David Daniel Marcus (22 February 1901–10 June 1948), commonly known as Mickey Marcus, was an American United States Army colonel who assisted Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and who became Israel's first general. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics.
Marcus is the best known Israeli Machal (the Hebrew acronym for Mitnadvei Chutz Laaretz/"volunteers from outside Israel") soldier. Mahal (מח"ל an acronym for Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz ( מ תנדבי ח וץ ל ארץ lit He was portrayed in the 1966 Hollywood movie Cast a Giant Shadow by Kirk Douglas. Cast a Giant Shadow is a Film, produced written and directed by Melville Shavelson based on Ted Berkman 's biography of Colonel Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9,
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Early life
Marcus's parents, Mordechai Marcus and Leah (née Goldstein), came from Iaşi, Romania. Iaşi (pronunciation in Romanian: /jaʃʲ/ or Jassy, is a city and municipality in north-eastern Romania. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Born on Hester Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Marcus was extremely bright and athletic. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York The Lower East Side is a Neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. A sportsperson ( British and American English) or athlete (principally American English is any person who participates regularly in a Sport. He attended Boys High School in Brooklyn, and was then accepted at West Point in 1920 and graduated with the class of 1924. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, After completing his active duty requirement, he went on to become a lawyer, and spent most of the 1930s as a United States Attorney in New York, prosecuting gangsters such as Lucky Luciano. Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part a military force as opposed to reserve duty. United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the United States federal government in United States district court and For other uses see Gangsta. A gangster is a criminal who is or at some point almost invariably becomes a member of a persistent violent Charles "Lucky" Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania; November 24 1897 – January 26 1962 was a Sicilian Mobster. New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia named Marcus Commissioner of Corrections for New York City in 1940. The City of New York LaGuardia redirects here For the airport see LaGuardia Airport.
World War II
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he served as executive officer to the military governor of Hawaii. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by He later participated in the Battle of Normandy in 1944.
Marcus helped draw up the surrender terms for Italy and Germany and became part of the occupation government in Berlin after 1945. The Armistice with Italy was an Armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. During that time, Marcus was placed in charge of planning how to sustain the starving millions in areas liberated by the Allies, and clearing out the Nazi concentration camps. See also List of Nazi-German concentration camps, Extermination camp Prior to and during World War II, Nazi Germany under Hitler maintained
He was subsequently named chief of the War Crimes Division, planning legal and security procedures for the Nuremberg trials. The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political military and economic leadership of Nazi Germany after
Israeli military career
In 1947, David ben Gurion asked Marcus to recruit "an American officer" to serve as key strategic military advisor to the nascent Jewish army, the Haganah, "The Defense". A Strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often "winning Haganah ( Hebrew: "The Defense" ההגנה was a Jewish Paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine As he could not recruit anyone suitable, Marcus decided to "volunteer" himself and in 1948, the United States War Department granted leave to Colonel Marcus, who was a reservist, provided Marcus disguised his name and rank to avoid problems with the British Mandate of Palestine. The United States Department of War, sometimes also called the War Office, was the department of the United States government 's executive branch The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement
Under the name "Michael Stone", he arrived in Palestine in January 1948, facing the Arab armies surrounding the soon-to-be declared State of Israel. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Israeli Declaration of Independence (הכרזת העצמאות Hakhrazat HaAtzma'ut or מגילת העצמאות Megilat HaAtzma'ut) made on 14 May For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics.
There, he designed a command and control structure for Israel, adapting his war experiences at Ranger school to its special needs. Command and control can be defined as the exercise of Authority and Direction by a properly designated Commander over assigned and attached Forces The United States Army Ranger School is an intense nine-week-long combat leadership course oriented to small-unit tactics and conducted in three separate three-week-long He identified Israel's weakest points in the Negev south, and Jerusalem. The Negev (נֶגֶב Tiberian vocalization: Néḡeḇ) is the Desert region of southern Israel. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the
Marcus was appointed as Commander of the Jerusalem front, and given the rank of Aluf. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the (Prior to the Six-Day War, "Aluf" was equivalent to a Brigadier General. In the present-day IDF table of ranks, "Aluf" is equivalent to major general. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries )[1] As no ranks were granted to Israeli high command at that time, he became the first general in the Israeli army. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit
He commanded several operations of the breakthrough to Jerusalem when the Jewish section of the city was about to fall. To lift the siege, Marcus ordered the construction of a make-shift winding road through the difficult mountains to Jerusalem—known as the "Burma Road" (named after its namesake built by 200,000 Chinese laborers during the Second Sino-Japanese War and served the Allies to transport goods from Burma to China during World War II) bringing in additional men and equipment to break the Arab siege just days before the United Nations previously negotiated cease fire took effect on June 11, 1948. The "Burma Road" was a makeshift route built by Israeli forces headed by general Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem, inspired by the WWII The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Death
As a mostly assimilated English-speaking American Jew, Marcus knew very little Hebrew, but mainly New Yorker Yiddish. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Yiddish (yi [[wiktייִדיש ייִדיש]] yidish or yi [[wiktאידיש אידיש]] idish, literally "Jewish" is a nonterritorial High A few hours before the cessation of hostilities, Marcus, unable to sleep, went for a late night walk outside the security perimeter which he had established. On his return to the monastery, he had a white bedsheet wrapped around him, appearing to be in Arab dress. [2] Marcus was confronted by a nervous young Israeli soldier who spoke no English and who demanded that Marcus reveal the "sisma", or password to approach. In the confusion, the sentry shot Marcus and killed him. It was the only shot the Israeli guard ever fired. The bullet went right through Marcus's heart. Marcus wore no rank that night due to the Israeli forces' lack of decorating ribbon. As Marcus's body was removed from Abu Gosh, a ribbon was found and placed on his casket. Abu Ghosh (أبو غوش אבו גוש is an Israeli Arab town located 10 kilometers west of Jerusalem on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, 610-720
Ben-Gurion, in writing to Marcus's wife Emma in Brooklyn, New York stated that: "Marcus was the best man we had". Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. [3]
His body was returned to the USA for burial. His is the only grave in West Point Cemetery at the United States Military Academy for an American killed fighting under the flag of another country. West Point Cemetery is an historic Cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point New York. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, His gravestone at West Point reads: "Colonel David Marcus — a Soldier for All Humanity". A memorial plaque in his honor is located in the lobby of Union Temple of Brooklyn where his funeral service was conducted. It reads "Killed in action in the hills of Zion while leading Israeli forces as their supreme commander in the struggle for Israel's freedom - Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling flame/ Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart/ Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor's sake/ Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling flame - Dedicated by his fellow members of Union Temple of Brooklyn December 9, 1949"
See also
References
External links
- "West Point Rites Honor Hero Commissioner/Col. 'Mickey' Marcus" (1999)
- "A Hero in Both America and Israel"
- Cast a Giant Shadow — features an all-star cast, including John Wayne, Yul Brynner, and Kirk Douglas as General Marcus (1966)
- "The Road to Jerusalem" — retracing the costly 1947–1948 battles to keep open the road to Jerusalem
- "Risking Life and Citizenship in Fight for Israel"
The State of Israel (מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael) was established in 1948 after nearly two thousand The Hope is a historical novel by Herman Wouk about pivotal events in the history of the State of Israel from 1948 to 1967.