He was, at the same time, a silent and loud personality in the history of Zionism. However, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, few know about his career and the heroic actions he led in defense of the Jewish pioneers in ancient Palestine. British officer Orde Wingate is enshrined as a key figure in the effective formation of the Haganah, the military organization that gave rise to the army of the State of Israel.
The year 1936 was not favorable for the Jews in Europe nor for the pioneers and other inhabitants of what was then Palestine, the so-called Ishuv. In Europe, particularly in Germany, Nazism worsened its anti-Semitic policy with increasing violence, already frightening Jews in neighboring countries. It was the year that marked the beginning of the so-called “Arab Revolt”, which lasted until 1939, when the Ishuv It began to be attacked by Arab groups that left dozens of dead and injured in their wake. These groups also carried out acts of terrorism against British leaders, with their preferential target being the oil pipeline from Iraq. It was a rare night when this basic source of fuel did not suffer explosions, and the damage was always hastily repaired to ensure normal daily life in the country.
But, as a flip side to this frightening coin, September 1936 brought a British soldier named Orde Charles Wingate to Jerusalem. Following his arrival, events took new and unusual turns. After a period in Sudan, where he developed his first successful guerrilla tactics, Captain Wingate was assigned to the Intelligence Section of the British Army, based in Jerusalem, given his in-depth knowledge of Islam, studied as a cadet , and his fluency in Arabic. As a more specific task, he was responsible for following and reporting on the steps of Haj Amin El-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem, who incited and led Arab terrorism.
According to his biographers, this Scottish officer born in India (where his father served in the British forces) was a genius in military matters, a man of exceptional courage and vision, a leader by vocation, a man of unpredictable and unconventional behavior and, above all, , a vibrant passionate about the Zionist cause which, as he himself said, was inspired by the Old Testament. In a letter he wrote to his father, he spoke of his intense emotion when traveling the paths of the Holy Land, which he described as radiantly beautiful. “I climbed Mounts Hermon and Tabor, I walked through valleys that were already familiar to me from reading the Bible, I had the impression of hearing behind me the footsteps of the prophets of the people of Israel; I felt enveloped by a transcendent spiritual atmosphere.”
At the end of 1936, another British officer sympathetic to the Jews recommended to the contractor David Hacohen, a very wealthy Jew living in Haifa and prominent in the Ishuv, who knew a colleague who had just arrived in Palestine and wanted more detailed information about what was actually happening in the country. Hacohen, like the massive majority of Ishuv, he didn’t trust the English; he was reluctant, but ended up complying with the request. Years later, he wrote in his memoirs: “He was a guy who wore a uniform without ostentation, ignored social smiles, had incandescent eyes, thick black hair that covered his forehead, talked directly to the points that really mattered and was unaware of the formalities of politeness.”
At the beginning of the meeting, Hacohen asked him if he had already made contact with other Jews. Wingate responded, “Not here yet. But I have already met many Jews and they all knew about my enthusiasm for Zionism.” Hacohen insisted: “What do you know, what books have you read about Zionism?” Wingate's response: “There is only one important book on this subject, which I know practically by heart, front to back and back to front: the Old Testament of the Bible. I'm studying Hebrew to know it even better. Furthermore, I read the entire Quran, in Arabic. I concluded that one cannot compare the poetic grandeur of the Quran with the teachings of the biblical Scriptures. It is because of these that the Jews survived. I consider it a privilege to be able to be at their side so that they emerge victorious in the fight for Zionism. Remember, however, that this battle must be faced by yourselves. From my side, just expect help. But I need a counter. Can you begin to open to me the hearts of the Jews who live here?”
When Hacohen replied to the leaders of the Ishuv The conversation he had with Wingate was received with irony and skepticism. No one could believe that a high-ranking English officer was sincere in his ardent declarations. They argued that since he was someone serving the Intelligence Section, his mission was certainly to infiltrate the Ishuv to discover what was happening in the Jewish underground in situations of opposition to the Mandate.
There was, however, one dissenting voice. It was that of Emanuel Wilenski, an architect of Russian origin and prominent in the Ishuv. He had already heard about Wingate and his ideas from a Scottish friend. He invited him to dinner and later reported to his companions that the extremism of Wingate's positions regarding Zionism was frightening, bordering on fanaticism. At the meeting, he repeated to Wilenski the conversation he had had with Hacohen and exclaimed that the Jews should take up arms and not be frightened by the prospect of becoming involved in bloody battles. Because of this report, they began to refer to Wingate with irony directed at Wilenski in Hebrew: ha-iedid shelchá (Your Friend). Over time and, due to his initiatives, Wingate's name definitively received that epithet, but transformed into a word that contained respect and gratitude, just ha-iedid, the friend.
