Volunteers from a world away, in Israel's fight to be born.
North American Volunteers in Israel's War of Independence, 1946–49
The Machal volunteers were the Diaspora's most important contribution to the survival of the State of Israel.”
David Ben-GurionFirst Prime Minister of Israel
We Remember
The 40 Who Fell
Forty Americans and Canadians — among them seven Christians — fell while helping Holocaust survivors reach the ancestral home of the Jewish people and defending it against invasion, 1946–1949.
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Step inside the story.
Each heading holds a timeline. Open one to reveal its photographs and moments; close it when you're done.
1939
The gates close
Britain's White Paper caps Jewish immigration to Palestine as the Holocaust looms — clandestine immigration (Aliyah Bet) begins in earnest.
1946-47
A rescue fleet
Americans secretly buy 12 surplus ships and recruit North American crews to run them.
1947
Exodus & the blockade
Ships packed with refugees challenge the Royal Navy; most are intercepted to Cyprus.
1948
Open immigration
With statehood, the surviving ships bring immigrants directly into the new state.
1948
Mickey Marcus
West Point colonel writes Israel's first field manual; becomes its first Aluf (general).
1948
7th Brigade
Canadian Ben Dunkelman commands the 7th Brigade after Marcus's death.
1948-49
The volunteers
Machalniks serve across the infantry and armored units through the war.
1948
First aircraft
Agents acquire training and combat planes abroad and smuggle them in.
May 1948
First sorties
The fledgling Air Force — mostly overseas volunteer aircrew — flies its first combat missions.
1948-49
Air superiority
Volunteer pilots help turn back the invading air forces.
1948
Paul Shulman
Annapolis graduate takes command of the new navy.
1948
Five warships
Some three dozen Machalniks crew each of the first warships.
1948-49
Coastal defense
The small fleet screens the coast and supply lines.
1947
An army without arms
A Western embargo leaves the new state with almost no aircraft, warships or heavy weapons.
1948
Clandestine buying
Volunteers run covert purchasing networks across North America and Europe.
1948
Smuggled in
Ships and aircraft acquired abroad are moved past the embargo into the country.
Nov 1947
Quiet recruitment
After the partition vote, discreet recruiting begins in New York and Montreal.
1948
1,400 volunteers
North Americans — many WWII veterans — travel to join every branch of service.
1949
Demobilization
The volunteers stand down; some return home, some help build the new state.
1939
The White Paper
Britain's MacDonald White Paper caps Jewish immigration to Palestine at 75,000 over five years, sealing the gates as the Holocaust unfolds.
Nov 29 1947
UN Resolution 181
The UN General Assembly votes 33-13 for partition into a Jewish and an Arab state; the Jewish leadership accepts, the Arab states reject.
May 14 1948
Declaration of Independence
Ben-Gurion proclaims the State of Israel as the British Mandate ends; the U.S. recognizes it within minutes, the USSR days later.
May 15 1948
The invasion
Five Arab armies — Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon — cross into the new state the morning after independence.
1949
The Armistices
Separate armistice agreements at Rhodes with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria end the fighting and fix the 'Green Line' borders.
May 1948
The odds
Israel fields ~30,000 under arms against a combined Arab invasion force of roughly 25,000-40,000 regulars, with far more materiel behind them.
May 1948
An air force of scraps
The new Air Force begins with a handful of light aircraft and no combat planes; smuggled Avia S-199 fighters (a dozen or so) fly the first sorties.
May-Jun 1948
Egypt's coastal thrust
The Egyptian army drives north up the Mediterranean coast toward Tel Aviv, halted near Ashdod at the 'Ad Halom' bridge — the closest approach to the heartland.
Jul 1948
The Ten Days
Between the first and second truces, Israel goes on the offensive — Operation Dani takes Lydda and Ramle; forces stabilize the central front.
Oct-Dec 1948
Clearing the south
Operations Yoav and Horev break the Egyptian hold on the Negev, driving their forces back toward Sinai and Gaza.
1949
Rearmed and grown
By war's end the IDF has grown past 100,000, with an air force, a small navy and heavy weapons — most acquired despite an embargo.
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I got much less than I expected — but a great deal more than I dreamed.”
Col. David “Mickey” MarcusWest Point graduate; first Aluf of the Israeli army, 1948