Operation Dani

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Operation Dani
Part of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War
LyddaAirportCapture (cropped).png
Israeli forces in Lydda after capturing the town
DateJuly 9–19, 1948
Location
East of Tel Aviv
Result Capture of Ramle, Lydda and surrounding villages.
Failure to capture Latrun
Belligerents
Flag of Israel.svg Israel (IDF) Flag of Jordan.svg Transjordan (Arab Legion)
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Israel.svg Yigal Alon
Flag of Israel.svg Yitzhak Rabin
Flag of Jordan.svg Glubb Pasha
Strength
6,000
Casualties and losses
91 killed

Operation Dani, [a] also spelled Danny, was an Israeli military offensive launched on July 9–19, 1948 at the end of the first truce of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The objectives were to capture territory east of Tel Aviv and then to push inland and relieve the Jewish population and forces in Jerusalem. The main forces fighting against the IDF were the Arab Legion and Palestinian irregulars [1]

Contents

On 10 July, Glubb Pasha ordered the defending Arab Legion troops to "make arrangements ... for a phony war". [2]

The operation commander was Yigal Allon and his deputy was Yitzhak Rabin. The total force numbered around 6,000 soldiers. [3]

Name

The operation was named after Palmach officer Daniel "Dani" Mass, who had fallen on January 16, 1948, while commanding a relief action known as "Convoy of 35".[ citation needed ]

Objectives

The first phase of Operation Dani was to capture the cities of Lydda and Ramle, located on the road to Jerusalem, southeast of Tel Aviv. Ramle was one of the main obstacles blocking Jewish transportation. [4] From the start of the war, Lydda and Ramle militiamen had attacked Jewish traffic on nearby roads. [5] Ramle became a focal point for blocking Jewish transportation, forcing traffic from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to a southern bypass. [6]

The second phase was to capture the fort at Latrun and break through Ramallah. The operation was carried out under Palmach command using the Yiftach Brigade, the Harel Brigade, the 8th Armored Brigade and two battalions from the Kiryati and Alexandroni brigades.

Lydda and Ramle

Soldiers of the Yiftach Brigade with a captured Jordanian armored vehicle in the village of al-Burj, 15 July 1948 PikiWiki Israel 20793 The Palmach.jpg
Soldiers of the Yiftach Brigade with a captured Jordanian armored vehicle in the village of al-Burj, 15 July 1948

On 9 July units from the Yiftach Brigade began approaching Ramle from the south. At the same time troops from the other brigades began attacking villages north of Lydda. Caught in a pincer movement and with only a token Arab Legion presence the two towns were captured the following day. This put Lydda airport and the strategic railway station at Ramle in Israeli hands.

As part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsions, Israeli forces violently expelled 50,000-70,000 people from Lydda and Ramle, killing hundreds.

Latrun

Road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.jpg
Road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The second phase of the operation failed after several costly attacks on Arab Legion positions in the Battle of Latrun and the threat of a UN-imposed cease-fire. [7] [ clarification needed ][ better source needed ]

Casualties

The Palmach record the names of ninety-one of its members killed during this Operation. Forty-four were killed at Khirbet Kurikur on 18 July 1948. Seven were killed in the capture of Lydda. [8]

Palestinian Arab communities captured

NameDateDefending forcesBrigadePopulation
Dayr Tarif 9 July 1948Arab LegionArmoured Brigade
Kiryati Brigade
1,750
Al-Tira 10 July 1948n/aAlexandroni Brigade
8th Armoured Brigade
1,290
Daniyal 10 July 1948n/aYiftach Brigade410
Kharruba 10 July 1948n/aYiftach Brigade170
al-Barriyya 9–10 July 1948n/an/a510
'Innaba 10 July 1948200 villagersYiftach Brigade
8th Brigade
1,420
Jimzu 10 July 1948n/a Yiftach Brigade 1,150
Rantiya 10 July 1948n/a8th Armoured Brigade
3rd Battalion, Alexandroni Brigade
590
Lydda 11 July 1948n/a3rd Battalion, Yiftah Brigadesee Ramle
Al-Jura 11 July 1948n/an/a420
Al-Muzayri'a 12 July 1948n/an/a1,160
Ramle 12 July 1948Arab Legion withdrewKiryati Brigade50–70,000 combined with Lydda
including 15,000 refugees from Jaffa
Majdal Yaba 12 July 1948Iraqi army2nd Battalion, Alexandroni Brigade1,520
Al-Haditha 12 July 1948n/an/a760
Abu al-Fadl 12–13 July 1948n/an/a510
Suba, Jerusalem 12–13 July 1948"bloodless"Har'el Brigade620
Khirbat al-Lawz 13–14 July 1948n/aHar'el Brigade450
Sar'a 13–14 July 1948Egyptian forces4th Battalion Har'el Brigade340
Sataf 13–14 July 1948n/aHar'el Brigade540
al-Maliha 14–16 July 1948Egyptian irregulars
Palestinian militia
Irgun
Palmach Youth
1,940
al-Burj 15 July 1948Arab Legionn/a480
Kh al-Buwayra mid July 1948n/an/a190
Salbit 15–16 July 1948Arab Legion2nd Battalion, Kiryati Brigade510
Bayt Nabala 15–16 July 1948Arab Legion
150-200 men
n/a2,310
Bir Ma'in 15–16 July 1948Arab LegionYiftach Brigade
1st & 2nd Battalions
510
Barfiliya 15–16 July 1948n/aGivati and Kiryati Brigades
8th Armoured
730
Kasla 16 July 1948n/aHar'el Brigade280
Dayr 'Amr Boys Farm 16 July 1948none4th Battalion Har'el Brigade10
Ishwa' 16 July 1948n/a4th Battalion Har'el Brigade620
Artuf 17–18 July 1948Palestinian militia
under Egyptian command
4th Battalion Har'el Brigade350
Islin 18 July 1948n/an/a260
Shilta 18 July 1948Arab Legion1st Battalion, Yiftach Brigade
lost 44 men withdrawing
100
Sources:
  • Walid Khalidi, All That Remains, ISBN   0-88728-224-5
  • Benny Morris, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947–1949, ISBN   0-521-33028-9

Units

See also

References

  1. Chaim Herzog, 'The Arab-Israeli Wars' ISBN   0-85368-367-0 (1982). page 80: 'A blow against the Arab Legion was the essence of Operation 'Danny' planned as the main Israeli offensive to be mounted on the resumption of hostilities.'
  2. Morris, Benny (October 2008). 1948. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0300145243.
  3. Kimche, Jon; Kimche, David (1960). A Clash of Destinies. The Arab-Jewish War and the Founding of the State of Israel. Frederick A. Praeger. p. 225. LCCN   60-6996. OCLC   1348948. largest force yet assembled under one Israeli.
  4. Golan, Arnon. "Lydda and Ramle: from Palestinian-Arab to Israeli towns, 1948-67," Middle Eastern Studies, October 1, 2003
  5. Morris 2004, p. 424
  6. Lydda and Ramle: from Palestinian-Arab to Israeli towns, 1948-67. by Golan, Arnon
  7. Herzog, page 82.
  8. "פלמ"ח". Archived from the original on 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  9. Herzog, page 80.
  10. Moshe Dayan, 'My Life.' ISBN   0-688-03076-9 (1976). Page 103.

Notes

  1. Hebrew: מבצע דני, Mivtza Dani