Yehi'am convoy
Encyclopedia
The Yehiam convoy was a Haganah
convoy was sent from Haifa
during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
to reinforce and re-supply the Yehiam
kibbutz
which had been holding out against constant Arab attacks. On March 27, 1948, the convoy was attacked and destroyed by an Arab ambush.
Haifa
because supplies were short and the defenders of Kibbutz Yehiam were running out of ammunition. The 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine put Yehiam within the limits of the Arab state rather than the Jewish State. The original date had to be postponed as word reached that many enemy troops were deployed along the route. On 27 March 1948, seven trucks, loaded with supplies and personnel, set off.
Obstacles in the way forced the convoy to proceed slowly. As the convoy neared al-Kabri
the convoy's seven trucks were ambushed. From both sides of the road the bushes exploded with bullets. Ben Ami Pachter who was in the lead car shouted to those behind that it was an ambush and that they should get out anyway they could. After giving the warning he was struck in the head by a bullet, the armoured car, with his body and others who were wounded, reached Yehiam shortly afterwards.
The Scotsman
published an account of the convoy ambush:
In the ambush 47 Haganah members were killed and 6 Arabs. Serious allegations were made against the Carmeli Brigade commander that he had not rushed to the aid of the Yehiam convoy.
The order was carried out.
During Mivtza Dekel the 7th Brigade and 21st battalion of the Carmeli carried out an attack on Kuweikat on 9 July 1948 believing that some of the inhabitants had taken part in the attack on the Yehiam convoy the barrage was particularly heavy. The handful of Kuweikat villages (mostly elderly) who had stayed put when the village fell were subsequently expelled to the neighbouring Druze village of Abu Sinan. The Druze
village refused to give most of the Kuweikat villages shelter. Subsequently the Kuweikat villages moved to Upper Galilee and Lebanon
.
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
convoy was sent from Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
The 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine lasted from 30 November 1947, the date of the United Nations vote in favour of the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the UN Partition Plan, to the termination of the British Mandate itself on 14 May 1948.This period constitutes the...
to reinforce and re-supply the Yehiam
Yehiam
Yehiam founded on November 26, 1946, is a Kibbutz located in the western Upper Galilee region of Israel - about 10 miles due east of the coastal town of Nahariya and five miles south of the border with Lebanon...
kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
which had been holding out against constant Arab attacks. On March 27, 1948, the convoy was attacked and destroyed by an Arab ambush.
Convoy ambush
Ben Ami Pachter (born 1919) planned to lead a convoy on 21 March 1948, from Kiryat HaimKiryat Haim
Kiryat Haim is one of the five Krayot suburbs located north of Haifa, Israel. In 2003, Kiryat Haim had a population of 40,000. Kiryat Haim is within the municipal borders of the city of Haifa, and lies on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.-History:...
Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
because supplies were short and the defenders of Kibbutz Yehiam were running out of ammunition. The 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine put Yehiam within the limits of the Arab state rather than the Jewish State. The original date had to be postponed as word reached that many enemy troops were deployed along the route. On 27 March 1948, seven trucks, loaded with supplies and personnel, set off.
Obstacles in the way forced the convoy to proceed slowly. As the convoy neared al-Kabri
Al-Kabri
Al-Kabri was a Palestinian Arab town in the Galilee located northeast of Acre. It was captured by the Israel Defence Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. In 1945, it had a population of 1,520 and a total land area of 28,729 dunams. It is near the site of Tel Kabri.-History:Al-Kabri was known...
the convoy's seven trucks were ambushed. From both sides of the road the bushes exploded with bullets. Ben Ami Pachter who was in the lead car shouted to those behind that it was an ambush and that they should get out anyway they could. After giving the warning he was struck in the head by a bullet, the armoured car, with his body and others who were wounded, reached Yehiam shortly afterwards.
The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
published an account of the convoy ambush:
- "The second ambush occurred at Kabri, near Naharia, seven miles north of Acre. Here the bodies of 42 Jews were found near five burnt out lorries. It is stated that in this action a column of six Jewish lorries were ambushed by 250 Arabs who were armed with rifles, two inch mortars, and light machine guns. The column, escorted by an armoured car, was attacked an hour before sunset on Saturday night. A British flying column was sent to relieve the Jews but failed to reach them, it is reported. British artillery then opened fire with 12-lb and 25-lb high-explosive shells, and the Arabs withdrew."
In the ambush 47 Haganah members were killed and 6 Arabs. Serious allegations were made against the Carmeli Brigade commander that he had not rushed to the aid of the Yehiam convoy.
Retribution
During Second phase of Operation Ben Ami the Arab siege of Yehiam was lifted and the first retaliatory attack was carried out against al-Kabri, Umm al-Faraj and al-Nahr, where the commander gave to order:-
“To attack with the aim of capturing the villages of al-KabriAl-KabriAl-Kabri was a Palestinian Arab town in the Galilee located northeast of Acre. It was captured by the Israel Defence Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. In 1945, it had a population of 1,520 and a total land area of 28,729 dunams. It is near the site of Tel Kabri.-History:Al-Kabri was known...
, Umm al-FarajUmm al-Faraj-Location:The village was situated on a flat spot in the Acre plain, northeast of Acre.-History:The village was known to the Crusaders as Le Fierge....
and al-NahrAl-Nahral-Nahr was a Palestinian village 14 km northeast of Acre. It was depopulated in May 1948 after a military assault carried out by the Carmeli Brigade as part of the Israel Defence Force's Operation Ben-Ami. Immediately after the assault the village of al-Nahr was razed.-History:The twin...
, to kill the men [and] to destroy and set fire to the villages.”
The order was carried out.
During Mivtza Dekel the 7th Brigade and 21st battalion of the Carmeli carried out an attack on Kuweikat on 9 July 1948 believing that some of the inhabitants had taken part in the attack on the Yehiam convoy the barrage was particularly heavy. The handful of Kuweikat villages (mostly elderly) who had stayed put when the village fell were subsequently expelled to the neighbouring Druze village of Abu Sinan. The Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
village refused to give most of the Kuweikat villages shelter. Subsequently the Kuweikat villages moved to Upper Galilee and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
External links
- http://w3.kfar-olami.org.il/reed/resources/landmark/history/convoy.htm