Humble Beginnings

In 1948, with the War of Independence under way Israel needed nearly every kind of weaponry, ammunition, and manpower to face the five Arab armies seeking to make the birth of the Jewish state “a stillbirth.” Courageous, ingenious, Jewish supporters managed to purchase airplanes from Czechoslovakia, former German Messerschmitt fighter planes, and shipped them to Israel un-assembled. Upon their arrival Israeli mechanics began the laborious process of putting them together. The hangar where they secretly worked is today Tel Nof Base.

Four men became the foundation of what would become the Israeli Air Force. Including American pilot Lou Lenart, “who helped smuggle parts into Israel and later helped establish the the 101st Squadron.” They tested the planes out of the hangar as they headed for their target, the Egyptian army heading for Tel Aviv. Their attack, though strategically limited in damage, successfully stopped the Egyptians, even if temporarily.

Seventy-five years later, the Israeli military revealed a plaque commemorating those initial brave pilots who laid the foundation of the Israeli Air Force. As current Air Force chief Major-General Tomer Bar said in the ceremony, “I vow today that we will continue to cross this path, any path, no matter how difficult it may be. With companionship, even risking our lives, we will protect our country, because we have no other country.”

May you live and thrive for another seventy-five years.

Note: Hugo N. Gerstl wrote a book of historical fiction detailing the four American Jewish participants in the founding of the IAF. His book is entitled “Against All Odds.”

(Source: The Times of Israel)