SOUTH AFRICA’S 800 The Story of South African Volunteers in Israel’s War of Birth by Henry Katzew Compiled and produced by Maurice and Marcia Ostroff from Henry Katzew’s original manuscript Edited by Joe Woolf Key to the Front Cover Top to bottom: • The famous Haganah immigrant ship S.S Exodus 1947, in which 4500 refugees were forcibly returned to Hamburg in September 1947. (See foreword & Palestine Post article page 23) • Boris Senior in a Spitfire constructed from bits and pieces. • A group of Machalniks, in the Tank Corps. • A column of the 9th Palmach, Commando Battalion. Revised and reprinted November 2003 COPYRIGHT© All rights reserved No part of this document may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, except with the prior express written permission of the South African Zionist Federation. Correspondence should be addressed to: Telfed, 19/1 Schwartz Street, Ra’anana, 43212 Israel Telephone +972 9-7446110 Fax + 972 9-7446112 E-mail: [email protected] About this book “South Africa’s 800” is about Machal, the collective Hebrew acronym for volunteers from abroad and about individual volunteers, colloquially known as Machalniks. The book reveals details never previously documented and provides a valuable new perspective on Israel’s birth and struggle for survival. It includes eye witness reports by active participants in the events. While written mainly through South African eyes, the book also contains gripping anecdotes about volunteers from the USA, Britain and other countries. It throws new light on important events and personalities of the time. In his engaging eloquent style, Henry Katzew takes the reader on a fascinating expedition through recent historical events including: • Adventures of 8 young South Africans in their ill-fated attempt to bypass British restrictions on immigration to Palestine, by travelling overland from Pretoria. • The purchase of ramshackle small ships and their troubled voyages to Israel. • Six Arab armies attacking the newborn state. • Maps of the 1948 invasion and the 1949 armistice lines. • The appalling lack of defensive arms. • Purchase of light aircraft and flying them over Africa to Israel. • The airlift of volunteers from South Africa and the staging process in Rome. • Experiences of volunteers travelling to Israel in overcrowded refugee ships. • Light civilian aircraft with “bombchuckers” to throw home made bombs over the side. • The dramatic airlift to Israel of Me109 aircraft inside the fuselages of C- 46’s. • The irony of Israelis flying German Me109’s against Egyptians in British Spitfires. • The incredible operation Velvetta, flying Spitfires non-stop from Yugoslavia to Israel. • Experiences in a Greek Jail. • The Altalena and bewildered volunteers. • The assassination of Count Bernadotte. • Non-Jewish Volunteers. • Jerusalem under siege. • Machal and Israel’s first Air Force, Medical Corps, Ground Forces and Radar. • The exploits of Ezer Weizman, now State President, Syd Cohen and other legendary fliers including non-Jewish Claude Duval and Gordon Levett. • Personal battle experiences on the ground and in the air. • The participation of Machal in many important battles. • Epic adventures of ordinary men and women stirred to superhuman actions. • West Air and Universal Airways and their role in maintaining links with the outside world before the founding of El Al. To quote Ben Gurion, it tells how “The war was not won by heroes. It was won by ordinary men and women rising above themselves -“ Orders: Ralph Lanesman, Tel. Israel +972 9 745 3555 E-mail: Lanesman<[email protected]> CONTENTS ADDRESS BY HENRY KATZEW ________________________________________1 MAY 1948 – SIX ARAB ARMIES ATTACK ________________________________2 THE 1949 ARMISTICE LINES __________________________________________3 MESSAGE FROM THE STATE PRESIDENT, MR. EZER WEIZMAN ____________4 FOREWORD TO THE 2003 REPRINT ____________________________________5 ROLL OF HONOUR _________________________________________________7 PHASES OF THE WAR ______________________________________________10 AUTHOR’S NOTE (2002) _____________________________________________11 AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION (1977) ____________________________________12 THE ORDINANCE CREATING THE ISRAEL DEFENCE FORCE __________________ 26 CHAPTER 1 _______________________________________________________27 LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS________________________________________ 27 A day in May 1947 _____________________________________________________ 33 THE ISRAEL FLAG ____________________________________________________ 36 CHAPTER 2 - PART 1 _______________________________________________37 IMPACT OF THE PARTITION DECISION ____________________________________ 37 NOVEMBER 29, 1947 to MAY 14, 1948 ____________________________________ 37 JANUARY, 