'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎20r] (44/294)

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which made fourteen sorties in all, suffered heavily from rifle fire;
four were hit, one being shot down with the loss of both occupants, an
officer and an aircraft-sman, while another managed to land safely at
Tulkarm with the pilot badly wounded. Army casualties were an N.C.O.
killed and tv/o officers and two other ranks wounded. Fourteen rebel
casualties were accounted for, and it is known that others were carried
away when they retreated. Just as the Battle of Bala was drav/ing to its
close a patrol of the Loyals met an Arab band south of Jenin and inflicted
nine casualties. Meanwhile a train had been blown up by a large mine
near Qalqilya, killing two Drummers of the Cheshire Regiment and the Arab
driver and injuring two naval ratings. On the 5th an evening air recon
naissance detected 41 rebels constructing sangars on the hills outside
Nablus under the protection of 15 armed men: air action was immediately
taken and five aircraft were on the scene before dark. 15 casualties
were inflicted before the light failed.
On the 7th came the announcement by the British Government that the
1st Division and other troops were to be despatched to Palestine, and
that drastic measures including martial law would be taken to restore or
der. This appeared to surprise the rebel leaders: it brought Nuri’s
negotiations to an end, and from that day onwards there was a marked
decrease in violence. It provided a clear demonstration of the invari
able reaction of the Arab to any show of strength by those in authority.
About the same time Fauzi, as "General Commander of the Arab Rebel
lion in Southern Syria", issued the third of his " official communiques _":
in it he gave a flamboyant account of the Battle of Bala, confirming the
death of nine terrorists including a "hero" of the Druse rebellion of
1925 and revealing the presence of organized detachments of Iraqis
(" excellent in organization and firing "), Syrians and Druses.
8 th - 12th September
During the first week in September Fauzi succeeded in visiting the
Arab leaders in Jerusalem. On the 9th armed bands became active in the
district bordering the Syrian frontier. Two actions ensued, booh of
which started with the ambushing of mail vans. In an engagement near
Acre 37 casualties were inflicted upon the rebels, mostly by aircraft,
while a Corporal of the York and Lancaster Regiment and two police con
stables were killed. Three Privates of the same Regiment and a Pales
tinian ooliceman were also wounded. The same evening troopo going
the scene of an attack on a mail van near Rosh Pinna found a police tender
with the bodies of four British constables who had been overwhelmed in
an ambush. The tender had apparently gone out independently and the
Lewis Gun and rifles of the small party had fallen into the hands of the
rebels: the band was engaged later but darkness intervened and
facilitated their escape.
On the 11th a band was engaged near Haifa on the slopes of Mount
Carmel when a Sergeant of the Loyals and a Private of the K.O.S.B. were
killed; while in the South below Gaza several cars of the 8 th Hussars
had been blown up by land mines, though fortunately on each occasion the
occupants escaped lightly. Other activities which were particularly
intense about this time included sabotage of the Iraq pipe-line and uhe
Jerusalem water supply.
15th - 15th Septe mber
Lieutenant-General Dill, with his 3.G.S. and D.A. and Q.K.G., reached
Haifa on board H.i.1.3. "Do ugla s" on the 15th and went on at once by air to
Jerusalem. On the 15th he took over command of the Forces in Pales Line
and Trans-Jordan from Air Vice Marshal Peirse, and set up Headquarters in
the King David Hotel. Meanwhile units in Egypt which were to form par