Antiquity (id:#57270)

Critical Hit (Critical Hit # 6.4 ID: Genesis 21)   [next]   [previous]

Jerusalem, Israel 1948-07-17 (1 other)

Overview:

The ten days of fighting, following the first truce of the war, saw a whirlwind of activity on the Israeli side that resulted in significant gains. However, the Arab Legion occupation of the Old City of Jerusalem was a thorn in the side of the Israeli leadership that was impossible to bear. Even though stretched thin, an attempt to retake the Old City was ordered. A United Nations-sponsored second truce was scheduled to go into effect in Jerusalem at 5:45 AM on July 17th. As the date drew near, both sides prepared for the inevitable assault. The Israelis planned to use a new weapon to gain the advantage. Nicknamed Conus, it was an untested 300 lb. shape-charged bomb that needed to be manually hauled up to a gate and detonated. Following the largest artillery bombardment of the war on the Old City, the Israeli attacked jumped off at 2:45 AM, a mere three hours before the truce was to take affect.

Defender: Arab (6th Regiment, Arab Legion)  

Errata (source)