1948: EMISSARIES FROM THE PROMISED LAND _________________ 43 JANUARY 1948 IN PALESTINE __________________________________________ 45 FEBRUARY IN PALESTINE _____________________________________________ 49 CHAPTER 2 - PART 2 _______________________________________________51 IMPACT OF THE PARTITION DECISION ____________________________________ 51 MARCH 1948_________________________________________________________ 51 MARCH IN PALESTINE ________________________________________________ 60 CHAPTER 2 - PART 3 _______________________________________________63 APRIL 1948 __________________________________________________________ 63 APRIL IN PALESTINE __________________________________________________ 66 IN PALESTINE MAY 1 - MAY 14__________________________________________ 71 CHAPTER 3 _______________________________________________________73 OVER AFRICA - AND IN ROME____________________________________________ 73 CHAPTER 4 _______________________________________________________97 THE STATE IS BORN____________________________________________________ 97 HECTIC DAYS FOR FIRST SOUTH AFRICANS _____________________________ 97 CHAPTER 5 ______________________________________________________111 THE NEXT TWENTY FIVE DAYS__________________________________________ 111 THE RADAR TEAM_____________________________________________________ 123 MAY – JUNE 1948 _____________________________________________________ 126 IN SOUTH AFRICA _____________________________________________________ 130 IN EUROPE___________________________________________________________ 131 SUMMARY OF THE FIRST MONTH'S FIGHTING _____________________________ 132 CHAPTER 6 - PART 1 ______________________________________________139 THE ALTALENA AFFAIR: BEWILDERED VOLUNTEERS _______________________ 139 CHAPTER 6 - PART 2 ______________________________________________153 THE DOCTORS_______________________________________________________ 153 CHAPTER 7 - PART 1 ______________________________________________ 163 TEN-DAY WHIRLWIND _________________________________________________ 163 CHAPTER 7 - PART2 ______________________________________________ 175 TEN-DAY WHIRLWIND _________________________________________________ 175 IN THE AIR __________________________________________________________ 175 NIGHTMARE _______________________________________________________ 175 THE DOCTORS AND NURSES __________________________________________ 179 AT SEA _____________________________________________________________ 183 CHAPTER 8 ______________________________________________________ 185 AS JULY ENDED______________________________________________________ 185 CHAPTER 9 ______________________________________________________ 191 SIX SOUTH AFRICANS FALL____________________________________________ 191 CHAPTER 10 _____________________________________________________ 203 CECIL MARGO’S AIR FORCE BLUEPRINT_________________________________ 203 Extract from the IDF Doctrine ____________________________________________ 210 CHAPTER 11 _____________________________________________________ 211 THE TRUCE IN AUGUST _______________________________________________ 211 AT SEA _____________________________________________________________ 217 THE MEN OF THE AIR _________________________________________________ 218 THE DOCTORS_______________________________________________________ 224 AUGUST DIARY ______________________________________________________ 225 CHAPTER 12 _____________________________________________________ 227 SEPTEMBER 1948 ________________________________________________ 227 NEW ARRIVALS ______________________________________________________ 227 SKIRMISHES_________________________________________________________ 228 COUNT BERNADOTTE ASSASSINATED __________________________________ 234 THE AIRMEN_________________________________________________________ 237 THE DOCTORS_______________________________________________________ 241 IN BRITAIN __________________________________________________________ 242 THE MONTH’S DIARY _________________________________________________ 243 CHAPTER 13 _____________________________________________________ 245 IN A GREEK JAIL _____________________________________________________ 245 ON THE GROUND ____________________________________________________ 248 CHAPTER 14 _____________________________________________________ 251 THE STORM UNLEASHED______________________________________________ 251 ON THE GROUND ____________________________________________________ 254 RESCUE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT__________________________________________ 257 THE DOCTORS AND THE NURSES ______________________________________ 262 AT SEA _____________________________________________________________ 269 POLITICAL___________________________________________________________ 271 CHAPTER 15 _____________________________________________________