page_title: Battles of Bir 'Asluj
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battles of Bir 'Asluj / December battle / Battle
caption_attribution_description: Monument to the French Commando near Ashalimעברית: שלט למרגלות מצפור הקומנדו הצרפתי
context_page_description: The Battles of Bir 'Asluj refer to a series of military engagements between Israel and Egypt in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, around the localities Bir 'Asluj and the nearby Bir Thamila. Bir 'Asluj was a small Bedouin center and a strategic location on the 'Auja–Beersheba road. The Israelis captured the position early in the war, in an attempt to disconnect the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood forces from the main Egyptian Army concentration on the coastal plain, but set up positions across the road and the threat to their transport was neutralized.
  The entire vicinity of Bir 'Asluj, including Bir Thamila, was captured by Israeli Negev Brigade forces on December 25–26, 1948, during Operation Horev. In the first stage, the 7th Battalion took Bir Thamila, but failed to reach the road and retreated with heavy losses. In the morning, armored vehicles from the 9th Battalion assaulted the Egyptian road positions and captured them. This was later followed by the conquest of the entire road to the border at 'Auja, expelling the Egyptian forces from Israel in this region.
context_section_description: The task force allocated for the battle of Bir Thamila – Bir 'Asluj set off from Halutza at 17:00 on December 25. They took up positions in the Umm Suweila range, between Wadi Thamila (HaBesor Stream) and Wadi 'Asluj (Revivim Stream). At 20:30, the 7th Infantry Battalion attacked in two forces: the main one against Bir Thamila (Position 17), and the other, an overseas volunteer unit called the French Commando, against Position 13 on the junction. The main force managed to sneak in to Bir Thamila unnoticed, reaching the position's southern fence before opening fire. The two southern outposts were taken in a quick battle, after which the defenses crumpled. By 23:30, the 7th Battalion was in control of the location, finding a lot of abandoned munitions.
  By 22:30, the French Commando had captured Position 13 and the rest of the battalion had taken Position 17. Three Egyptian positions adjacent to #13 were still manned, and the troops there began a counterattack and slowly ate away at the French Commando forces. At 01:30 on December 26, the operational reserve, which had arrived at Bir Thamila, came to reinforce Position 13. However, by dawn about half of the Israeli forces there had been dead or wounded, and they retreated. The 9th Mechanized Battalion forces, which had also arrived by that time and were meant to provide further reinforcements, got bogged down in the dirt and could provide no immediate assistance. The retreating French Commando had left several wounded under the old railway bridge near the position, in hopes of collecting them later.
  When the 9th Battalion troops managed to free themselves and continue moving, the victorious Egyptian troops were following the French Commando. The 9th Battalion was able to inflict significant damage to these forces and continue to Position 13. Even though some of the vehicles were bogged down in the dirt and quicksand, and two were blown up by land mines, they nevertheless outflanked and recaptured the position at 04:30. The 9th Battalion quickly began moving east to positions 14–15 in order to create chaos and pin down the remaining Egyptian forces. Meanwhile, another contingent of the battalion set out from Bir Thamila and captured the 14th position. A jeep platoon encircled the Egyptians from the east and helped complete the capture of the 15th and 16th positions.
  The Thamila Positions were entirely in Israeli hands by 09:00 on December 16. The Egyptian forces fled to 'Auja and the southern Bir 'Asluj positions, which were now cut off and later found abandoned. The French Commando, which returned to look for their wounded, found them dead with their bodies mutilated. In a fit of revenge, they killed several Egyptians captured during the battle. As a result, the unit was disbanded.
caption: Plaque telling the story of the battle for Bir Thamila
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