Operation Failures

Though it was carefully planned far in advance, a number of failures occurred during the combined operation. Most of the failures occurred due to the underground conditions under which the Hagana and Palmach operated: the shortage in communication devices and the retrieval of weapons from the 'Slikim.' The first factor disabled the coordination between the secondary forces in each target, between the forces and the HQ, and between the four commanders of the forces. Any disruption in the schedule of one of these forces hinders the success of the others. Therefore, the inability to communicate made it impossible to stop one of the attacks, despite the surprise element. The second factor – the retrieval of weapons hidden in 'Slikim' and covered with a thick layer of grease, its preparation and distribution to the forces – delayed the onset of the operation in a few places.