David Daniel "Mickey" Marcus (22 February 1901 – 10 June 1948) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

, later

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

's first General, who was a principal architect of the U.S. military's

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

civil affairs policies,Ossad, Steven L.
"Out of the Shadow and into the Light: Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus and U.S. Civil Affairs in World War II"
pp.6-27, Winter, 2016, '' Army History,''

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the A ...

, retrieved May 2, 2020Hockensmith, Bryan J., Managing Ed.
"Editor's Journal"
p.2, Winter, 2016, '' Army History,''

, retrieved May 2, 2020 including the organization of the war crimes trials in Germany and in Japan. He assisted Israel during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, one of the well known Israeli Machal soldiers, becoming Israel's first modern general (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: Aluf). He was killed by friendly fire. He was portrayed by

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Dou ...

in the 1966 Hollywood movie '' Cast a Giant Shadow,'' which focused on his role in the Israeli war.

Early life

Marcus's JewishPorath, Zipporah
''Col. David ("Mickey") Marcus: A Soldier for All Humanity,''
2010, American Veterans of Israel Legacy Corp. / American Jewish Historical Society, New York, photocopy PDF retrieved from Israeli Embassy in the United States, May 2, 2020 parents, Mordechai Marcus and Leah Marcus (''née'' Goldstein), came from Iași,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

. Born on Hester Street on

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally ...

, Marcus was bright and

athletic Athletic may refer to: * An athlete, a sportsperson * Athletic director, a position at many American universities and schools * Athletic type, a physical/psychological type in the classification of Ernst Kretschmer * Athletic of Philadelphia, a ...

. He attended Boys' High School, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

, and was then accepted at

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1920 and graduated with the class of 1924. After completing his active duty requirement, he attended Brooklyn Law School. He spent most of the 1930s as an Assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

in New York, prosecuting

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix ''-ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

s such as Lucky Luciano. In 1940,

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City fro ...

named Marcus Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction for the

City of New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

World War II

After leaving active duty, Marcus had continued his army service in the Organized Reserve Corps. In 1939, he joined the Judge Advocate General's Corps, and became Judge Advocate of his

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

unit, the 27th Infantry Division, which was federalized in 1940. Though as a legal officer, he was not supposed to command troops, he wrangled a unit command during the 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers.David 'Mickey' Marcus
''History'' magazine, June 2006. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 27th Division deployed to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

. There, Marcus organized and commanded a Ranger Combat Training School, to provide troop training in methods of unarmed defense to combat Japanese infiltration tactics. But instead of a field command, Marcus was sent to Washington in 1943. He was assigned to the Civil Affairs Division, as chief of planning for occupation governments in territories liberated from the Axis. He accompanied U.S. delegations to the conferences at

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo met ...

, Teheran, Yalta and

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, and helped draft the 1943 surrender terms for Italy. In May 1944, Marcus got himself sent to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on Civil Affairs business. He then traded on being a West Point classmate of General

Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell Davenport Taylor (August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987) was a senior United States Army officer and diplomat of the mid-20th century. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Airborne Division, ni ...

to parachute into Normandy on D-Day with the first wave of Taylor's

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operat ...

, despite having no paratrooper training. He took informal command of some of the scattered paratroopers and was in combat for a week. He was then sent back to the United States. After

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...

in 1945, General Lucius D. Clay asked for Marcus to serve on his staff in the occupation of Germany. Marcus was in charge of providing for the millions of displaced persons in Germany. Clay required all his subordinates to tour the

Dachau concentration camp Dachau () was the first concentration camp built by Nazi Germany, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents which consisted of: communists, social democrats, and other dissidents. It is ...

. Marcus was shocked by its horrors; though not previously a Zionist, he began to think differently about a Jewish state. In 1946, he was named chief of the Army's War Crimes Division in Washington, planning legal and security procedures for the Nuremberg trials and the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal. He attended the Nuremberg trials, making sure that Nazi crimes were thoroughly documented. After the trials, he was offered promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

, but instead elected to return to civilian life and his law practice. In recognition of his service in "negotiation and drafting of the Italian Surrender Instrument, the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Germany, and the international machinery to be used for the control of Germany after her total defeat" he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1946, he was named an honorary Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, ‘in recognition of the distinguished service performed … in cooperation with British armed forces during the war." He also was awarded the Bronze Star and other awards.

