Battles Of Negba
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The Battles of Negba were a series of military engagements between the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
and the
Egyptian army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...
in the
1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...
. Negba, a
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
founded in 1939, had a strategic position overlooking the Majdal
Bayt Jibrin Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin ( lit. 'House of the Powerful') was an Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict of British Mandatory Palestine, in what is today the State of Israel, which was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was ...
road, and was a target of two major assaults by the Egyptians in June and July 1948. On June 2, the Egyptians attacked the village from the south with a
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
reinforced with armor, artillery, and aircraft, and were beaten back by 140 defenders, who were assisted by motorized
Negev Brigade The Negev Brigade (, ''Hativat HaNegev''), originally the 12th Brigade is an Israeli Reserve duty (Israel), reserve infantry brigade under the Sinai Division, that originally served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. History Founding and organizatio ...
forces. The second attack took place on July 12, when the Egyptians staged diversionary assaults on nearby positions and surrounded Negba from all sides, again with a reinforced battalion. This attack was also dispersed, and Negba remained in Israeli hands, serving as a forward base for attacks against Egyptian forces up to
Operation Yoav Operation Yoav (also called Operation Ten Plagues or Operation Yo'av) was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Eg ...
.


Background

Kibbutz Negba was founded in 1939 as a tower and stockade settlement, the first lasting modern Jewish settlement in the
Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...
desert. At the outset of the second stage of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Negba was the southernmost village of the main Israeli-controlled land mass, and was not isolated like the nearby Nitzanim, Kfar Darom and the northern Negev settlements mainly founded as part of the
11 points in the Negev 11 points in the Negev ( or , ''Achat-Esre HaNekudot'') refers to a Jewish Agency plan to establish eleven settlements in the Negev in 1946 prior to the partition of Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel. History A plan to est ...
plan. The Egyptian army invaded Israel on May 15, after Israel's
declaration of independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...
on the previous day. Its main force moved up the coastal road, and engaged in a battle in Kfar Darom on May 15 and the Battle of Yad Mordechai on May 19–24. The column reached Majdal on May 14. From there, forces were sent north to
Isdud Isdud () was a Palestinian people, Palestinian village in the region of Tel Ashdod that was List of towns and villages depopulated during the 1947–1949 Palestine war, depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Khalidi says it may have had his ...
, reaching it on May 29, and to
Bayt Jibrin Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin ( lit. 'House of the Powerful') was an Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict of British Mandatory Palestine, in what is today the State of Israel, which was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was ...
through
Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...
on June 1, cutting a wedge between Israeli-held northern Negev and the rest of Israel. They finally disconnected the Negev by taking up position on the Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road during the first truce of the war (June 11 – July 8). Negba was located in an area surrounded by a number of hills, especially the police fort at Iraq Suwaydan 1.7 km to the south. The
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
was adjacent to a number of other strategic positions, including "The Junction", a road intersection between the Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road and the road from Kawkaba to
Julis Julis ( ''Jūlis'', ''G'ulis'') is a Druze village and Local council (Israel), local council in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology According to local legend, the name is derived fr ...
. Its defense was organized into 13 positions at the perimeter, connected by communication trenches, with the main gate in the north and the headquarters in the middle. Underground shelters were spread out throughout the entire village. A road passed from north to south in the village, but the Israelis left only the northern approach open, which was also close to an airplane landing strip.


