The forces and the first operations – the occupation of Lydda and Ramleh
The 1st Battalion left El-Baria, near Gezer, on the night of 10 July on its way to the village of Einaba. The attack took about an hour and ended with the occupation of the village at 03:00 hours. On the following day the force also took Haruba and Hirbet-Konisa.
The commander of the operation was Yigal Alon, his second-in-command was Yitzhak Rabin (Operations Officer);
The Brigade H.Q.: Brigade C.O. – Mula Cohen; 2nd in Command – Dan Lener; Operations Officer – Haim Avinoam; Reconnaissance Officer – Rehavam Ze’evi (Gandi).
1st Battalion Commanders: Battalion C.O. – Itiel Amichai; 2nd in Command – Asaf Simchoni; Company C.O.’s – Yitzhak (Haka) Hopi, Pinhas (Siko) Zussman; Itamar Golani.
3rd Battalion Commanders: Battalion C.O. – Moshe Kalman; 2nd in Command – Meir Drezdner; Operations Officer – Shaikeh Gavish; Company C.O.’s: Rafael Ginzburg (‘HaTarnegol’), Itamar Itzkovitz, Nahum Carmeli, Yosef (‘Bulbus’) Hoter-Yishai, Yitzhak Merchav.
The first operations of Operation ‘Dani’, western section:
The 1st Battalion left El-Baria, near Gezer, on the night of 10 July on its way to the village of Einaba. The attack took about an hour and ended with the occupation of the village at 03:00 hours. On the following day the force also took Haruba and Hirbet-Konisa.
On 10 July the 3rd Battalion left Na’an for Einaba and from there it continued to operate throughout the afternoon: At 18:00 hours they took the village of Jimzu, at 20:00 hours they took the village of Daniel and at 21:00 hours they took Daharia. At midnight on the night of 11 July they joined up with Ben-Shemen which was besieged. The force suffered one dead.
On the morning of 11 July two Companies from the 3rd Battalion carried out a number of ‘probing patrols’ in the direction of Lydda and came up against resistance from the Legion’s armoured cars which were operating in the olive groves east of the town. The forces began to dig in and regroup defensively. The force suffered two dead and 13 casualties.
The force had four 65mm cannons, which were commanded by an artillery officer by the name of Kaufman, and they were used against the armour of the enemy forcing them to retreat. When Moshe Dayan’s battalion arrived (89th Battalion from the 8th Brigade), which was expected and some 20 of his vehicles entered the town opening a heavy fire as they drove through. When the resistance of the Arabs defending the town weakened the Battalion H.Q. decided to move the three companies into the town – under cover of the shocked residents – right up to the mosque.
The Brigade H.Q.: Brigade C.O. – Mula Cohen; 2nd in Command – Dan Lener; Operations Officer – Haim Avinoam; Reconnaissance Officer – Rehavam Ze’evi (Gandi).
1st Battalion Commanders: Battalion C.O. – Itiel Amichai; 2nd in Command – Asaf Simchoni; Company C.O.’s – Yitzhak (Haka) Hopi, Pinhas (Siko) Zussman; Itamar Golani.
3rd Battalion Commanders: Battalion C.O. – Moshe Kalman; 2nd in Command – Meir Drezdner; Operations Officer – Shaikeh Gavish; Company C.O.’s: Rafael Ginzburg (‘HaTarnegol’), Itamar Itzkovitz, Nahum Carmeli, Yosef (‘Bulbus’) Hoter-Yishai, Yitzhak Merchav.
The first operations of Operation ‘Dani’, western section:
The 1st Battalion left El-Baria, near Gezer, on the night of 10 July on its way to the village of Einaba. The attack took about an hour and ended with the occupation of the village at 03:00 hours. On the following day the force also took Haruba and Hirbet-Konisa.
On 10 July the 3rd Battalion left Na’an for Einaba and from there it continued to operate throughout the afternoon: At 18:00 hours they took the village of Jimzu, at 20:00 hours they took the village of Daniel and at 21:00 hours they took Daharia. At midnight on the night of 11 July they joined up with Ben-Shemen which was besieged. The force suffered one dead.
On the morning of 11 July two Companies from the 3rd Battalion carried out a number of ‘probing patrols’ in the direction of Lydda and came up against resistance from the Legion’s armoured cars which were operating in the olive groves east of the town. The forces began to dig in and regroup defensively. The force suffered two dead and 13 casualties.
The force had four 65mm cannons, which were commanded by an artillery officer by the name of Kaufman, and they were used against the armour of the enemy forcing them to retreat. When Moshe Dayan’s battalion arrived (89th Battalion from the 8th Brigade), which was expected and some 20 of his vehicles entered the town opening a heavy fire as they drove through. When the resistance of the Arabs defending the town weakened the Battalion H.Q. decided to move the three companies into the town – under cover of the shocked residents – right up to the mosque.