Subject: The Start of Israel's Air Force

A great story not known by many!!!!!

... Watch this video

The only four (!) airplanes Israel had when the war of independence began
were smuggled from Czech Republic.
They were German "Messerschmidt 109". They were assembled overnight in Tel
Aviv and were never flight tested.

This is a short video about their pilots.
Watch it. You will not be disappointed.
Those are proud Americans who joined the fight of Good against Evil.

P.S. Contrary to popular perception (by the people who do not know history),
the United States' assistance to Israel during the war of independence was
quite different.
Americans were not allowed to join the fight and arms embargo has been
established and enforced by the FBI.
At the same time Arab armies were very well supplied by the same countries
who maintained arms embargo against Israel and of course had great advantage
in manpower.


http://vimeo.com/54400569

Nothing like having your "back against the wall" or fighting for "Home" that makes for a tougher fighter.

A fighter who will truly fight to win and ONLY to win!

A quality story: a Jewish pilot in a German plane, German uniform and a German parachute.

Jim

Put me in coach. I would have gone then and I will go now.

wow, very impressive

My Father raised a lot of money to plant "Trees" in Israel during that time and right up till the day he died on 20 Aug 1967. I was 12 at the time he was 73! It took me some years to figure out that the only trees were the wood stocks on rifles. You should read Leon Uris, Start with Exodus and The Haj. It explains a lot in Novel form of what when on in the early days! I am rereading The Haj right now. Then Milita Pass that is about 1956!

Also if you are interested in stories from this time, watch a movie called 'Cast A Giant Shadow'; it is about Col. Mickey Marcus and his help in setting up the Israeli army.

There is a short but great scene with some aircraft.

Great movie starring Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Yul Brenner, Angie Dickinson.