יומנים > יומן - מלא 20/05/1948

[Thursday,] May 20, 1948

Yigael [Yadin]: [Our planes] bombed Tsemah during the night. Not Shu'afat. Latrun is in the Arabs' hands, and no convoy has left [Jerusalem]. Arrangements are underway to transfer Shlomo's force [brigade] to Jerusalem. There are 1,500 Legion troops between Jerusalem and Beit Jubrin, 300 leading up to Latrun. In the Triangle there are about 1,500-2,000, in the Jordan Valley about 300-400. In Ramle-Lod, 400-500 Legion troops. In total about 5,000 troops.

       Shlomo's [brigade] is [at the camp] at ''Ein Shemer. [Infantry] Battalion 500, former soldiers, 460 rifles (of which 250 will only arrive this morning), 460 Stens, eight 2" mortars (96 shells each), two 3" mortars, twenty [light] machine guns, 560 Mills [grenades], 140 mines, 3 PIATs [with] 46 shells.

       There's also an armored battalion at ''Ein Shemer: 9 half-tracks, 300 men, half of them trained (10 passengers and 6 operators in a half-track), their weapons are included in the previous list. Haim [Laskov] is in ''Ein Shemer (he worked with half-tracks for a year in the [British] army). In Tel Litvinsky [today - Tel HaShomer] there's a rearguard armored company, 60 men (mechanics, drivers).

       Zvi Hurwitz [Gilat]'s [infantry] battalion - 700 new recruits, commanders from the Training Department, 250 rifles (to be taken from ''Ein Shemer), 15 [light] machine guns, six 2" mortars (from ''Ein Shemer), 3 [heavy] machine guns. Yosef [Avidar] doubts they know how to use a Chauchat [lightweight French machine gun] or a [heavy] machine gun.

       In ''Ein Shemer there are 20 motor vehicles.

       The situation in Jerusalem: One column of the Legion has reached Sheikh Jarrah. The IZL [which controlled the neighborhood] fled. A second column advanced from ''Azariyya to Mount Olive; a third column reached Damascus Gate. Our men control Mount Zion; we have enough men and weapons. It will be hard for the enemy to fight in the streets.

       Harel has 4 infantry companies, an auxiliary weapons company, a total of 700 fighters. They're tired. On their way back from Mount Zion they had an accident - a car turned over, 40 were injured. They have 2 Davids [Davidka mortars], 4 [heavy] machine guns, 2" mortars, [light] machine guns, 18 armored vehicles. All the strongholds west of Latrun are in our hands (except for Qubab [today - Mishmar Ayalon]).

       Kiriati has 250 men (rifles and submachine guns) and Givati has a reserve [there].

       Yigael [Yadin], Yitzhak [Sadeh], Shlomo [Shamir], [Yohanan] Ratner, and Mondek [Moshe Bar-Tikva] think that Harel will leave its strongholds to provoke the Legion in Shu'afat and so on. Over the course of few days (4-5), Shlomo's brigade will receive training in all the means and types of force needed to carry out a "Ramallah" operation and deliver a decisive blow to the enemy around Jerusalem. This way the route will be liberated, and a week from now it will be possible to make food deliveries. Shlomo will carry out the operation, Yigael [Yadin] will plan it, Yitzhak [Sadeh] will help him at headquarters in planning this operation.

       Ratner raises the question of Afula - a key location and point of weakness, accessible to tanks. We need fortifications there. [Eliezer] Aharonov is tasked with fortifying Afula. One battalion [Infantry Corps] will immediately be deployed to that area (the battalion under Eliahu [from the Training Department]). Right now Golani has only 70 fighters in Afula. Eliahu has enough commanders for 3 battalions.

       We need to raise the morale on the farms and send a number of people to the settlements.

       We need to fortify Haifa. To give authority to the area commanders to recruit men for fortifications.

       Ian [Yaacov Yannai, Signal Service commander]: In Egypt they confiscated 100 tons of radio sets. Here we've got 80 tons, there are 170 tons on the way. I advised that the ships be directed to Haifa. As to a radiophone [broadcasting station] for the government, Ian advises assigning this task to [Hillel] Langholz, assistant to Friedberg [Zvi Prihar], the postmaster.

       Friedberg, postmaster: In Tel Aviv and Haifa, Signal [Service] officers are managing postal services. All the clerks are at their service. This practice should be stopped. Ian claims that vital matters will be adversely affected if we do not have [control over] the telephone - especially during the [next] two weeks.

       I suggested that: 1) The postmaster would have authority over all the postal clerks, 2) If necessary, the postal service would request the army's help in constructing [telephone] lines (Ian claims that without the army, no lines can be set up now), 3) The army would have priority in the construction of new lines, 4) The army would be able to issue temporary orders regarding the management of postal services for reasons of security, 5) The army would be entitled to confiscate telephones as needed, 6) A liaison officer between the postal service and the army would be named.

