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It is requested that this article be . Please improve it in any way that you see fit, and remove this notice and the listing on the request page once the article is no longer a stub.
The Palmach פלמ"ח was the "elite strike force" established by the Haganah on May 19, 1941. It consisted of 9 assault companies. Being a Palmachnik was not considered only as performing soldier duties, but also as a way of life.
Significant leaders of the Palmach include Moshe Dayan, Itzhak Sadeh and Yitzhak Rabin.
The Palmach (Hebrew abbervation of "Plugot Mahatz פלוגות מחץ" - in English strike force) were the elite forces of the Jewish settlement in Israel prior to the establishment of state.
The Palmach was established by Haganah and the British military in May 19, 1941 in order to help the British to protect the land of Israel from the Nazi Germany. British experts trained the Palmach special soldiers and equiped then with small arms and explosives.
However, after the British victory in El-Alamein at 1942, the Britons ordered the dismantle of Palmach, and the whole organization went underground. Since the British funding has stopped, Yitzhak Tabenkin, head of the Kibbutzim union offered that Palmach will be self-funding by letting the warriors work in the Kibbutzim. Each Kibbutz will host Palmach platoon and supply them food, dwellings and resources and in return the platoon will work (such as agricultural work) in the Kibbutz and safe-guard it. The proposal was accepted at August 1942. It was also decided that Palmach will have 8 training days a month, 14 work days and 7 rest and vecation days.
The solution of combining military training with agricultural work allowed:
The program of combined military training, agricultural work and Zionist education was called "Ach'shara Meguyeset" הכשרה מגויסת (meaning "Drafted\Recruited Training").
Later on, it was agreed with the Zionist youth movements that each "Gar'een" (means "nucleous" or "kernel" in Hebrew) in the ages of 18-20 will undergo a "drafted training". That was the base for the Nahal settlements. The "drafted training" enabled Palmach to expand its manpower and recruit more people to its lines.
Basic trainings included physical fitness, small arms, melee and Krav Maga, basic marine training, topography, first aid and operating in squads. Most of the Palmach members recieved advance training in one (or more) of the following areas: sabotage and explosives, reconnaissance, sniping, communications and radio, light and medium machineguns and operating 2 intch and 3 intch mortars. Platoon training included long foot trips, combined live-fire drills and artillery support with machineguns and mortars.
Palmach put emphasis on training self-dependent and broad-minded field commanders which will take the initiative and set a role exapmle for their troops. Palmach trained squad commanders and companies commanders. The major commanders training course was in the Palmach and many Haganah commanders were sent to be trained in the Palmach. The Palmach commanders' cource was the source for many field commanders which were the backbone of Haganah, and later, the Israeli Defence Forces.
Between the years 1945 to 1947, Palmach units carried out attacks against British infrastructure such as bridges, railroads, radar stations and police stations.
Palmach units took major part in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. In the begining of the war, Palmach units were responsible for holding Jews settlements (such as Gush Etzion, Kfar Darom and Revivim) against the Arab militias. Although they were vastly inferior by numbers and arms, Palmach soldiers managed to hold long enough to let Haganah mobilize the Jewish settlement and prepare to war.
After the establishment of the Israeli Defence Forces, the Palmach was disolved into two IDF brigades - the Negev Brigade and Yiftah Brigade. The Negev and Yiftah Brigade fought in the Negev against the Egyptian army and managed to stop them and later repusle them into the Gaza Strip and Sharem al-Sheikh. Yiftah Brigade later was transfered to the north.
The Palmach (Hebrew abbervation of "Plugot Mahatz פלוגות מחץ" - in English strike force) were the elite forces of the Jewish settlement (Yishuv) in Israel prior to the establishment of state.
The Palmach was organized into regular companies (6 at 1943), and 5-6 special units.
Palmach special units included:
The Palmach put emphasis on training field commanders (מפקדי שטח), which will be the basis for the future Israeli army. Palmach-trained field commanders were trained far more extensively than in other armies and were guided to be broad-minded, professional, skillful and full of initiative. Palmach field commanders were encouraged to undertake personal initiative and bear responsibility for their actions. Palmach commanders also took care of their soldiers' daily needs.
The mythologic battlecry of the Palmach commander was "!אחרי" (Aharay), litterly means "Follow me!". While in most armies the battlecry was "Charge!" the Hebrew commander lead the troops instead of sending them and staying behind. The idea behind the "Follow me!" battlecry was that the commanders should set as role models to their soldiers.
The Palmach commanders' course, commanders' reputation and values were embedded into the Israeli Defence Forces and their legacy is alive even today, in the current generation of IDF field commanders.
This list is incomplete.
Beside of military contribution, the Palmach had great influence over the Israeli "Tzabar" culture. Palmach activists like "Kumzitz" (siting around a fire at night, eating, talking and having fun), Netiva Ben Yehuda - journalist, writer, radio host
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