that they number 300,000? Will we agree to a limitation on ''aliya - as the Arabs demand? Will we concede the Negev or exchange it for another territory? What guarantees do we offer the Arabs that they will enjoy freedom of religion, etc.? Is a revolt by ETZEL possible? Would we take harsh measures against such an attempt? What type of electoral system will we have - proportional, other? Will Mapai maintain its present status? Does the state's economy depend on Jews abroad? Will we institute a new system of taxation? Will we develop a metals industry and the like? Do we know the number of Jews who will return? What is the country's absorption capacity? How many will the state receive over the next 5 years? Will we select young, healthy people, etc.? What are the guarantees against an attempt by extremists (ETZEL) to change the borders? How will we handle the 5 British [electric company employees] kidnapped [by ETZEL on suspicion of espionage]? Will we cover up ETZEL's actions in this regard? By what judiciary, and what law, will we try them?

         After I answered his questions he asked for a picture of me and my signature.

         - Government meeting in the afternoon - from four to eight.