Father of France

Chapter 262 Joy and sorrow are not shared

With more generals, factions will emerge in the army, especially after the French withdrew, and the Syrian army began to split.

They were already divided into Alawite, Druze and Sunni. Although they could unite against a common enemy, how could they possibly treat everyone equally in a country?

Haifa is the first major town that the Lebanese and Syrian armies have faced, and the outcome will determine the course of the war for Syria. General Adib Shshakli is filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry, but hopes everything goes smoothly.

At this time, the Arab armies from all directions did not face much resistance. Although most Arab soldiers were not much better than the militia in combat skills, the Israeli militia still felt a sense of oppression that was different from that of the Palestinian militia as soon as they entered the battlefield.

Especially the Jordanian Arab Legion and the Iraqi coalition on the eastern front. If the Syrian front is related to Israel's future development, then the Jordanian front is the lifeblood of Israel.

With a small population, Israel's most vulnerable position is its eastern border. The border is too long, and Israel simply doesn't have enough soldiers to defend it. Therefore, manpower shortage has always been a problem for Israel when facing the Jordanian and Iraqi coalition forces.

As for Egypt, which has the most abundant manpower, there is no need to say more.

Israel's initial response to an attack was to concentrate its efforts on dealing with Egypt, the country with the largest population, then drive out Jordan and Iraq, which are the most strategically conservative, and finally settle the score with Syria.

Unexpectedly, France left Syria with a large number of soldiers but nothing else, disrupting Israel's normal strategic deployment. Syria turned out to be the Arab country that sent the most troops and had the strongest fighting power.

The Syrian army launched a two-pronged attack on Jewish settlements in northern Palestine, plunging Israeli militias, already under attack from all sides and unable to receive reinforcements, into dire straits.

After clearing the resistance in the settlements, the Syrian forces pursued the retreating enemy, leaving the task of capturing the Jewish militia positions along the road and mopping up the remaining enemy to the infantry behind them.

The restoration of their homeland is the dream of Jews scattered around the world, and many Jews are indeed willing to die for this dream. The idea of ​​collapsing at the first sign of trouble is not true. The militia abandoned their plans to evacuate and stayed behind to snipe at the Syrian army's offensive, leaving the hope of survival to the elderly, women, and children.

As the Syrian soldiers charged forward, the Jewish militiamen in the trenches leaped forward, their massive hands grabbing the fist holding the grenade, and then pressing down hard, trapping the grenade between their bodies.

A muffled explosion rang out, and the two men fell to the bottom of the trench. The air was thick with the smell of burning clothes and flesh, and a wisp of bluish-gray smoke drifted around the two soldiers pressed tightly together.

"No!" This tragic scene filled the Jewish militia members with grief and intensified their hatred for the Syrian army.

There was no chance left. The Syrian soldiers who rushed up then raised their weapons and pulled the triggers on the surviving Jewish militiamen in the trenches. Several Jewish militiamen were immediately shot dead in the crossfire.

The deaths of their comrades fueled the already raging anger, driving Syrian soldiers into a frenzy. They were ready to unleash all their fury and hatred on the Jews, fearless and merciless no matter what lay ahead.

*Snap!* Koman put down his pointer and said to the officers at headquarters, “We’ve just discussed the progress of the Arab coalition—let’s call it the coalition for now—but the current information doesn’t show any cooperation between the Arab countries. This is ultimately a hidden danger. Now let’s consider external factors.”

How can we not consider the interference of extraterrestrial forces? For Arab countries with limited strength, the United States and the Soviet Union truly could be considered extraterrestrial forces.

This appears to be the last military cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union. After Israel survives the devastating crisis of its founding, the Soviet Union will withdraw and leave Israel to the Western world.

Stalin's view of Israel has always been very clear: Jews within the Soviet Union could not influence Soviet state policy, but Jews in the United States might not be able to.

If the United States had long supported Israel, the Soviet Union could then turn its attention to courting the Arab world.

Stalin's design was flawless during the Cold War. The Soviet Union, despite being at a disadvantage in terms of national strength, did manage to fight to a standstill against the Arab world and the Western countries led by the United States, and even gained the upper hand at times, due to Israel's long-term presence.

In North Africa alone, there was Nasser's Egypt, Gaddafi's Libya, and even Algeria after its independence from France, all of which had long been close to the Soviet Union. In the Middle East, there were also two Ba'athist regimes, Syria and Iraq, which maintained close ties with the Soviet Union.

Without Israel, the Soviet Union's efforts to win over the Arab world would not have been so successful.

For a long time, the United States couldn't find a suitable proxy in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia obviously didn't have that capability. Having money alone was useless, especially since Saudi Arabia didn't have much money in its early days.

Even the core of US security in the Middle East is built on Israel and Iran, two non-Arab countries, while the Arab countries that could fight all followed the Soviet Union.

"Major Koman is referring to the United States and the Soviet Union?" Lieutenant Colonel Robello, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel, understood the implication and followed up, "Yes, the United States and the Soviet Union firmly support the establishment of Israel. What means do they have to save Israel?"

"There are plenty of ways. Since we were able to pass a resolution at the United Nations establishing Israel, what's the big deal about passing another ceasefire?" Koeman replied with a smile, recalling that there had been more than one ceasefire.

Israel did indeed face immense danger during the First Arab-Israeli War, and the country was simply incapable of sustaining a protracted war. It struggled even against Hamas, let alone a coalition of Arab forces. Looking at the duration of previous Arab-Israeli wars, Israel's ability to sustain a full-scale war effort was typically limited to just one month.