Wingate's convictions became even more solid when Hacohen one day invited him to visit the Kibbutz Hanita, in Galilee. It was the first time that the English knew a Jewish collective settlement. That evening, at dinner, he was surprised by the quality of the food: excellent bread, cream, vegetables, eggs and fruit, all made and harvested by the inhabitants of the village themselves. kibbutz. A party followed to celebrate the end of training for a class of young German immigrants. The kids sang and danced until the early hours, accompanied by their elders. Wingate was astonished and commented to Hacohen: “I never imagined I would attend a party like this. Everything is so vibrant, so simple and so civilized. This, indeed, is the path of redemption for the Jews.” The next day, before leaving, he asked to take some bread. He showed them to his superior officer in Jerusalem and said brazenly: “Try this bread that the Jews of Palestine eat. I wish we had something at least similar.”
Wingate began to frequent the Cohens' house in Haifa on weekends, to the dismay of Mrs. Cohen, who could not stand her guest's strange behavior, such as, for example, walking around with almost no clothes on, taking off his shoes during dinner and massaging feet while eating. One night, Hacohen told him a story according to which a Jew from a shtetl He went to the rabbi and complained that he couldn't stand living at home anymore because of the mess and screaming from his five children. The rabbi recommended that he put a goat inside the house and return the following week. The man returned exasperated, because, because of the goat, everything was filthy and much worse. The rabbi recommended that he remove the goat and return the following week. The man returned, happy, saying that the atmosphere in the house was wonderful. Wingate didn't like what he heard: “It's time you stopped with this melancholy folklore! The whole purpose of Jews returning to their homeland is precisely to leave behind this kind of commiserating history. You have to start leaving the ghettos, body and soul!”
On one occasion, Wingate and his wife, Lorna, were invited to a dinner at the residence of Sir Arthur Wauchope, British High Commissioner for the Mandate, in honor of the couple Chaim Weizmann, a scientist already famous in Great Britain and Zionist leader of the Jewish Agency. His position was that the creation of an independent Jewish state would only materialize through constant diplomatic actions with the English. After dinner, Weizmann discreetly took his wife aside and asked her what her impression was of Wingate, who had been sitting next to him. Vera replied: “he is one of the most interesting men I have met, to date”.
As the reception attendees began to leave, Weizmann invited the Wingate couple to continue the conversation at his home in Rehovot. The two men exchanged ideas, agreeing or disagreeing, until dawn. It was the beginning of a friendship that lasted and even influenced the history of Zionism. In those days, Palestine would receive maestro Toscanini, who proposed to conduct the newly formed Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra, in explicit support of the Jews persecuted by Nazism. Tickets for a series of concerts from December 26th to January 2nd sold out in a matter of hours. When Weizmann learned that the Wingate couple liked music, he got them both tickets and invited them to a dinner at his home in Toscanini's honor. The friendship between Weizmann and Wingate had already established solid roots.
At that time, those responsible for the British Foreign Office were trying hard to find some formula that would resolve the turbulent issue of Palestine. They sent a commission to the country headed by Lord Peel who, at the end of the work, recommended that the territory be divided into two states, one Arab, the other Jewish. The Arabs rejected the proposal from beginning to end.
On January 12, 1937, Wingate wrote to a cousin named Rex, who lived in England: “I have been in Palestine for four months and have already covered the entire territory, including the borders. You know that I have no prejudice towards Arabs, quite the opposite. The High Commissioner has my respect and admiration, but he is a type of military man who doesn't know what to do. Jews are loyal to our empire. They are people of their word. There are 15 million Jews in the world and over the course of the next seven years Palestine could absorb at least one million. You have no idea what the Jews have done here. Deserts were transformed into arable land. It is something done with energy, faith and creativity like the world has never seen. Now it is necessary for our government to assume full responsibility for the legitimate protection of Arab interests and also recognize Palestine as the National Home of the Jews, which will soon need good military capacity. Lorna and I have met many interesting people here, with a special emphasis on Dr. Chaim Weizmann, a truly great man and, I am proud to say, my friend.”
