Palmach

Palmach
Symbol of the Palmach
Active	1941–1948
Country	Mandatory Palestine (before 14 May 1948)  Israel (after 14 May 1948)
Type	Combined strike forces
Role	Aerial reconnaissance Aerial warfare Amphibious warfare Anti-tank warfare Artillery observer Bomb disposal Clandestine operation Close air support Close-quarters combat Combined arms Counterintelligence Covert operation Desert warfare Direct action Fire support Force protection HUMINT Indirect fire Internal security Irregular warfare Long-range penetration Maneuver warfare Military engineering Military intelligence Mountain warfare Naval boarding Parachuting Patrolling Raiding Reconnaissance SIGINT Special operations Special reconnaissance Tracking Underwater demolition Urban warfare
Part of	Haganah
Motto(s)	"Always at your command" "לפקודה תמיד אנחנו"
Commanders
Notable commanders	Yitzhak Sadeh, Yigal Allon, Yitzhak Rabin, Moshe Dayan

The Palmach (Hebrew: פלמ"ח‎, acronym for פלוגות מחץ‎, Plugot Maḥatz, "Strike Companies") was the elite combined strike forces and sayeret unit of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach was established in May 1941. By the outbreak of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, it consisted of over 2,000 men and women in three fighting brigades and auxiliary aerial, naval and intelligence units. With the creation of Israel's army, the three Palmach Brigades were disbanded. This and political reasons compelled many of the senior Palmach officers to resign in 1950.^[1]

The Palmach contributed significantly to Israeli culture and ethos, well beyond its military contribution. Its members formed the backbone of the Israel Defense Forces high command for many years, and were prominent in Israeli politics, literature and culture.