The Order to Retreat
Dan Lanner, the commander, did all he could to encourage his fighters to hold on; but at midday he was forced to order a retreat.
Dan Lanner, the commander, did all he could to encourage his fighters to hold on; but at midday he was forced to order a retreat, which was carried out under fire. With cover provided by Asaf Simhoni’s company, the retreating forces were able to get away with their weapons and with all the wounded. One platoon, commanded by “Ghandi” --- the “Maoz” group --- remained on the field at the “Tree” outpost, to help cover the retreat. Several of the dead had to be left behind.
An emergency dressing station was set up to take care of the wounded. It was headed by Professor Bornstein, who had been a medical officer in the U.S. armed forces. After being bandaged, and in some cases, undergoing surgery in the field, the wounded were moved to regular hospitals in the rear. A number of fighters’ lives were saved in this way.
When the retreating force reached Ramot Naftali, it turned out that the members of the settlement had not been told that they might have to serve as an intermediate dressing station, and there were not enough medical supplies available to take care of all the casualties (there were 25 dead and over 100 wounded). On arriving at the ridge of Ramot Naftali, the retreating companies were re-formed into one unit, which was given the name “UD” (a combination of the letters “aleph” and “dalet”). “Ud” also means a partially burned piece of wood: the name was thus also a reference to “a brand plucked out of the fire” (Zechariah 3:2).
Conditions on the battlefield were difficult in the extreme. It was unusually hot; water was scarce; ammunition ran short; there were almost no heavy weapons; supplies could not be brought up; there were no alternative routes of movement; out of 400 fighters, there were 120 casualties. Despite its overall failure, the operation achieved one important end: the Arab forces in that sector were obliged to take time to regroup, and the impetus of their advance was lost. The Lebanese invasion in the direction of the Huleh had, in fact, failed.
Those killed in battle were: Aryeh Agir; Moshe Alankava; Binyamin Ben-Zion; Avraham Gur; Shlomo Dasuar; David Zeltzer; Yitzhak Toledano; Moshe Ticho; Yochanan Yaakobi; Hillel Cnaani; Yaaqov Lazer; Menahem Nimkovski; Eliyahu Sturmche; Yehuda Salomon; Avraham Firstenberg; Aryeh Pauker; Issachar Pasternak; Nahum Zuckerman; Haim Kopilevitch; Shimon Kenbal; Shlomo Krayer; Halutziel Rodoy; Asaf Rosenblum; Dov Reines; and Moshe Se’iv.
An emergency dressing station was set up to take care of the wounded. It was headed by Professor Bornstein, who had been a medical officer in the U.S. armed forces. After being bandaged, and in some cases, undergoing surgery in the field, the wounded were moved to regular hospitals in the rear. A number of fighters’ lives were saved in this way.
When the retreating force reached Ramot Naftali, it turned out that the members of the settlement had not been told that they might have to serve as an intermediate dressing station, and there were not enough medical supplies available to take care of all the casualties (there were 25 dead and over 100 wounded). On arriving at the ridge of Ramot Naftali, the retreating companies were re-formed into one unit, which was given the name “UD” (a combination of the letters “aleph” and “dalet”). “Ud” also means a partially burned piece of wood: the name was thus also a reference to “a brand plucked out of the fire” (Zechariah 3:2).
Conditions on the battlefield were difficult in the extreme. It was unusually hot; water was scarce; ammunition ran short; there were almost no heavy weapons; supplies could not be brought up; there were no alternative routes of movement; out of 400 fighters, there were 120 casualties. Despite its overall failure, the operation achieved one important end: the Arab forces in that sector were obliged to take time to regroup, and the impetus of their advance was lost. The Lebanese invasion in the direction of the Huleh had, in fact, failed.
Those killed in battle were: Aryeh Agir; Moshe Alankava; Binyamin Ben-Zion; Avraham Gur; Shlomo Dasuar; David Zeltzer; Yitzhak Toledano; Moshe Ticho; Yochanan Yaakobi; Hillel Cnaani; Yaaqov Lazer; Menahem Nimkovski; Eliyahu Sturmche; Yehuda Salomon; Avraham Firstenberg; Aryeh Pauker; Issachar Pasternak; Nahum Zuckerman; Haim Kopilevitch; Shimon Kenbal; Shlomo Krayer; Halutziel Rodoy; Asaf Rosenblum; Dov Reines; and Moshe Se’iv.