War of Independence

The fight for independence

The Jewish community’s primary defense force – the Haganah – became a full-scale defense force following the 1936-1939 Arab revolt and, by 1941, consisted of three main units: the Field Corps (the main ground force), Guard Corps (the force responsible for protecting Jewish villages from Arab attacks), and the Palmach. The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, combining military training, agricultural work, and Zionist education. Its members, along with jewish soldiers who had fought in the British Army in World War II, became the backbone of the IDF’s combat forces.

Haganah fighters, 1947

As the Jewish and Arab communities under the British Mandate continued to clash, the Haganah, along with Etzel and Lehi (smaller underground Jewish fighting forces) helped fight for Israel’s independence leading up to the British withdrawal on May 14, 1948. Following many months of bitter fighting between the Jewish defense forces and hostile armed Arab groups, David Ben-Gurion declared the State of Israel’s independence. One of his first orders as Prime Minister was the establishment of the Israel Defense Forces and the dissolving of all other paramilitary groups (namely the Haganah, Etzel, and Lehi). The people of Israel and its defenders very quickly learned to adjust to a more structured and disciplined fighting force. Thus, on May 26th, 1948, the IDF was born.

Triumph is the only option

On May 15, 1948, the day after Ben-Gurion declared independence, tens of thousands of troops from Israel’s hostile neighbors, along with volunteers from as far as the Sudan, Pakistan, and Yemen, invaded the newborn state, bent on its destruction. Though the veterans of the various Jewish defense organizations had gained valuable experience fighting local Arab militants in the lead up to the declaration of independence, they remained ill-equipped, as they lacked both training and funds. However, when faced with invasion, it was clear to every Jewish soldier and civilian alike that victory in the war meant survival, and defeat meant total destruction. Triumph was the only option.

Soldiers from all of the previous paramilitary groups, fighting under one banner – that of the newly founded Israel Defense Forces – were deployed to the various fronts to protect the new borders and repel the invading Arab armies. While Jewish soldiers struggled side by side on the battlefield, others, government officials, and eager contributors, fought their own struggle across the seas in an effort to arm the IDF with weapons that could match those of the Arab armies.

A real breakthrough came with the arrival of the first delivery of Spitfire and Messerschmitt fighter planes from Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia and the Czech Republic). These planes became the backbone of the Israel Air Force, which started out as a collection of appropriated civilian aircraft. A mere 65 years later, following a remarkable record of operational successes, the Israel Air Force has earned international acclaim as one of the world’s mightiest air forces.

A truly decisive force

By July 1949, the IDF had beaten back every invading Arab army and armistice agreements were signed between Israel and its major opponents – effectively ending the fighting and securing the existence of the State of Israel. However, the sweetness of victory was embittered by heavy casualties. By the end of the war, Israel had lost some 4,000 of its soldiers and more than 2,000 civilians – a staggering total that amounted to more than 10% of the young country’s population at the start of the war. The bittersweet memory of miraculous triumph and irreplaceable loss is immortalized every year during Israel’s consecutive national memorial and independence days.