Editing Jewish Legion (section)

=== The 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers ===
[[File:jewishBattalionSoldier.jpg|thumb|200px|Benjamin Smith, a soldier in the 38th Jewish Battalion wearing his uniform. Note the Star of David on the shoulder. This soldier came from Sioux City, Iowa, USA.]]
'''The 38th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)''', commonly referred to as the "London Battalion", was mainly composed of Jews from London, with a smaller number of Americans. The battalion, led by Patterson because of his success with the Zion Mule Corps, had two thirds of its officers as Jews; other battalions had mostly [[Christian]] officers. Recruitment for the battalion took place in England.

In August 1917, two official notices were issued: one obligating Russian citizens residing in England to enlist in the army and the other announcing the establishment of the Jewish battalion. Despite obstacles, the assimilated Jews in London continued to oppose its existence and tried to dissolve it. Although they failed in their efforts, their influence led to the cancellation of the name "The Jewish Regiment" and the [[temple menorah|menorah]] symbol. Instead, it was given the name of a regular British battalion—the 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. The War Minister promised, however, that the battalion would regain its symbols after proving itself in combat. The public and the press still referred to it by its original name, the recruitment office displayed Hebrew signs, and the soldiers and officers wore Star of David insignias on their left arm (the 38th Battalion had a light purple [[Star of David]], the 39th was red and the 40th was blue). The soldiers trained at a camp near Portsmouth.

On 2 February 1918, the Jewish battalion marched through the main streets of Whitechapel and the rest of London. Great excitement was felt among the city's Jews, many shops hung blue and white flags and the proud soldiers of the legion were received with loud cheers in the streets. The next day, the battalion set off for France and then through Italy to Egypt.

The 38th Battalion trained in Egypt and was later sent to Palestine. There were already many volunteers from among the local youths, who would later form the 40th Battalion. In early June, the battalion was stationed on the front lines of the British forces in the hills of Ephraim, an area in which the British forces were engaged in skirmishes against the Ottomans. [[Malaria]] was an issue, which afflicted many. 

In mid-August, the battalion was sent to the Jordan front, where it served as a link throughout the British front. In September, at the beginning of the [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Battle of Megiddo]], Patterson received orders to capture the Umm al-Shert Bridge in the [[Jordan Valley]], the only bridge in the area (located directly east of [[Netiv HaGdud]], a [[moshav]] named after the operation). The first company sent to the location came under fire; its captain, Julian, was barely rescued; the lieutenant was wounded and taken prisoner; and a private was killed. Jabotinsky then led the second company to seize the site, and the mission was successfully completed on the 22nd of the month.

From there, the battalion, already preceded by the 39th Battalion, advanced to the area of As-Salt, east of the Jordan River, and established a garrison there. In [[Gilead]], the British completed their conquest of Palestine, and the battalion returned to its western side and took Ottoman and German prisoners. Subsequently, the battalion was tasked with guarding military facilities.