Gottlieb, Zvi

Son of Rachel and Eliezer. He was born on March 1, 1916 in Rechovot. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Zvi responded to the call of Yishuv institutions and enlisted in the British army. He was attached to a unit of Hebrew drivers, Unit 462, and served with her in Egypt and in the Western Desert. Zvi fulfilled his duties faithfully and his commanders elevated him to the rank of corporal. At the end of April 1943, a large convoy of ships was assembled in the port of Alexandria, which was about to arrive in Malta carrying soldiers and equipment for the invasion of Sicily. At the head of the convoy was “Aryanpura” with Zvi’s unit on it. On the 27th of Nisan 5703 (May 1, 1943), when the convoy was at sea, a German observation plane bombed the caravan. The “Aryanpura” was hit by a direct hit and went down to the depths of the sea, with 140 soldiers and 461 of them in the unit.