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This article is about the Jewish Brigade of the British Army that fought in World War II against the Nazi Axis Powers. For other Jewish legions, see Jewish legion (disambiguation).
With the outbreak of World War II, a push began to set up a Jewish Brigade on the side of the Allies. The President of the World Zionist Organization Chaim Weizmann offered the British government full cooperation of the Jewish community in British Mandate of Palestine and tried to negotiate the establishnment of identifiably Jewish fighting unit (under a Jewish flag) under the auspices of British Army. His request was rejected, but many Palestinian Jews joined the British army, some in Jewish companies. Fifteen Palestinian Jewish battalions were incorporated into the British Army in September 1940 and fought in Greece in 1941.
On August 6, 1942, the British army formed a Palestine Regiment out of three Jewish battalions. One Palestinian Arab battalion was also formed (to undermine efforts of Hajj Amin al-Husayni who successfully drummed up Arab support of the Axis Powers against the Allies). The Regiment fought in Egypt and in the battles of North Africa.
After much hesitation, on July 3, 1944, with the blessings of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the British government consented to the establishment of a Jewish Brigade with hand-picked Jewish and also non-Jewish senior officers. On September 20, 1944, an official communique by the War Office announced the formation of the Jewish Brigade Group of the British army. The Zionist flag was officially approved as its standard. It included more than 5,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine organized into three infantry battalions and several supporting units.
Under the command of Brigadier Ernest Benjamin, the Jewish Brigade fought against the Germans in Italy from March 1945 until the end of the war in May 1945, then it was stationed in Tarvisio, near the border triangle of Italy, Yugoslavia, and Austria. In July 1945, the Brigade moved to Belgium and the Netherlands.
The Jewish Brigade Group was disbanded in the summer of 1946. Out of some 30,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine served in it, more than 700 were killed during active duty.
Later some of its members became key participants of the new State of Israel's Israel Defense Force.
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