Page Six

THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, September I 5, 1944

Brigadier Frederick H. Kisch

Soldier, Engineer

and

Friend

By MAJOR PETER W. RAINIER

B

RIGADIER FREDERICK
KISCH stands high among those
men whose personal services have had
a direct effect in waging what is soon
to be a victorious war. There were
several causes for the phenomenal suc-
cess against apparently unsurmount-
able obstacles which made the fame of
the British Eighth Army in its North
African campaigns. First was the un-
surpassed fighting qualities of the
soldiers. Next a high degree of train-
ing. Then there was the inspired
-leadership of General Montgomery.
Last, but not least, was the skill and
resource of Eighth Army engineers.
As Chief Engineer of the Eighth
Army, Brigadier Frederick H. Kisch,
R. E., was in command of those en-
gineers for a vital two years of war
and the North African victories are
due in no small measures to his lead-
ership of the essential engineer branch
of the army.
Major Problem: Water
In the summer of 1940 the tiny Army
of the Nile dug in its toes and prepared
to withstand the shock- of tenfold su-
perior axis forces which the sudden
collapse of France had loosed against
it.. Among the most vital require-
ments of that desert army was water.
Reinforcements were hurrying from
the British Empire and those extra
men would need more water than
could be supplied by • tank cars over
the single-track desert railroad which
was the army supply line. To supply
much water in a region where little
water existed . . . that was the prob-
lem which was giving a headache to
General Sir Archibald Wavell's staff.
The solution came from outside the
staff. Back in the base of Alexandria
was a man whose resourceful brain
was to solve many of the problems
of desert warfare which lay in the
three years' campaigning ahead.
Kisch's Order: Pump Forward
That man was Lt. Col. Frederick
Kisch, who was acting as Commander
of Royal Engineers in Alexandria.
"Build a pipeline and pump the
water forward,". roared Kisch from his
office in Mustapha Barracks.
"No pipe and no pumps," wailed the
staff.
But Kisch found pipe and pumps.
Some of the pipe came from oil com-
panies in Palestine, where Kisch's fame
as a Zionist made him a ppwer in the
land with pull enough to separate an
oil company from its pipe. Soon pipe
of every make and size began to roll
by trainloads into the dun fastness of
the western desert. Mine was the job
of laying them and somehow, I got
them joined together and water flow-
ing through them. The water from
Alexandria city pipe was now flowing
a hundred miles westward. The great
desert water supply system had been
conceived and born, the system which
was eventually to deliver 2,000,000 gal-
lons of filtered water daily some 600
miles westward, into conquered Italian
Libya itself. One inspired thought from
a man with a far-seeing brain had
made it possible to maintain in the
desert armies of hitherto undreamed-
of strength.
Rapid Promotion
1 Kisch
•
did not long remain as a
simple Commander of Royal Engineers

Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery,
honorary chairman of t h e Com-
mittee of Sponsors for the Kisch
Memorial Laboratories for Industrial
and Electrical Engineering to be es-
tablished at the Hebrew Institute of
Technology in Haifa, Palestine.

