יומנים > יומן - מלא 29/02/1948

Sunday, February 29, 1948

Vilnai [nickname for Vilenchuk]: Tomorrow the chlorates factory in Haifa begins operation. They're starting to make caps. Preparations are underway to produce TEN [fuel] for primaries; he hopes to provide TEN in four weeks. 4,000 landmines have been delivered to be filled. Next week 5,000 anti-personnel mines will be delivered to be filled.240 PIATs were ordered (each at) P£ 50. The Science [Corps] is still conducting experiments on PIAT shells.  There's an order issued today for 5,000 anti-vehicle mines.

       They're making 10,000 smoke grenades (still encountering a few problems). The flamethrowers haven't yet been completed in the Science [Corps]. 10,000 [presumably anti-tank Molotov] cocktails were made - in about a week they'll finish another 15,000.

       During March he'll require P£ 65,000. For now I authorized P£ 20,000 for production and 9,000 for chemistry [chemicals] from the February budget.

       - Kozlowski [Sapir] requires P£ 70,000. He's handling transport (purchasing vehicles, repairs, armoring them), fortifications, housing soldiers. Requires P£ 45,000 for vehicles, 25,000 from the budget for fortifications (including 15,000 for barbed wire). During March he'll require another P£ 50,000 for barbed wire. He doesn't know about the other provisions at this time.

       Fortification is also needed for Gezer, Na'an, Giv'at Brenner, Be'er Tuvia, Kefar Warburg, Bitzaron, Gan Yavne, Hartuv, Kefar Uria (P£ 40,000).

       Zabrasky reports: He received 200,000 as against the loan (added to the 700,000). He'll receive another 100,000. After covering a deficit of 20,000 he now has P£ 180,000.

       - Hertz [Yosef Weitz], [Yisrael] Galili, Shkolnik [Eshkol]: The mood in the Negev is good, and the situation in the settlements has also improved. There are vegetables, chickens, they'll guarantee two cows per settlement. There's also a sense of security along the roads. Relations with the Arabs have also improved (outside of Beersheva. Here no one leaves or enters). Negotiations over land purchases have begun. The [water] pipeline has to be extended to Revivim, armored [vehicles] and fighters have to be added. Right now there are 800 fighters. At least another 700 fighters have to be added, no later than March 15. Soon another 25 armored vehicles will be fitted (right now there are 26 armored [vehicles] there, two have been confiscated [by the British], a few are under repair). There's housing for 1,000 military personnel. During the next two weeks housing will be created for another 500 soldiers.

       The parts of settlement bodies [designated settlers' groups who have not yet transferred to the Negev] that are still in other areas (about another 400 people) are about to be transferred to the Negev. 4-5 new settlements are to be created (between Halutza and Ofakim [Ramat HaNegev], near Hatzerim, and others). As to Kefar Darom, they decided that the settlement would stay where it is. This settlement will keep many Arabs pinned down.

       There are four police stations in the vicinity of the pipeline: Al-''Amara [sp.] [Tkuma], ''Isluj [near Mashabei Sadeh today], Khirbet Zbala (near Shoval), and Iraq-Suweidan (near Negba). With additional men it will be possible to seize the sites [police stations].

       Weitz is prepared to offer the KKL another project of a million pounds in a different area, for example the Galilee: additional people, roads, water, fortifications, housing, transport. The lands of Ashrafiyya and Farwana (south of Bet She'an) can be purchased - there's an experimental station of the government [there]. The Arabs left and fled. If we provide two departments and Jewish officials - we'll take over the place. The KKL has another 3,000 dunams in Hamra, bordering Tirat Zvi to the southwest. The KKL also has land in Gilboa, above Bet Alfa - 4,000 dunams. There's also land in Samra [today Kibbutz HaOn] - 1,700 dunams, 700 of which is on a hill, 1,000 on a plain. In the

Yarmuk area there are 1,500 dunams (near Sha'ar HaGolan).

       Between Kadesh [Naftali] and Manara the KKL has about 2,000 scattered dunams and the government has 5,000 dunams, unworked [land].

