Joe Woolf, Machal’s Chief Researcher, made the following analysis of the Fallen, which really emphasizes the significance of the Machal contribution:
1. 17 were married
2. At least 14 had been decorated for bravery or distinguished service in World War II.
3. 11 were non-Jewish.
4. 4 were women.
5. One had not yet reached the age of 18 – another 9 were 18 or 19 years old.
6. One was the Second Mate on the Aliyah Bet ship “Exodus”
7. 5 of the French and North Africans had fought with De-Gaulle’s Free French Army
8. 2 had been decorated with the French Military Cross (croix-de-geurre) for bravery.
9. 20 had survived the Nazi occupation of France, Holland, and Belgium
10. 4 had been active in fighting in the underground of their respective countries.
11. 9 had arrived in the UK with the 1939 Kindertransports.
12. One of the 20 odd British deserters who had joined the cause was killed in action in the early defensive battles near Ashdod on 4th June 1948.
13. 5 had arrived on the ill-fated Etzel ship “Altalena” – 3 of them killed by Haganah shelling of the ship on the Tel Aviv beach. Another two had succeeded in slipping away to join the Etzel forces in Jerusalem, and were killed in different actions during the difficult heavy July fighting between the first and second truce.
14. The first fatality of the “still-to-be” Air Force was non-Jewish.