Editing Irgun (section)

====During the same period====
[[File:Irgun poster Erez Jisrael.jpg|thumb|1931 [[propaganda]] poster of the Irgun for distribution in [[central Europe]] – the map shows Israel defined in the borders of both [[Mandatory Palestine]] and the [[Emirate of Transjordan]], which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state.]]

At the same time, the Irgun also established itself in Europe. The Irgun built underground cells that participated in organizing migration to Palestine. The cells were made up almost entirely of Betar members, and their primary activity was military training in preparation for emigration to Palestine. Ties formed with the Polish authorities brought about courses in which Irgun commanders were trained by Polish officers in advanced military issues such as [[guerrilla warfare]], [[Tactic (method)|tactics]] and laying land mines. [[Avraham Stern|Avraham (Yair) Stern]] was notable among the cell organizers in Europe. In 1937 the Polish authorities began to deliver large amounts of weapons to the underground. According to Irgun activists Poland supplied the organization with 25,000 rifles, and additional material and weapons, by summer 1939 the Warsaw warehouses of Irgun held 5,000 rifles and 1,000 machine guns. The training and support by Poland would allow the organization to mobilize 30,000–40,000 men.<ref>Perspectives on the Holocaust pp. 71–91 The Irgun and the Destruction of European Jewry Yitshaq Ben-Ami pp. 75–76</ref> The transfer of handguns, rifles, explosives and ammunition stopped with the outbreak of World War II. Another field in which the Irgun operated was the training of pilots, so they could serve in the [[Air Force]] in the future war for independence, in the flight school in [[Lod]].

Towards the end of 1938 there was progress towards aligning the ideologies of the Irgun and the Haganah. Many abandoned the belief that the land would be divided and a Jewish state would soon exist. The Haganah founded פו"מ, a special operations unit, (pronounced ''poom''), which carried out reprisal attacks following Arab violence. These operations continued into 1939. Furthermore, the opposition within the [[Yishuv]] to illegal immigration significantly decreased, and the Haganah began to bring Jews to Palestine using rented ships, as the Irgun had in the past.