in October 1944, as World War II neared its staggering climax, the Nazis launched a daring, secretive mission in Mandatory Palestine - Operation Atlas. This scheme involved parachuting a hybrid team of German and Arab operatives near Jericho, their goal: to sabotage the Allies, sow discord, and galvanize local resistance. While the operation would ultimately dissolve into confusion and capture, its intrigue reveals how global ambitions and local politics collided in astonishing ways.
Origins and Objectives
Operation Atlas was conceived as a joint effort between Nazi Germany's intelligence apparatus and Palestinian Arab leaders, most notably the exiled mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini. Nazi strategists hoped to destabilize British control and the Jewish population in Palestine by exploiting local tensions. The team was handpicked: three former members of the Templer religious sect who had lived in Palestine, and two Palestinian Arabs, Abdul Latif and Hassan Salameh. both close collaborators of al-Husseini. Their mission was not only to gather intelligence and send radio broadcasts to Germany but also to arm anti-British Palestinians, incite violence, and create lasting instability.
Landing in the Desert
On the night of October 6, 1944, the five agents parachuted from a captured B-17 Flying Fortress piloted by the Luftwaffe KG 200. They landed near Jericho in Wadi Qelt. equipped with submachine guns, dynamite, radio equipment, a duplicating machine, a German-Arabic dictionary, and thousands of pounds in mixed currencies. Yet even as they touched ground, the seeds of failure were sown. Equipment scattered in the jump, and local support. anticipated from contacts recommended by the mufti himself. never materialized. In fact, local Palestinian leaders such as Nafith and Ali Bey al-Husseini refused to cooperate, realizing the political risk outweighed any potential reward. One even remarked, "he was not mad enough to provide them any support".
Espionage and Betrayal
What the Germans and their Arab partners did not know was that British authorities expected such attempts. Earlier intelligence leaks, including the defection of the Abwehr agent Erich Vermehren, had tipped the Allies to clandestine operations in the region. When British forces discovered the scattered cargo boxes just days later, the covert operation was dramatically compromised. Injured during the jump, Hassan Salameh escaped toward Jerusalem, while Abdul Latif and two Germans hid in a cave, only to be apprehended ten days later. The other participants were quickly arrested or went into hiding, making the operation a resounding failure.
Rumors and Realities
In the aftermath, a chilling tale emerged. some sources alleged that Operation Atlas also included a plan to poison Tel Aviv’s water supply, aiming to kill thousands of Jews. Yet, both British and German archives lack substantive evidence for the existence or implementation of such a plan, and many historians regard this claim as a myth rather than fact. Instead, the operation stands as an example of Nazi ambitions colliding with local realities and the resilience of communities under foreign threat.
Legacy
Though operationally a failure, Operation Atlas highlighted the extent of Nazi influence in Arab circles during World War II and the lengths to which Hitler’s regime pursued sabotage in the distant corners of global conflict. Its legends, whether real or imagined, continue to echo in history, casting shadows over one of the least-known chapters of the war in the Middle East.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Operation Atlas
2. Jewish Virtual Library: Operation Atlas
3. Tablet Magazine: Operation Atlas Casts Light on Nazi Attempts to Squelch ...
4. Taylor & Francis: The German–Arab parachuted mission, October 1944 – Operation Atlas
5. Roots Metals Blog: Nazism in the 1947-1949 Arab-Israeli War
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