Planning the Operation
On the 28.4.1948, the British evacuated Rosh Pina and the 3rd Battalion forces who were on high alert, took over the army camp, the police station and the airport. Rosh Pina became the central base of operations in all areas.
The operation was headed by:
Yigal Alon - commander of the operation; Uri Yafe - second in command; Mula Cohen - operations officer; Shalom Rentowitz (Shuliya Ronen) - administrative officer; Moshe Klein - Commander of the 3rd Batalion and Dan Lerner - Commander of the 1st Battalion.
The 1st Battalion was transferred to the Galilee in a large convoy on the 3.5.1948 in order to participate in the operation. Approximately 100 vehicles moved at night with all their lights on so that the Arabs would notice the movement of the force. When the battalion commanders received the order to go up to the Galilee, they went to the crossroads at Mansura (Yokneam) and Jalama, stopped all the buses that were passing through, took all the passengers off the buses and confiscated about 70 vehicles for their needs. The 3rd Battalion provided an armed escort for the vehicles.
The operation headquarters was set up in the Rosh Pina police station one day after it had been seized.
The participants in the operation were: the 3rd and 1st Regiments of the Palmach; the Field Battalion from the Haifa area and the settlements that were organized from a security stand-point with some arms at their disposal. 'Mista'arvim' (Israeli soldiers disguised as Arabs for gathering intelligence) operated on the other side of the border and 'Arabistim' operated in the Arab centers in the Galilee. Both of these groups provided important intelligence information. The Galilee Squadron provided air support for the attacks, transported supplies and above all, strengthened the morale of the people in the settlements.
There was a great feeling of relief amongst the defendants when the children were evacuated from some of the settlements.
On the other side, the Arab forces included the villages in the Hula area that, although they were large, had a very poor and uneducated population with a low standard of fighting ability. There were also the 'mountain people' mainly those living in the Safed and surrounding areas, who were well organized, well equipped and more aggressive. They were aided by the army of volunteers who had penetrated into the Galilee from the neighboring Arab countries.
In the course of the operation, Yigal Alon sent the "Arabistim' from the Galilee - people who had contacts with the heads of the villages and tribes – to convince them not to resist and to flee from the Galilee.
On the 28.4.1948, the British evacuated Rosh Pina and the 3rd Battalion forces, who were on high alert, seized the army camp, the police station and the airport. Rosh Pina became the central base for operations in all areas.
Yigal Alon - commander of the operation; Uri Yafe - second in command; Mula Cohen - operations officer; Shalom Rentowitz (Shuliya Ronen) - administrative officer; Moshe Klein - Commander of the 3rd Batalion and Dan Lerner - Commander of the 1st Battalion.
The 1st Battalion was transferred to the Galilee in a large convoy on the 3.5.1948 in order to participate in the operation. Approximately 100 vehicles moved at night with all their lights on so that the Arabs would notice the movement of the force. When the battalion commanders received the order to go up to the Galilee, they went to the crossroads at Mansura (Yokneam) and Jalama, stopped all the buses that were passing through, took all the passengers off the buses and confiscated about 70 vehicles for their needs. The 3rd Battalion provided an armed escort for the vehicles.
The operation headquarters was set up in the Rosh Pina police station one day after it had been seized.
The participants in the operation were: the 3rd and 1st Regiments of the Palmach; the Field Battalion from the Haifa area and the settlements that were organized from a security stand-point with some arms at their disposal. 'Mista'arvim' (Israeli soldiers disguised as Arabs for gathering intelligence) operated on the other side of the border and 'Arabistim' operated in the Arab centers in the Galilee. Both of these groups provided important intelligence information. The Galilee Squadron provided air support for the attacks, transported supplies and above all, strengthened the morale of the people in the settlements.
There was a great feeling of relief amongst the defendants when the children were evacuated from some of the settlements.
On the other side, the Arab forces included the villages in the Hula area that, although they were large, had a very poor and uneducated population with a low standard of fighting ability. There were also the 'mountain people' mainly those living in the Safed and surrounding areas, who were well organized, well equipped and more aggressive. They were aided by the army of volunteers who had penetrated into the Galilee from the neighboring Arab countries.
In the course of the operation, Yigal Alon sent the "Arabistim' from the Galilee - people who had contacts with the heads of the villages and tribes – to convince them not to resist and to flee from the Galilee.
On the 28.4.1948, the British evacuated Rosh Pina and the 3rd Battalion forces, who were on high alert, seized the army camp, the police station and the airport. Rosh Pina became the central base for operations in all areas.