No Medals Today Read online

  No Medals Today

  Shlomi Tal

  No Medals Today /Shlomi Tal

  All rights reserved; No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information retrieval system, without the permission, in writing, of the author.

  Copyright © 2017 Shlomi Tal

  Literary Editor: Amnon Jackont

  Translated from the Hebrew: Judith Yacov

  Contact: [email protected]

  The following story is based on real events, but the characters are all fictional, with the exception of the historical personalities and the author, who was in Paris during the Yom Kippur War.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Monday—Tuesday, October 8–9

  Wednesday, October 10

  Wednesday Evening, Chantal’s Home

  Wednesday Evening, Orly Airport

  Thursday, October 11

  Friday, October 12

  Saturday, October 13

  Sunday, October 14

  Monday, October 15

  Tuesday, October 16, the Moshe Sharett Israeli School, Paris

  Tuesday, October 16, Marseilles, France

  Wednesday, October 17 (A Little After Midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday)

  Thursday, October 25

  Clarifications

  Acknowledgments

  I wish to express my gratitude to Amnon Jackont, who edited the book with tireless patience and persistence and who guided a novice in the secrets of literary creativity.

  Special thanks to my master and teacher, Ohad Ezrahi, whose Internet website, The Garden and School of Love and Kaballah, www.KabaLove.org, inspired me, as well as giving me the quotations from the Bible and other sources about the relationship between the sexes.

  Thank you, Judy Yacov, for the translation to English, and special thanks to the American eagle eye of the mother of my two beautiful granddaughters, Jennifer.

  Prologue

  War Breaks Out

  In the early hours of the morning of Yom Kippur, October 6, 1973, all the senior diplomatic staff at the Israeli embassy in Paris are called from their homes to a meeting with the ambassador in his office. The meeting commences around ten in the morning, Paris time—eleven o’clock Israel time; the ambassador informs the senior staff that war is about to break out. In the early hours of the evening, Syria and Egypt are expected to attack Israel. At this stage, the diplomats with government connections (connections with members of the French cabinet, the House of Representatives, and the Senate) are given the urgent task of contacting these representatives, despite it being both the Sabbath and Yom Kippur. These diplomats are provided with an explanatory document from the Israeli government, which asserts that “the impending war is not one of our choosing, but we will respond forcefully and repel any invader.” The ambassador tells the remaining diplomats to prepare for any possible scenario, pending further instructions from Jerusalem. It seems more than likely that we will have to join the campaign to acquire military equipment and intelligence information. We will probably also be required to mobilize reserve duty soldiers, vital to Israel’s defense, from abroad and transport them to Israel; we will probably also be asked to fulfill other demands made on members of the diplomatic corps by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem and the prime minister’s office in Tel Aviv, as developments dictate

  The war does indeed break out at noon. When the report of the coordinated attack by Egypt and Syria reaches the embassy, most of the diplomatic staff are summoned from the synagogue or their homes, where they are eating lunch, to discuss the new situation. Some of the diplomatic staff are in the restaurant in the Embassy building, others at the nearby bistro. It was a gray and rainy autumn day in Paris. French citizens were going about their business. The significance of Yom Kippur and the People of Israel were had been explained in short items that had been broadcast on radio and television the night before. When war broke out, two French television channels opened with a special announcement that was aired immediately after the midday Saturday news newscast. Until then, it had been a typical Saturday, the beginning of a routine weekend in the lives of French citizens.

  Sunday, the Second Day of the War

  Sunday, October 7, in the late evening, the ambassador again calls the senior members of his staff to a meeting, and speaks as follows:

  “Gentlemen, we are now in the midst of a life and death battle. This is not just a figure of speech; it is a harsh reality. I want to update you all on the current situation, right now, as reported at a cabinet meeting held in Tel Aviv this evening that ended two hours ago.

  In the north, attempts are underway to stabilize the front. The camps in the Golan Heights are surrounded by the Syrian Army; soldiers have been captured, there are casualties, and there will be more. Our troops on the ground are battling to maintain control of the area until reinforcements arrive and enable them to move from a defensive position to one of counter-attack. Now the Syrians are beginning to show the strain. They were repelled from the headquarters at Nafach, and there are signs of weakening and imminent breakdown in two divisions in action there. As regards the issue of missiles: the Israel Air Force has succeeded in destroying twenty-seven missile batteries out of thirty-six. Air Force activity in the Golan Heights is more intense than in other places because there is nowhere to retreat to and they don’t want to relinquish the Golan Heights or abandon the Galilee and the region of the Sea of Galilee.

  The ambassador pauses momentarily, glances around the large conference table, and sips some coffee that had already grown cold in the cup (he can’t recall how many cups have preceded it). It is evident from the ambassador’s appearance that he hasn’t slept since this war broke out. He glances at the people around the large table. All of them know the situation in Israel. They have spoken to their families and have been updated about what is happening—who has been called up and who has volunteered. Yiftach Cohen knows that his company was mobilized on Friday night. He does not know who has been appointed to command it in his place, and this bothers him very much. He is hard put to decide whether to ask to be relieved of his duties in Paris — assignments that seem of much less importance than his role in the army in Israel. He knows that both his brothers are among the men, who have been called up, his brother in law, Zvika, his wife’s brother, has also been drafted. What will their fate be? This is a tough war that no one planned would break out right now.

