Palestine Regiment

Palestine Regiment
Active 1942-1944
Country  United Kingdom
Branch  British Army
Type Infantry
Size 2,800 volunteers

The Palestine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that was formed in 1942.[1] During the Second World War, the regiment was deployed to Egypt and Cyrenaica, but most of their work consisted of guard duty.[2] Some Palestine Regiment members were killed in Benghazi, where they fought heavy battles against the Germans.[3]

Background

In 1940, Jews and Arabs living under the British Mandate for Palestine were allowed to form separate companies, known as Palestine Infantry Companies, and join the Royal East Kent Regiment, known as the "Buffs". [1][2] 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 missions included security, guarding installations and escorting convoys in Palestine. Their training exercises were extremely limited. The arms they were given were from First World War surplus. The declared intent of the British to recruit an equal number of Jews and Arabs did not occur. [4]The decision to form the Palestine Regiment was established by the British War Cabinet in the fall of 1939. The source of frustration was Palestine at the time. The British Garrison consisted of no fewer than eleven infantry battalions and only two cavalries. In the early moments of World War II didn't just face the manpower problem also the shortage of weapons, artillery and supplies. Because they were so desperate the British started recruiting troops who would have would have to do because they didn't have time to train them all because most of the first line units were sacrificed. These circumstances mandated the government to use new reserves for duties that require little to no training, transport or supply, civil defense and guard duty. It seemed possible that the British War Cabinet that Palestine was ready for this kind of build up. Sir Charles Tegart initiated the police training projects after the 1936 Arab revolt, were nearly complete by 1939. The British recruiters in Palestine had enjoyed at least moderate success in forming the units of the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (AMPC), which was hoped would be upgraded once the equipment and supplies became available. The War Cabinet commanded the the study of the Palestine manpower situational most simultaneously with the announcement by Dr. Chaim Weizmann of the offer he gave to help increase the entire Jewish division for the services in the British Army.[5]

Formation and Service

The Palestine Regiment was formed in 1942 with the Palestine Infantry Companies that were attached to the Buffs.[1] The regiment was divided into separate Jewish and Arab battalions.[6] According to historian Ashley Jackson the regiment consisted of 1600 Jews and 1200 Arabs[1] but according to writer Howard Blum, Jews outnumbered Arabs by a more than three to one ratio.[4]

The Jewish companies were then formed into three battalions, which became the new Palestine Regiment.[2]

Personnel of the Palestine Regiment later formed the core of the Jewish Brigade.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jackson, Ashley (2006). The British Empire and the Second World War. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-85285-417-1.
  2. 1 2 3 Frank, Benis M. (July 4, 1997). "The Jewish Company of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps Compared With Other Jewish Diaspora Fighting Units". Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  3. ↑ Kessler, Oren (4 March 2012). "Libyans desecrate British, Italian, Jewish graves". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 Blum, Howard (2002). The Brigade: An Epic Story of Vengeance, Salvation, and WWII. Hardscrabble Entertainment. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-06-198084-8.
  5. ↑ Davis, Ronald W. (1 January 1979). "Jewish Military Recruitment in Palestine, 1940–1943". Journal of Palestine Studies. 8 (2): 55–76. doi:10.2307/2536509. JSTOR 2536509.
  6. ↑ Walker, Bob (2009-04-30). The Politics of Religious Zionism. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-4092-5731-8.


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