'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎89r] (182/294)

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again troops employed on the protection of the road and the railway
could look after the pipe line at the same time. One extra precaution
was necessary in order to guard against sabotage inside the pumping
stations and to ensure that no interruption occurred through defection
of the native staff. This was achieved by stationing small parties of
Sappers in each station, who were also useful in affording extra
protection in the event of attack.
Tnese protective measures were successful in preventing any serious
dislocation of the v/ater supply, but it must be admitted that the rebels
may never have intended that to happen knowing that any real shortage of
water in Jerusalem would hit the Arab inhabitants worst of all. At the
pumping stations there were no attacks more serious than casual sniping,
but a fair number of cases of interference with the pipe and valves did
occur in spite of all efforts to stop them. Some were successful in
causing a temporary stoppage but the effect of this was small, while on
occasions clear evidence remained to show that the bocby trap had claimed
at least one victim. The fact that the Arab is not above using a trust
ing compatriot to test this sort of defence is of course a v/eak point in
the booby trap system, and had more determined attacks on the water pipe
been made it is likely that a more active defence would have become
necessary.
The Iraq Petroleum Company^ Oil Pipe-Line
The oil pipe was a very different proposition. Entering Palestine
just South of Jisr Al Mejami it ran straight across country to a point
on the railway North of Mishmar Ha Emeq, where it swung right to reach
its terminus on the coast between Haifa and Acre. Nowhere did it follow
any good road, but throughout its length was buried three feet below the
surface. It too had its valves, but fortunately there were no pumping
stations to be guarded between the place of entry and the terminus. It
had great attractions to the local village saboteur, who cared little that
Arab financial interests were the principal losers. Some digging on an
inaccessible hill where detection was most unlikely, a rifle bullet at
close range, a flame to the oil jet and a most satisfactorily spectacular
fire resulted. In point of fact the damage was small, since loss of
pressure at the pumping station soon showed what had happened and enabled
the flow to be cut off. After that thick clouds of black smoke and
flame readily guided the repair party to the puncture, where repairs
were soon effected and the oil valves re-opened - but not before the
culprit had retreated to a distant hill from which he could point v/ith
pride to his handiwork. Night sabotage was chiefly favoured as dark
ness not only made the saboteur’s work safer but also contributed to the
spectacular effect. In all 53 cases of sabotage occurred.
Protection in this case had to be directed chiefly to the pipe
itself, since neither pumping stations nor valves offered as easy a
target. The only approach for any form of M.T. was the tracK alongside
the line made by lorries carrying pipes at the time of construction.
This proved to be extremely rough going, so that progress b> J.I^ was
necessarily slow and noisy and gave no opportunity ior suprise, ohe
saboteur having only to move a short way away and hide among the rocks
until the danger was past. For this reason armoured car patroio,
which were tried at first, were of small value and the cars suifered
severely from the bad going. Infantry in trucks were an improvement
as ruses could be adopted such as dropping off men en route who could
lie up in ambush; but the local villager was usually too war^
caught like that and was on the watch at once when any form of M.T. was
heard in the neighbourhood. Cavalry and foot patrols followed, but
neither was ever very successful while continual night patrolling with