Jewish navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Siege of Jaffa | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Combatants | |||||||||||
15 former Jewish Brigade members and 27 other Mercenaries | Arab Citizens of Jaffa | ||||||||||
Commanders | |||||||||||
Captain David Berger | Various | ||||||||||
Strength | |||||||||||
42 | unknown: Estimates range from 100 to 2,000 combatants |
For the Marine Force of the State of Israel see the article on the Israeli Defense Forces
A little known zionist mercenary corps active from 1945-1947. Unsuccessful in its attempts to take over the city of Jaffa through blockade.
[edit] Siege of Jaffa
On September 18, 1945, a group of former Jewish Brigade members surrounded the old city of Jaffa on land. Their desire was to put one of the significant towns in the British Mandate of Palestine under zioinist control. David Berger, the former corporal and now leader of the group, decided that a new MO was necessary and bought surplus patrol boats from the British Government after the American government found the boats unsuitable for return under the provisions of the lend lease act. Berger's troops managed to keep the Arabs in the walls for a full six months by not allowing any military goods or luxeries into the cities. But finding the boats too costly to maintain, Berger and his comrades decided to set up checkpoints on several of the ancient roads leading into the old city until early 1947. Due to lack of funds, the group disbanded in march of that year.
References
Dawn's Break on Zion, the true story of the birth of modern Tel Aviv Jurgensen, D. E. Ed. Karen Wallstein. Oxford University Press, London: 1957