10 DRUZE HEROES WHO FOUGHT THE NAZIS…READ THIS WONDERFUL STORY
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Daoud Bessis’ life story sounds as if it was taken out of an action movie
envisioned by an extremely imaginative director.
After all, who would think there could be a common thread between a young
idealistic Druze from Daliyat al-Karmel and the war against the Nazis, saving
Jews, staying in prisoner camps established by the Germans and fighting with the
Free French Forces?
Bessis’ adventures began in 1942, when he volunteered with the British army
along with 10 other Druze men from the villages of Daliyat al-Karmel, Beit Jan,
and Peki’in, who decided to join the war effort against the Germans.
The young soldiers were sent to train at Sarafand Camp, later known as Tzrifin,
and were later stationed in Libya, where they joined British troops, led by
General Bernard Montgomery, in a bitter battle against the German African Corps,
commanded by Field Marshall Erwin Rommel and reinforced by Italian brigades.
After the battles in Libya, the Druze volunteers were sent with their battalion
to Greece, which was under German, Italian and Bulgarian occupation – each
controlling a different part of the country.
In the fall of 1943, when Italy withdrew from the war and its troops
relinquished control of Greek territory, the British attempted to invade the
area, as they have previously done in Sicily and Italy.
While the two former invasions were crowned with success, the invasion to Greece
failed, and many of Her Highness’ soldiers were taken into German captivity –
Daoud and his friends included.
Because of uniform
For many years, when asked why he joined the British army, Bessis would reply
that he wanted to fight against the Germans, whom he believed started the war,
but added that he also joined because he loved donning the military uniform.
A few years ago, while giving an interview to local website Portal HaKarmel,
which is very popular among the Druze population, Bessis described in detail his
experience in German captivity.
At first, the British prisoners were held in Greece, but were later transferred
to Italy – to an area controlled by Germany after Italy signed a cease fire with
the Allied Forces.
Nearing the end of 1943, the prisoners were moved to Germany. According to
Daoud, they were transferred from one base to another for many weeks, until
finally in the summer of 1944 they were placed in the southern city of Stalag,
which was situated near the border with Austria.
“Many times,” Daoud recalled, “When we were taken out of the camps on different
occasions, we saw Jewish prisoners that were held in concentration camps and
worked in forced labor.
“At first, we didn’t know who these poor souls were; they walked around like
skeletons in ripped striped uniform, and later we found out that these were Jews
from all across Europe who were sent to the camps and exterminated only because
they were Jewish,” he said.
“Of course we did everything we could to help them; sometimes we even gave them,
secretly of course, a little food such as bread, potatoes, cheese and sausages,”
Daoud noted.
Occasionally,” Daoud added, “We also managed to sneak them some underwear and
socks. We had to pull many tricks, so that the SS officers guarding them won’t
notice.
“We pitied these poor souls very much. We, the Druze, were especially in pain
because the Jews were our neighbors and friends in Palestine,” he said.
According to Daoud, because of the freezing weather many didn’t make it, as the
Germans didn’t properly heat the POW camps during the harsh winter months. Many
prisoners became sick, and never recovered. “We, who came from a warm climate,
suffered greatly from the cold weather,” he said.
During his time in captivity, Daoud sent many letters to his parents, but got
his first reply only 14 months later via the Red Cross.
When the prisoners were paid a visit by the Red Cross, Daoud asked them to hand
a letter to his parents, along with £20 (about $31), which he managed to save up
from his military wages. To his surprise, Daoud received word that his parents
got both the letter and the money only three weeks later.
During their stay in Stalag, Daoud and two of his Druze friends – Hassan Mansur
and Fauzi Hasson—decided to escape from the camp. They made all the necessary
preparations, and thoroughly studied the area and the German guards’ schedule.
One evening, the three asked permission to go the camp’s restroom.
“We noticed that a few meters from the bathroom there was a small opening in the
fence that the Germans haven’t fixed yet, and our escape plan was based on this
opening,” he said.
“We hid metal crowbars in our clothes and waited for the floodlights to pass us,
and then quickly ran to the fence and expanded the opening with the crowbars.
When we were finished, we returned to the bathroom and hid in the stalls. After
the floodlights passed us again, we crawled out through the opening and
disappeared into the forest.”
Secret cave
The three knew they were held close to the Austrian border, and that a few
kilometers away was the Austrian border with Italy.
They hid in the forest, and on the next night crossed the border into Italy,
where they were also forced to hide.
“We found a cave in one of the mountains and settled in there,” said Daoud.
Every night, the three would sneak into desolate farm houses nearby and demand
food – often under gun threats with weapons they stole from rangers along the
way.
Several months passed, until one day a farm owner told them the Germans withdrew
from Italy. The three decided to walk to a nearby city, where they encountered a
battalion of the Free French Forces, formed by General Charles de Gaulle.
The French took the three Druze men with them and handed them to British forces.
Daoud and his friends were sent to London and housed at a veterans’ residence.
They received payments from the British payments officer, until one day they
were summoned to the discharge office.
The three then boarded a boat, and sailed back to Israel through Alexandria.
Upon arrival, Daoud and his friends were taken to Sarafand Base, where they
received their discharge papers.
Daoud recalled that when he finally returned home to Daliyat al-Karmel, after
three years and three months of absence, he hugged and kissed a man he thought
was his father, until his younger sister told him it was not his father, but one
of his uncles.
“In the long time that I have not seen him, my uncle grew a beard, and therefore
I thought he was my father,” he said with a smile.
His parents, who were not aware that their son has returned, were working in the
fields at the time, and rushed home to receive their loved one only after a
neighbor ran over to break the happy news to them.
“When my mother heard I returned, she was so excited, she couldn’t even stand on
her two feet, and my father had to put her on a donkey and lead it to me,” he
said.
Surprisingly, the Druze war hero was ever honored by the British authorities.
Daoud’s eldest son Ramzi said he and his brothers appealed to the Ministry of
Defense in London and the British Embassy in Israel several times, in a request
that their father be given the citations he deserved as a soldier during World
War II, but all their efforts were in vain.
When his sons requested to receive a stipend for his contribution, they were
told that only those who were injured in battle were eligible, and because Daoud
fortunately wasn’t injured, he was not an entitled to the money.
Last week, when I sat with Daoud, his wife and several of his 11 children and 40
grandchildren in his Daliyat al-karmel house, his son Ramzi presented me with
three medals his father received from the State of Israel.
In May, after the family approached the Defense Ministry, Daoud received the
Fighters against Nazis Medal and a decoration for volunteering during the war.
“I am very happy and proud,” said the 96-year-old hero, who is the last survivor
member of the 10 Druze volunteers.
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