Battalion HQ
The first attacks on Iraq Suweidan
The order to stand by comes in the afternoon. As usual we make use of the time before an operation to collect the things that we are most deprived of in combat: sleep and food. We also clean our weapons.
* * *
Matti Arazi takes over command of the company after Aryeh Spack’s wounding in Latrun. He explains the operation: a night attack on the police station of Iraq Suweidan, which controls the important roads to Gat and Gabon. Our role in the operation will be to capture the crossroads between Majdal and Julis and prevent the Egyptian army sending reinforcements from Majdal.
We drive south toward Negba. Here we take it easy until it gets dark. Mirah is the little soldier with the plaits; she serves us tea and sandwiches.
My name is called. The company radio operator is standing next to the armored vehicle. They want me to take on a new function: to become the radio operator of the unit. It’s a shock at first. I have always pitied the radio operator. Staggering around with a thirty-five-pound box on your back, the antenna waving around and announcing your presence for miles. But they reassure me - they’re talking about a Type-21 radio which weighs less than five pounds.
I am not sure whether to feel pleased or sorry for myself. On the one hand it is very awkward. You have to keep an eye on the antenna when you are walking under branches or crawling under wire. It is dangerous in combat, presenting a target for the enemy while your comrades are safely hidden. On the other hand it is an interesting job. As a radio operator you can follow the progress of the battle in detail, you hear all the orders and the discussions among the commanders.
The operator explains the equipment to me and gives me general instructions. My code name for the operation is Lea One. I learn the standard terms. "Avor"2 ("Over"), or "Radio Check."
We set off in a long column. I have to follow Amnon, the new deputy company commander, a scrawny, blond youth, together with Israel Gossek, the medic, and Ezra Cohen, the runner. I belong to the staff.