May 30, 1948 Arab Murder, Mayhem, and Massacre

On May 30^th orders were received from the British Army, seconded” officers were immediately to leave their commands and withdraw from battle.  The reason for this order was that the Security Council, at a meeting on May 29^th, had adopted a British resolution calling for a four weeks’ truce in Palestine …                         

The withdrawal of the British officers was a shattering blow.  They included all operational staff officers, both the brigade commanders, and the commanding officers of three out of the four infantry regiments, and all the trained artillery officers.  The artillery having only been raised three month before, none of the Jordanian officers were yet really competent to direct the fire of the guns … the British regular officers were therefore the keystone to the whole edifice in 1948.              

Source: Memoirs of Lieutenant General John Glubb