Wingate was increasingly convinced that, rather than defending himself, the Ishuv should attack. At the same time he was deeply disappointed by the behavior of his compatriots, who often failed to repress anti-Semitic feelings and, whenever possible, favored the Arabs. During the “Arab Revolt” the British let the Arabs escape after the attacks and ended up confiscating weapons belonging to the Jews. A Haganah, organized since 1920, retaliated without magnitude, even because its doctrine was that of self-restraint, not wanting to stir up tensions with the leaders or the Arabs. It was this peaceful position that ended up giving rise to the formation of radical Jewish groups such as the Irgun and the so-called Stern Gang, who retaliated against terrorism with terrorism against the Arabs and the English, ignoring the instructions of the Jewish Agency.
Wingate continued trying to get closer to the leaders of the Ishuv, but they were still reluctant to believe in their intentions. After all, he was a British officer and not Jewish. The leaders of Haganah they grew even more suspicious as Wingate insisted that the Jews should go on the attack. However, he won the unrestricted trust of two important people in the Ishuv: the secretary general of the Jewish Agency, Moshe Shertok (later Sharret), and Itzhak Sadeh, the commander and strategist of the Haganah. As if his difficulties with the Jews were not enough, Wingate began to be admonished by his superiors in His Majesty's army, who did not admit his Zionist determination, much less his initiatives. And they felt insulted when Wingate, just to irritate them, answered the phone as follows: “Shalom, Wingate speaking”. His next step was to make friends with the people at Kibbutz Afikim, located near the Jordan River and the border with what was then Transjordan. There he outlined the strategies that should be the pillars of the Special Night Squads, destined to confront and combat Arab terrorists with weapons in their hands. It was these Squadrons that gave consistency, form and content to the Haganah and, from the founding of the State, in 1948, to the Israeli army. Wingate urged the inhabitants of Afikim to carry out a fear-mongering raid into Transjordan with an argument that left them impressed: “I will go ahead of everyone.” One of Hanita's leaders, named Zvi Brenner, who he had already met, did not agree with his plan and nothing happened from Afikim.
One of Wingate's biographers reports the following dialogue that the latter had with Brenner. “See those mountains? One day your enemies will come down from there and annihilate you.” Brenner: “We will be prepared to face them.” Wingate, irritated: “This is the problem with the Jews, always calm and patient, waiting for catastrophes to happen. You are a people of masochists. They wait to fight and will be killed before they can even start fighting.” Brenner: “So what do you think we can do?” Wingate: “Why does the Haganah Don’t you go out on the field and start fighting?” Brenner: “Frankly, I don’t know…”
Wingate approached his friend Wilenski and asked him to select a dozen men from the Haganah to accompany him on an investigative mission, a euphemism for armed mission, in Arab territory. He then headed for Hanita, which was under intermittent fire from the Arabs. There, accompanied by Brenner, he met a young man named Moshe Dayan, who commanded the defense of the kibbutz. Brenner continued to insist that military action across the border would be illegal and could lead to everyone being arrested. Wingate reacted: “You can leave these formalities to me. Am I or am I not an English officer?”
In early 1938, the Haganah he made contact with an Arab informant who would take the fighters to a nearby village which, as it had been discovered, housed a group of terrorists. The informant was essential because the attack would take place at night and the Jews were not familiar with the route, either there or back. Wingate sent for the informant and questioned him at length, in Arabic. He concluded that the alleged sympathizer had prepared a lethal trap for the Haganah. He met with the staff of the kibbutz and said: “I know the way better than this traitor and it is time for a real military man to command you. Do you want to cross the border for an attack tonight? All good! I will go ahead!” The commando left at dusk in the direction of Lebanon. This would be the first effective Jewish offensive against terrorists. The boys from Haganah They walked in absolute silence for about 15 kilometers.
They arrived at the predetermined location at 3am. Wingate signaled them to wait and advanced alone. Upon hearing the first shot, the crew Haganah he positioned himself according to the plan drawn up by Wingate. The unit led by Brenner and Dayan took prisoners and, more importantly, took possession of their arsenal, which was stocked with plenty of ammunition. Everyone returned to kibbutz without suffering even a scratch.
When the English leaders found out what had happened, they were furious. Wingate had not asked their permission and had revealed nothing to them about that military excursion beyond the borders of Palestine. He was called to Jerusalem by the High Commission from which he received a severe reprimand. On the same day, a memorandum was circulated among members of the Haganah, from the Jewish Agency: “The Friend is facing serious problems. It is our obligation, from now on, to help you in every possible way.” In the end, there was no greater punishment and Wingate managed to convince his superiors, notably General Sir Archibald Wavel, that to combat terrorism it was essential to increase the actions of the Special Night Squads. Many English officials opposed that decision, but had to agree that there was no other way to protect the pipeline.
