יומנים > יומן - מלא 27/05/1948

[Thursday,] May 27, 1948 No news so far from Shlomo [7th Brigade]. We captured a battery of 3 cannons in the Negev and destroyed it (they couldn’t carry it). A unit of jeeps attacked Gaza to create a nuisance and returned safely to their bases. At three Harel [Yitzhak Rabin] said that Bidu and Ramallah should be bombed. He asked that planes be prepared for the day – because today will be hard. In the Jordan Valley the enemy shelled Tsemah. In order to resume training, we decided to transfer Eliahu’s brigade [8th Brigade] to Yitzhak Sadeh, who will also establish a commando unit with the help of Moshe Dayan [89th Battalion]. The training will take place at three centers: in the south, the center, and the north. Aside from the south, bombardments will be concentrated around Jerusalem (Ramallah, Beit Jubrin, Bidu, among others). [Yohanan] Ratner saw the fortifications in the south. They’re good, but not camouflaged, and it’s easy to take aerial photographs of them, so they signal to the enemy that there are concentrations here. We need commissars for settlements, to issue instructions regarding conduct. Yosef [Avidar]: Supplies have almost come to a halt in practice, because [Mordechai] Zagagi is not signing purchase orders and [Yosef] Yaakovson issued an order to stop making purchases. I’ll summon [Eliezer] Kaplan to sort out the matter. – Yehuda [Ben-Horin] arrived from Prague. [We’re] about to purchase another 30 Messerschmitts, 30 Spitfires (Model 9, the latest), 9 Mosquito [multi-role combat aircraft]. These can come here on their own power. They’re also prepared to sell us 30 tanks (16 tons each), and another 30 at the end of June. And 20 more 9-ton tanks. They might accept 10 million on credit for six months, with 20% payable immediately. According to Teddy [Kollek, purchasing coordinator in the US]: 3 B-25 [Mitchell bombers], 2 B-17 [“Flying Fortresses”], 5 fighter planes (don’t know what type or how he plans to send them) will be sent from America – this is what Teddy told Shaul [Avigur] by phone. When asked how and by what route – he said he couldn’t specify over the phone. He has 5 P-38 [Lightning fighter aircraft] based on an agreement with Amitai [Ben-Gurion’s own nickname] (?) (B-25 + B-17 – bombers, P-38 – fighter planes). He has 12 Venturas. And Shaul [unclear word, evidently – gave authorization] on the condition that he buy them [only] if equipment and reserve parts are available. I telegraphed Golda regarding cash and possibilities, and Teddy – how and when he would fly the aircraft that he telephoned Shaul about. By Monday [May 31] the remaining Messerschmitts will arrive, i.e., another 3. Afterwards another 15 that were already bought will arrive, and their delivery will be like the previous 10 [1-2 per night]. There’s an option for another 15. We have a pilots’ school – for experienced ones, to receive advanced training in Messerschmitts. Now we’re opening a school for beginners – 3 months. Alon [Y. Arazi] has ten 75 mm cannons in Algiers. The difficulty in getting them out is that the ship has to be able to reach its country of destination (Nicaragua). There are 10 tanks in Marseilles (12.2 tons). There are 200 tons of TNT in Italy. Munya [Mardor] also has another 60 tons of TNT. Shaul [Avigur] is asking to send Nora (the ship that brought Ehud’s first shipment) back. Shaul is calling for Danny [Zeev Schind] to return. Shaul is insisting that Eliahu Sacharoff remain in Europe a while longer and coordinate everything to do with the air fleet. There are offers for fighter planes in Italy. Alon [Y. Arazi] has 26 tanks (16 tons each) in America. Teddy reports that they’ll leave for here in two weeks. Ya’akov D. [Dori] suggests that Freddy [Fredkins] and [Ami] Kuperman [sp.] return. At the moment Kuperman is sick. We can bring fuel (100 octane) from Czechoslovakia by way of the Danube to Bulgaria, and from there by tanks [containers]. ]Dov Ber[ Shmurak arrived from Jerusalem this morning, at the request of B. Joseph [Dov Yosef]. They left at 6 a.m. Didn’t see any planes on the way. All the settlements that were in our hands [in Jerusalem] – are [still] in our hands, including Ramat Rahel. Sheikh Jarrah and the police school are in Arab hands. Yesterday the Arabs delivered an ultimatum [to the defenders] at the Old City, that unless they surrender within 12 hours – they’ll shell the Hurva [synagogue]. Our men aren’t inside the Hurva. The Arabs are positioned at Mar Elias [south of Ramat Rahel] (not in large numbers – according to two Arab prisoners); in the north they took out some of the forces [that were] in Sheikh Jarrah and advanced to Bidu and the radar station. The Arabs are in ‘Ein Kerem, but not in large numbers. Apparently they removed the cannons from Jerusalem, because they’re only firing with mortars now [the cannons had been transferred to the forces at Sha’ar HaGai]. There’s bread, sugar, and tea [in the city] for 10 more days. Water for three months. [The Arabs] are trying to bomb the reservoir in Romema. There are no Arabs in the new city. The bombardment didn’t cause many deaths, but many were injured by shards. Our soldiers are waiting for ammunition – they believe they can hold on. Ramat Rahel is destroyed and bombed out. Yesterday they used flamethrowers there successfully. The man on the street is being brave. Today the gasoline ran out. Yigael [Yadin]: We intercepted a cable from Gaza [saying] that they captured two Jews who are infected with malaria, and [they] issued an order not to drink the water. There’s a cable from Shlomo [7th Brigade] from 11 o’clock [saying] that they captured Beit Jiz [today – Kibbutz Harel]. The rest of the plan wasn’t implemented because of a misunderstanding (unbelievable!). We might head out to Hulda in the afternoon. – Paul Shulman proposes: 1) To instruct our representatives abroad to be on the lookout for news about the naval force in Egypt. 