Friday, November 30, 1945

THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Thirty-Two

Minute Men of Palestine

Maccabees of 1945

By VICTOR BIENSTOCK

BACK

in 1776, Gen.
Braddock's Red-coats ran afoul a de-
termined band of American Minute
Men at Lexington and Concord and
a professional British Army suffered
ignominious defeat at the hands of
exasperated, aroused civilians. The
Minute Men, who struck this blow for
their liberty, were not trained sol-
diers, but peace-loving farmers and
townspeople organized in a patriot
militia which numbered_16,000 in Mas-
sachusetts colony.
Today, as the British Government
pours troops into Palestine, its mili-
tary chiefs view with misgivings the
existence in the Holy Land of another
army of minute men—this time peace-
able Jewish farmers and townspeople
—organized on the same lines as their
American prototypes 170 years ago,
but numbering, by British estimate,
between 60,000 and 75,000 well-armed
men and women.

This is the Jewish underground
army which has developed over
many decades from the small num-
ber of "ghaffirs" (watchmen)
whom the Turks permitted to
carry arms to protect the little
Jewish settlements in Palestine
from marauders..

from Egypt to new defensive positions
in Palestine in the desert between Jer-
usalem and the Dead Sea. (In Pales-
tine a year ago I saw British engineers
busy blasting these fortifications.)

While the British held Rommel at
this desert line, guerilla bands were
to harass his rear, cutting communi-
cations, destroying supplies, etc. These
bands were to be composed largely of
Jewish volunteers. British HQ sent
up to Palestine one of the army's
outstanding authorities in command
and guerilla warfare. He was given
50 young students, carefully selected
from the ranks of the Hagana, whom
he was to train as instructors with
the ultimate aim a trained guerilla
force of several thousands.

After Montgomery broke
through at El Alamein and elimin-
ated the German threat, the British
bethought themselves of these
trained guerillas and tried to
round them up for internment.
They failed. By this time, it is
safe to assume that every member
of the Hagana has benefited from
this British colonel's teaching.

The self-discipline of this secret
army was proven during the 1936-1939
riots. Dr. Chaim Weizmann, presi-

This defensive force, the Hagana,
must today be considered the most
powerful military organization in the
vast area between the Libyan Desert
and the Persian Gulf, except for the
numerous and powerful British Army
installations throughout the Middle
East. This secret force is not a stand-
ing army, but an emergency call to
arms over its own secret radio net-
work can mobilize a fairly powerful
armored mobile force in almost any
part of Palestine within a matter of
hours and can bring 50,000 highly
trained men and women soldiers to
their mobilization centers within 48
hours.
This secret army is the principal
reason why Jews in Palestine do not
share the panic manifest in London
and Washington about an
aroused Arab world descend-
ing on Palestine in a holy war
to drive the
Jews out.
The Hagana
youths who
spearheaded
t he British
force of 800
m en which
routed t h e
Iraqui "army" when it turned
against the British in 1941, who
Served as scouts in the invasion
of Syria or who comprised the
late Gen. Orde Wingate's spe-
cial night squads which destroy-
ed the Arab terrorist bands sab-
otaging the oil pipelines during
tbole of ntp pea* inbo figbt for tbe
the 1936-39 revolt, know the
Strength of these forces and riabt to bie tuitfj their boots on—mp gibe,
aren't worried by them.
This underground army is well- ntp Ione, mp benotion...
armed. The British credit it with
an armory of almost 100,000
rifles, sub-machine guns, mach-
ine guns, mortar s, anti-tank
guns and other artillery. Pales-
tine industries, which produced
the bulk of the supply of land-
mines which Gen. Montgomery's
/frig.
Eighth Army used at El Alamein,
and huge stores of munitions
for British forces throughout the
-Middle East, have been able to
stock dumps with all the muni-
tions the secret army will ever
need.
And this army is well-trained
and highly disciplined. An esti-
mated 26,000 of its members
have seen service in this war
with the British and Allied
,Armies.
And, paradoxically, it was
the British themselves who
gave this army the basic
training in commando war-
fare which British military
authorities now consider the
gravest danger they face in
Palestine.
It all happened back when
Field Marshal V o n Rommel
stood at the gates of Alexandria
and British GHQ was busy writ-
ing off Egypt and most of Pal-
estine. British strategy called
for a retreat of British forces

'<vv7°t-oec,

-At

dent of the Jewish Agency for Pales-
tine, gave instructions that the Hag-
ana was to function only in defense
of Jewish lives and property and
was in no circumstances to undertake
offensive or punitive actions against
the Arabs. Despite the provocation of
daily Arab attacks, the youths of the
Hagana obeyed this command although
at times discipline was strained to
the bursting point.

The Hagana is organized on 'a re-
gional basis throughout Palestine, in
small local units. T h,ere is a large
proportion of girls and young wo-
men in the Hagana. Many of them
are charged with responsibility for
communications, supplies and other
non-combatant duties, but most are
trained for • combat.

_

A Palestine father once told me
proudly that his 15-year-old daugh-
ter had been commended for win-
ning a competition in stripping and
assembling a machine-gun.

. "Somehow," he admitted ruefully,
"I don't think that's training a young
girl should have."

Core and backbone of the Hagana
is the ultra-secret "Palmakt," a mo-

.

bile, armored force with Palestine-.
made armored vehicles equivalent to
light tanks. The Palmakt's equipment
is strategically distributed in hideouts
throughout the country and the force
can be speedily mobilized and brought
into action. The British estimate its
strength as more than three battalions.

The British authorities are also
concerned about the Jewish fish-
ing fleet which'puts out from the
Mediterranean coast, They are
afraid that these vessels, manned
by Jewish sailors, could be used
to mine coastal waters to pre-
vent .the very substantial British
Naval Force anchored off Pales-
tine from interfering with the
landing of Jewish illicit immig-
rants.

No one expects this Jewish army
to declare war on the British and to
attack - British ' forces. But there is
little doubt that it will fight to pre-
vent the- British from disarming it
and it will fight to restrain the Brit-
ish from forcibly preventing the im-
migration of Jews without entry
permits.

As one British officer commented:
"If there's going to be real trouble
with the Jews in Palestine, it will be
like Dublin in 1920 and Athens in
1944."

Copyright 1945 Jewish Telegraphic Agency Inc.

"We shall no
longer witness
with pity
alone"

.