The Arab Legion (al-Jaysh al-Arabī) was Transjordan's and later also Jordan's regular army. It was formed in 1921 by Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Gerard Peake as a police force to keep order among Transjordanian tribes and to guard the important Jerusalem-Amman road. Originally, the Legion consisted of only 150 men, most of them stationed along the roads. Map of the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine The Emirate of Transjordan was an autonomous political division of the British Mandate of Palestine, created as an administrative entity in April 1921 before the Mandate came into effect. ... Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Gerard Peake was a British commander and creator of the Arab Legion. ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... For other meanings, see Amman (disambiguation) and Ammann. ...

General John Glubb, commander of the Arab Legion (1939-1956)

In 1939, John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, became the Legion's commander and transformed it into the best trained Arab army. Old public photo of John Glubb Pasha File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... // John Glubb Pasha in uniform Sir John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha (born 16 April 1897, Preston, Lancashire – died 17 March 1986, Mayfield, Sussex), was a British soldier best known for leading and training Transjordans Arab Legion 1939-1956 as its commanding general. ... // John Glubb Pasha in uniform Sir John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha (born 16 April 1897, Preston, Lancashire – died 17 March 1986, Mayfield, Sussex), was a British soldier best known for leading and training Transjordans Arab Legion 1939-1956 as its commanding general. ...

During World War II, the Legion took part in the British war effort against pro-Axis forces in the Middle East Theatre. The Legion contributed significantly in the Anglo-Iraqi War and in the Syria-Lebanon campaign. These were two decisive early victories for the Allies. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The word axis has several meanings: In mathematics, axis can mean: A straight line around which a geometric figure can be rotated. ... The Middle East Theatre of World War II is defined largely by reference to the British Middle East Command, which controlled Allied forces in both Southwest Asia and eastern North Africa. ... Combatants Kingdom of Iraq United Kingdom India Commanders Rashid Ali General Sir Edward Quinan Strength five divisions about two divisions Casualties 2,500 KIA, about 6,000 POWs 1,200 (KIA, MIA, WIA) The Anglo-Iraqi War is the name of hostilities between the United Kingdom and the Iraqi nationalist... The Syria-Lebanon campaign was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon in 1941, during World War II. The Allied offensive, also known as Operation Exporter, was aimed at preventing Nazi Germany from using Vichy territory as a springboard for attacks on the Allied stronghold of Egypt... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The Legion was the most successful of the Arab armies during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The Legion was initially removed to Transjordanian territory, under instruction from the United Nations, prior to the end of the British Mandate. With the commencement of hostilities the Legion re-entered Palestine. Combatants  Israel Egypt, Syria, Transjordan,  Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Holy War Army, Arab Liberation Army Commanders Yaakov Dori, Yigael Yadin Glubb Pasha, Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, Hasan Salama, Fawzi Al-Qawuqji Strength  Israel: 29,677 initially rising to 115,000 by March 1949 Egypt: 10,000 initially rising... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Flag Britain unilaterally closed the territory east of the Jordan River (Transjordan) to Jewish settlement and organized Transjordan as an autonomous state in 1923. ...

There was considerable embarrassment from the United Kingdom government that British officers were employed in the Legion during the conflict and regular British officers, including a brigade commander, were instructed to return to Transjordan. This led to the bizarre spectacle of British officers leaving their units to return to Transjordan before sneaking back across the border to rejoin the Arab Legion. Without exception all of the affected officers returned to their units. One British MP called for Glubb Pasha to be imprisoned for serving in a foreign army without the King's permission. In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. ...

At Latrun, the Legion blockaded the Jerusalem highway. Legion troops were involved in the Kfar Etzion massacre. On May 28, 1948, aided by Marmon-Harrington armoured cars, they conquered the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City (i.e. inside the walls of the Old City), expelled the Jews who lived there and took part in the destruction of the Synagogues therein. The Legion also secured the West Bank for Transjordan.^{[citation needed]} The Trappist Monastery The area of Latrun (Hebrew: ‎) (al-Latrun in Arabic) is a region of the Ayalon Valley, about 15 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla. ... Highway 1 (Hebrew: ), is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem. ... The Kfar Etzion massacre was an atrocity committed by Arab armed forces on May 13, 1948, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Military armored cars A French VBL reconnaissance vehicle. ... A Jewish quarter is the area of a city traditionally inhabited by Jews. ... Jerusalems Old-City walls and Tower of David Jerusalem Old-City by night Jerusalems Old City Walls encompass an area of barely 1 km². They were built in the 16th century (1535-1538) by the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Turks after they had been razed... A synagogue (from Ancient Greek: , transliterated synagogē, assembly; Hebrew: beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: , shul; Ladino: , esnoga) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ...

Following the war, the Legion was reformed as the army of Jordan. Military branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air Force); Badiya (irregular) Border Guards; Ministry of the Interiors Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations) See also the Royal Special Forces, and His Majestys...

See also

• Kfar Etzion massacre
• Latrun
• John Adair

The Kfar Etzion massacre was an atrocity committed by Arab armed forces on May 13, 1948, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel. ... The Trappist Monastery The area of Latrun (Hebrew: ‎) (al-Latrun in Arabic) is a region of the Ayalon Valley, about 15 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla. ... John Adair is recognized as being one of the most influential authorities on leadership and his work is regarded in line with motivational theorists such as Maslow, McGregor and Herzberg. ...

Books

• P.J. Vatikiotis, (1967). Politics and the Military in Jordan: A Study of the Arab Legion, 1921-1957, New York, Praeger Publishers. ISBN

External links & references

• About The Arab Legion
• The Arab Legion and the Defense of Jerusalem