So, here are some images of soldiers of the Jewish Brigade. There are doubtless many (many) yet-unknown photos of Brigade soldiers in private collections, let alone historical archives in Israel, England, Italy, the United States, and other nations. However, motion pictures of Jewish Brigade soldiers in training and battle, at rest and religious services, and honoring fallen comrades, can be viewed in at least four videos. (Perhaps there are others?) These films comprise the following:
Jewish Infantry Brigade of the British 8th Army – Faenza area, Italy, March 27 – 29, 1945 (duration 7:59; 240 x 320 pixels)
Additional information:
Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
(09/18/1947 – 02/28/1964)
ARC Identifier 17581 / Local Identifier 111-ADC-3778 1945
Uploaded to Archive.org 4/24/10
Via NARA – The United States National Archives and Records Administration
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Road to Liberty – Based on the Story of the Jewish Brigade Group (duration 10:54; 240 x 320 pixels)
Additional information:
Produced 1946
Alexander Films [S.A.] Production; Written and Commentated by Norman Lourie
Photography by Sascha Alexander
Music Arranged by De Wolfe
Via The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at University of Jerusalem
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Jewish Infantry Brigade of British 8th Army 220663-02 (duration 9:29; 360 x 480 pixels)
Additional information:
Jewish Infantry Brigade of British 8th Army, 23-28 Mar 1945
Information on opening slate: CM Tischler, Jewish Infantry Brigade, 28 Mar 1945.
Via Footage Farm
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Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive (duration 5:04; 240 x 320 pixels)
via Alex H’s Video Channel at Daily Motion
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Having viewed all these productions, the two best films in terms (in publicly available digital format, at least) are “Road to Liberty”, and, “Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive”. Between these two videos I’ve identified four sequences which feature images of Brigade soldiers to their best advantage, in terms of lighting, focus, and primarily, subject matter. (I know this is a subjective call, but I think I’ve made a good judgement here!) These comprise: 1) A group of soldiers near Faenza, Italy, on March 27-29, 1945, 2) Soldiers guarding German POWs somewhere in Italy, presumably in April, 1945, 3) A group of soldiers applying camouflage face-paint, probably prior to a patrol, and 4) Soldiers attending a Seder during the late afternoon of March 28, 1945.
And so… Twenty-one screen-grabs captured from “Road to Liberty”, and, “Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive”, arranged in order of the four sequences listed above, are shown below. Each image includes the URL of the relevant video (“Road to Liberty” is at YouTube, while “Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive” is at Vimeo), and, the elapsed time in the video where the image can be found. Since the same scenes appear in both videos, I’ve taken the best screen-grab, regardless of whether the image is from “Road to Liberty” or “Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive”.
And, so… Other than the quite self-evident fact that all these men were members of the Jewish Brigade; were infantrymen, I know absolutely nothing about them. The films do not include audio, and, written information about the men – in terms of stills of hand-held placards or close-ups of documents – is absent. And so, the men’s fates are unknown.
Were any of these men killed in action? I don’t know.
Were any of them men wounded? I have no idea.
Did any receive military awards? Of this I have no knowledge.
What became of them after 1945? This is unknown.
If any of these soldiers were from the Yishuv (I’m certain more than a few were), did they participate in Israel’s war of Survival in 1948, let alone in 1956, 1967, or 1973? No idea, but for this question, I think the answer would be yes, at least through 1973.
Postwar, did any of them ever write or record anything about their experiences, for publication, for their families, or simply for posterity – “for the record”?
I don’t know. But, I hope so.
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Sharing a light.
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) at 1:49
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(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) at 1:51
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(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) at 6:14
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Laughing at something.
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) at 2:00
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Attention diverted.
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) at 2:14
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Helmet off for a moment.
(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) at 6:17
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Looking at the photographer. (I)
(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) at 6:15
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Looking at the photographer. (II)
(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) – at 6:15
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Driving a Bren Gun Carrier.
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) – at 4:14
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Taking a pause after battle.
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) – at 00:28
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Taking a break after battle.
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) – at 00:32
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Guarding German POWs. – I
(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) – at 7:50 Narration: “This Jewish guard was himself once in a German camp.”
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Guarding German POWs. – II
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) – at 4:29
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Guarding German POWs. – III
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) – at 4:29
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Guarding German POWs. – IV
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) – at 4:42
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Guarding German POWs. – V
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) at 4:56
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Camouflage (before a patrol?)
(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) at 7:00
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(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) at 7:03
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(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) at 7:05
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(The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive – Road to Liberty / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / March 25, 2010) at 7:07
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At Pesach, 1945
(Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive / Alex H / 2007) at 2:59
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Another still, but not from a movie: This photograph, showing Jewish Brigade troops riding atop a Churchill tank on March 14, 1945, appeared in the photo section of the Forvarts on November 11, 1945.
