יומנים > יומן - מלא 30/05/1948
Sunday, May 30, 1948
Yesterday one Messerschmitt did not participate [in the attack on Ashdod], and this morning in the center [in the Tulkarm attack] one was forced to land, the airplane was damaged and the pilot was injured. There remain only 3 pilots for the Messerschmitts. Tonight two Messerschmitts arrived, and the C-46 that brought one of them shelled Ashdod on its way back.
The distribution of heavy weapons - cannons: 6 in Tel Aviv as a reserve, 6 with Shlomo, 3 in the Upper Galilee, 3 in the north, 3 in the center, 6 in the south and the Negev, 1 for training, 28 total (two under repair?).
4.2" mortars - 2 in Latrun, 2 in the north, 2 in the center, 3 on reserve, 2 in the Negev, 1 [for] Harel - 12 total.
I raised the question of Ramle-Lod. These two places are dangerous in every respect, could serve as a base for attacking Tel Aviv and the settlements and [the road] to Jerusalem. Conversely, their conquest would liberate territory and forces and sever Arab transport routes. Isn't it worth bringing down [southward] some of the force operating in the "far" north? According to the plan - Kiriati needs to mobilize against Lod tonight, and include light harassment (with cannons) of Ramle.
At ten to four Amos Sochaczewer [Horev] arrived from Latrun. Turns out they didn't attack at all. One battalion was an hour and a half late, a second battalion was also late, and they issued an order not to attack.
Tonight [Golani] took Lajjun [Megiddo police]; they didn't go to Jiftlik [in the Jordan Valley, south of Damiyah Bridge].
- Young Sieff [son of Lord Sieff] arrived from London. There are P£ 1.6 million [there] for the United [Jewish] Appeal. The money is frozen.
He advises that we invite Major Bender [sp.], who was in charge of the anti-air defense of Haifa during the war and is prepared to work for us, on the condition that we ensure his family's safety. He also advises inviting (anti-Zionist) Martin Solomon [sp.], son of (Zionist) Colonel Solomon, a naval officer, director of an English and European shipping company, adventurer, to serve as a businessman [as it turned out, in naval logistics].
- I drafted a proposed military oath, relying on the text of the Haganah of - with changes stemming from the existence of the state and mandatory conscription.
The distribution of heavy weapons - 20 mm anti-air: 4 [for] Yiftah Brigade in the north, 5 [for] Golani in the Jordan Valley, 4 [to] Tel Aviv (airfield, Reading [Power Station], port), 2 [to] Ekron, 4 [to the] Negev, 1 on a Sherman tank (?), 2 [for the] navy. 2 were lost, 1 is in the hands of the national weaponeer (Frensky [Manes Pratt]) for testing, 25 total.
ZB-37 ([Besa] anti-air machine gun): Harel 5, Golani 2, Alexandroni 6, Kiriati 8, Givati 4, Etsiyyoni 2, Bulgarians (?) [one of the terms for the Palmach] 2, Negev [unit of] jeeps 10, Negev [Brigade] 7, Yiftah 2, Shlomo's brigade [the 7th Brigade] 10, navy 5, air force: in Tel Aviv 5, in Ekron 4, in Ramat David 5, total 14; transportation 1, Eliahu's brigade [the 8th Brigade] 8, industry 2, Chief of Staff camp 1, weapons course 1, total 90.
There are more 3" mortars in the warehouse (how many?) without sights.
- In the afternoon I received the following cables:
From Alexandroni: Tira [in the Sharon plain] hadn't been conquered yet because of imprecision in targeting the heavy weaponry at night. If they receive additional munitions for auxiliary weapons, they'll try to conquer it during the day.
Rosh Ha'Ayin - the fortress and the Water Institute - were conquered [by an IZL unit]. There are Arab concentrations surrounding Kefar Yona, but so far they haven't shown signs of activity. One of our planes fell to the sea, the pilot was injured and rescued, and is now at Alexandroni's Camp Dora.
Etsiyyoni: Relatively quiet during the past 24 hours. Evacuation of the Old City has been completed. About 300 [Jewish] prisoners were sent away. A few shells were fired from Shu'afat, and there were a number of injuries.
