villages under the guise of the ceasefire, and fired on our posi-tions. Farouk’s slaves, do they want war? Then they will get it! And they will savor every last drop of it. We will commit our-selves with all our strength from today. We shall not rest before we can deliver to the State of Israel the liberated Negev.
Soldiers! Officers!
All our experience - one fist!
All our strength - one fist!
All our hate - one fist!
All our love - one fist!
And with this fist, and in the certain knowledge that this will be the last battle -
On to the liberation of the Negev! :
The enthusiasm was enormous. It was clear to us: this was the time of harvest for the seed we had sown in Ibdis, in Negba, and on Hill 105. At last the initiative was in our hands. We packed our things. We were sure that the battalion would recall us. How could they fight with the most experienced men sitting in a training course?
Then came the disappointment. It was decided not to break off the course. The battalion commanders explained that the need for trained leaders was greater than that for fighting soldiers.
On 16 October an infantry unit captured Beit Chanun and thus cut off the Egyptian forces between Isdud and Huleiqat from their HQ in Gaza. On the next day the brigade fulfilled its historic task and kicked open the door to the Negev with tremendous force.
Josh’s company took Hill 113 and Matti’s company captured the position on the big crossroads in an assault with fixed bayonets. That was the same company whose darkest hour was the surrender of Hill 69 due to an incompetent commander.
One blow followed another. Units of our battalion captured Kawkaba; the jeeps, Samson’s Foxes, chased the enemy and captured Beit Tima. The next day two battalions of the brigade captured the posi-tions around the village of Huleiqat. It was man-to-man fighting with knives, claws, and teeth, a brutal fight, like hardly any other in this war.
* * *
In the course a rebellion broke out. We were involved only in small opera-tions in the eastern part of the front, we harassed the enemy near