  “If I go and fight in this war, how will I explain it to Tzipi? What will happen to Chantal?” As he struggles with his dilemma, the Ambassador continues and interrupts his thoughts:

  “On the Southern front, the government decided to accept the proposal of the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense, to create a second front at the Mitla Pass and abandon the line on the Canal. The soldiers at this line were commanded to try and break eastwards and retreat on their own steam or surrender and be taken captive. It was left to their discretion and sole decision. According to the Chief of Staff, there were at least five hundred Egyptian tanks on the eastern side of the canal, and any attempt to extricate and rescue our men from the canal with our tanks would severely erode the forces and equipment at our disposal. The front at the Mitla Pass has advantages and disadvantages, but it has to be accepted that the line at the canal has been lost. The minister of defense is sure that Jordan will join in the fray and believes we have to prepare for that. On our front with Jordan, there are only eighty old Sherman tanks, which rightly belong in a scrap yard. That’s all. Ah! I apologize! I overlooked something: it is possible that King Hussein will attach some of his battalions to the Syrian troops, whic
h are also waiting for Iraqi reinforcements that should arrive soon.

  It is quite clear that the ambassador is not at his best. He looks tired, and his thoughts appear to be elsewhere; is this because of the difficult situation in Israel? Perhaps he is better informed than the others present at the meeting? Or, perhaps, his thoughts are with his son, an officer in an elite unit, who had been called up on Friday afternoon. The ambassador is reading a document in front of him that was marked with a large red “Top Secret” stamp. There is silence in the ambassador’s office. The only sound is that of the ventilator standing in the corner of the room. There is no one among those present without family in Israel. They all have friends who have been drafted. Fear of the unknown is the common denominator shared by everyone sitting in the large room.

  Again the ambassador sips his cold coffee and continues his update, reading in a monotonous tone from the document in his hand:

  To date, the numbers of the forces are as follows: On the Egyptian front, we have six hundred tanks to Egypt’s two thousand tanks. The Syrians have five hundred tanks, and we have five hundred. In the air we have two hundred and fifty planes; the Egyptians have six hundred and the Syrians have two hundred and fifty planes. To remind you, in the Six Day War, six years ago, we had only one hundred and fifty fighter aircraft. The Arab forces have improved significantly since then. The Egyptians and Syrians have the protection of anti-aircraft missiles, so the campaign is tough. As I pointed out, thanks to good intelligence, a significant number of the Syrian missiles batteries have been wiped out, and because of the distance from the rear in Sinai, the Egyptian missile systems have not been dealt with because of the lack of sufficient means. The Ministry of Defense hopes that the Egyptians will not be able to move missiles to Sinai because such an action will severely endanger our tanks, which will suffer from a lack of air cover. According to the Chief of Staff, we can overcome the Egyptians in spite of their numerical superiority.

  The press officer, a former Lieutenant Colonel who served with the paratroopers, thinks, it is a pity that the air force attaché has returned to Israel. He would have been able to explain to us why the air force is not capable of dealing with the Egyptians. The consul general, who has just returned from a short vacation in Israel, wonders what his younger son, who has just been drafted, is doing, and worries about his elder son, who is serving on reserve duty. His son-in-law has also been called up. During his leave in Israel, the family had celebrated the circumcision of their daughter’s son. Now she would have to take care of their three-week-old infant and two-year-old daughter on her own. His son-in-law’s parents will not be able to help her, and the consul and his wife are here in Paris, which feels as far away from home now as the earth is from the moon. The consul general is not the only one finding it difficult to concentrate on what is happening in the ambassador’s office. All the others there are in a fight for survival, and, as the ambassador points out, they know that better than most of the public in Israel.

  The diplomats read the worksheet in front of them, following the ambassador’s speech:

  We have a problem of equipment: we have to turn to the Americans and immediately acquire three hundred Patons and other equipment; The Americans have equipment in Europe. So, possibly, we, who are located here (meaning the large embassies in Europe, particularly in Paris), will be asked to transfer equipment to Israel. The quantity of the enemy’s effective arms supply is enormous. The battle will be fierce. The transfer of the equipment to Israel will probably encounter difficulties, because I foresee an embargo from at least one of several countries, starting with France. They still have not forgotten the missile boats we spirited away from Cherbourg, and we all remember that the money paid for the Mirage planes that were never supplied was only recently refunded.[1] All that is being negotiated at the moment. When we know, we will update you.

