Post by Diarist on Sept 17, 2017 7:29:05 GMT 1
I was in for a surprise when I met the French this morning. Through Orde's contacts with the Deuxième Bureau PM Daladier had already learned about the details of the Mukhamas raid and he had already told his British counterpart Stanley Baldwin that the Golan and the Circassian battalion could be transferred to British control if a formal request from London were received. I was told that such a request was being prepared. After a working lunch General Huntzinger and his delegation returned to Lebanon.
It has been decided that the Circassians will be temporarily assigned to the SOE in order to be re-equipped and trained with British equipment and given additional counter-insurgency training. Parachute training will also be offered to volunteers. In retrospect the suggestions I presented to ADM Keyes in Bardia six months ago have been very fruitful because there are now more than 2,000 non-British personnel serving in SOE Middle East and all looking after British interests as well as their own in the long term. I'm sure that Winston recognizes the importance of this force.
In the evening Ritchie O'Connor, George, Irvine and I went to Jaffa port to inspect the latest transports which had just arrived from England. With the two battalions of ISV's each with a company of light Mk. 1 AA tanks the 5th Armoured division was by far the most powerful armoured division in the British Army if not the world. They are going to be busy offloading the equipment tomorrow while I shall be meeting David Ben Gurion again before travelling to Amman.
It has been decided that the Circassians will be temporarily assigned to the SOE in order to be re-equipped and trained with British equipment and given additional counter-insurgency training. Parachute training will also be offered to volunteers. In retrospect the suggestions I presented to ADM Keyes in Bardia six months ago have been very fruitful because there are now more than 2,000 non-British personnel serving in SOE Middle East and all looking after British interests as well as their own in the long term. I'm sure that Winston recognizes the importance of this force.
In the evening Ritchie O'Connor, George, Irvine and I went to Jaffa port to inspect the latest transports which had just arrived from England. With the two battalions of ISV's each with a company of light Mk. 1 AA tanks the 5th Armoured division was by far the most powerful armoured division in the British Army if not the world. They are going to be busy offloading the equipment tomorrow while I shall be meeting David Ben Gurion again before travelling to Amman.