Battle of Mishmar HaEmek
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The Battle of Mishmar HaEmek was a ten-day battle fought from 4 to 15 April 1948 between the Arab Liberation Army commanded by Fawzi al-Qawuqji and the Haganah commanded by Yitzhak Sadeh and Dan Laner. The battle began when al-Qawuqji launched an attack against Mishmar HaEmek with the intent of taking the kibbutz, which was strategically placed beside the main road between Jenin and Haifa. In 1947 it had a population of 550.
Jewish soldiers at the entry of the Mishmar Ha'emek, 1948
Bay Mahdi, one of the ALA commanders, during the attack on Mishmar HaEmek, 1948
Villages cleared in Haganah counter-attack (red). Those captured on 12 May by Irgun marked by blue spots.
Fawzi al-Qawuqji
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Fawzi al-Qawuqji was a leading Lebanese-born Arab nationalist military figure in the interwar period. The British military were impressed by his military acumen when he served briefly in Palestine in 1936 fighting the British Mandatory suppression of the Palestinian Revolt. A political decision by the British enabled him to flee the country in 1937. He was based in Nazi Germany during World War II, and served as the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) field commander during the 1948 Palestine War.
Fawzi al-Qawuqji (3rd from the right) in 1936.
An Otter armored car captured by the Haganah from the ALA (Arab Liberation Army- Kaukji's army) on 1948. The car still carries the ALA emblem, a dagger stabbing a Star of David.
Fawzi al-Quawuqji 24 May 1948