Prefatory Note: The stirring
in a seaport fortress base. He was
story of Brigadier General
soon promoted to Colonel and made
Frederick H. Kisch — the for-
Assistant Chief Engineer for British
mer head of the Jewish
troops in Egypt. Then another prompt
A g e n c y for Palestine —
promotion made him Brigadier, Chief
as gallant soldier and bril-
liant engineer of Montgom-
Engineer in Palestine. But in the sum-
mer of 1941 he was back in Egypt
ery's British Eighth Army is
again. The little Army of the Nile had
told here by one of his Staff
by now grown into the powerful Brit-
Officers, a well known engi-
ish Eighth Army and Kisch was ap-
neer and writer. To honor and
pointed its Chief Engineer, an appoint-
perpetuate the memory of
ment he was to hold until his death in
Kisch, Memorial Laboratories
action in Tunisia, two years . and 2,000
for Industrial and Electrical
'miles away.
Encineering will ne built at
I first met Kisch in Cairo at the
the Hebrew Institute of Tech-
house of my friend Brigadier—then
nology in Haifa. The project
Colonel—John Marryatt, just after our
in under the auspices of the
abortive attempt to relieve Tobruk in
American Society for the Ad-
the fall of 1941. Kisch was a big burly
vancement of the Hebrew In-
man who looked like a genial father
stitute of Technology. Louis
bear in his khaki British battle-dress.
G. Redstone is president of the
He was a slow speaker and gave the
Detroit chapter.
Brigadier Frederick H. Kisch, late Chief
impression of giving thought to the ut-
Engineer of Montgomery's British Eighth
terance of even the most commonplace
°Army; Political Head, Jewish Agency for Pal-
remark. The clue to his real thoughts
estine (1922-1931) ; 'Trustee, Hebrew Institute
were his eyes. At . times they twinkled
of Technology, Haifa. Palestine. Killed in ac-
Prophesied Victory
happily, at times they - grew cold and
tion in Tunisia, April 7, 1943.
On Oct. 24, 1942, Kisch and
hard as steel. "Tell me about the bat-
I watched the opening bar-
tle," I begged as' he sat slumped in an
rage from a high water tower near El
of officers walked across the enemy
easy chair.
Alamein station. Kisch arrived on the
minefield towards the now abandoned
"It was a jolly good battle. We near-
water tower breathing hard from the
enemy position. Many times had Kisch
ly got away with it .. • but not quite."
climb up the steel ladder. He turned
walked unscathed across enemy mine-
His lips were smiling but his eyes
fields. But this tiime one of his party
and watched the western horizon
warned me the subject was a sore one.
kicked the concealed trip wire of a
where an occasional flash betokened
I sensed bitterness in his heart over'
picket mine. The mine exploded scat-
the firing of an enemy gun. That gun-
our defeat for there was_ no stouter
tering jagged pieces of metal. Kisch
fire was normal . . . the measured
hater of the Hun_ than this great Zion-
and his group of officers were killed.
breathing of an entrenched army front.
ist who at the age of 50 had left his
We buried Kisch nearby, close to the
"By God, Peter, they're unsuspecting,"
beautiful home on Mt. Carmel to. join
little Ankerit railroad station. Three
he turned to me. "We're going to
the forces which fought for freedom.
slender eucalyptus trees stand there
take them by surprise. Monty has
Got His Own Information
on the barren expanse of desert.
fooled Rommel. By Heavens we'll
When Kisch wanted frontline in-
f smash through them. Tonight we're
formation he went and obtained it him-
going to BREAK Rommel." He pant-
self, driving unconcerned through
ed afresh in his emotion.
minefields and the din. of bursting
I pulled a flask of rum from my
shells. Once, during the El Alamein
pocket. We drank to VICTORY. We
battle, I perchance encountered him
looked shamefaced at one another
up near the front line.
wondering if we had been theatrical.
"What the devil
By HAROLD RUSTEN
are you doing up
here?" he bellowed
MONTEVIDEO
at me. "I won't
The course of human events, like
have > my officers
that of the sun, is frequently from
taking unnecessary
east to west. Modern civilization arose
chances. If you've
in the east and was brought westward.
got work to do tin-
The scourge of Fascism first fell upon
der fire, then no
the western hemisphere—the Old
risks are too great
World, and the lifting of that scourge
for you to take. But
seems to be following the same pat-
I won't have my
tern.
officers risking val-
The year 5705 will very likely see
uable lives sight-
the removal of Fascist oppression from
seeing. Get to hell
the Jews of Europe. On Argentina,
out of here."
the chief stronghold of Fascism in
I went. I would
the western hemisphere, the plight- of
as soon have mon-
the Jews seems destined to grow
worse.
keyed with a light-
ening bolt as try to
Argentina saw its first large Jew-
talk back to Kisch
ish settlethent when the Jewish Cot-
The grave of Brigadier Frederick H. Kisch—a wooden