       Between Mishmar HaYarden and Rosh Pinna there's Tuba - 2,500 dunams for KKL. Near Tuba there's Mansurat al-Hayat [sp.], government [lands], about 6,000 dunams. There are land tenants who are willing to transfer their rights to us.

       - Gorochowsky [Shraga Goren]: The "Defense" has collected 100,000 gallons [of fuel] and the Yishuv (councils, cooperatives, etc.) 100,000 gallons. But the Yishuv's monthly consumption is 3,000-3,500 tons per month (each ton = 300 gallons). Collection stopped after the incident at the refineries [in late December], and also because of transport difficulties.

       [They] want to build [a fuel] center in Tel Aviv: tanks [containers] and a pipeline in the sea. This will make it possible to collect 20,000 tons (6,000,000 gallons). It requires P£ 100,000. Transport [companies], HaMashbir, and industry owners are willing to invest 50,000. They want Kaplan to provide 50,000 as well. The refineries [in Haifa] need another 300 Jewish workers - and P£ 5,000 per month needs to be allocated as a wage increase for them. P£ 30,000 (or 50,000) is also needed to build armored tankers [containers] for Jerusalem. On March 15 we'll be able to get a fuel ship from Mexico. They're proposing a tax on fuel.

       - Ya'akov [Dori] believes the Negev needs 3-4 battalions (800 men per battalion), and there's need for a strike brigade as a national reserve, 4-5 battalions, partially armored.

       - Kozlowski [Sapir]: Since October 1, 1947, the following vehicles have been purchased:

       In total 645 vehicles, cost 360,743, [we] owe - 249,195.

       Shlomo G. [Gur]: What's the delay with the flamethrowers? There was a delay in preparing the bullets, which worked out. Tomorrow they'll receive the plans and production can begin. They're preparing tear bombs themselves - assembling 6,000 bombs. This will be finished on March 10.

       - The standard contingent for the vehicles during Stage A is 789 (?). [We're] missing 144 for the standard, each on average P£ 750, all together 108,000, with the previous [balance] still need P£ 337,195.

       In Stage B: 1) 12 armored battalions, for each battalion 24 armored, 10 regular [vehicles], in total 288 armored, 120 regular [vehicles]. 2) Infantry battalions, for each battalion 10 armored, 10 regular [vehicles]. 3) Completion of the standard contingent for 23 battalions: for each battalion 42 vehicles, of which, under Standard A - 20 vehicles have been purchased or are about to be purchased. Therefore each battalion still lacks 22 vehicles, 5 of them armored, 17 regular, in total 115 armored, 391 regular [vehicles].

       Overall total: 433 armored [vehicles], 541 regular [vehicles] (details in Kozlowski's memo).

       - Freddy [Fredkins], Eizik [Yehoshua Eshel], and Shiloni [Alex Ziloni]: In Freddy's view, military airplanes cannot be flown from America. Need to ensure that on May 15 [we] will have "fighters" [fighter planes]. Until then it would be good to keep them at a European base, if we could get a base in France or Italy. For every pilot - in Freddy's opinion - ten expert workers on land [ground crew] are needed - which we don't have. I wrote to Ehud [Avriel], [Maurice] Fischer, and Ada [Sereni] on this matter.

       - At 6 p.m. consultation with the Staff regarding D-Day [the day of invasion]: [We'll] need 30 combat battalions (each one 750 men, in total 22,500): 5 battalions for the north, 3 for Haifa, 4 for the center, 2 for Tel Aviv, 4 for the south, 4 for the Negev, 3 for Jerusalem, 5 as national reserve (strike [force]), aside from an enlisted garrison force of 5,000 men, and another 2,000 men for services (and labor brigades? 2,000-3,000 men will be required for labor).

       Right now we have 12,000 men in training or trained.

       The equipment required for the army: 10,000 rifles, 1,200 [light] machine guns, 200 [heavy] machine [guns]s, 200 heavy mortars, 800 light [mortars], 6,000 submachine guns (in total 18,400 arms).

       For the garrison force - 3,000 rifles, 2,000 sub[-machine gun]s, 200 [light] machine guns.

       How will we recruit, train, and equip (and fund!) this force in 10 weeks?

       Right now there are about 1,800-2,000 commanders. [We'll] need another 1,000.