Preparations
Before the operation, large quantities of weapons were removed from the secret caches on Mt. Canaan. The force set out very well equipped.
A company of 70 fighters was assigned to the operation. The commander was Moshe Kalman; second in command was Meir Dresdner. The platoons from Ashdot Ya’aqov (commanded by Elad Peled) and from Ein-Gev (commanded by Dov Kleinman) were considered first-class. At Ein-Zeitim a further platoon of 15 men --- from Deganya, commanded by Yosef Hoter-Yishai --- was encamped. These were reinforcements to be held in reserve, in the main force should be unable to retreat from the village and be forced to remain in the area during the day.
Before the operation, large quantities of weapons were removed from the secret caches on Mt. Canaan. The force set out very well equipped. Every fighter had a weapon, steel helmet, ammunition and grenades. In addition, they had a radio. This was an innovation which added greatly to the fighters’ confidence. They also had a two-inch mortar, machine guns, and 35 sacks, each containing 10 kg of explosives. There was ample ammunition, food and water for two days, and ample medical supplies; every fighter carried a heavy load. The fighters were issued with rubber shoes, which turned out to be a very bad idea in the muddy terrain.
Before the operation, a sand-table model was built, showing the topography of the village, and aerial photos were displayed of the village and its approaches.The commander of the operation flew over the area in a “primus” (small observation plane), with Shmuel Vidlis taking photos while Moshe Kalman corrected his maps and prepared an operational plan. Afterwards they flew several times back and forth from Mt. Canaan to Sasa, studying the conditions on the route.
Before the operation, large quantities of weapons were removed from the secret caches on Mt. Canaan. The force set out very well equipped. Every fighter had a weapon, steel helmet, ammunition and grenades. In addition, they had a radio. This was an innovation which added greatly to the fighters’ confidence. They also had a two-inch mortar, machine guns, and 35 sacks, each containing 10 kg of explosives. There was ample ammunition, food and water for two days, and ample medical supplies; every fighter carried a heavy load. The fighters were issued with rubber shoes, which turned out to be a very bad idea in the muddy terrain.
Before the operation, a sand-table model was built, showing the topography of the village, and aerial photos were displayed of the village and its approaches.The commander of the operation flew over the area in a “primus” (small observation plane), with Shmuel Vidlis taking photos while Moshe Kalman corrected his maps and prepared an operational plan. Afterwards they flew several times back and forth from Mt. Canaan to Sasa, studying the conditions on the route.