6 Officers, 2 Lions, And 750 Mules

Between 1915 and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, six soldiers played a critical role in the re-emergence of a Jewish military ethos after a gap of almost 2,000 years. All six were officers in the British army. All six were Zionists. All six believed that Jews had to organize themselves into a coherent and proactive military force. And all six fought against institutionalized anti-Semitism on the part of the British army authorities. Three of the soldiers were Christians: Irishman John Henry Patterson and Englishmen Richard Meinertzhagen and Orde Wingate. Three of the soldiers were Russian-born Jews: Vladimir Zeaev Jabotinsky, Joseph Trumpeldor and Eliezer Margolin. 6 Officers, 2 Lions, and 750 Mules traces the contribution of these officers to the creation of a military doctrine that directly helped the newborn state successfully withstand and defeat the invading Arab armies in 1948.