vehicles will drive from the road toward the police station to draw enemy fire.

Nachman’s squad will form the first assault wave, under the com-mand of Menachem, our platoon leader. David’s squad will form the second wave, together with Amnon’s staff, the radio operator, the runner, and the medic. The people in the police station are alert. The lights that identified the building for us the day before yesterday can-not be seen.

After the three units have taken their start positions, the first wave starts crawling forwards. People swear. All three units come under rifle and automatic weapon fire. The armored vehicles attract the heaviest fire.

The first wave of our platoon crawls forwards. After a hundred meters people are exhausted. They throw caution to the winds and start to jump. Jump - lie down. Jump - lie down. The PIAT crew are the first to jump. The scouts with the explosive for bringing down the fence hesitate a little. The fire is heavy. In the open field there is no cover. But for some reason the enemy is aiming at the second wave rather than the first.

The first wave has reached the fence, which is only about thirty meters from the building. But they make no more progress. Where are the scouts? Eliyahu Keil has set up his PIAT and fires. The explo-sions are enormous. Every shot hits the building squarely. We can hear the cries of the wounded inside.

Our armored vehicles are blocked. The drivers of the first two vehicles have been hit. The column cannot advance.

The first assault wave has no radio operator. The second wave is far behind - almost three hundred meters. Between the two waves there is almost no contact. Shalom and Ezra are in the space between and try to transmit commands by shouting.

The people at the fence are angry. They are very near the building. The fence just needs to be breached so the second wave can come, and then the success of the attack is certain. From the building the cries of the Arabs can be heard "La ilaha ilia Allah wa Muhammad rasul Allah."⁴ They are preparing for death.

Menachem Brotzki, the leader of the first wave, orders a withdrawal of thirty meters, so that the sappers can blow the fence. The men crawl backwards. When you crawl backwards, you can’t

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