Battling the Egyptian Invaders – 15.5.-10.6.1948
The Egyptian expeditionary force invasion of the coastal road, expedited a confrontation between a force with artillery power and air support and a worn out ill equipped army spread out and confined to defending settlements and roads in the region. The sparse Palmach forces were incapable of confronting the Egyptian army openly when they attacked during the day.
The invasion of the Egyptian expeditionary force began when the Negev Brigade was occupied with the 'Barak' operation. Two battalions of the 'Moslem Brothers' militia force, attacked Kfar Darom repeatedly between the 10th and the 13th of May. The Egyptian army invaded on the 15th of May and advanced as far as Gaza. From there they began an artillery attack on Nir-Am, Gvar Am, Be'erot Yitzchak and Yad Mordehai. On the way, it dropped off an infantry unit reinforced with artillery and armored vehicles for the attack on Nirim together with a unit similar in numbers to the force that attacked Kfar Darom. All of the above settlements were bombed from the air.
The invasion put a great deal of pressure on the Negev Battalion. The battalion headquarters in the Mekorot camp and the airstrip of the Negev squadron that were situated close to Nir-Am, were shelled and were forced to move to Dorot and then a few days later, they moved to Ruhama. Small units of the Palmach were sent to evacuate women and children from the Shaar Hanegev settlements, while other small units penetrated some of the embattled settlements as reinforcements. Nirim and Kfar Darom succeeded in resisting the enemy attacks that cost them a heavy price in casualties. The enemy too, suffered heavy casualties.
After a short period of reorganization in the airport near western Gaza, the Egyptian force advanced and on the 19th of May, they attacked Yad Mordechai again and were repelled. The enemy took two days to reorganize and held another attack. On the 23rd of May they attacked once again.
Both the enemy and the defenders of Yad Mordechai suffered heavy casualties. The Yad Mordechai force was evacuated to Gvar Am at dawn on the 24th of May and the Egyptians continued on their advance to Majdal and Ashdod.
In the "North" (was how people in the Negev referred to the center of the country), they were preparing reinforcements. On the 20th of May an attack force of two jeep companies arrived in the Negev and on the 23rd of May an infantry regiment (the 7th Regiment) arrived. The brigade numbered about 1500 fighters. In the 'Pharoah' operation on the 25th of May, forces from the 2nd Regiment and the jeep company attacked the airport next to Gaza and the "Chayot Hanegev" unit attacked the field-gun battery next to Bet Hanun. On the 26th of May, the jeep company blew up two important bridges: The bridge on the Gaza-Beer Sheba road, and the bridge on the Beer Sheba-Hebron road.
Despite all the efforts invested, they were unsuccessful in achieving their objective of disrupting the enemy transportation. On the other hand, squads from the 8th Battalion laid ambushes at night, attacking and destroying Egyptian vehicles. The squads also sabotaged the railway line between Han Yunis and Rafiah. The Egyptians organized militias to guard the lines of transportation. At the beginning of June 1948, an assault unit of the battalion, together with forces from the 7th Battalion and the 'Chayot Hanegev' from the 2nd Battalion, joined the Givati Brigade in order to participate in the "Pleshet" operation. The force did not succeed in conquering Ishdud, but the advance of the Egyptian army towards the center of the country was brought to a halt.
The invasion put a great deal of pressure on the Negev Battalion. The battalion headquarters in the Mekorot camp and the airstrip of the Negev squadron that were situated close to Nir-Am, were shelled and were forced to move to Dorot and then a few days later, they moved to Ruhama. Small units of the Palmach were sent to evacuate women and children from the Shaar Hanegev settlements, while other small units penetrated some of the embattled settlements as reinforcements. Nirim and Kfar Darom succeeded in resisting the enemy attacks that cost them a heavy price in casualties. The enemy too, suffered heavy casualties.
After a short period of reorganization in the airport near western Gaza, the Egyptian force advanced and on the 19th of May, they attacked Yad Mordechai again and were repelled. The enemy took two days to reorganize and held another attack. On the 23rd of May they attacked once again.
Both the enemy and the defenders of Yad Mordechai suffered heavy casualties. The Yad Mordechai force was evacuated to Gvar Am at dawn on the 24th of May and the Egyptians continued on their advance to Majdal and Ashdod.
In the "North" (was how people in the Negev referred to the center of the country), they were preparing reinforcements. On the 20th of May an attack force of two jeep companies arrived in the Negev and on the 23rd of May an infantry regiment (the 7th Regiment) arrived. The brigade numbered about 1500 fighters. In the 'Pharoah' operation on the 25th of May, forces from the 2nd Regiment and the jeep company attacked the airport next to Gaza and the "Chayot Hanegev" unit attacked the field-gun battery next to Bet Hanun. On the 26th of May, the jeep company blew up two important bridges: The bridge on the Gaza-Beer Sheba road, and the bridge on the Beer Sheba-Hebron road.
Despite all the efforts invested, they were unsuccessful in achieving their objective of disrupting the enemy transportation. On the other hand, squads from the 8th Battalion laid ambushes at night, attacking and destroying Egyptian vehicles. The squads also sabotaged the railway line between Han Yunis and Rafiah. The Egyptians organized militias to guard the lines of transportation. At the beginning of June 1948, an assault unit of the battalion, together with forces from the 7th Battalion and the 'Chayot Hanegev' from the 2nd Battalion, joined the Givati Brigade in order to participate in the "Pleshet" operation. The force did not succeed in conquering Ishdud, but the advance of the Egyptian army towards the center of the country was brought to a halt.