2) To buy naval weaponry as listed (twenty 3” – 5” dual-purpose naval cannons; fifty 40 mm Bofor cannons, thirty 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons, ship radars, range calibrators, smoke generators, gyro-compasses[)]. Until it arrives he wants BZ-37 [Besa medium machine guns], four per ship. 3) To purchase naval vessels. 4) To arm all our commercial ships. 5) Additional manpower. Y. Sacharoff [Yehezkel Sahar]: To date he hasn’t received a single commander for the police. He needs 3 district commanders (Tel Aviv, Haifa, the Galilee – he’s currently appointing someone to the Negev), 5 sub-district commanders [out of 7] (Tel Aviv, Netanya, Petah Tikva, Hadera, Zebulun, Haifa, Galilee – he has [people] for the first two). He has 850 police, mainly old [appointments], only 150 new ones. He wants Nahum Ziv-Av (for the Tel Aviv District – from Be’er Tuvia to Kefar Vitkin); Levi Avrahami or Yehoshua Aluf (for the Haifa District – from Kefar Vitkin to Lebanon, eastward to Nahalal); Levi Avrahami is in Shai [the Hagana’s Information Service]; Aluf is manager of the Physical [Education] Department in the Vaad Leumi [General Council]. For the Galiliee – Yitzhak Chechick (from Dan to Nahalal). As sub-district commanders – Amos [Ben-Gurion] (Petah Tikva – Bet Dagan), Aryeh Diamant – (mukhtar [and commander], Mishmar Ha’Emek) for rural Haifa [Zebulun sub-district], Avraham Kremer [Krue] (Shai – Haifa), Avraham Selinger (as commander of the city of Haifa – currently in administrative governance, assistant to Bergman [district commander]). He needs 100 rooms – in Sarona there are 12 rooms (in two houses). He wants either the Surveyors’ House [on Yehuda Halevi Street] or the Red House. Corruption is rampant among the former police, and nearly all the officers took bribes. Why did he accept them? He had no other options. A special Shai should be formed, linked only to the prime minister. As to apartments – I advised that he take the German Colony in Jaffa. He claimed that if there’s peace they’ll have to leave. Not necessarily. [Issachar] Sitkov and [Yizhar] Harari – of the General [Zionists]. They propose Sitkov and Teichman (Haifa, recruiting center) for administrative departments. I said that I know Sitkov and he has a place in the management of security affairs, but not as a party representative. I won’t agree to an inter-party arrangement on security matters. [Peretz] Bernstein wants to leave the Defense Committee, and he’s about to be replaced by [Yizhar] Harari (there’s also another candidate). – At 5:15 Shlomo [Shamir] came. They wanted [planned] to take Beit Jiz and Beit Susin. Why not more? They were tired. Why didn’t you shell Latrun? – If it’s shelled, then it should be occupied. The Alexandroni battalion [the 32nd Battalion] has 46 missing. The battalion left yesterday morning at 6. Shlomo is planning to take Beit Susin tonight. Nothing else? – Don’t have the strength, don’t know what the enemy forces are. How many men are there? – 1,800 men. Battalion A ([Yehuda] Werber) has 600 men, untrained; Battalion B ([Zvi] Hurwitz) 450, untrained; Armored (Haim [Laskov]) 428; Artillery 120; Engineers 35; signalmen 30; and services 120. Men for Harel – 450 men with rifles [set out] from processing. After much deliberation we agreed: Tonight we capture Beit Susin and make an effort to transfer Harel men to Beit Mahsir; tomorrow a Givati battalion [the 52nd Battalion – under Ya’akov] (Prolov), 450 men, joins Shlomo. On Saturday night they’ll attack Latrun in order to occupy it. After the occupation of Latrun, Laskov’s battalion will joint Givati to operate in the south. This might postpone the occupation of Ramle, but the bombardment of Ramle will proceed beginning tomorrow. Rudy [Amnon Zair] arrived from Sdom. He left there this morning. Everyone in Bet Ha’Arava and northward transferred to Sdom. They took all the weapons with them. There are 700 people in Sdom, including 20 children and 30 women who should be evacuated. There are also 100 elderly – parents of workers. There’s food for a month. No Arabs in the surrounding area. In Safia [Tzo’ar] [sp.] there are 60 Legionnaires, in Mazra’a [the Lisan Peninsula in the Dead Sea] 100-120 Legionnaires. There’s no contact between Jews and Arabs. They’re building fortifications [shelters] against aerial attacks. There are 4 motorboats, 8 barges, one of them a incursion vessel. 400 rifles, a lot of ammunition (some of it damaged) 11 Lewis guns [light machine guns used by the Jewish settlements’ police], 3 [light] machine guns, 1 Spandau, 3 “Blacks” [Schwarzlose machine guns], three 3” mortars, six 2” mortars, 4 PIATs. – Cable from B. G. [Dov Yosef] about the food provisions Jerusalem needs for week: 140 tons of bread, 3 tons of egg powder, 10 tons of milk powder, 10 tons of preserved fish, legumes 10, grains 10, yellow [hard] cheese 5, jam 5 (in total 193 tons for a week or 28 tons per day).