Failure and Retreat
The operation was a failure from the very outset. When the spearhead platoon, under Shmuel Glinka, reached the barbed wire and began to cut it, they discovered a second barbed wire entanglement, which was concealed by brush and had not been visible from Mount Scopus.
Before the operation began, the British observed the preparations for it. They gave notice that they would use heavy weapons to destroy any attacking force. Dan Dunkelman, who accompanied the force to observe and advise, warned the British not to intervene. He advised those in command of the operation that a preliminary bombardment would only hinder it, removing any element of surprise. It would be preferable, he said, to operate as quietly as possible. In the end, the British did not bring any forces into action, but they did warn the Arabs of the impending attack.
The operation was a failure from the very outset. When the spearhead platoon, under Shmuel Glinka, reached the barbed wire and began to cut it, they found a second barbed-wire entanglement, which was concealed by brush and had not been visible from Mount Scopus. As they began work on the wire, they came under accurate fire from positions which had been specially prepared for this purpose. A spearhead squad, under Nahum Hazaz, got as far as the second line of barbed wire, but no further.
The supporting fire for the attacking force was ineffective; in addition, tragically, a shell exploded in the barrel of “Davidka”, injuring the squad alongside.
Shmuel (“Uli”) Giv’on, commanding the operation, called for an orderly retreat --- but the force panicked, leaving wounded on the field. The reserve platoon was sent to recover the wounded from the gully. This had to be done under heavy, accurate machine gun and mortar fire from the men of the Legion.
The casualties were: five dead (including three whose bodies were left on the field, and never recovered) and eleven wounded. The main reason for failure was the lack of adequate firepower for an attack on a fortified and well-defended Legion position. Another shortcoming was that no preliminary reconnaissance was made. The unexpected barbed wire, and the explosion of “Davidka”, completed the failure.
The following night the regiment returned, dispirited, to its base at Beit Hakerem. Thus ended the last phase of “Operation Yevusi”. Several important aims had been achieved: Mount Scopus remained in our hands; Arab pressure on Jerusalem from North and East had been greatly weakened; the Arab Legion’s entry into Jerusalem had been delayed.
Those killed were: Nahum Hazaz; Zvi Ya’akobovitz; Ya’aqov Liechtenstein; Moshe Yitzhakov; and Yosef Shulman.
The operation was a failure from the very outset. When the spearhead platoon, under Shmuel Glinka, reached the barbed wire and began to cut it, they found a second barbed-wire entanglement, which was concealed by brush and had not been visible from Mount Scopus. As they began work on the wire, they came under accurate fire from positions which had been specially prepared for this purpose. A spearhead squad, under Nahum Hazaz, got as far as the second line of barbed wire, but no further.
The supporting fire for the attacking force was ineffective; in addition, tragically, a shell exploded in the barrel of “Davidka”, injuring the squad alongside.
Shmuel (“Uli”) Giv’on, commanding the operation, called for an orderly retreat --- but the force panicked, leaving wounded on the field. The reserve platoon was sent to recover the wounded from the gully. This had to be done under heavy, accurate machine gun and mortar fire from the men of the Legion.
The casualties were: five dead (including three whose bodies were left on the field, and never recovered) and eleven wounded. The main reason for failure was the lack of adequate firepower for an attack on a fortified and well-defended Legion position. Another shortcoming was that no preliminary reconnaissance was made. The unexpected barbed wire, and the explosion of “Davidka”, completed the failure.
The following night the regiment returned, dispirited, to its base at Beit Hakerem. Thus ended the last phase of “Operation Yevusi”. Several important aims had been achieved: Mount Scopus remained in our hands; Arab pressure on Jerusalem from North and East had been greatly weakened; the Arab Legion’s entry into Jerusalem had been delayed.
Those killed were: Nahum Hazaz; Zvi Ya’akobovitz; Ya’aqov Liechtenstein; Moshe Yitzhakov; and Yosef Shulman.