First skirmishes and battle of June 2

On May 12, 1948, even before Egypt's invasion, Egyptian volunteer units from the
Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...
, which was backing the campaign in Palestine, took control of the Iraq Suwaydan police fort following the British withdrawal. Two Israeli attempts were made to capture it—on the same day and on May 18–19—but both failed. On May 21, an Egyptian motorized unit made a deterrent raid on Negba. This was accompanied by aircraft bombardment, which killed the Israeli regional commander, Yitzhak "Yoav" Dubno, who was attempting to shoot down aircraft.
Operation Yoav Operation Yoav (also called Operation Ten Plagues or Operation Yo'av) was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Eg ...
was named in his honor, as was the Iraq Suwaydan police fort, following its capture by Israel. The Egyptians continued to harass Negba in the following days, and the
Givati Brigade The 84th "Givati" Brigade () is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade formed in 1947. During the 1948 war, it was involved in capturing Palestinian villages in operations ''Hametz'', ''Barak'', and ''Pleshet''. Before Israel's 2005 ...
decided to send two platoons from its 53rd Battalion, as well as mortars, as reinforcements. The brigade's forces also occupied Julis (May 27–28) in order to control a position from which further reinforcements to Negba could be provided. On the day of the Egyptian attack on June 2, the Israeli forces in Negba numbered about 70 Givati Brigade soldiers and 70 village residents (including 10 women). They had a total of 80 rifles, 200
hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...
s, 500
Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...
s, 20 submachine guns, 8 machine guns, 3 two-inch mortars, 2 three-inch mortars and one
PIAT The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank (PIAT) Mk I was a British man-portable anti-tank weapon developed during the Second World War. The PIAT was designed in 1942 in response to the British Army's need for a more effective infantry anti-tank weapo ...
. The Egyptian force consisted of the 1st Infantry Battalion, supplemented by a tank company, an armored car company and three field
artillery batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...
(one 3.7" and two 25-pounder). They planned to surround the kibbutz and attack from all directions. The Egyptian forces started the attack with an artillery barrage on the night of June 1–2. Their column then moved eastward on the Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road, attacking Negba from the south in three armored prongs. Egyptian machine gun positions provided cover fire from Bayt 'Affa and 'Ibdis in the east and northeast, respectively. In all, seven tanks and 12 armored cars reached within 100 m of the village's southwestern perimeter at about 07:00 on June 2 (positions 6–8). One of them reached Position 6 which was completely destroyed, but withdrew under heavy fire from Position 7. Two others encountered land mines. At the same time, the Egyptian infantry with armored and air support attacked from the northeast but was repelled.
Shimon Avidan Shimon Avidan (; February 7, 1911 – September 11, 1994), born Siegbert Koch (), was a Palmach soldier and IDF military leader. He was the commander of the Givati Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Biography Early life Shimon Avidan ...
, the Givati Brigade commander, used
Negev Brigade The Negev Brigade (, ''Hativat HaNegev''), originally the 12th Brigade is an Israeli Reserve duty (Israel), reserve infantry brigade under the Sinai Division, that originally served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. History Founding and organizatio ...
forces under his command (originally earmarked for
Operation Pleshet Operation Pleshet (, ''Mivtza Pleshet'') was an Israeli military action near the village of Isdud from May 29 to June 3, 1948 during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Isdud was on the Israeli southern front against the Egyptian Army, and the operati ...
) to assist Negba. A jeep unit from the Negev Beasts Battalion was sent to the west of the kibbutz to harass the Egyptian flank. At the same time, an Israeli 25-pound cannon stationed at Kfar Warburg opened up a barrage against Iraq Suwaydan's fort. By 11:00, the Egyptian forces decided to withdraw under a
smoke screen A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships. Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as ...
. Negba suffered 8 dead and 11 wounded, while the Egyptian losses were estimated by Israel at 100 killed and wounded.


