Night of the Trains
Encyclopedia
The Night of the Trains was a sabotage
operation of the British railroads in Palestine ("Palestine Railways") on November 1, 1945. The operation was one of the first carried out by the Jewish Resistance Movement, before its official establishment, and symbolized its founding.
units sabotaged a network of railroads around the country and blew up three British guard boats in Jaffa
port and in Haifa
, and a combined Irgun
-Lehi
unit attacked Lydda railway station
, which is the key junction between the Haifa – El Kantara main line and the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
. An estimated 1,000 men were involved in the operations.
Approximately fifty Palmach units, which included sappers and guard, severely damaged 153 points along the railroad system in Mandate Palestine
, primarily at railroad junctions and bridges above them. The operations took place around 11:00 p.m., fully synchronized, in order to prevent a British response. In only two places did shootings occur, and they both ended with no casualties.
At the same time, the Palmach's marine unit sunk three British guard boats; two in Haifa and one in Jaffa. These boats were part of the closure imposed on the shores in order to prevent Jewish immigration. In Haifa Yohai Ben-Nun
led the operation and in Jaffa
, Yosef Harel and Zalman Cohen did, after a briefing by Yitzhak Sadeh
. In both cases the sappers arrived in boats, dived under the British boats and attached explosives with a delay mechanism to the boats.
That same night an Irgun unit, led by Eitan Livni
, raided a train station in Lod. While exchanges of fire were going on the fighters blew up three train engines and a number of buildings. During the raid an Irgun fighter, two British and four Arabs were killed. The operation took relatively heavy toll, most likely because the raiding team was late in arriving at the target, meaning the British were already on high alert. A Lehi unit tried to sabotage the refinery in Haifa, killing one civilian, but did not succeed because of faulty explosives.
A subsequent confrontation at Ramat Hakovesh
lead to the area becoming a "No Go" area for British forces. Two weeks later the District Office in Tel Aviv was set on fire and in the riots that followed, involving 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
, six Jews were killed.
, after the heavy restrictions by the British on Aliyah
and settlement. The operation mostly created satisfaction within the Yishuv leadership and Palmach and Haganah members that saw that they were able to simultaneously operate a large number of units in a large number of locations. David Ben Gurion wrote to the leadership of the Haganah
that this operation has its rewards - though they may not be immediate. The response in Britain was great as well. Government officials condemned the operation and the press published detailed articles about the sabotage actions.
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
operation of the British railroads in Palestine ("Palestine Railways") on November 1, 1945. The operation was one of the first carried out by the Jewish Resistance Movement, before its official establishment, and symbolized its founding.
Operation
The Night of the Trains (or Operation Party) was a sabotage operation, targeting the British railroads in Palestine on November 1, 1945. The operation was one of the first carried out by the Jewish Resistance Movement, before its official establishment, and symbolized its founding. During the operation PalmachPalmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
units sabotaged a network of railroads around the country and blew up three British guard boats in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
port and in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, and a combined Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
-Lehi
Lehi (group)
Lehi , commonly referred to in English as the Stern Group or Stern Gang, was a militant Zionist group founded by Avraham Stern in the British Mandate of Palestine...
unit attacked Lydda railway station
Lod Railway Station
Lod Railway Station is an Israel Railways station in Lod, Israel, served by most railway lines of Israel Railways. The station is located in the HaRakevet district of south Lod. In December 2006, Lod Station served a daily average of 7,786 passengers....
, which is the key junction between the Haifa – El Kantara main line and the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway is a railroad that connected Jaffa and Jerusalem. The line was built in Ottoman Palestine by the French company Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements and inaugurated in 1892, after previous attempts by the Jewish philanthropist Moses...
. An estimated 1,000 men were involved in the operations.
Approximately fifty Palmach units, which included sappers and guard, severely damaged 153 points along the railroad system in Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
, primarily at railroad junctions and bridges above them. The operations took place around 11:00 p.m., fully synchronized, in order to prevent a British response. In only two places did shootings occur, and they both ended with no casualties.
At the same time, the Palmach's marine unit sunk three British guard boats; two in Haifa and one in Jaffa. These boats were part of the closure imposed on the shores in order to prevent Jewish immigration. In Haifa Yohai Ben-Nun
Yohai Ben-Nun
- Biography :Yohai Ben-Nun was born in Haifa and raised in Jerusalem. His parents were members of the First Aliyah.Ben-Nun joined the Palmach in 1941 and spent three years training and eventually rising to the rank of a squad leader. In 1944, he joined the Pal-Yam, the sea corps of the Palmach...
led the operation and in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, Yosef Harel and Zalman Cohen did, after a briefing by Yitzhak Sadeh
Yitzhak Sadeh
Yitzhak Sadeh , was the commander of the Palmach, one of the founders of the Israel Defense Forces at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel and a cousin of British philosopher Isaiah Berlin.-Biography:...
. In both cases the sappers arrived in boats, dived under the British boats and attached explosives with a delay mechanism to the boats.
That same night an Irgun unit, led by Eitan Livni
Eitan Livni
Yeruham "Eitan" Livni was a Revisionist Zionist activist, Irgun commander and Israeli politician, father of Israeli politician Tzipi Livni, who is the current leader of the largest party in the Knesset, Kadima.-Biography:...
, raided a train station in Lod. While exchanges of fire were going on the fighters blew up three train engines and a number of buildings. During the raid an Irgun fighter, two British and four Arabs were killed. The operation took relatively heavy toll, most likely because the raiding team was late in arriving at the target, meaning the British were already on high alert. A Lehi unit tried to sabotage the refinery in Haifa, killing one civilian, but did not succeed because of faulty explosives.
A subsequent confrontation at Ramat Hakovesh
Ramat HaKovesh
Ramat HaKovesh is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located approximately 7 kilometers north of Kfar Sava, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Drom HaSharon Regional Council. It has a population of 614.- History :...
lead to the area becoming a "No Go" area for British forces. Two weeks later the District Office in Tel Aviv was set on fire and in the riots that followed, involving 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
The 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade....
, six Jews were killed.
Aftermath
The operation raised morale in the YishuvYishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
, after the heavy restrictions by the British on Aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
and settlement. The operation mostly created satisfaction within the Yishuv leadership and Palmach and Haganah members that saw that they were able to simultaneously operate a large number of units in a large number of locations. David Ben Gurion wrote to the leadership of the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
that this operation has its rewards - though they may not be immediate. The response in Britain was great as well. Government officials condemned the operation and the press published detailed articles about the sabotage actions.