dkatzWritten by Yair Rosenblum and Yoram Taharlev, this famous song (in Hebrew with English subtitles) tells the story of the bloody battle on Ammunition Hill during the Six Day War.
Ammunition Hill
“It was then the morning of the second day of the war in Jerusalem. The horizon paled in the east. We were at the climax of the battle on Ammunition Hill. We’d been fighting there for three hours. A fierce battle was under way. Fatal. The Jordanians fought stubbornly. It was a position fortified in an exceptional manner. At a certain point in the fight there remained next to me only four soldiers. We went up there with a force of two platoons. I didn’t know where the others were because the connection with Dudik, the platoon commander, was cut off still at the beginning of the battle. At that moment I thought that everyone had been killed.”
At two, two-thirty
We entered through the stony terrain
To the field of fire and mines
Of Ammunition Hill
Against bunkers which were fortified
And 120mm mortars
A hundred and some boys
On Ammunition Hill
The pillar of dawn had not yet risen
Half a platoon lay in blood
But we were already there at least
On Ammunition Hill
Among the walls and the mines
We left only the medics
And we ran ahead without our senses
Towards Ammunition Hill
“At that same moment a grenade was thrown from outside. Miraculously we weren’t hit. I was afraid the Jordanians would throw more grenades. Someone had to run from above and cover. I didn’t have time to ask who would volunteer. I sent Eitan. Eitan didn’t hesitate for a moment. He climbed up and began to fire his machine gun. Sometimes he would overtake me and I’d have to yell to him to remain in line with me. That’s how we crossed some 30 meters. Eitan would cover from above and we would clear the bunkers from within, until he was hit in the head and fell inside.”
We went down into the trenches
Into the pits and channels
And towards the death in the tunnels
Of Ammunition Hill
And no one asked where to
Whoever went first fell
One needed lots of luck
On Ammunition Hill
Whoever fell was dragged to the back
In order not to disrupt the movement forward
Until fell the next in line
On Ammunition Hill
Perhaps we were lions
But whoever wanted still to live
Should not have been
On Ammunition Hill
“We decided to try blowing up their bunker with a bazooka. The bazooka made a few scratches in the concrete. We decided to try with explosive material. I waited above them until the guy came back with the explosives. He would throw me package after package, and I would lay them one by one at the entrance of their bunker. They had a system of their own: first they threw a grenade, afterwards they fired a volley, and then they rested. Between volley and grenade, I would approach the entrance of their bunker and place the explosives. I triggered the explosives and moved away as far as I could. I had four meters in which to move because also behind me were [Arab] Legionnaires. I don’t know why I received a commendation, I simply wanted to get home safely.”
At seven, seven-twenty
To the police school
Were gathered all those who remained
From Ammunition Hill
Smoke arose from the hill
The sun in the east rose higher
We returned to the city, seven
From Ammunition Hill
We returned to the city, seven
Smoke arose from the hill
The sun in the east rose higher
On Ammunition Hill
On fortified bunkers
And on our brothers, men
Who remained there aged 20
On Ammunition Hill