when he was in a
onization Association established sev-
*Star of David on the barren dessert near Ankerit in Tunisia
rage. But that
eral colonies in 1891, although there
night in his dug-
is evidence that there were Jews there
Out. I explained that I had been re-
as early as the 16th century. When
Zionism Closest to His Heart
connoitering a section of my" pipeline
the ICA started its activities, there
Kisch prophesied aright: We did
were about 1,000 Jews in the country.
which the Australians had recaptured
smash Rommel in that battle. Then for
in the attack of the night before.
Today there- are 400,000, three-fourths
six months we pursued him towards
of whom live in Buenos Aires.
Kisch grunted when I had finished
Tunisia, literally wading through a sea
Until the rise of Hitler, the position
my explanation. `,"you should have sent
of mines on that 2,000 mile march.
of the Argentina Jews was secure.
a Junior officer."
During that 2,000 mile via dolorosa I
They moved freely in all circles of
"What about you; Sir?" I queried.
saw Kisch almost daily. From time
society and engaged in the professions
He glared at me for a moment, then
to time he would appear at my camp
and commerce and industry. In the
burst into a roar. "Dammit, Peter,
where I was boring for water at fifty
late '30's native fascists, encouraged
you've got me. I suppose I shouldn't
mile intervals to keep the advancing
by the Germans; began small-scale
* army supplied. Sometimes he would
have been up there either."
but persistent agitation against t h e
stay the night with me. On these oc-
His Reckless Courage
Jews. Their activities were frowned
casions he would always talk of the
But somewhere beneath Kisch's
upon by the government until 1941,
Zionist movement as we lay rolled in
reckless courage and coolness in danger -
when Ramon. Castillo became acting
our blankets in the darkness, smoking
was a tension which tiny things could
president. During the Castillo regime,
the last smoke of . the day.
make erupt. During the decisive El
anti-Jewish agitation increased.
s
That was the subject
nearest his
Alamein battle of October, 1942, Kisch
heart. .To him the
war
-:
was but
an un
and I were living in adjoining dugouts
The overthrow of Castillo by the
fortunate interruption to the establish-
Junta of Colonels, led by Arturo Ra-
near my main pumping station. One
ment of a Jewish home in Palestine,
mirez was a signal to the anti-Jewish
night we were dive-bombed contin-
to the project to which he had dedicat-
groups that all bars were down.
uously. Repeated near-hits rocked the
ed his life. So Kisch was flinging his
dugouts and kept them full of dust
It was at this. point that President
full energy into winning the war, to
Roosevelt issued a scathing denuncia-
and the fumes of high explosive. After
shorten it so that the evolution of Zion
a sleepless night I emerged into the
tion of the suppression of the Jewish .
could proceed.
daylight, badly wilted. I saw Kisch
press. Within a few hours, the papers'
publication rights were restored.
standing in the doorway of his nearby
His Work Almost Done
dugout, smoking. a cigarette.
„The most recent overt anti-Jewish
After the battle of the Mareth Line
measure by the authorities was the
came the battle of the Wadi Ankerit
"What a hellish night, Sir," I re-
establishment of virtual "g he t t o
on April 7, 1943. Again we broke the
marked.
benches" in the Argentine schools.
enemy resistance. The end of the
"Hellish night? What do you mean?
Jewish children, who do not receive
enemy forces in Tunisia was now in
I slept like a top."
the religious instruction introduced in
sight. Kisch's work was almost done.
"Didn't the bombing keep you
There remained - but the final clean-up
the schools following the order mak-
awake?"
ing teaching of the Catholic religion
battle. Rumor had it that after the
"Bombs! Keep me awake! I did hear
Tunisian campaign Kisch was to be
compulsory, were placed in a sep.,'
a bang or two but I never let that
arate section and were exposed to
transferred to Britain to coach the
worry me. You've got to get used to
ridicule and humiliation by their
high command in modern military en-
loud noises in a battle, you know."
schoolmates. Many Jewish teachers
gineering practice, so much of which
I walked away with my tail drag-
were dismissed.
had been the product of his own fertile
ging in the dust. If any other man,but
brain while he solved on the battle-
At this writing, shortly after Secre--
Kisch had told me he slept through
field the problems of the Eighth Army.
tary of State Hull's denunciation of
that bombing I would have counted
Soon Kisch could rest.
the Argentine Government, the situa- .
him a liar. But knowing Kisch I be-
But on the early morning after the
lion for the Jews is not a happy one.
lieved him.
Ankerit night battle Kisch and a group
Copyright, 1944, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, lw

Argentine Jewry
In Peril