Album of photographs documenting the soldiers of Givati Brigade Regiment 51, during the War of Independence. [Israel, late 1948/1949].
Album with about 750 photographs taken by a soldier in Givati Brigade regiment 51 during the War of Independence and afterwards. The photographs document the opening of the road to the Negev – "Operation Yoav" (October 1948) and the regiment and brigade soldiers during the war, in sites conquered from the Egyptians, during cease fire periods and during routine work in the bases.
The photographs document, among other things, technical departments – radio, mapping and more – of Givati brigade, mortars, armored vehicles, and airplanes which participated in "Operation Yoav"; Beit Govrin villa and the environs of Beit Govrin, Iraq Suwaydan police fort (present day "Yoav Fort") and possibly also the village Iraq Suwaydan, Tegart forts and unidentified villages in the area of the coastal plain and the northern Negev, military formations, ceremony of fixing the sign "Givat Arnon" (post 113, one of the "junction posts" named after Ya'akov Arnon who fell in the line of duty during the battle to occupy the post), ceremony of fixing the sign "Migdal Yoav" on Iraq Suwaydan police, ceremony of fixing the sign "Mishlat Haim" (after Haim Bolman who fell in the line of duty in Huleiqat battle; near Kibutz Gvaram) and the ceremony of fixing the sign "Givat Shimshon", various sites in Beersheba after the occupation, water wells dug in the desert, Arab population in villages, as well as portrait photographs of soldiers and some phptographs taken during leisure time activities, trips and excursions. A few photographs are signed in the plate "Photography service – Givati". A few photographs document personal occasions or trips not in a military framework.
The photographs were taken, most probably, by Yosef (Joachim) Ehrenberg, born in 1924, who was a student in the Technion in the mid 1940s and served in Givati brigade during the Independence War (enclosed are two more photo-albums with photographs by Ehrenberg including about 200 personal photographs, photographs from trips in the country and from his studies in the Technion. It is obvious from the photographs that Ehrenberg served in a position which matched his professional training in the Technion – maybe in the "Photography service" or in another technical department).
Size of photographs varies, approx. 4 X 5.5 cm to 11 X 15 cm. Pasted to thin paper leaves bound together as an album, 25X36 cm. Good overall condition. Stains at margins of some photographs and slight distortions due to pasting them to the leaves. A number of photographs were detached, in some cases – with the paper leaf. Enclosed are two albums with 200 additional photographs, not related to the War of Independence.