Arab Legion: Encyclopedia - Arab Legion

Arab Legion

The Arab Legion (Al-jaish Al'-arabi) was Transjordan's and later on 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.

In 1939, John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, became the Legion's commander and transformed it into the best trained Arab army.

During World War II, the Legion took part in the British war effort against the Nazis' allies in the Middle East Theatre and contributed in the Syria-Lebanon campaign and in the Anglo-Iraqi War, two decisive Allies' victories.

The Legion was the most successful of the Arab armies during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Following the expiration of the British Mandate on May 14, 1948, the British government transferred nominal command of the Legion to King Abdullah of Transjordan, but did not order its removal to Transjordanian territory or the removal of its largely British officer corps.

The Legion immediately intervened in what had been a Palestinian civil war. At Latrun, the Legion blockaded the Jerusalem highway, renewing the Arab siege of the Jewish population of the city. Legion troops, aided by armoured cars, conquered and destroyed the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem in May 28, 1948. Legion sappers destroyed every synagogue in the quarter.

The Legion also secured the West Bank for Transjordan.

Following the war, the Legion was transformed into the army of Jordan.

See also

• Kfar Etzion massacre
• Latrun
• Jewish Quarter

Arab Legion - Books

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

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Arab Legion", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki