Shabbat Tiul: Burma Road
We went for a weekend trip on the Burma Road, which played a famous role in the war that made Israel a nation. (Click on the picture to read the sign, whose text is below.) Burma Road In May 1948 [the road to] Jerusalem was controlled by Arab forces. It was crucial to find an alternative route that would circumvent the Arab stronghold at Latrun. The detour, which began here, was opened on the night of 10-11 June 1948 and was called the Burma Road, after the route opened by the Allies from Burma to China during World War II.
We drove about half the road, which is still no great shakes for traveling on. The road was built with lightning speed, and carried everything from marching troops to heavy equipment. It runs behind hills to stay away from Arab sight lines from the main road, so it's very windy and in spots quite steep.
The Sixth Battalion of the Har-El Brigade was the one that liberated Tzuba (which is between here and Jerusalem).
In the distance, cut-out sheet metal soliders patrol to show you where the road goes (you can see them as evenly spaced black marks along the road in the detail shot). There's also a diorama that shows the whole extent of the enterprise. More Tiul: Burma Road . . . Elvis . . . Churches |
