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 '