Golani: Zar'in (which we conquered) was fired on this morning by enemy shrapnel shells. One of our men was slightly injured. Tel Qasir (near Tsemah?) [today Tel Katzir] was successfully shelled by us. Yesterday the enemy shelled the settlement of Kinneret and the Yavne'el road. There were no losses. Tonight we'll mobilize against Lajjun [the Megiddo police] and Mazar (the earlier notification about the conquest of Lajjun was premature).
Teddy [Kollek] writes (May 23, 1948) regarding the "Mexico plan" [regarding the purchase of fighter aircraft and various explosives in the US and Canada and their delivery to Israel, as well as other arms purchases]: 3 on the 25th with equipment and air transport - $90,000; 2 on the 17th also 90,000; 12 Ventura (medium bombers) in Canada including air transport 100,000, 6 P-47 (fighter planes) with equipment and loading 100,000; 20 P-51 (without equipment) with loading 220,000; flying the three Constellations 50,000; tanks (how many?) transportation to ship, loading, bribes (!) etc. 100,000; ship - rental fee for transporting equipment (tanks and planes etc.) 100,000; weapons: 5,000 37mm shells (for tanks) 500,000; 60 50-caliber machine guns (for fighter planes) 200,000; 2 million 06 30' bullets (for 500 [heavy] machine guns we received for free - where are they?])[ - 80,000; 1,900 bombs, each 100 pounds (for bombers) 50,000; continuing enlistment of pilots, salaries for families, etc. 100,000; miscellaneous expenses 50,000; in total $1,430,000.
Teddy and his associates are now arranging a delivery: two B-17s with weaponry, three B-25 with weaponry, Constellation with spare parts, 12 Ventura without weaponry. This delivery will cost nearly $300,000 and could take place within 10 days.
They're exploring the possibility of airlifting a few P-47 in a DC-4 [Skymaster, a four-engine cargo and passenger aircraft], which will cost $15,000 for the plane and its equipment, and 20,000 to fly, but it's not certain that this is possible.
Sokhlim (what's that?) [should be - zohlim, i.e., half-tracks] - they want to send by ship. They also want to send [the following] from America: 500 0.50[-inch]-caliber machine guns with 4,000 spare barrels that Alon [Y. Arazi] received as a gift, 2 million 30'66 bullets [should be - 0.300], 2,000 aerial bombs, 20 P-51 and 60 0.50-caliber machine guns with a million bullets for fighter planes. Teddy objects to Alon coming to America.
Alon reports (from yesterday) that ten 75 mm cannons were sent to Marseille and will be dispatched along with tanks on the 2nd of the month (June?). A ship from Algeria is due to arrive on the 1st or 2nd of the month (June?) with 13 heavy machine [gun]s and more.
- Government meeting at four. Before seven, when the meeting ended, [we received] the cable regarding the Security Council's resolution on a cease-fire two nights from now. I rushed to Ramat Gan [the General Staff] and called for Yigael [Yadin], Yohanan [Ratner], and Yisrael [Galili], and suggested that we immediately issue an order to Yigal [Allon] to head out before tomorrow morning with at least one battalion so that we can conquer Lod and Ramle, if they manage to conquer Latrun tonight, and to transfer another battalion to Jerusalem tonight to ensure that Jerusalem holds on, and that we'll try to harass the Triangle from Jenin and Tulkarm, [so that] first of all, the cease-fire - if the Arabs obey it this time - will find us better situated than right now. Yigael S. [Yadin] is concerned about the Galilee's exposure and doesn't believe that [Allon] will manage to arrive before Tuesday. We decided to demand that one battalion be deployed as soon as possible so that it can be here before noon tomorrow, even if this means having to halt the attacks against Sa'sa' and so on.
The village of Mazar on [Mount] Gilboa is in our hands. Ratner reports that Lajjun has also been conquered, although the Arabs attacked and took it from us, [but] we reconquered it.
Mondak [Bar-Tikva], who arrived this evening from the south and from Latrun, informs me that the Egyptian column is not so large - he believes it has about 200 vehicles, unarmored. Possibly our bombardment yesterday drove many of them away.
Nahum Sarig, who arrived by plane from the Negev, also isn't very concerned about this column. If he receives support [auxiliary] weapons he'll be able to stand up to it. I asked him if he could conquer Beersheva. If he's able to expose the west and concentrate all his forces, he'll have the capacity to conquer Beersheva. But in order to do so before the cease-fire, he'll need to know tomorrow.