Operation "Pleshet"
General staff ordered an operation to destroy the invading Egyptian forces organizing in Ishdod before they continued north, a week after operation "Paraoh".
The 'Givati' Brigade, the 7th Battalion and "The Negev animals" attacked the Egyptian force causing the 'Negev' Brigade many casualties during the attacks from the south-west. The Palmach force was forced to retreat while the Egyptian forces were beating their rear. 50 palmach members were killed during the operation.
The 'Givati' Brigade, the 7th Battalion and "The Negev animals" attacked the Egyptian force causing the 'Negev' Brigade many casualties during the attacks from the south-west. The Palmach force was forced to retreat while the Egyptian forces were beating their rear. 50 palmach members were killed during the operation.
The background: After occupying Yad-Mordechay, general staff estimated that the Egyptian forces based in Ishdod planed to either attack Tel-Aviv, or turn east, join the Arab legion and reinforce the siege of Jerusalem. They decided to send the 'Givati' Brigade together with a force from the 'Negev' Brigade to attack the Egyptian force based in Ishdod. The operation was scheduled between the 1st and the 2nd of June.
The enemy: The Egyptian force based in Ishdod included 2,300 men, 25 pound cannons and 3.7 Howitzer Battalion
Palmach forces: 2 'Givati' Brigade infantry and artillery support Battalions; 3 infantry companies, 2 raiding forces (30 jeeps) and 'Negev' Brigade support artillery; a battery of 65 mm cannons, a 4.2 mortar Company and one 25 pound cannon.
The course of the attack:
A "Givati" reinforced Company blocked the road from Majdal while a 'Negev' Brigade jeep force was left behind as a reserve force. The attack, planned to take place in 3 sectors began with bombing Egyptian posts from the air while Zvi Zur (chara) led the 'Givati' Battalion attack from the north. He was forced to retreat after suffering heavy losses; the 'Givati' no.57 Etzel Battalion arrived at the train station where the Egyptian Brigade H.Q. and armored reserves were based, opened fire and was forced to retreat without making contact; The 'Negev' Brigade 7th Battalion under the command of Yohanan Zariz arrived from the south and attacked the Egyptian front alignment, occupied several posts at the edge of the village and was forced to retreat at dawn. 50 men were killed or pronounced missing and 50 others were wounded during the operation.
The failure crushed the men on the one hand, but served as a significant turning point in the southern front fighting, on the other hand- the Egyptians were forced to defend themselves and no further attempts were made to reach the center of the country.
'Negev' Brigade forces activities during operation 'Pleshet':
The operation commenced with exhausted fighters, as the 7th Battalion occupied Bait Tima and attacked Dir-Snid on the night On the night between the 30th and the 31st of May previous the operation. A jeep Company returned the previous day after 4 days of bombarding the Daharia Bridge and another Company was scheduled to transport supplies to Kfar Darom. The 'Negev Animals' had fought continuously since the beginning of the invasion. On the eve of the 1st of June, General staff risked sending the 'Negev' task force up north assuming the force would attack during the night and return the following day, thus leaving the northern Negev without a mobile force.
The 7th Battalion left the Negev at 20:15 pm and arrived at the 'Givati' front H.Q. based in Hazor near midnight. 'Negev' Brigade H.Q. was late as a result of disorganization and after a quick set of orders, 2 companies under the command of Israel Carmi joined the task force in the deployment area. The 2 'Givati' scouts leading the force couldn’t find the exit from the abandoned British airfield in Bait-Daras forcing the 7th Battalion and the 'Negev Animals' to leave their vehicles and arrive to the deployment area on foot. They were ordered to return to camp as a result of a misunderstanding concerning the cease fire. The location of the forces on the 2nd of June: the 7th Battalion camped in Julis, the 'Negev Animals' camped in Bait-Daras and the jeep companies camped in Hazor.
The operation was scheduled for the night between the 2nd and 3rd of June. 350 'Negev' Brigade men were to attack 1000 Egyptian infantry and reserve soldiers that were based in Ishdod. The force left for the assembly area in Be'er Tuvia before sun down.
Egyptian alertness intensified when a single aircraft bombarded Ishdod at 18:00 pm. At 22:00 pm the 7th Battalion (2 companies) and 2nd Battalion 'Negev Animals' under the command of Yohanan Zariz and his deputy, Yoskeh Yariv (Rivkind) left the assembly area towards the deployment area, stationing MMG's and mortars 1 km. south of the village. The main part of the force crossed the road and the railway tracks, flanking the village from the west and the jeeps were positioned east of the road, on Tel Korson, 1,700 m south-west of the village, forcing the teams to climb the hill carrying MMG's and munitions on their backs.
It was a dark night and the forces advanced slowly through the dunes. At 03:00 am the cannons opened fire as planned, before the force reached the assembly area, thus losing the surprise factor. The attack force reached the dunes by the railway track before dawn and the front command set base. The 7th Battalion companies awaited the second stage attack command, while the 'Negev Animals' entered the village orchard area and prepared for attack.
