The “Immigrant Battalions” in the “Negev” Brigade
The Seventh (“Be’er Sheva”) Battalion was the first to take in immigrants, starting in April 1948. Most of the newcomers were graduates of “Shurot Hameginim” (“The Defenders’ Line”), and had been trained in the Cyprus detention camps.
The Seventh (“Be’er Sheva”) Battalion was the first to take in immigrants, starting in April 1948. Most of the newcomers were graduates of “Shurot Hameginim” (“The Defenders’ Line”), and had been trained in the Cyprus detention camps. After a period spent getting organized, at the “Okava” camp near Rishon Lezion, and at Giv’at Brenner, the regiment numbered about 350 conscripts, 100 of them women. In May, before having completed training, the regiment moved to the Negev and was sent into combat, where its consolidation was completed.
During the first cease-fire, in which the time available was utilized for training and for drawing lessons from past experience, more new immigrants were recruited for absorption and training. When the cease-fire ended, more than half the regiment’s personnel were new immigrants. Their officers had to spend a lot of time and effort teaching them the elements of Hebrew, so that instructions and orders would be understood by all.
On the eve of Operation “Yoav”, the regiment numbered 630. A majority of them were from the “Immigrants’ Battalions”; they made up most of the infantry companies. This meant that most of the riflemen, who bore the brunt of battle, were without any military experience.
Before the move to take the village of Iraq-el-Manshiye, training was carried out jointly with the First Battalion of no. 8 Brigade, which also included an assemblage of fighters from various countries. For communications, a central signals team was set up, with speakers of various languages. A system of agreed signals, by means of shouted words and hand-signs, was also established.
The plan was as follows: two infantry platoons and two Cromwell tanks would capture Tel-el-Arani; a platoon of infantry, with four Hotchkiss tanks, would occupy the village school; and three more Hotchkiss tanks, with another infantry platoon, were to block the road between Iraq-el-Manshiye and Faluja.
The attack began at daybreak. The armor advanced on the village, followed by the infantry units. The tanks reached their assigned objectives, but lost signals contact with the infantry. The latter were late coming up, having been shelled from Faluja. This was the first battle in which infantry and armor were used in combination, in a daylight assault on a fortified objective --- and it failed. The wounded were evacuated under heavy enemy fire, calling for acts of desperate courage to get them out. The infantry had about 30 killed and 75 wounded.
The Seventh Battalion, which had started out in high spirits, fell into a severe crisis as a result of this defeat. The education officer, Alexander Yulin, started a program designed to raise morale among the fighters. He devised a motto: “The Seventh Battalion will rise again!” and began issuing a “battle news sheet”.
The brigade commander made sure that the Seventh Battalion took part in the capture of Beersheba. This gave the fighters added experience, and more confidence to face the tasks to come.
In the succeeding months, the soldiers underwent additional training, which increased their skills, and made them more at home in their new environment. But there was still a gap between the native Israeli officers, whose urge to excel in battle was deeply ingrained, and the immigrants, some of whom tended to malinger, and even to desert. However, under fire, the new immigrants held their own alongside their comrades. This was particularly evident during operation “Horeb”, in the battle in which a company of new immigrants commanded by Avraham Adan (“Bren”) took part. On the night of December 29, 1948, this company overran Egyptian positions at Umm Qatef, and made it possible for the rest of the “Negev” brigade to advance on Abu Aweigila.
843 men of the “Immigrants’ Battalions” took part in Operation “Horeb”. This was 40% of the total number of recruits from these units. The early manifestations of strangeness, lack of comprehension, loneliness and malingering among these recruits, disappeared and were replaced by true feelings of fellowship, as they fought side by side with their comrades in the campaigns in the Negev.
During the first cease-fire, in which the time available was utilized for training and for drawing lessons from past experience, more new immigrants were recruited for absorption and training. When the cease-fire ended, more than half the regiment’s personnel were new immigrants. Their officers had to spend a lot of time and effort teaching them the elements of Hebrew, so that instructions and orders would be understood by all.
On the eve of Operation “Yoav”, the regiment numbered 630. A majority of them were from the “Immigrants’ Battalions”; they made up most of the infantry companies. This meant that most of the riflemen, who bore the brunt of battle, were without any military experience.
Before the move to take the village of Iraq-el-Manshiye, training was carried out jointly with the First Battalion of no. 8 Brigade, which also included an assemblage of fighters from various countries. For communications, a central signals team was set up, with speakers of various languages. A system of agreed signals, by means of shouted words and hand-signs, was also established.
The plan was as follows: two infantry platoons and two Cromwell tanks would capture Tel-el-Arani; a platoon of infantry, with four Hotchkiss tanks, would occupy the village school; and three more Hotchkiss tanks, with another infantry platoon, were to block the road between Iraq-el-Manshiye and Faluja.
The attack began at daybreak. The armor advanced on the village, followed by the infantry units. The tanks reached their assigned objectives, but lost signals contact with the infantry. The latter were late coming up, having been shelled from Faluja. This was the first battle in which infantry and armor were used in combination, in a daylight assault on a fortified objective --- and it failed. The wounded were evacuated under heavy enemy fire, calling for acts of desperate courage to get them out. The infantry had about 30 killed and 75 wounded.
The Seventh Battalion, which had started out in high spirits, fell into a severe crisis as a result of this defeat. The education officer, Alexander Yulin, started a program designed to raise morale among the fighters. He devised a motto: “The Seventh Battalion will rise again!” and began issuing a “battle news sheet”.
The brigade commander made sure that the Seventh Battalion took part in the capture of Beersheba. This gave the fighters added experience, and more confidence to face the tasks to come.
In the succeeding months, the soldiers underwent additional training, which increased their skills, and made them more at home in their new environment. But there was still a gap between the native Israeli officers, whose urge to excel in battle was deeply ingrained, and the immigrants, some of whom tended to malinger, and even to desert. However, under fire, the new immigrants held their own alongside their comrades. This was particularly evident during operation “Horeb”, in the battle in which a company of new immigrants commanded by Avraham Adan (“Bren”) took part. On the night of December 29, 1948, this company overran Egyptian positions at Umm Qatef, and made it possible for the rest of the “Negev” brigade to advance on Abu Aweigila.
843 men of the “Immigrants’ Battalions” took part in Operation “Horeb”. This was 40% of the total number of recruits from these units. The early manifestations of strangeness, lack of comprehension, loneliness and malingering among these recruits, disappeared and were replaced by true feelings of fellowship, as they fought side by side with their comrades in the campaigns in the Negev.