Based in Galilee, Wingate became a regular at the Kibbutz Ein Harod, founded in 1923, located where the tomb of Gideon, one of the greatest Jewish commanders of Antiquity and idolized by Wingate, according to his biblical readings, should be located. Shortly afterwards, he obtained permission from the High Commissioner for a detachment of English soldiers to join the Haganah, under his command, in the north of the country. With this contingent, he continued leading raids by the Special Night Squads against terrorist villages, revealing an impressive tactical capacity for the necessary advances or eventual retreats. Years later, Moshe Dayan wrote: “He had a sixth sense for calculating distances, he never did anything wrong and he never gave up in the face of difficulties. If we were 20 fighters and the Arabs were 200, he would say: 'Calm down, calm down, there is always a way to turn the situation in our favor and emerge victorious'”. Dayan continues: “Before we started any operation, he told us: 'We are not fighting the Arab nation, but the Arab gangs; As for the Arabs in general, refrain from cruelty because savagery is only practiced by bad soldiers and you have to show respect towards the innocent, especially women and children'”.
At one point, Wingate became a myth among local Jews. The Arabs put a price on his head and he obtained from the English authorities, despite the fierce opposition of many high-ranking officers, authorization to train the pioneers in the tricks of guerrilla warfare. His headquarters were in Kibbutz Ein Harod, where hundreds of volunteers willing to join the new troops flocked. One of their most spectacular actions took place in the Arab village of Dakumiah, located at the foot of Mount Tabor, close to the Sea of Galilee, where one of the most ferocious and well-armed group of terrorists was hiding. The exchange of fire began at one o'clock in the afternoon, but Wingate preferred to wait for nightfall. At 3 am the battle was won, from which Wingate was seriously injured, having been admitted to a hospital for weeks. The English rejoiced at the annihilation of that dangerous group and Wingate received a promotion.
However, that would be the end of his mission in what was then Palestine, even because of the envy of many of his compatriots. However, the legacy remained. The Jews now had an efficient and respected military force. To the regret of Wingate, already recovered from his injuries, his friend Wavel was replaced by General Haining, who, at first, agreed with the actions of the Squadrons, but then changed his mind and ordered their extinction and who, even so, continued to act. in alternative forms in hiding. He forbade Wingate to return to Ein Harod, but he proposed to talk to Haining in an attempt to make him return. He was not even received by the general.
In 1939, shortly before the start of World War II, the British issued the white paper, a document that drastically restricted the immigration of Jews to Palestine and therefore cut off any hopes of the future existence of a Jewish state. Wingate couldn't contain himself with so much anger and frustration. He went so far as to declare to the leaders of the Ishuv who, despite being English, was willing to declare war on England and suggested a series of offensive operations, starting with the sabotage of the Haifa oil refinery. However, Jewish leaders concluded that this was an extremely sensitive and fragile moment in the relationship with the British Crown and that it would not be appropriate to worsen the situation. Wingate's initiative was not approved, while he was ordered to return to London. Before departing, Wingate returned to Ein Harod, where he assembled the command of the Haganah, and addressed everyone speaking in Hebrew: “I am being sent away from the land I love. You certainly know the reason. But I promise you that I will come back.” In private, he told those closest to him that his dream was to be the first commander, in two thousand years, of an army of Jews in his independent country, in the Land of Israel.
Didn't come back. From England he was sent to India, with the rank of major general, in charge of forming a special force, called Chindit, who would join the British army in the fight against the Japanese invaders in Burma.
On March 24, 1944, on one of his frequent trips between India and Burma, the plane he was in lost height and crashed into a mountain. His Bible, which he never parted with, was recovered and donated by his wife to the Kibbutz Ein Harod, where there is a small museum in his memory. If, by chance, any reader happens to be in the Washington area, I suggest you go to Arlington National Cemetery and place a stone on the grave of Orde Charles Wingate. It is in section 12, number 288.
Zevi Ghivelder is a writer and journalist
Morashá thanks the Wingate Institute,
in Nathaniel, Israel, for your kindness in
Provision of photos for this article.
The Institute was created in honor of Orde Wingate. It is an internationally renowned higher education institution in the field of physical education, which also trains the elite units of the Israeli army.
Bibliography:
Sykes, Christopher, Orde Wingate, Publisher The World Publishing Company, 1959