Once the situation exceeds Israel's industrial production capacity, external intervention is inevitable. During the First Arab-Israeli War, Israel's industrial base was particularly weak, requiring two ceasefire resolutions from external forces to stabilize the situation. Without these two ceasefire resolutions, Israel would have been worn down and destroyed.

"Does Major Koman mean that the Arab countries can't win no matter what?" Lieutenant Colonel Robello asked after hearing this.

“But we won’t lose by much.” Koman spread his hands and said, “With Israel’s population, it’s impossible to defend the border. Even if a major power from outside the region intervenes, its own strength is too weak to expand its gains.”

Koeman never even considered occupying the Sinai Peninsula or ceding the Golan Heights; at least, Israel at present cannot do such a thing.

“The Golan Heights are the most valuable area in the region. If Syria controls these heights, it will gain the upper hand.” Lieutenant Colonel Robello’s gaze returned to the map. “The Foreign Legion previously established a defensive line in the Golan Heights?”

"Yes, it was originally designed to prevent a British attack from Palestine." Koeman thought to himself, "You've come to the right person," and answered in detail, "This defensive line was never actually completed."

"I wonder what it will look like when it's finally completed." Lieutenant Colonel Robello seemed quite interested in this question. "I heard they built a new type of tunnel fortification?"

“That’s right, the reverse slope tunnels were part of the defensive line. And the defensive line was indeed not completed.” Koman introduced with great pride, “Those were the only conditions; there were originally artillery positions.”

Although it's a bit of a regret, there's still time in the future to complete the defense line and add the artillery positions.

If a fortification similar to the Gorky Battery could be built on the southwest side of the Golan Heights, and more high-strength concrete could be used, Koman believed that as long as Israel did not have the same siege capabilities as the Soviet army, the Golan Heights would not be lost under normal circumstances once the battery was completed.

As for what this has to do with France? Of course, it has little to do with them. It's just that Syria doesn't have the capability to manufacture these twin-mounted gun emplacements, while France happens to have the capability.

France had acquired an Italian Graf de Cavour-class battleship, which was a World War I battleship of very limited value. As an old battleship that had undergone modernization, its core firepower was twin-mounted 320mm main guns, a type of battleship main gun that emphasized rate of fire but had a relatively small caliber.

Other secondary guns and anti-aircraft firepower were already outdated during World War II, which was the main reason for its rapid retirement after the war.

The French battleship Richelieu was more than sufficient for use in their colonies. Italy's old battleships would soon be scrapped, and their only remaining use would be their main guns, which could be modeled after the twin 305mm main guns on the Soviet Gorky Battery, becoming the main weapon of a ground fortress.

Unable to comprehend Israel's painful situation, Koman was still secretly eager to test the Israel Defense Forces in the future. It's true that people are incapable of empathy, and keyboard warriors don't care about human life. Little did they know that the Jewish people in Israel were now crying out for their parents.

The ink on Prime Minister Ben-Gurion's Declaration of Independence was barely dry when it was crushed to pieces by the muffled cannon fire coming simultaneously from the north, south, and east.

The eastern border is the direction of the elite Transjordanian "Arab Legion's" offensive, with their target being the ancient city of Jerusalem. Iraqi troops are crossing the Jordan River like a dagger attempting to pierce the heartland.

In the direction of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian expeditionary force, equipped with tanks and aircraft, is advancing north along the coastline, heading straight for Tel Aviv.

The most unexpected situation came from northern Syria. Syria, which entered the war simply because of Arab nationalist sentiments, possessed a regular army that had participated in world wars, and its combat effectiveness and discipline exceeded the expectations of the Israeli leadership.

The armies from three directions and four countries were all headed for Tel Aviv, wanting to drive the Jews into the sea. What did they have? A mix of rifles smuggled from around the world, limited ammunition, a handful of anti-tank weapons, and Molotov cocktails hastily made from gasoline and glass bottles.

The telegraph machine was transmitting frantic, urgent messages: "Egyptian tank formations have broken through the Nilsm Line; anti-tank weapons are urgently needed!"

"Arab legions on the eastern front have begun shelling Jerusalem's Jewish quarter; the Old City is in imminent danger!"

"The Syrian army from the north moved south along the Lebanese coastline, and the Syrian army that set out from the Golan Heights occupied Dhaniya, where the resisting militias fought to the last moment."

"We have no choice but to resist to the end. We absolutely cannot fall into the situation of being imprisoned in concentration camps and slaughtered at will." Ben-Gurion's voice floated in the air, like a demonic chant. "Men, women, the elderly, and students must all be mobilized. We can talk about work later. First, we need to survive."

“They want to wipe us off the map,” Moses said, his voice trembling. “We will fight to the end, but… can we buy ourselves a moment to catch our breath?”

“I know.” Ben-Gurion certainly understood what Moses meant. At this moment, the Jews had to cry out, “Father, save me!” He also did not believe that the United States and the Soviet Union would allow Israel to establish a state out of momentary pity. They must have had ulterior motives. They would not just watch Israel perish. “We must first defeat the enemy in one direction, otherwise we have no right to say anything.”

“The Syrian army is the strongest, while its eastern border is the most vulnerable. The Jordanian Arab Legion is also well-trained, while Farouk I’s Egyptian army is of varying quality,” Moses said, maintaining his composure.

(End of this chapter)