The Legion attacks
The Legion, fearing that there was going to be an attack on Beit-Sira, began to concentrate a large force and opened a battalion attack at 08:00 hours.
The Legion, fearing that there was going to be an attack on Beit-Sira, began to concentrate a large force and opened a battalion attack at 08:00 hours. The Company was attacked from a number of directions with fire from armoured cars and machine guns. It found itself under cross-fire: the force on the hill fired machine guns while the Legion’s armoured cars, getting right up to the retreating soldiers, fired on them at short range. When the Company C.O. described his situation to the Battalion H.Q., he was ordered to retreat.
The Company C.O. decided to try and hold on during the day and delay the retreat until night, but when he realised that the Legion was about to block his retreat route he feared that the whole force would be wiped out and ordered a daylight retreat. Although he had planned to retreat so that one platoon could cover the other, the retreat became a killing zone: the force was under effective fire from all sides. The Mikve-Israel platoon went first but due to the large number of casualties, was unable to regroup to cover the religious platoon. When the attempt to carry out an orderly retreat failed it was every man for himself.
They were ordered to abandon the wounded and infiltrate southwards while ‘Haka’s’ company supported them to the best of their ability by firing the machine guns available to them. The Company left behind them on the field 45 dead and another 25 wounded (out of 87). On their way to El-Burej the 3rd Battalion, who did not recognise them, opened fire on them. The members of the Company scattered and only later regrouped in the olive groves near Barfilia.
The fighters of the 1st Battalion considered this battle a traumatic experience, perhaps the hardest one of the war. The members of the Company that was hit felt the same, as did those of other companies who saw what happened but who were unable to come to their aid.
It appears that the Company was too small to take a ridge this size and the Company C.O. erred by not giving preference to taking Hirbet Kurikur which was the dominating point in the area. Had the right place been occupied it would have been difficult for the Legionnaires to have reached it. It is also possible that a more orderly retreat would have terminated with less casualties. No artillery support had been planned, which could have helped, and the force had not been equipped with anti-tank weapons.
The Company C.O. ‘Siko’ testified that at a certain point, close to the retreat, he had considered assembling a secondary force and giving them the task of occupying the building on the hill. However, by this point it would have been difficult to get enough people together to attack a building of the utmost tactical importance. Rabbi Shlomo Goren entered the field only after the end of the battle, in coordination with the Jordanian government, and brought out the bodies to be buried in Israel.
The Company C.O. decided to try and hold on during the day and delay the retreat until night, but when he realised that the Legion was about to block his retreat route he feared that the whole force would be wiped out and ordered a daylight retreat. Although he had planned to retreat so that one platoon could cover the other, the retreat became a killing zone: the force was under effective fire from all sides. The Mikve-Israel platoon went first but due to the large number of casualties, was unable to regroup to cover the religious platoon. When the attempt to carry out an orderly retreat failed it was every man for himself.
They were ordered to abandon the wounded and infiltrate southwards while ‘Haka’s’ company supported them to the best of their ability by firing the machine guns available to them. The Company left behind them on the field 45 dead and another 25 wounded (out of 87). On their way to El-Burej the 3rd Battalion, who did not recognise them, opened fire on them. The members of the Company scattered and only later regrouped in the olive groves near Barfilia.
The fighters of the 1st Battalion considered this battle a traumatic experience, perhaps the hardest one of the war. The members of the Company that was hit felt the same, as did those of other companies who saw what happened but who were unable to come to their aid.
It appears that the Company was too small to take a ridge this size and the Company C.O. erred by not giving preference to taking Hirbet Kurikur which was the dominating point in the area. Had the right place been occupied it would have been difficult for the Legionnaires to have reached it. It is also possible that a more orderly retreat would have terminated with less casualties. No artillery support had been planned, which could have helped, and the force had not been equipped with anti-tank weapons.
The Company C.O. ‘Siko’ testified that at a certain point, close to the retreat, he had considered assembling a secondary force and giving them the task of occupying the building on the hill. However, by this point it would have been difficult to get enough people together to attack a building of the utmost tactical importance. Rabbi Shlomo Goren entered the field only after the end of the battle, in coordination with the Jordanian government, and brought out the bodies to be buried in Israel.