Battle of July 12

The second Egyptian attack on Negba constituted the pinnacle of their effort during the Battles of the Ten Days, the period between the first and second truces of the war. The Egyptians allocated a reinforced brigade (the 4th) to the task, part of which (2nd and 6th battalions) conducted diversionary operations at 'Ibdis and
Julis Julis ( ''Jūlis'', ''G'ulis'') is a Druze village and Local council (Israel), local council in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology According to local legend, the name is derived fr ...
. The composition of the force used to attack Negba itself was similar to the previous attempt—an infantry battalion, assisted by one tank company and one armored vehicle company, complemented by artillery and air support. The infantry battalion was the 9th, commanded by Sa'ad ad-Din Rahmani, which had seen success in the
Battle of Nitzanim The Battle of Nitzanim was fought between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, on June 7, 1948 (29 Iyar, 5708 in the Hebrew calendar). It was the first major Egyptian victory of the war, and one of the ...
and Hill 69. Unlike the previous battle, the Egyptians made good on their plans to surround the village, in order to prevent outside Israeli intervention. By 06:00, Negba was encircled and forces stood ready to move in. An initial artillery barrage from surrounding position (Bayt 'Affa, Hill 113 to the west and Hill 105 to the north) commenced at 07:00, with a more concentrated effort at 08:45, and an air raid at 08:00. At 11:00, armored and infantry forces started moving against the village from three directions (west, south, east). The simultaneous Egyptian attacks were poorly coordinated however, and the infantry and armor did not work well together. Negba's defenders held out, although the initial effort reached a distance of 50 m from the perimeter. The Egyptians regrouped at 16:00 and attempted a final thrust from the north. Achieving no success, the Egyptians retreated at 18:00, leaving behind one tank (a
Fiat M13/40 The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 tank, M11/39 in the Royal Italian Army (1940–1946), Royal Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout ...
) and four Bren carriers. Israel estimated Egyptian losses at 300 killed and wounded. The Israeli casualties were 5 killed and 16 wounded. The aforementioned M13/40 tank that was abandoned by its crew during the battle was the subject of a skirmish and a controversy. At night after their retreat, Egyptian forces tried to pull it back to their own lines, but an Israeli sapper had managed to mine the tank's surroundings. Several days later, an IDF armored serviceman helped rescue the tank and took it for repairs and reuse. The residents of Negba demanded an alternative tank as a war trophy, and five years later they were granted an M22 Locust. Although it lacked a gun barrel, one was attached by the Armored Corps, and the tank has remained in Negba since.


Aftermath

After July 12, the Egyptians did not attack Negba again, but made an attempt to surround it by sending a
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
ese company to capture Hill 105 to the north. Israel subsequently used Negba as a base for future operations in an attempt to cut through the Egyptian lines and link up with the Israeli-held enclave in the northern Negev. Some of the areas immediately surrounding Negba were captured in the days following the second battle during Operation An-Far. After battles on the night of July 12–13, Givati reported that it was in control of Hill 105 on 00:30 on July 14. Operation Death to the Invader on July 16–19 failed to take Bayt 'Affa, Iraq Suwaydan and Hill 113 however. These areas were captured on October 16–17 (Hill 113) and November 9–11 (Bayt 'Affa, Iraq Suwaydan) during
Operation Yoav Operation Yoav (also called Operation Ten Plagues or Operation Yo'av) was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Eg ...
. Both of Negba's successful stands had a significant symbolic value in Israel, especially among the working–settlement class. The commander of the Egyptian forces in Palestine, Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi, dismissed Muhammad Naguib (commander of the 4th Brigade) over the defeat. Naguib would later lead the military coup against the Egyptian government. This battle is considered to be the turning point on the southern front during the period between the first and second truces of the war. The culture office of the Givati Brigade, Abba Kovner, compared the defense to the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...
, referring to it as Negbagrad. A monument to commemorate the Israeli fallen, by sculptor Nathan Rapoport, was erected at the military cemetery in the village, at the request of Yisrael Barzilai. The sculpture depicts a male farmer and a female nurse who is a girl (the parents), and their son, a soldier. The monument is made of bronze and is 4 m tall. It symbolizes a will for defense, the work toward a better future, and the IDF's supply shortage, shown by the fact that the soldier isn't wearing a helmet. After the 1979 Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty, the Egyptians requested to place a memorial for its own fallen in Negba as well. Due to local opposition, the monument was placed in nearby Sde Yoav.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * *{{cite book, author=Yitzhaki, Aryeh, authorlink=Aryeh Yitzhaki, year=1988, title=A Guide to War Monuments and Sites in Israel (English title), Vol. 2 (south), publisher=Barr Publishers, language=he , ref=refYitzhaki


External links


Battles of Negba
at Zionism-Israel.com Negba Battles involving Egypt June 1948 in Asia July 1948 in Asia