The Palestine Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

that was formed in 1942. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the regiment was deployed to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

, but most of their work consisted of guard duty. Some Palestine Regiment members were killed in Benghazi, where they fought heavy battles against the Germans. The Palestine Regiment consisted of Jews and Arabs, conscripted in Mandatory Palestine, until its reformation in 1944. From 1944, the Jewish military subunits of Palestine Regiment became the basis to form the larger

Jewish Brigade The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group, more commonly known as the Jewish Brigade Group or Jewish Brigade, was a military formation of the British Army in the World War II, Second World War. It was formed in late 1944 and was recruited among Yishuv, Y ...

, which took part in World War II effort of the Allies in Europe.

Background

In 1940, Jews and Arabs living under the British Mandate for Palestine were allowed to form separate

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

, known as Palestine Infantry Companies, as part of the

Royal East Kent Regiment The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

, known as the "Buffs". The establishment of the first Jewish Infantry Company was completed in September 1940, within the framework of the "Buffs" and 14 more Jewish Companies were raised, in which about 5,300 men served. Their mission included security, guarding installations and escorting convoys in Palestine. Their training exercises were extremely limited and they were equipped with

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

-era surplus. The declared intent of the British to recruit an equal number of Jews and Arabs did not occur. In the fall of 1939, the British War Cabinet decided to form a new regiment called the Palestine Regiment. At the time the British garrison in Palestine consisted of no fewer than eleven infantry battalions and two cavalry regiments. While in the early phase of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the British had sufficient manpower to meet this demand, as the war progressed, they began to experience a manpower shortage, as well as shortages of weapons, artillery and supplies. These circumstances mandated the British government to use new reserves for duties that required limited training or logistic support. Under Sir Charles Tegart police training projects had been initiated after the 1936 Arab revolt, and these were nearly complete by 1939. British recruiters in Palestine had enjoyed at least moderate success in forming the units of the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (AMPC), which they hoped would be expanded once the equipment and supplies became available. In response, the War Cabinet ordered a study of the Palestine manpower situation. Almost simultaneously, Dr. Chaim Weizmann offered to help recruit an entire Jewish division for the services in the

Formation and Service

The Palestine Regiment was formed in 1942 with the Palestine Infantry Companies that were attached to the Buffs forming the bulk of the new formation. The regiment was divided into separate Jewish and Arab battalions. According to historian Ashley Jackson the regiment consisted of 1,600 Jews and 1,200 Arabs, but according to writer

Howard Blum Howard Blum () (born 1948) is an American author and journalist. Formerly a reporter for ''The Village Voice'' and ''The New York Times'', Blum is a contributing editor at ''Vanity Fair'' and the author of several non-fiction books, including th ...

, Jews outnumbered Arabs by a more than three to one ratio. The Jewish companies were then formed into three

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

s, which became the new Palestine Regiment. Personnel of the Palestine Regiment later formed the core of the

References

{{Mandatory Palestine topics Jewish military units and formations Military units and formations established in 1942 History of Mandatory Palestine Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations of Mandatory Palestine in World War II 1942 establishments in Mandatory Palestine 1944 disestablishments in Mandatory Palestine Military units and formations disestablished in 1944