The 'Negev Animals' attacked and occupied some of the Egyptian army posts, including a 20 mm cannon under the protection of the southern artillery support unit and the jeep Company in Tel-Karson, but the Egyptians recovered quickly and opened heavy fire.
Egyptian Brigade H.Q. sent a reinforcement of tank and armored companies to the village and the fighting continued until the break of day. 'Negev Animals' Commander, Simcha Shiloni suggested to Yoskeh Rivkind they retreat, only to find that their retreat route was jeopardized by Egyptian armored forces advancing correspondingly on 2 separate axis- one on the main road and the other on the dirt roads between the orchards and the dunes, forcing them to retreat to Nizanim instead of Be'er Tuvia. The jeeps were forced to retreat back to Be'er Tuvia during the fight with the Egyptian armored force at Tel-Karson. At 06:00 am, 2 Egyptian tanks and 4 trucks full of soldiers moving from Majdal were blocked by a 'Givati' force by hill no.69, forcing them to retreat and having to vacate the hill themselves before the completion of the retreat from Ishdod.
The dunes and the many wounded made the retreat extremely difficult. A 'Givati' fighting force rear guarded the retreat, while chased by volunteers and local Arabs. 14 7th Battalion men and 2 'Negev Animals' were killed during both the attack and the retreat. The force remained in Nizanim during the 3rd of June and left for Be'er Tuvia on foot during the night. The wounded and the casualties were vacated by a convoy of jeeps and ambulances. The 8 casualties that were left behind were buried in an Israeli grave the following year. The 7th Battalion returned to Julis, 'Negev Animals' to Bait-Daras and the jeep companies returned to Hazor after the failure of the operation.
'Negev' Brigade jeep companies defending Negba
On the 2nd of June, while preparing for operation 'Pleshet' in Hazor, Shimon Avidan, 'Negev' Brigade Commander ordered Israel Carmi, 'negev' Brigade jeep Commander to reinforce the forces defending Negba. On the 2nd of June, 1948, the Egyptian forces including 7 tanks, and 12 armored vehicles attacked Negba before the break of dawn. The defenders opened fire on the armored force followed by infantry, 100 m from the fence. They managed to injure many of the infantry men and to prevent them from further advancing, but the tanks continued to advance. The situation in Negba became critical once the enemy's forward tank broke through the fence, but then it retreated together with the rest of the Egyptian force. 100 Egyptian infantry were wounded during the unprotected retreat, 8 Palmach members were killed and 12 others wounded. The cause of the retreat: a jeep Company under the command of Shimon Bumza, on its way from Julis to Negba, reached the Egyptian force flank, deployed and opened fire on the armored force from several hundred meters, forcing the Egyptians to retreat and alert for air support against the attacking jeeps. The aircraft encountered the heavy fire of the organized jeeps that managed to return to Hazor unharmed.
On the night of the 9th of June, operation 'Pleshet' force returned to the Negev without the 2 jeep companies, travailing undisturbed on the Julis- Nir-Am road. On the following day the Egyptians cut off the Negev by occupying the above road along with the Majdal- Faluja- Bait Jibrin road. On the 21st of June, the jeep companies managed to infiltrate the Negev via the רצועת הניתוק.
The enemy: The Egyptian force based in Ishdod included 2,300 men, 25 pound cannons and 3.7 Howitzer Battalion
Palmach forces: 2 'Givati' Brigade infantry and artillery support Battalions; 3 infantry companies, 2 raiding forces (30 jeeps) and 'Negev' Brigade support artillery; a battery of 65 mm cannons, a 4.2 mortar Company and one 25 pound cannon.
The course of the attack:
A "Givati" reinforced Company blocked the road from Majdal while a 'Negev' Brigade jeep force was left behind as a reserve force. The attack, planned to take place in 3 sectors began with bombing Egyptian posts from the air while Zvi Zur (chara) led the 'Givati' Battalion attack from the north. He was forced to retreat after suffering heavy losses; the 'Givati' no.57 Etzel Battalion arrived at the train station where the Egyptian Brigade H.Q. and armored reserves were based, opened fire and was forced to retreat without making contact; The 'Negev' Brigade 7th Battalion under the command of Yohanan Zariz arrived from the south and attacked the Egyptian front alignment, occupied several posts at the edge of the village and was forced to retreat at dawn. 50 men were killed or pronounced missing and 50 others were wounded during the operation.
The failure crushed the men on the one hand, but served as a significant turning point in the southern front fighting, on the other hand- the Egyptians were forced to defend themselves and no further attempts were made to reach the center of the country.
'Negev' Brigade forces activities during operation 'Pleshet':
The operation commenced with exhausted fighters, as the 7th Battalion occupied Bait Tima and attacked Dir-Snid on the night On the night between the 30th and the 31st of May previous the operation. A jeep Company returned the previous day after 4 days of bombarding the Daharia Bridge and another Company was scheduled to transport supplies to Kfar Darom. The 'Negev Animals' had fought continuously since the beginning of the invasion. On the eve of the 1st of June, General staff risked sending the 'Negev' task force up north assuming the force would attack during the night and return the following day, thus leaving the northern Negev without a mobile force.
