יומנים > יומן - מלא 16/07/1948
Friday, July 16, 1948
The distribution of cannons (on July 11, 1948).
20 mm (anti-aircraft): 2 opposite the Syrian bridgehead, on vehicles. 1 in the Acre sector, 4 in Haifa, 3 in Ramat David, 2 in Sde Dov, 1 in Al-Barriyya [east of Ramle]. 3 Sde Tel Nof, 1 Be'er Tuvia, 1 Julis, 4 Negev.
3.7" Howitzer - 1 - in Jerusalem.
6-Pounders - 2 (?) Givati.
65 mm: 4+4 [2 batteries, each with 4 cannons] opposite the Syrian bridgehead, 4 Acre sector, 4+4 Danny front, 4+4 Harel front, 3+3+4 Givati, 4 Negev.
75 mm - 2 Eastern Upper Galilee, 2 Haifa, 2 Tel Aviv, 1 Jerusalem.
120 mm [mortars] - 2 Jenin front, 2 Danny, 2 Givati, 2 Jerusalem.
6" [mortars] - 4 Jerusalem, 4 [blank space, presumably the intention was to indicate the transfer of another 4 to Jerusalem], 2 North, 2 Danny, 1 Givati.
- Ben-Tzion Be'eri (the Scouts Federation), Shmuel Tagger [Avi-Ad] regarding the eleventh-graders in training - 1,400, of whom 400 are in settlers' core groups. Those who have already joined the Palmach will be lost to the settlement [enterprise], not only in terms of the losses but also because of their specializations [militarily, which will lead to their dispersion throughout the IDF].
Despite a government decision that 17-year-olds not be sent to the army - there are [among them] cases of abduction and propaganda, and groups are being smuggled into the Palmach. Therefore they propose: If it is decided that 17-year-olds will be conscripted, then they will be sent to abandoned villages for the sake of settlement as occupying units.
I doubt this is desirable. Youths won't sit around in abandoned villages when there's a war. This is good material for the Artillery Corps.
- The "Flying Fortresses" arrived. [On its way here] one of them shelled Cairo - near the king's residence. It dropped 8 bombs of 250 kg each, and another 8 of 70 kg. The pilots are pleased. The two "Fortresses" went to El-''Arish and Gaza. They might have accidentally shelled Rafah [Rafiah]. Only one of them has a gunsight. This morning they set out to shell El-''Arish. Returned at 7:30 to Tel Aviv and went to their place [base]. Our pilots are full of enthusiasm. Tonight they're going to Damascus.
In Shfar'am Yigael [Yadin] and Moshe Zadok discovered (yesterday at 6 p.m.) that all the Arabs of Shfar'am are roaming around the town. They didn't search for weapons, and only 60 [of our] men are stationed in the police [station] and another 20 in the stronghold. An order was issued to declare curfew and search for weapons, to leave the Druze alone and take [weapons] from others.
Yigael realized there weren't enough forces to go to Tarshiha. [Only] one battalion is stationed between Rosh HaNikra and southern Acre. A second battalion, under [Yehuda] Werber, went to Shfar'am; [Norman] Weiner's battalion [the 79th Battalion] created the impression of a powerful force as it moved through the villages, and people started fleeing the villages.
It was therefore decided to go to Zippori - Nazareth. There's news that after Qawuqji went east, the villages of [around] Nazareth started panicking. Movement in our valley is difficult because of gunfire from the Nazareth hills. Haim [Laskov]'s armored battalion and infantry will go to Nazareth. The order is to go to Zippori and ''Ailut, and if there's no resistance - to proceed from there.
It turns out that with the current force we can't move in the Eastern Galilee. There's a state of deadlock. Two nights ago we launched an attack - not a particularly aggressive one - and retreated by day, although the Syrians had fled at night. Tonight PIAT operators will conduct an ambush.
Spirits in the army are down, because they don't have weapons against cannons and tanks. (Yohanan [Ratner] says that the Science [Corps] has large PIATs, but for lack of money they "sold" them - he doesn't know to whom).
In Sejera things are quiet - apparently the Arabs had heavy losses. The bravery of the local Arabs and the Iraqis [from the Arab Liberation Army] is being noted.
Last night there was an attack against Tira by Hadari (Lublini). At 6 a.m. our men seized the stronghold between the Budenheimer [a guesthouse on Mount Carmel] and Tira. The villagers are still holding onto one stronghold.
This morning news arrived of an attack on Qula. Alexandroni called for help. Yitzhak Sadeh [commander of the 8th Brigade] was sent there. A field corps of Kiriati captured Salbit [Sha'alvim].
- Latrun, evidently, hasn't yet been captured. Yesterday Givati returned 300 men [to the Personnel Department]. They'll be sent to the Galilee. There's news that the Egyptians sent a reinforcement from Beit Jubrin towards Negba. The plan was to go at night [along the Danny front] via two prongs - to Beit Sira in the north and Latrun in the south. The outcomes are not known.