Typical of pictures in the photo section of the Forvarts, the caption appeared in Yiddish and English, with the latter given below:
“PERTINENT TO THE JEWISH CASE in the Palestine dispute is this wartime picture. Showing a patrol of the Jewish Brigade on the Italian front during the recent world conflict, it is but a very small token of Palestine Jewry’s great contribution to the British war effort. Arab leaders opposing unrestricted Jewish immigration into Palestine helped the Allied cause only by not giving aid to the enemy, as the Mufti [Haj Amin al-Husseini] and his fellow traitors had done. (Photo from British Information Services).”
And, the original image appears below…
Bibliography and Filmography
Books…
Chamberlain, Peter, and Ellis, Chris, British and American Tanks of World War II, Arco Publishing Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1975
Lifshitz, Jacob (יעקב, ליפשיץ), The Book of the Jewish Brigade: The History of the Jewish Brigade Fighting and Rescuing [in] the Diaspora (Sefer ha-Brigadah ha-Yehudit: ḳorot ha-ḥaṭivah ha-Yehudit ha-loḥemet ṿeha-matsilah et ha–golah ((גולהה קורות החטיבה היהודית הלוחמת והמצילה אתספר הבריגדה היהודית)), Shim’oni (שמעוני), Tel-Aviv, 1950
Morris, Henry, Edited by Gerald Smith, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Brassey’s, United Kingdom, London, 1989
Morris, Henry, Edited by Hilary Halter, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945 – An Addendum, AJEX, United Kingdom, London, 1994
…and Films
Jewish Infantry Brigade of the British 8th Army – Faenza area, Italy, March 27 – 29, 1945 (duration 7:59)
Department of Defense. Department of the Army.
Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
(09/18/1947 – 02/28/1964)
ARC Identifier 17581 / Local Identifier 111-ADC-3778 1945
Uploaded 4/24/10
National Archives and Records Administration
Road to Liberty – Based on the Story of the Jewish Brigade Group (duration 10:54)
1946
Alexander Films [S.A.] Production; Written and Commentated by Norman Lourie
Photography by Sascha Alexander
Music Arranged by De Wolfe
The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at University of Jerusalem
Jewish Infantry Brigade of British 8th Army 220663-02 (duration 9:29)
Footage Farm
(WWII – 1945, Italy: Jewish Infantry Brigade of British 8th Army, 23-28 March 1945)
Slate in English: C.M. Tischler, Jewish Infantry Brigade, 28 March 1945.
12:06:36 Close-Up door of back of truck, stenciled: COMD 81. Caution Right Hand Drive. w/ Star of David on right. MLS w/ officers talking beside table in wooded area looking at maps, rear of truck from previous shot on right. 2 men out w/ maps on boards, put down on table & inspect.
12:07:18 Low angle, British Brigadier General Ernest Benjamin on left w/ monocle, smokes & looks at board, wearing Star of David patch talking w/ two others w/ Jewish Infantry Brigade patches.
12:07:55 High angle, jeep driving up mountain road, stop & the three officers get out w/ maps, look at terrain & maps. Tilt up tall mountain range.
12:08:55 Medium Close-Up 2 officers, Close-Up Gen. Benjamin & insignia w/ Star of David.
12:09:13 Soldiers loading & firing from camouflaged artillery battery into mountains. Medium Close-Up Sergeant draws Star of David on shell case. Gun fired, loading & fired again.
12:10:43 Slate in Hebrew & English. C.M. Tischler, Jewish Infantry Brigade, 24 March 1945.
12:11:01 Armored convoy of motorcycles, tracked vehicles & trucks carrying waving troops past olive grove & house. Trucks w/ troops up & past, V for Victory signs. Stars of David on truck bumpers. Soldier on sentry duty by flag-pole. Flag has Star of David. Close-Ups Star of David on military vehicles.
12:14:51 Slate in English: C.M. Tischler, Jewish Infantry Brigade, 23 March 1945/ Two soldiers past war graves in cemetery. Sign: Plot 4 Jewish Burials. Two men walk among graves w/ Star of David markers. Close-Up marker for M. Zilberberg, Jewish Bn. Palestine Regiment, 20 March 1945, killed in action.
Jewish Brigade – Brigade juive (duration 5:04)
Alex H’s Video Channel at Daily Motion
d’archives rares de la brigade juive en Europe
La Brigade juive était une unité combattante dans la 8e armée britannique composée de volontaires juifs de Palestine qui combattit durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale aux côtés des Alliés contre les puissances de l’Axe.les sioniste on combattu le fascisme et le nazime et les force vichy au coté des alliés dans l’armée anglaise…pendant que la “legion arabe” du grand mufti de jerusalem, composé exclusivement de volontaires, combattaient dans les rang la SS musulmane Handschar, sous l’uniforme nazi…
“Rare archives of the Jewish brigade in Europe.”
“The Jewish Brigade was a fighting unit in the British 8th Army made up of Jewish volunteers from Palestine that fought in WWII alongside the Allies against the Axis powers. Zionists fought against fascism and the Nazim and the Vichy forces. alongside the allies in the English army … while the “Arab legion” of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, composed exclusively of volunteers, fought in the ranks the Muslim SS Handschar, in Nazi uniform …”