[1] In January 1939, during the Arab revolt, a "Tower and Stockade"-type position was established at Khirbet Samach[2] on Kibbutz Hill overlooking Rehovot.

Because of the international situation at the time, the Zionists could ship the machines only as far as Beirut (Lebanon), where they were stored for nearly four years in a Haganah warehouse.

The group of 45 teenagers and young adults was responsible for maintaining absolute secrecy, lest they face death sentences at the hands of the British, who had a military base within walking distance of the training facility.

[4] The group working in the clandestine factory manufactured some 2.25 million cartridges between 1945 and 1948 – an average of 40,000 per day – right under the noses of the British troops.

[8] For the time being, the venue offers a eucalyptus grove with picnic tables and lodging tents as well as guided tours throughout the remaining buildings and the factory itself.

The tour enters the factory through an alternate entrance – installed for today's visitors – located in the bakery, going down a spiral ladder 25 feet into the ground.

The machines are located in the main room, and still function today thanks to a team of engineers from the Society for the Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites.

[11] The electricity necessary to run their transmission belts back in the 40s was secretly branched off the train operating site, as testified by a little "thank you for it" sign attached to the wall next to the machines in the museum.

The tour also shows the UV-radiation room, the toilets (their content was pumped to the kibbutz's sewage system) as well as the ammunition packing station.

[4] Here, the very detailed plan regarding the factory can be observed at its best: It had to anticipate every possible threat to the endeavour of establishing a secret ammunition plant.

These solutions were found: The big hole used to lower the machines was covered by the 10-ton oven of the bakery, while rails to move it were even embedded in concrete to avoid any ray of light.

Another severe problem, to get all of the brass necessary for the bullets, was solved as well in a smart move: The kibbutz members told the British that they operated a little beauty business producing cases for kosher lipsticks.

They worked in two shifts to punch brass, bend and lumber it, cut it to size, fill it with gunpowder and finalise each cartridge by installing a primer (produced elsewhere).

To make sure the ammunition was safe and effective, they randomly sampled bullets and shot them in the underground testing room at targets to check for accuracy and precision.

Lack of sunlight paled the skin of the workers, putting their cover stories (of working in the fields) at stake and increasing their risk of illness due to lack of vitamin D. According to the recommendation of a medical doctor, additional food was organised for the workers, and a UV lamp was installed underground to tan their skin to avoid suspicion.

The driver would enter the kibbutz, knock a secret code at the door of the bakery, climb down to the factory, deliver new material and pick up the filled boxes.