Yisrael Carmi's incursion force [the "Ninth" Battalion] went to help Be'erot Yitzhak, which was attacked yesterday.
- I discussed the use of scientific means with Yigael [Yadin] and Yohanan [Ratner].
- Shkolnik [Levi Eshkol] remarks that Yaakovson has a lot of expenses, although he isn't receiving a salary, and the delegation to America should be told not to create the impression that E.I.s [the Eretz-Israelis] are wasteful.
In Shkolnik [Eshkol]'s view, bringing the Eretz-Israelis [subject to draft] from America (about a thousand men) will cost about P£ 150,000.
At 11 Yigael [Yadin] phoned me [to say] that Dan Tolkowsky had returned with the "Hammers" [the "Flying Fortresses"]: This morning they bombed El-''Arish, properly pummeled the airport. Dropped 7½ tons. Returned safely.
- News arrived that our forces have conquered Zippori and ''Ailut [as part of Operation Dekel].
- Once again a delegation from the Galilee settlements. I informed them of the situation, which has improved slightly and might improve a bit more. They raised the question of garrison battalions. [Haim] Gvati suggests that aside from the locals (from settlements) and conscripted elderly, immigrants also be sent to garrison battalions.
The rifles were returned to the settlements, with something supplementary. They also sent [light] machine guns, [heavy] machine [gun]s, and a few PIATs.
- At 12 Moshe [Sharett] telephoned [to say] that an American proposal was accepted and a truce will begin on Monday [July 19] in the early morning.
- Alon [Yehuda Arazi] reports (in an undated letter) that he's already sent the 2,100 rifles, and that 19 [Italian] Isotta Fraschini 20 mm cannons and ammunition for them are being sent (were sent or will be sent?) on the first of the month. He is making an effort to have 50 75 mm cannons sent on the twentieth of this month.
Teddy [Kollek] reports (in a letter from July 9) that Davidke [Nameri] is sending a first ship named [of the type known as] "patrol craft," 175 feet long. They're hoping to send another 2 frigates and two LCI [Landing Craft Infantry] within the next two weeks.
With the arrival of Yossi [Hamburger-Harel] they're addressing the matter of 5 or 6 T-Boats [torpedo boats] but it's difficult. The ship with the tanks that was supposed to leave on June 12 is about to leave on July 15. On the day of the letter's dispatch they were about to fly 6 high-quality bombers [P-51 Mustang fighter-bombers] and the two Constellations (apparently they weren't able to get them out).
- [Emanuel] Tzur reports that the second "Zvuv" [Hebrew for "fly" - a term used for Mosquito aircraft] will depart on the 16th of this month.
- Gershon Zak [head of the naval services]: The "fleet" has three Corvette ships. three police boats and two ships of 250 tons each. The navy has 1,600 [men]: 500 on the ships, 500 in the shipyards, 100 men in the Haifa port to defend the port, the rest in various services. The budget for July reaches P£ 80,000.
- At one [o'clock] a government meeting (until three). A cable arrived from [UN Secretary-General] Trygve Lie regarding the Security Council resolution on a cease-fire in Jerusalem 24 hours after [adoption of] the resolution (this means tomorrow morning [July 17] at 5:45), and throughout the country 72 hours after the resolution (the same time on Monday [July 19], if the mediator does not set an earlier time).
- Yigael [Yadin] came: A large Arab [Syrian] attack has begun in the Galilee. [They] captured Yarda [in the Operation Brosh sector]. In the center we pulled out of Qula. Our attack against Latrun [actually - the Ayalon mountain ridge] last night was not successful. Harel ran into lethal fire from the Legion. On the other hand, Yiftah conquered (albeit without resistance) Bir Ma'in and Burj, which overlook the Ramallah (Beit Sira) road. Yigael [Yadin] is heading out to Qubab to assess whether we can conquer Latrun tonight.
I telegraphed David Shaltiel our decision regarding the truce, and Yigael [Yadin] added a cable [saying] that if it isn't possible both to breach the Old City and to conquer Sheikh Jarrah by morning - the conquest of Sheikh Jarrah should be prioritized.
[We] should be concerned about an intensification of Arab attacks -in both the Galilee and the south, and maybe also [by] the Legion. If a truce starts in Jerusalem tomorrow morning, the Legion will be able to relocate its cannons. We too will have to remove our heavy weapons from Jerusalem immediately.
Tonight the "Fortresses" will bomb the Syrian positions [at the Mishmar HaYarden bridgehead] and Damascus. Tomorrow and the next day we'll have to focus on bombing the south.
- In the evening we dined with the American delegation [of the UJA] and clarified the upcoming activities in America - to ensure that things be done according to Eretz-Israel's needs - and not the needs of American wheeler-dealers.
- At ten Moshe [Carmel] phoned me [to say] that Nazareth had been conquered at 8:30.