The Burma Road and Outpost 21

Our hike to Outpost 21, a military outpost during Israel's War of Independence, began along the historic Burma Road, Derech Burma, on the edge of the Martyrs Forest. The route first took us along a jeep trail on the eastern section of the Burma Road, down into a wadi and back up the other side, following part of Israel's National Trail, Shvil Yisrael, along the way. Outpost 21 is on the top of a hill and, after a bit of a climb, we were able to enjoy wonderful views of the Jerusalem Hills, the city of Modi'in and the coastal plain, before returning back along the Burma Road.

The Burma Road was an unpaved road built during the War of Independence in order to bypass Jordanian forces and renew supplies of water, food and equipment to the Jewish community in Jerusalem. It was called the Burma Road after the mountainous road built by the Allied forces in Burma to bring supplies from Burma to southern China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

When the 1948 Israeli Arab war broke out, the road to Jerusalem among others was blocked by Jordanian forces. They captured the British stronghold of Latrun and set cannons on its eastern ridge. Five attempts by the Jewish forces to conquer Latrun failed and the lives of 100,000 Jews in Jerusalem were at risk. Finding an alternative route, circumventing Latrun and the Jordanian artillery, was crucial. A detour was eventually found by Palmach soldiers navigating in the area. It cut through a valley south of Latrun and linked up with a path descending from Jerusalem. Heavy tractors made the path navigable for trucks and a water pipeline was installed along it. The Burma Road was completed on 14th June 1948 and by the end of that month, nightly convoys were delivering supplies to Jerusalem. 

Today the winding road passes through scenic landscapes of pine tree forests and vineyards. The day we hiked, the Sitvanit Ha'Yore (Steven's Meadow saffron), winter crocus and narcissi were in bloom and everything was beginning to look very green.

We arrived at Outpost 21 after a relatively easy climb. The Palmach defended this position from waves of Arab attackers on 10th May 1948 during the War of Independence. Six defenders died and many were wounded. The views from the top of the hill are quite outstanding, and you can appreciate why the Palmach were so anxious to have it in their hands. We had a particularly good view of Road 1, the main motorway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

From Outpost 21 we followed a green-marked trail down the hill and eventually back onto the Burma Road once again. We had enjoyed the beautiful scenery and learnt some history along the way, truly appreciating the miracle of the Burma Road and how a hastily constructed bypass saved the Jews of Jerusalem from hunger.

* This post has been shared on Nature Notes, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Our World Tuesday, Tuesday's Treasures, Pictorial Tuesday, My Corner of the World and All Seasons.