‘The Night of the Trains’ (‘Operation Party’)
The ‘Hebrew Resistance Movement’s’ first combined and comprehensive operation, called ‘Operation Party’, took place on the night of 1 November 1945. In a huge attack the Palmach sabotaged the network of railway tracks throughout Eretz Israel.
The ‘Hebrew Resistance Movement’s’ first combined and comprehensive operation, called ‘Operation Party’, took place on the night of 1 November 1945. In a huge attack the Palmach sabotaged the network of railway tracks throughout Eretz Israel. In parallel a mixed Etzel and Lehi platoon struck the railway station in Lydda, which was the central junction of the railways in Eretz Israel (Palestine). At the time of the operation permission had not yet been granted by the authorised political institutions of the Yishuv for the formation of the Hebrew Resistance Movement, however, the operation testified to its establishment in fact.
The main task was assigned to the fifty squads of the Palmach. The squads carried out 153 sabotage operations on railway points, crossroad junctions, small bridges and conduits. Forces from all the Palmach companies were used and even ‘reserve’ units were called up. Women also took part in some of the raids near urban areas. Before the operation undercover familiarisation reconnaissance patrols took place around the target areas and many demolition charges were prepared. Its success depended on good navigation skills and precise timing in order to avoid alerting the British. 23:00 hours was designated as zero hour for all the sabotage operations. The units carried out their assignments to within a quarter of an hour of the designated time. The fighters were given explicit instructions to keep undercover during the operation to avoid unnecessary clashes. And indeed there were only two places where incidents involving gunfire took place and even these terminated without injuries. The squads were ordered to cover their tracks before returning to a safe place so that the British would have no excuse to enter the Jewish settlements.
At the same time the Palmach naval company struck three coast guard boats in the ports of Haifa and Jaffa. Two divers, Shaul Aharonov and Zalman Cohen, endangered their lives by setting the fuses of their explosives before entering the water because they feared that it would be too difficult to set them off while swimming. They carried out their assignment without being detected and slipped away before the mines exploded and took the boats out of action.
The main task was assigned to the fifty squads of the Palmach. The squads carried out 153 sabotage operations on railway points, crossroad junctions, small bridges and conduits. Forces from all the Palmach companies were used and even ‘reserve’ units were called up. Women also took part in some of the raids near urban areas. Before the operation undercover familiarisation reconnaissance patrols took place around the target areas and many demolition charges were prepared. Its success depended on good navigation skills and precise timing in order to avoid alerting the British. 23:00 hours was designated as zero hour for all the sabotage operations. The units carried out their assignments to within a quarter of an hour of the designated time. The fighters were given explicit instructions to keep undercover during the operation to avoid unnecessary clashes. And indeed there were only two places where incidents involving gunfire took place and even these terminated without injuries. The squads were ordered to cover their tracks before returning to a safe place so that the British would have no excuse to enter the Jewish settlements.
At the same time the Palmach naval company struck three coast guard boats in the ports of Haifa and Jaffa. Two divers, Shaul Aharonov and Zalman Cohen, endangered their lives by setting the fuses of their explosives before entering the water because they feared that it would be too difficult to set them off while swimming. They carried out their assignment without being detected and slipped away before the mines exploded and took the boats out of action.