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December 14, 1947 Arab Attack on Arms Store in Ramleh

1918 Arabs Participation in World War I“Last night an Arab band raided the arms store of an Arab supernumerary police unit at Ramleh.  The raid netted the band 400 service rifles and 60,000 rounds of ammunition as well as automatic weapons, but later the marauders lost most of the loot.

The Beth Nabala attack is under investigation by British authorities.  The story as far as could be learned tonight was that four of the Jewish trucks in the convoy traveling from Tel Aviv to Ben Shemen, were fired on and one of the trucks was wrecked.  Eight men were injured and a passing British Army truck picked them up.  The British truck was fired on and its driver slightly injured, but he drove on to a hospital.

Meanwhile, one of the other Jewish trucks was fired on from the Arab Legion camp.  The Jewish driver lost control and this truck was wrecked.

It was in this phase of the affair that thirteen Jews were killed and two seriously injured, one of whom later died.

At about the same time another British truck passing the (e.g Arab Legion) camp was fired on and a British soldier in it was seriously wounded.

Arab auxiliary police have deserted with their arms, ammunition and uniforms—one of them after shooting a Jew he was supposed to protecting

Among various incidents during the day a Jewish settlement policeman in the Beersheba area was killed and another Jewish policeman and two other persons were wounded when they were attacked by Arabs while on their way to fetch water for Jewish colony of Beth Eshel in the Negeb.

A Jewish Agency spokesman said it was hoped the Government’s attention would be aroused by the Arab attack on a British Overseas Airways truck Friday near Lydda Airport.”

Source: New York Times, December 15, 1947

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