The Battle for Hirbet Kurikur and Shilta
On the last night of Operation ‘Dani’, before the second cease-fire came into force, the 1st Battalion left from Barfilia on the way to Shilta, with the aim of capturing positions on the ridge which controlled the network of roads in the direction of Ramallah, Kola, Beit-Naballah and Harbata.
On the last night of Operation ‘Dani’, before the second cease-fire came into force, the 1st Battalion left from Barfilia on the way to Shilta, with the aim of capturing positions on the ridge which controlled the network of roads in the direction of Ramallah, Kola, Beit-Naballah and Harbata.
The (capture) occupation of the ridge was intended to provide control of traffic on the routes, so as to prevent reinforcements reaching the Jordanian Legion.
The operation commander was deputy Battalion C.O. Asaf Simchoni.
A Company of the Battalion, under the command of Yitzhak Hoffi (‘Haka’) captured the village of Shilta.
B Company, under the command of Pinhas Zisman (‘Siko’) which included the ‘Mikve-Israel’ platoon and the religious platoon (a reduced company comprising 80 soldiers) proposed to capture Kurikur Ridge – (a distance) a length of about a kilometer.
A raiding force the size of a platoon, under the command of Rehavam Ze’evi (‘Gandi’), was supposed to sabotage one of the culverts of the road above Malki Creek.
The forces departed on their missions on the night of 18 July, arrived at Shilta village at 01:00 hours, took control of it without a fight and prepared to defend it. The raiding force continued on to Malki Creek with the aim of carrying out various mine-laying operations. Armoured cars defended the bridge above the road from Beit-Sira to Harbata and, after heavy fighting, the force retreated without fulfilling its aim – and was forced to return to Shilta.
In contrast, at the same time, the roads leading to Bir-Mayin and El-Burj were mined.
At 04:00 hours B Company went up to Kurikur Ridge and began to dig in on the eastern side of the ridge. They only managed to dig shallow foxholes because of the rocky terrain. The Company C.O. ‘Siko’ (this was his first battle as a Company C.O.) was not aware of the existence of the adjacent hill which dominated the ridge and he, therefore, did not position the Company on the brow of (the) that hill. With the dawn fire was opened on the Company from the northern side of Malki Creek and from Hirbet Kurikur which was at the rear of the Company. It was suggested to the Company C.O. that he try and capture Hirbet Kurikur but he was concerned not to (devide) split the Company and kept to the original plan facing east. The shelling and firing began to (wound) hit the troops but it was impossible to evacuate them.
The names of the fallen at Shilta: Nissim Atel, Zohar Atkin, Ya’akov Iperman, Yeshayhu Albogen, Tuvia Unsdorfer, Avraham Alper, Michael Ostrovski, Arieh Amani, Ya’akov Altschtein, Avraham Berg, Natanel Breuide, Yisrael Ben-Shlomo, Nahum Gavriel, Shmuel-Yitzhak Ginsburg, Bezalel Gluzer, Menahem Guterman, Eliayu Drat, Natan Dubjinsky, Shalom Hofman, Mordehai Herschkovitz, Dan Hochberg, Natanel Zoer, Kalman Truyansky, Yehiel-David Yispa, Aharon-Asher Katz, Shmuel Cohen, Ya’akov Cohen, Nissim Cohen, Asher Levi, Moshe-Haim Levi, Arieh Matar, Gid’on Miss, Aharon Nahshon, Nahem Novik, Eliahu Salomon, Arieh Piarburger, Gedalia Preminger, Haim Tsifman, Efraim Koter, Mordehai Reingevirtz, Mordehai Steinberger, Tzvi Shick, Baruch Stern, Yehuda Spindel, Yehuda Speier.
The (capture) occupation of the ridge was intended to provide control of traffic on the routes, so as to prevent reinforcements reaching the Jordanian Legion.
The operation commander was deputy Battalion C.O. Asaf Simchoni.
A Company of the Battalion, under the command of Yitzhak Hoffi (‘Haka’) captured the village of Shilta.
B Company, under the command of Pinhas Zisman (‘Siko’) which included the ‘Mikve-Israel’ platoon and the religious platoon (a reduced company comprising 80 soldiers) proposed to capture Kurikur Ridge – (a distance) a length of about a kilometer.
A raiding force the size of a platoon, under the command of Rehavam Ze’evi (‘Gandi’), was supposed to sabotage one of the culverts of the road above Malki Creek.
The forces departed on their missions on the night of 18 July, arrived at Shilta village at 01:00 hours, took control of it without a fight and prepared to defend it. The raiding force continued on to Malki Creek with the aim of carrying out various mine-laying operations. Armoured cars defended the bridge above the road from Beit-Sira to Harbata and, after heavy fighting, the force retreated without fulfilling its aim – and was forced to return to Shilta.
In contrast, at the same time, the roads leading to Bir-Mayin and El-Burj were mined.
At 04:00 hours B Company went up to Kurikur Ridge and began to dig in on the eastern side of the ridge. They only managed to dig shallow foxholes because of the rocky terrain. The Company C.O. ‘Siko’ (this was his first battle as a Company C.O.) was not aware of the existence of the adjacent hill which dominated the ridge and he, therefore, did not position the Company on the brow of (the) that hill. With the dawn fire was opened on the Company from the northern side of Malki Creek and from Hirbet Kurikur which was at the rear of the Company. It was suggested to the Company C.O. that he try and capture Hirbet Kurikur but he was concerned not to (devide) split the Company and kept to the original plan facing east. The shelling and firing began to (wound) hit the troops but it was impossible to evacuate them.
The names of the fallen at Shilta: Nissim Atel, Zohar Atkin, Ya’akov Iperman, Yeshayhu Albogen, Tuvia Unsdorfer, Avraham Alper, Michael Ostrovski, Arieh Amani, Ya’akov Altschtein, Avraham Berg, Natanel Breuide, Yisrael Ben-Shlomo, Nahum Gavriel, Shmuel-Yitzhak Ginsburg, Bezalel Gluzer, Menahem Guterman, Eliayu Drat, Natan Dubjinsky, Shalom Hofman, Mordehai Herschkovitz, Dan Hochberg, Natanel Zoer, Kalman Truyansky, Yehiel-David Yispa, Aharon-Asher Katz, Shmuel Cohen, Ya’akov Cohen, Nissim Cohen, Asher Levi, Moshe-Haim Levi, Arieh Matar, Gid’on Miss, Aharon Nahshon, Nahem Novik, Eliahu Salomon, Arieh Piarburger, Gedalia Preminger, Haim Tsifman, Efraim Koter, Mordehai Reingevirtz, Mordehai Steinberger, Tzvi Shick, Baruch Stern, Yehuda Spindel, Yehuda Speier.