THE ORIGINS OF GRANDMA'S ARMY - IV

 

THE ORIGINS OF GRANDMA’S ARMY – IV

News of the Nazis' plan to conquer the Middle East spread rapidly as France, which controlled Lebanon and Syria, came under pro-Nazi Vichy's rule, and German General Rommel made his way through North Africa's shores to the Suez Canal. 

This resulted in the establishment of the Palmach, the Haganah's official military branch. The Palmach  was created as a force to protect and defend the Jewish people in Israel, in the event of a Nazi invasion. It was an integral part of the Haganah. Every Palmach member was loyal to the Haganah as well.  

                                                                                

The British initially sponsored the Palmach and provided its members with weapons, as well as military training. The Palmach operated using methods of guerrilla warfare, combat patrols, reconnaissance, strike and sabotage. They even had a "German Platoon", in which German-speaking soldiers impersonated Nazi military officers. They were trained to operate German weapons, complete intensive exercises, and study German military history and strategy. 

However, after the British victory over Gen. Rommel in Africa, in the Second Battle of El Alamein, the British no longer saw the need for the Palmach's existence and cut off all funding and assistance. 

The organization was forced to go underground and support itself through work in the kibbutzim—each Palmach platoon was assigned a kibbutz to live on. The kibbutz provided them with food, housing and other resources. In return, the platoons worked on the kibbutz for half of the month, and trained for combat during the other half. This combination of agricultural work and training created a combat-ready, self-sufficient force. 

The Palmach managed to establish the "Palyam" (naval companies) and the "Sha" (air force service), as well as special units such as the "Sachar" - known as the Arab Platoon. It trained Arabic-speaking Jews to gather intelligence and secret information in the Middle East.

Known for conducting informal social activities - apart from training – it’s free spirit and high morale was the Palmach's essence and source of strength. 

At the time, most Jewish Palestinians wanted to join the Allies in the fight against the Nazis and be a part of an established, respected military - rather than a newly formed paramilitary, with limited resources. 

In order to convince Jews to join the Palmach, Yitzhak Sadeh, the Palmach's first commander, insisted: “The Russian gun is carried by the Russian soldier, the English gun is carried by the English soldier, but friends, who will carry the Hebrew gun?”