       But I agreed that the status quo would be maintained until the telephone was set up in Ramat Gan [at the offices of the General Staff, which relocated to Ramat Gan from the "Red House" on HaYarkon Street in Tel Aviv].

       - Zelicki [Moshe Carmel] came. He received the order to take command of Golani. However, unless his brigade [Carmeli] is moved to the east, and the Golani Brigade is moved to the west, the change of command won't be of any use.

       I asked him: Really - will the Arabs wait until he switches the positions of the armies?

       He had another proposal: Give him command at both locations, and he would be free to transfer forces from one lcoation to another. I agreed to this on a temporary basis, on the condition that the Upper Galilee is entirely removed from his command.

       Now he has: two Hayish battalions; 1,200 armed men; a third, new battalion (only two companies, one of which was sent east), and a mobile garrison force battalion.

       - I asked to see the order that Boaz [Zvi Ayalon] sent in this regard as instructed by Yisrael [Galili] and here it is: Golani [M. Mann] remains in his brigade, [Mordechai] Makleff is not appointed as commander in the west, but instead Zelicki gets supreme command [in the north].

       These two orders were not in compliance with what had been decided: Montag [Mann] remained in place, Makleff was not given a post. I told Zvi that these two orders were not properly issued, but the instructions were already sent.

       Zvi relayed a demand and a complaint on behalf of [Yitzhak] Chechick about a theft in Jaffa. He suggests summoning Chechick, Yosef [Avidar], [Gad] Meknes, and Yaakovson and making arrangements so that the army receives [supplies from Jaffa] only via request by the Logistics Department and only by way of Chechick.

       I instructed [Hillel] Langholz, Friedberg's assistant, to take 3 radio sets and a telephone for the government.

       - [Ya'akov] Hazan and [Yitzhak] Ben-Aharon suggest asking for help from the Eastern Bloc. Toward this end they suggest sending a covert delegation. Before that [Gershom] Levinson and Lubianker [Pinhas Lavon] came over [and told me] that Finkelstein [Yitzhak Eilam]'s brother is in Warsaw (his name in Warsaw is Natzitz). He was told on behalf of the Russian consul that they were prepared to send us swift aid by airplanes.

       - [Zeev] Schind came. Left Geneva two days ago, was delayed one day in Athens; two days ago the ship left with all [of the weapons stipulated by] Ehud [Avriel]'s second contract. On the same day, a third of the third contract was supposed to reach [a Yugoslav] port (two-thirds have not yet been paid for). Of the two hundred Z.B. [Besa medium machine guns], 52 have already been sent. The rest will also arrive by plane. (The ship that left Naples on Monday is carrying 45 C. [cannons] with all the parts and shells (Alon [Arazi]'s purchase), twelve 120 mm mortars with 12,000 shells, 5,000 German rifles, 5 million bullets, half a million armor-piercing bullets, 2 Hotchkiss and strips for a Hotchkiss machine gun. This ship will arrive in 8 days. On the 22nd of the month, Alon's second ship will set out: 13 Hotchkiss, 300,000 bullets, 1 million Italian bullets, ten 75 mm C. [cannons] (ammunition is already here).)

       2,100 German rifles (Alon's purchase) will be sent by plane, and 200 tons of TNT by special ship (which will set out next week). On the 25th of the month, 10 tanks will be sent by landing craft.

       Munya [Mardor] sent 103 tons of TNT a week ago, a million bullets, and two hundred thousand 6mm detos [detonators]. They're about to send 15 tons of ballistite [explosive chemical].

       According to Schind, 3 more C-46 [Commando planes] (in addition to the two that already arrived here and left) were supposed to reach Italy. Of the twenty Norsemen [aircraft] - 2 are here, 3 left with Freddy [Fredkins] (on Monday), and the rest are having [fuel] tanks installed. A flight course has been set up in Rome for twenty Eretz-Israel men (with assistance from ORT).

       Shaul [Avigur] doesn't want Freddy as coordinator. He's asking for Eliahu Sacharoff along with a serious expert. It's hard to buy any planes at all. Negotiations are underway with the Czechs for another 25 Messerschmitts (the plane alone is $45,000).

       [They're] trying to secure a waystation [an airfield for a stopover]. For the moment they've secured a secret airfield in Czechoslovakia. Negotiations are underway in Yugoslavia. Corsica is serving as a waystation for weapons transfers.

       In light of the new funds [that arrived], Shaul made arrangements for twelve 120 mm C. [cannons] [as it turned out - 120 mm heavy mortars]. They'll be brought by plane. We have 6 vessels in Italy for arms shipments. Two have already left.

       - Government meeting in the evening.

       - At 1 [a.m.] meeting with the Staff. The situation in the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem has improved.