Mickey Marcus - Israeli Military Career

Israeli Military Career

In 1947, David Ben-Gurion asked Marcus to recruit an American officer to serve as military advisor to the nascent Jewish army, the Haganah. He could not recruit anyone suitable, so Marcus volunteered himself. In 1948, the United States War Department informally acquiesced to Marcus' undertaking, provided he disguised his name and rank to avoid problems with the British authorities of Mandate Palestine.

Under the nom de guerre "Michael Stone", he arrived in Palestine in January 1948, facing the Arab armies surrounding the soon-to-be declared State of Israel.

There, he designed a command and control structure for Israel, adapting his war experiences at the early Ranger school established in the Pacific theater to its special needs. He identified Israel's weakest points in the Negev south, and Jerusalem.

Marcus was appointed as Commander of the Jerusalem front on May 28, 1948, and given the rank of Aluf. (Prior to the 1967 Six-Day War, "Aluf" was equivalent to a Brigadier General. In the present-day IDF table of ranks, Aluf" is equivalent to major general.) As no ranks were granted to Israeli high command at that time, he became the first general in the fledgling nation's army (see Israel Defense Forces).

He participated in planning Operation Bin Nun Bet and Operation Yoram against the Latrun fort held by the Transjordan Legion, which controlled the road and prevented Israeli troops from supplying Jerusalem, which was under siege. While both attacks failed, Marcus helped plan and execute a makeshift winding road through the difficult mountains to Jerusalem—known as the "Burma Road" (named after the road built by 200,000 Chinese laborers during the Second Sino-Japanese War that later served the Allies to transport goods from Burma to China during World War II). This allowed additional men and equipment in to break the Arab siege just before the previously negotiated United Nations cease fire took effect on June 11, 1948.