Fawzi Al-Qawuqji - Biography

Biography

Qawuqji was born in 1890 in Beirut, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. An Arab nationalist, he served as an officer in the Ottoman Army during World War I.

After Syria became a French Mandate, Qawuqji joined the French-Syrian Army and received formal training at the French Military Academy at St. Cyr (École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr). During the rebellion of 1925–1927, he deserted the French Army to join the rebellion. Qawuqji remained an outlaw thereafter.

Qawuqji fought against the British in the Mandate of Palestine during the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. He was in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Rashid Ali coup of 1941 and, during the subsequent Anglo-Iraqi War, he again fought against the British. When the Rashid Ali regime collapsed, Qawuqji and his irregular forces were targeted for destruction by the Mercol flying column and were chased out of Iraq. While still in Iraq, a British plane strafed and almost killed him. After entering Vichy French-held Syria, Qawuqji made his way to Nazi Germany to recuperate.

Qawuqji remained there for the remainder of World War II, and married a German woman (his third wife). In 1945 he was captured by Soviet forces, and held prisoner until February 1947.

In early March 1948, a "Teutonic looking" Qawuqji arrived in Palestine from Damascus at the head of several thousand Arab volunteers and said: "I have returned." Qawuqji was further described as "a redhaired, blue-eyed man, who looked more German than Arab." Jacques de Reynier, the delegate of the International Red Cross in Palestine confirms that he crossed the Allenby Bridge with his troops on March 6, 1948 and a day later he brought also his motorized troops into Palestine before the non-reacting British troops.

The ALA's first major operation was to launch an attack on the Haganah base at Mishmar HaEmak in April 1948. The Haganah and Palmach counter-attacked and the ALA were routed with Qawuqji almost being captured. In October 1948 the last of the ALA forces were driven out of the Galilee in Operation Hiram.