The Palmach’s involvement in the parachuting project
The Palmach’s commanders agreed to assist in the individual parachuting technique.
The Palmach’s commanders agreed to assist in the individual parachuting technique to which it contributed from two aspects:
A. Transferring men power – Although the wish to keep the organization’s independence and operate the Palmach units according to their organic setup deterred the Palmach’s commander from releasing their men as individuals and transferring them to the parachuting project, the Palmach’s headquarters did allocate men for the project. In March 1943, fourteen Israeli volunteers were elected and sent to a training camp in Cairo to prepare for the German winter beyond the enemy’s lines. Three of the volunteers, most of whom were Palmach members, Ya’akov (Ernest) Goldshmidt, Dan Lerner and Ra’anan (Heinz) Lener, came from the German Unit. On April 1944 the members of the institution for Alia B (the institution which controlled and organized the illegal immigration to Palestine) received the permission to transfer Ya’akov Salomon, the commander of the Balkan Unit, to the project.
B. Training and preparation programs – The Palmach offered the project’s applicants the knowledge and experience it had acquired over the years. Shmuel (Oli) Givon from the German Unit conducted The Zore’a Course which begun on the 17th of January and continued until the 10th of May. Its purpose was to train its eighteen participants, half of whom were Palmach members, to operate individually in the underground beyond the enemy’s lines and to aid their fellow Jews. Thirty seven paratroopers, ten of them Palmach members, took part in the project; Urie’l Kaner (Mialo) from Ruhama landed in Romania, Dan Lener from Ga’aton in Yugoslavia, Haviva Raeq from Ma’anit was flown to Slovakia, landed and died in action, Isa’ac Ben Efreim (Moskovitz) from Shamir landed in Romania, Yona Rosenfeld Rozen from Ma’agan landed in Yugoslavia, Peretz Goldstein from Ma’agan landed in Yugoslavia and died in action, Tzvi Ben Ya’akov (Grinhot) from Hachotrim landed in Slovakia and died in action, Tzadok Doroguier from Nir –Am landed in Italy, Arie’ (Rico) Lopo (Lopsko) from Sarid landed in Romania, Sara (Surika) Browerman from Shamir was flown to Yugoslavia.
The parachuting project did not succeed as was expected; some of the paratroopers were captured and did not fulfill their mission. In spite of this, there were those who did manage to assist the British intelligence and to rescue pilots and prisoners. Their readiness to aid their brothers in the Diaspora was a manifestation of the common Jewish fate, which won the paratroopers the esteem of the whole Hebrew settlement.
A. Transferring men power – Although the wish to keep the organization’s independence and operate the Palmach units according to their organic setup deterred the Palmach’s commander from releasing their men as individuals and transferring them to the parachuting project, the Palmach’s headquarters did allocate men for the project. In March 1943, fourteen Israeli volunteers were elected and sent to a training camp in Cairo to prepare for the German winter beyond the enemy’s lines. Three of the volunteers, most of whom were Palmach members, Ya’akov (Ernest) Goldshmidt, Dan Lerner and Ra’anan (Heinz) Lener, came from the German Unit. On April 1944 the members of the institution for Alia B (the institution which controlled and organized the illegal immigration to Palestine) received the permission to transfer Ya’akov Salomon, the commander of the Balkan Unit, to the project.
B. Training and preparation programs – The Palmach offered the project’s applicants the knowledge and experience it had acquired over the years. Shmuel (Oli) Givon from the German Unit conducted The Zore’a Course which begun on the 17th of January and continued until the 10th of May. Its purpose was to train its eighteen participants, half of whom were Palmach members, to operate individually in the underground beyond the enemy’s lines and to aid their fellow Jews. Thirty seven paratroopers, ten of them Palmach members, took part in the project; Urie’l Kaner (Mialo) from Ruhama landed in Romania, Dan Lener from Ga’aton in Yugoslavia, Haviva Raeq from Ma’anit was flown to Slovakia, landed and died in action, Isa’ac Ben Efreim (Moskovitz) from Shamir landed in Romania, Yona Rosenfeld Rozen from Ma’agan landed in Yugoslavia, Peretz Goldstein from Ma’agan landed in Yugoslavia and died in action, Tzvi Ben Ya’akov (Grinhot) from Hachotrim landed in Slovakia and died in action, Tzadok Doroguier from Nir –Am landed in Italy, Arie’ (Rico) Lopo (Lopsko) from Sarid landed in Romania, Sara (Surika) Browerman from Shamir was flown to Yugoslavia.
The parachuting project did not succeed as was expected; some of the paratroopers were captured and did not fulfill their mission. In spite of this, there were those who did manage to assist the British intelligence and to rescue pilots and prisoners. Their readiness to aid their brothers in the Diaspora was a manifestation of the common Jewish fate, which won the paratroopers the esteem of the whole Hebrew settlement.