Israeli military career

In 1947,

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the na ...

asked Marcus to recruit a U.S. officer to serve as military advisor to the nascent Israeli army, the

Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the Is ...

. He could not recruit anyone suitable, so Marcus volunteered himself. In 1948, the National Military Establishment informally acquiesced to Marcus' undertaking, provided he disguised his name and rank to avoid problems with the British authorities in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

. Under the '' nom de guerre'' "Michael Stone", he arrived in Palestine in January 1948. Arab armies surrounded the soon-to-be declared State of Israel. He designed a

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or e ...

structure for the Haganah, adapting his U.S. Army experience to its special needs. He identified Israel's weakest points in the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...

south, and the

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

area. Marcus was appointed '' Aluf'' ("general") and given command of the Jerusalem front on May 28, 1948. As no ranks had been granted to the Israeli high command at that time, he became the first general in the fledgling nation's army (see Israel Defense Forces). (''Aluf'' was then equivalent to brigadier general but since 1967, ''Aluf'' has been equivalent to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

.)David "Mickey" Marcus
/ref> He participated in planning Operations Bin Nun Bet and Yoram against the Latrun fort, held by the Arab Legion, which blocked the road from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

to Jerusalem, which was under siege. Both attacks failed, but Marcus then built the " Burma Road to Jerusalem" – a makeshift winding road through difficult hill terrain, nicknamed after the World War II supply route to China. His "Burma Road" was opened to vehicles on June 10, breaking the siege of Jerusalem, a day before a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

ceasefire took effect.

Death

A few hours before the cease fire, Marcus returned to his Central Front headquarters. He and his commanders were billeted in the monks' quarters of the abandoned Monastere Notre Dame de la Nouvelle Alliance in

Abu Ghosh Abu Ghosh ( ar, أبو غوش; he, אבו גוש) is an Arab-Israeli local council in Israel, located west of Jerusalem on the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem highway. It is situated 610–720 meters above sea level. It takes its current name from the d ...

. Shortly before 4:00 a.m., a sentry, Eliezer Linski, eighteen years old, and a one-year Palmach veteran, challenged Marcus, whom he saw as a figure in white. When Marcus failed to respond with the password, Linski fired in the air and the man ran towards the monastery. He fired at the man, as did one or more fighters in a nearby sentry post. Marcus was found dead, wrapped in a white blanket. Marcus knew very little

and had responded in English, which Linski did not understand. Marcus wore no rank, although officers had been recognized by a ribbon pinned to their uniforms. As Marcus's body was removed from

, a ribbon was found and placed on his casket. Harry Levin wrote that " scovering whom he had killed, the soldier tried to shoot himself, but was disarmed". His body was returned to the United States for burial at West Point, accompanied by

Moshe Dayan Moshe Dayan ( he, משה דיין; 20 May 1915 – 16 October 1981) was an Israeli military leader and politician. As commander of the Jerusalem front in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953–1958) du ...

and his wife Ruth, Yoseph Harel, and the wife of his aide de camp, Alex Broida. His burial, with military honors, was attended by Governor of New York Thomas Dewey, former Secretary of the Treasury

Henry Morgenthau Henry Morgenthau may refer to: * Henry Morgenthau Sr. (1856–1946), United States diplomat * Henry Morgenthau Jr. (1891–1967), United States Secretary of the Treasury * Henry Morgenthau III (1917–2018), author and television producer of ''Screa ...