  We also have political assignments: a cease-fire resolution may be proposed that will not suit us. If the Security Council decides on a cease-fire, we can presume that the Arabs will agree to it in the Security Council, though they won’t necessarily observe it in the field. We have to try and pull strings with our connections to ensure that such a motion does not pass, since if a cease-fire resolution is passed now, the next war will be in the heart of the country. We cannot presume that if the Arabs achieve any military success on the battlefield now, they will give up and agree to a de facto cease-fire. It is more reasonable to assume that they will continue the momentum of this war. Well, gentlemen, this is the current situation. I will keep you posted on what happens every day. Now we will separate, and each individual and each department will immediately begin dealing with their particular assignments.

  Immediately after the meeting with the ambassador, Yiftach Cohen, Emi (short for Emanuel) Amiel, and Udi Shalem meet in the office of the chief of the Department of Security, Europe (CDSE). It is a relatively small office, and they all sit crowded together with his assistants. The CDSE suffers from the cold in Europe and always has the heating turned on, even in the middle of summer. “He wants us to feel the approaching heat here in Paris, so he turns up the heating in his office accordingly,” Udi explained. Udi always feels hot. He shares an office with Yiftach and Emi, and when he is alone in the office, he turns the air conditioning down to eighteen degrees. When Yiftach and Emi reach the office, they immediately raise the temperature to twenty-four degrees, in keeping with the instructions of the administrative officer, who demands that they save electricity. Yiftach Cohen feels helpless. He cannot bear the depressed mood of the embassy team. Where is the determination? What of the energy that is essential to be victorious in this campaign? And, anyway, what am I doing with this band of downbeats? He ponders whether he should insist on returning to his unit in Israel or take on a different role in Paris: sweeping the embassy staff into action and putting some fighting spirit into the members of the team.

  Herzl Ben-Shaul, the head of the Security Department in Europe, was supposed to have ended his tour of duty and returned to Israel at the end of the summer. However, the man who was to have replaced him was appointed to a different position, leaving Herzl Ben-Shaul to continue in his role for a further year. This was good news for the embassy team. The head of the Security Department in Europe requires experience and connections, and after three years on the job, Herzl’s connections in Europe are excellent. In his fourth year here he is certainly capable of running the department firmly and courageously.

  The CDSE, like the ambassador and other members of the embassy staff, is also careless in his appearance, unshaven; the man, known for having a well-developed sense of humor, appears to have lost his joie de vivre. Is it simply the result of fatigue? Or perhaps because he knows details about the war raging back home that none of the others present do? The CDSE, a colonel in the reserves, explains in a monotonous voice—as if reciting a complete text off by heart—the list of assignments for this team, “First, Yiftach, we have to transport a radar station from Germany to Israel. That is to be done immediately. The Egyptians destroyed two of our radar stations in Sinai in an air strike, and the Americans have agreed to give us a mobile radar unit from the American Air Force base near Frankfurt. Only it seems the Germans have forgotten the lesson of the Holocaust and aren’t permitting its removal from Germany.”

  The CDSE pauses for a moment, and Yiftach looks around. What is he talking about? What do we have to do with American equipment in Germany? My department only deals with diplomatic mail that arrives from Israel (distributed through us to various countries with which Israel has no direct connection) and with the mail back to Israel. We have never handled anything else. Have the rules of the game changed? Are we now in the business of relocating military equipment? This thought reminds Yiftach of his activities behind enemy lines when he served in the commando unit. We are in Europe, not the Middle East. I must get clarification and guidance. Everything I hear now is outside the bounds of our normal activity, which has always been carried out under one
limitation that has been endlessly repeated to us: we have to observe the laws of our host countries.

  The CDSE continues, interrupting Yiftach’s thoughts, “The Germans want to remain neutral and aren’t helping either side. We asked them nicely to at least not interfere, but they informed us that, for the present, the radar station will not leave Germany. The two American army trucks that transported the equipment to the Frankfurt airport were sent back where they came from. We will try our luck with the French because we have not yet received any notification of an embargo from them. But today is Sunday, and no one is at work. You have to get the radar station here tomorrow. Meanwhile, we will find a way to get it out of here to Israel.”

  “Tell me, Herzl, isn’t it more important that I return to my commando unit in Israel instead of functioning here as a junior transport officer?” Yiftach asks. This assignment had landed on him out of the blue. His job doesn’t usually include smuggling equipment. “I’m an officer in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) with years of experience in special assignments. Let me go back home and make a contribution where I really have an advantage! I don’t know what I am doing here at all!”

  “Believe me, Yiftach, you are needed here more than in Israel. Give me a little credit. We gave it a lot of thought. Your unit demanded you immediately, and after discussions that included the heads of the army in Israel, we decided to leave you here. You don’t yet have the least idea of the importance of your role here. You will understand as we continue.”

  Yiftach’s curiosity increased. What is an officer from a select unit supposed to be doing in Europe, of all places? Have we declared war on Europe and will we be carrying out secret military assignments here? Yiftach gives in. “Okay, I understand. What size of freight are we talking about? How is it packed? What does it consist of?”