1948-49 War of Independence

Arab TO&E

Trans-Jordanian Arab Legion 1948

Over 7,000 men under Pasha Glubb, although Brigadier Lash commanded in the field (Lunt, 1999, says 7,000; Collins & Lapierre, 1972, say 7,500). The main force was 4,500 troops in the two mechanised brigades including armoured cars and artillery. The remainder were support troops, including presumably the garrison companies. By the end of the war the Legion had 10,000 soldiers in arms.

Overall organisation

Details from Laffin (1982a), Lunt (1999), Collins & Lapierre (1972).

1 x Divisional Headquarters (under Brigadier Lash)

2 x Mechanized Brigades

1 x Brigade Headquarters

1 x Brigade Signals unit

2 x Mechanized Infantry Regiment *

1 x Regimental Headquarters

1 x Armoured Car Troop

10 - 12 Marmon-Herrington armoured cars Mk IVF (2-pounder gun and a Browning machine gun). I assume these were organised into sub-units of 4 given Lt. Zaal Errhavel commanded 4 on the attack on Notre Dame.

1 x Motorised Support Company

1 x Anti-tank platoon/Troop

4 x 6-pounder anti-tank guns towed by trucks

1 x Mortar platoon/troop

4 x 3-inch mortars (presumably carried in trucks)

1 x Machinegun platoon/troop

1 x Pioneer/Engineer platoon

4 x Motorised Infantry Companies/Squadrons (on Ford trucks) **

3 x Infantry Platoons

2 x Artillery Batteries/troops (under Lt-Col Hearst)

4 x 25-pounders

2 x Independent Regiments (5th & 6th) ***

6-pound anti-tank guns (not sure where they were assigned in the TO&E).

Notes:

* The regiments were single battalion units. Battalions 1, 2 and 3 were the old Bedouin regiments from the Arab Mechanised Force. The fourth Infantry was improvised from 4 Garrison Companies that weren't disbanded, and like all the Garrison Companies was relatively poorly trained and equipped. The regiments were divided into the Brigades as follows:

1st Brigade (Col. Goldie)

1st Regiment (Lt-Col. Blackden)

3rd Regiment (Lt-Col Newman)

3rd Brigade (Col. Ashton)

2nd Regiment (Maj. Slade)

4th Regiment (Lt-Col Habis Majali)

** Unfortunately Lunt (1999), who should have known, doesn't mention the number of companies in each regiment. Shamir (2001) says there were four companies, and this coincides with the fact that the 4th Infantry regiment was formed from four Garrison companies, however, when describing the positions of the 4th Battalion at Latrun in 1948 Shamir only mentions three infantry companies plus a support company. Kurzman (1970) mentions only three companies in the 3rd Regiment. Laffin (1982a) says 4 rifle companies each of 3 platoons. Shamir states there were four platoons per company.

*** The independent regiments were also formed from Garrison companies that were meant to be disbanded. (By Feb 1948 only 7 Garrison companies remained of the original 16.)

5th Independent Regiment

12th Independent company ???

2 other companies

6th Independent Regiment

1st Independent company (Cap. Abdullah Tell)

8th Independent company

Shamir (2001) mentions the Legion having Piat anti-tank grenade launchers, 2 inch mortars, and Vickers machine guns.

The Jerusalem relief force 18/19 May 1948

The Operational Order of the Arab Legion (cited in Lunt, 1999) gives the relief force the following Orbat.

Maj. Slade (2-i-C 2 MR)

Elements of 2nd Mechanized Regiment

1 x Armoured Car Troop

10 - 12 Marmon-Herrington armoured cars (2-pounder gun and a Browning machine gun)

1 x Anti-tank Troop

4 x 6-pounder anti-tank guns towed by trucks

1 x Mortar troop

4 x 3-inch mortars (presumably carried in trucks)

Elements of 5th Infantry Regiment

2 x Infantry Companies (unlikely to have been 12th Company who were in Hebron)

Elements of 6th Infantry Regiment

8th Independent Garrison Company

1 x Artillery Battery

4 x 25-pounders

Forward Observation Officer in one of the Armoured Cars

Total force size = 250 men.

Latrun Defence Force 24 May 1948

4th Mechanised Regiment (MR) of the Arab Legion, and part of the 2nd MR supported by irregulars under Haroun Ben-Jazzi. The irregulars were organised into adhoc companies (the Lions, Tigers, Wolves, and Falcons) and attached to the regular companies.

Egyptian Expeditionary Force

On 15 May 1948 Major-General Ahmed Ali el Mawawi's Egyptian invasion force was divided into two brigades (Herzog, 1982; Kurzman, 1970). The larger brigade (5,000 men) was under the capable Brigadier Mohammed Neguib, and was made up of Egyptian regulars with attached tanks and a Saudi Arabian contingent. The smaller brigade (Herzog says 2,000 men but Kurzman and Laffin, 1988a, say 5,000 men) was predominantly of the volunteers from the Moslem Brotherhood, but was commanded by regular cavalry officer - Colonel Ahmed Adb el-Aziz.

