 A battle fought in this zone and tragic for the Israelis was completely eclipsed from their collective memory . On 18 July , a company from the 1st Battalion of Yiftach Brigade received the order to capture Qirbet Quriqur , an outpost protecting the only way for the Legion to get to Latrun located several kilometres to the north of the place . Intelligence services had not informed the responsible officer that nearby there was another outpost , occupied by a reinforced company of the Legion . From there the legionnaires could observe all the operations of the Israelis and called for reinforcements , notably armoured vehicles . When they mounted the counter @-@ attack , the Israelis were taken by a lightning strike in an encircling movement . No troops were available there to reinforce them , so they had to retreat in plain daylight . 45 Israeli soldiers , nineteen of them aged 18 or less , lost their lives . 