, and General Maxwell Taylor, then Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at

. Ben-Gurion was suspicious of the initial report that Marcus had been shot accidentally. The Haganah was composed of several factions whose lack of consensus over strategy and tactics was one of the reasons for Marcus's appointment as commander for Jerusalem, and Ben-Gurion suspected that elements in the Palmach may have conspired to kill Marcus so he would be replaced. On the same day Marcus was shot, Ben-Gurion summoned

Yaakov Shimshon Shapira Ya'akov Shimshon Shapira ( he, יעקב שמשון שפירא, born 11 April 1902, died 14 November 1993) was an Israeli jurist and Socialist Zionist politician. Biography Shapira was born in Yelisavetgrad in the Russian Empire (now Kropyvnytsky ...

—later Israel's Attorney General—and asked him to investigate the incident. Shapira's investigation was cursory. Despite conflicting reports concerning the number of shots fired, how many wounds Marcus suffered, whether the fatal wound could have been caused by Linski's rifle, and how and why Marcus may have been outside the monastery, he concluded that Linski shot Marcus in the line of duty. The report has never been made public.

Legacy

Marcus' grave is the only one in the West Point Cemetery at the United States Military Academy for an American killed fighting under the flag of another country; he was still eligible for interment there because he was a graduate of the academy who served honorably. His paratrooper helmet and Walther Model 9 pistol are displayed at the West Point museum. His gravestone at West Point reads: :"Colonel David Marcus—a Soldier for All Humanity".photograph 3 of 3, i
"IDF officers participate in Taglit-Birthright Israel visit to West Point,"
by Michelle Schneider, September 18, 2019, Army Public Affairs Office,

, retrieved May 2, 2020 A memorial plaque in his honor is located in the lobby of the

Union Temple of Brooklyn The Union Temple of Brooklyn is a Reform Judaism, Reform synagogue located at 17 Eastern Parkway (Brooklyn), Eastern Parkway between Underhill Avenue and Plaza Street East in the Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brookly ...

where his funeral service was conducted. It reads: :"Killed in action in the hills of Zion while leading Israeli forces as their supreme commander in the struggle for Israel's freedom—Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling flame/ Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart/ Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor's sake/ Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling flame—Dedicated by his fellow members of Union Temple of Brooklyn December 9, 1949." Ben-Gurion wrote to Marcus's wife Emma in

: "Marcus was the best man we had". On May 10, 1951, Ben-Gurion laid a wreath at the Marcus grave, accompanied by Emma Marcus. In January 2015 Israel's President, Reuven Rivlin, visited the United States Military Academy at West Point and spoke at Marcus' grave: :"For me, he was the first general of the IDF in every sense of the word. He had a sense of purpose and mission, in the establishment of the Israel Defense Forces, he taught us how to act as an army in our early days, and was one of Ben-Gurion’s greatest military advisors. There is no one who better illustrates the strong bond between Israel and the United States."Rivlin Stresses US-Israel Relationship During West Point Visit
Israel National News, 26 Jan 2015 Kibbutz Mishmar David and the neighborhood of Neve David in Tel Aviv as well as numerous streets are named after him. In

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

the Colonel David Marcus Memorial Playground (in

, on the north side of Avenue P between East 4th Street and Ocean Parkway) is also named for him,"Colonel David Marcus Playground Highlights"
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation,

, retrieved May 2, 2020 as was the David Marcus movie theater on Jerome Avenue in the Norwood section of the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

Awards

United States: * Distinguished Service Medal * Bronze Star Medal * American Defense Service Medal * American Campaign Medal * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal * European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with campaign star * World War II Victory Medal * Army of Occupation Medal with "Germany" clasp United Kingdom: * Commander, Order of the British Empire (CBE)

References

External links

"West Point Rites Honor Hero Commissioner/Col. 'Mickey' Marcus" (1999)Biography
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
"A Hero in Both America and Israel""The Road to Jerusalem"
— retracing the costly 1947–1948 battles to keep open the road to Jerusalem * testimony on YouTube. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Mickey 1901 births 1948 deaths Israeli generals Israeli people of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Jewish American military personnel American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American emigrants to Israel United States Army colonels United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel killed by friendly fire Military personnel from New York City People from Brooklyn Accidental deaths in Israel United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps Brooklyn Law School alumni Burials at West Point Cemetery Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni People from the Lower East Side Israeli military personnel killed in action 20th-century American Jews New York City Department of Correction