3rd Division (Major-General Ahmed Ali el Mawawi)

2nd Brigade (Brigadier-General Mohammed Neguib)

1st Infantry Battalion
2nd Infantry Battalion
6th Infantry Battalion
9th Infantry Battalion
Another Infantry Battalion
Crusader tanks
artillery
one squadron of bombers
reconnaissance aircraft
Saudi Arabian contingent

(Volunteer) Brigade (Colonel Ahmed Adb el-Aziz)

Muslim Brotherhood

Laffin (1982a) says the Egyptian army had a paper strength of 50,000. He also says the initial 10,000 men deployed in Israel grew to 40,000 by the end of 1948, and included volunteers from Sudan, Tunisia and Libya.

Egyptian Equipment

Information generally taken from Zaloga (1981) and the Concord Book.

3 x 15cm sIG33 auf Pz II

298 Bren Carriers for the infantry, later dropping to 139. The heavy weapons platoon of each infantry brigade had 25.

Herzog (1982) mentions Crusader tanks in the initial invasion force. Zaloga (1981) mentions Matildas and Mk VI light tanks at Yad Mordechai on 23 May 1948.

Modest number of armoured cars:

Humber Mk III Recce
Humber Mk IVs
Marmon-Herrington Mk IVF
Staghounds

Lloyd tracked carriers towing 6-Pdr ATG

By mid-July 1948 the Egyptians had (Zaloga, 1981):

3 Shermans (of the approximate company they started with)
132 Light tanks in Israel predominantly
- Light Tank Mk VI
- M22 Locust airbourne tank
- Valentines - a few companies
139 bren carriers

Kurzman (1970) says a Sudanese company led each infantry battalion.

Muslim Brotherhood

A extremist Egyptian group that maintained a radical and disorderly group of guerrillas in southern Palestine. They apparently had infantry, tanks, armoured cars, and artillery (Kurzman, 1970).

Syrian Force

Initially one Brigade of 2,000 men (Collins & Lapierre, 1972). This was built up to 8,000 troops in two infantry Brigades with a battalion of French built tanks, at least a battalion of armoured cars (Herzog, 1982; Zaloga, 1981, says several companies), at least one regiment of artillery, and a small air force. Zaloga (1981) says the 45 tanks were divided into companies of 8-12 vehicles, each company being attached to a infantry brigade, however, given Herzog says there were only two such brigades this doesn't add up.

I believe the Arab Liberation Army, although it was organised on a multi-national basis, was effectively a Syrian auxiliary force as the effective leader, Fauzi el-Kaukji, was himself Syrian.

Syrian Equipment

Information predominantly taken from Zaloga (1981)

1 x Battalion of 45 x R-35 and R-39 French light tanks.

Improved Self-propelled guns including

65 mm mountain gun on Chenillette Lorraine 38L
25 mm anti-tank guns on Bren carriers

Armoured cars

Marmon-Herrington
French models including the automitrailleuses Dodge of the Bich type.

Bren Carriers

Arab Liberation Army (ALA)

A force created by the foreign Arab states to counter the control of the King of Transjordan. Nominally under General Taha Al Hashimi (Iraq) but really under Fauzi el-Kaukji (Syria) (??). Consisting of about 4,000 men (Kurzman, 1970; Collins & Lapierre, 1972, says 6,000) it included

1st "Yarmuk" Battalion (Mohammed Safa),
"Kadisia" Battalion,
"Hittin" Battalion (Madlul Abas),
a Druze Battalion (Shahib Wahab),
armoured cars
Artillery including at least 7 x 75 mm guns and 3 x 105 mm guns.

The men were poorly trained and equipped (Collins & Lapierre, 1972). A man who fired a half dozen shots and threw a couple of grenades was considered well trained. They wore army surplus uniforms from Syrian, British, French and American stocks.

Lebanese contingent

Herzog (1982) says 2,000 men in four infantry battalions with artillery and armoured cars. Zaloga (1981) mentions a company of older French tanks and assumes they are FT-17s.

John R. Larson contacted me to say:

The small group of tanks the Lebanese had for the 1948 war were possibly R-35's. In 1941 French Vichy forces in the area contained 90 Renault R35 tanks (from the dissolved 63 and 68 BCC, attached to 6 and 7 RCA). They were used during the fighting against commonwealth forces in Operation Exporter.

There were only about 10 Ft's by in the French Levant by that time and they were on their last legs. They were part of regional protection units. The research I've done indicates that five Ft's were stationed in Damour, Lebanon, the Vichy Administrative Capital (30 miles south of Beirut). The other five were at Damascus, Syria.

Morocco sent a detachment of 800 men to Lebanon (Collins & Lapierre, 1972).

Iraqi Expeditionary force

Herzog (1982) says the Iraqi's committed 10,000 men in four Infantry brigades, an armoured car battalion and supporting troops including artillery and aircraft. Zaloga (1981) adds a battalion of tanks and suggests these were likely to have been British in origin. Sharon and Chanoff (2001) also give 10,000.