The 7th Battalion left the Negev at 20:15 pm and arrived at the 'Givati' front H.Q. based in Hazor near midnight. 'Negev' Brigade H.Q. was late as a result of disorganization and after a quick set of orders, 2 companies under the command of Israel Carmi joined the task force in the deployment area. The 2 'Givati' scouts leading the force couldn’t find the exit from the abandoned British airfield in Bait-Daras forcing the 7th Battalion and the 'Negev Animals' to leave their vehicles and arrive to the deployment area on foot. They were ordered to return to camp as a result of a misunderstanding concerning the cease fire. The location of the forces on the 2nd of June: the 7th Battalion camped in Julis, the 'Negev Animals' camped in Bait-Daras and the jeep companies camped in Hazor.
The operation was scheduled for the night between the 2nd and 3rd of June. 350 'Negev' Brigade men were to attack 1000 Egyptian infantry and reserve soldiers that were based in Ishdod. The force left for the assembly area in Be'er Tuvia before sun down.
Egyptian alertness intensified when a single aircraft bombarded Ishdod at 18:00 pm. At 22:00 pm the 7th Battalion (2 companies) and 2nd Battalion 'Negev Animals' under the command of Yohanan Zariz and his deputy, Yoskeh Yariv (Rivkind) left the assembly area towards the deployment area, stationing MMG's and mortars 1 km. south of the village. The main part of the force crossed the road and the railway tracks, flanking the village from the west and the jeeps were positioned east of the road, on Tel Korson, 1,700 m south-west of the village, forcing the teams to climb the hill carrying MMG's and munitions on their backs.
It was a dark night and the forces advanced slowly through the dunes. At 03:00 am the cannons opened fire as planned, before the force reached the assembly area, thus losing the surprise factor. The attack force reached the dunes by the railway track before dawn and the front command set base. The 7th Battalion companies awaited the second stage attack command, while the 'Negev Animals' entered the village orchard area and prepared for attack.
The 'Negev Animals' attacked and occupied some of the Egyptian army posts, including a 20 mm cannon under the protection of the southern artillery support unit and the jeep Company in Tel-Karson, but the Egyptians recovered quickly and opened heavy fire.
Egyptian Brigade H.Q. sent a reinforcement of tank and armored companies to the village and the fighting continued until the break of day. 'Negev Animals' Commander, Simcha Shiloni suggested to Yoskeh Rivkind they retreat, only to find that their retreat route was jeopardized by Egyptian armored forces advancing correspondingly on 2 separate axis- one on the main road and the other on the dirt roads between the orchards and the dunes, forcing them to retreat to Nizanim instead of Be'er Tuvia. The jeeps were forced to retreat back to Be'er Tuvia during the fight with the Egyptian armored force at Tel-Karson. At 06:00 am, 2 Egyptian tanks and 4 trucks full of soldiers moving from Majdal were blocked by a 'Givati' force by hill no.69, forcing them to retreat and having to vacate the hill themselves before the completion of the retreat from Ishdod.
The dunes and the many wounded made the retreat extremely difficult. A 'Givati' fighting force rear guarded the retreat, while chased by volunteers and local Arabs. 14 7th Battalion men and 2 'Negev Animals' were killed during both the attack and the retreat. The force remained in Nizanim during the 3rd of June and left for Be'er Tuvia on foot during the night. The wounded and the casualties were vacated by a convoy of jeeps and ambulances. The 8 casualties that were left behind were buried in an Israeli grave the following year. The 7th Battalion returned to Julis, 'Negev Animals' to Bait-Daras and the jeep companies returned to Hazor after the failure of the operation.
'Negev' Brigade jeep companies defending Negba
On the 2nd of June, while preparing for operation 'Pleshet' in Hazor, Shimon Avidan, 'Negev' Brigade Commander ordered Israel Carmi, 'negev' Brigade jeep Commander to reinforce the forces defending Negba. On the 2nd of June, 1948, the Egyptian forces including 7 tanks, and 12 armored vehicles attacked Negba before the break of dawn. The defenders opened fire on the armored force followed by infantry, 100 m from the fence. They managed to injure many of the infantry men and to prevent them from further advancing, but the tanks continued to advance. The situation in Negba became critical once the enemy's forward tank broke through the fence, but then it retreated together with the rest of the Egyptian force. 100 Egyptian infantry were wounded during the unprotected retreat, 8 Palmach members were killed and 12 others wounded. The cause of the retreat: a jeep Company under the command of Shimon Bumza, on its way from Julis to Negba, reached the Egyptian force flank, deployed and opened fire on the armored force from several hundred meters, forcing the Egyptians to retreat and alert for air support against the attacking jeeps. The aircraft encountered the heavy fire of the organized jeeps that managed to return to Hazor unharmed.
On the night of the 9th of June, operation 'Pleshet' force returned to the Negev without the 2 jeep companies, travailing undisturbed on the Julis- Nir-Am road. On the following day the Egyptians cut off the Negev by occupying the above road along with the Majdal- Faluja- Bait Jibrin road. On the 21st of June, the jeep companies managed to infiltrate the Negev via the רצועת הניתוק.