How the Spitfire helped Israel win the War of Independence

Undoubtedly, the most famous British fighter aircraft of World War II, the Spitfire, is deeply ingrained in the collective memory of Britons who remember the decisive victory of the Battle of Britain.

After this battle that tested the nation’s resolve and resources, this iconic and revered aeroplane became the symbol of British defiance in the air and an emblem of strength through times of adversity. After the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Spitfire continued to be used successfully by the Allies serving in combats overseas. Today, those who have had the rare privilege of occasionally hearing its recognisable throbbing engine, focus on the skies for a glimpse of its passing.

Just a few years after this much-loved bird was flying over the white cliffs of Dover, the Spitfire was flying over a completely different terrain, the arid land of Israel.

Many may not realise that the Spitfire was not only used by the newly independent State of Israel, but it helped bring a turning point in the Jewish nation’s fight for survival.  

On 15 May 1948, one day after David Ben-Gurion declared Israeli independence, the Jewish nation was invaded by five Arab nations. Israel was significantly under-resourced to defend itself and, at this point, did not possess a single Spitfire. Egypt, on the other hand, had received 62 Spitfires from Britain between 1945 and 1947 in addition to its other aerial capabilities. Defeat for Israel seemed a certainty.

On the same day that the Arab nations attacked Israel, a British volunteer for the Israeli forces shot down a Spitfire belonging to the Egyptian Air Force as it attacked the Sde Dov airfield in Tel Aviv and crashed on Herzlia beach. On 22 May, the Egyptian Air Force attacked Ramat David air base thinking it was now belonging to the Israeli Air Force, when in fact it was still occupied by Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF). Egypt destroyed a number of RAF Spitfires parked on the ground, then returned for a second attack killing four RAF personnel and destroying more parked planes. When Egypt returned for a third attack, the RAF shot down the entire formation of five Egyptian Spitfires.

Israel’s first fleet of Spitfires was not provided by Allied nations, nor did they purchase them from overseas. You may have guessed how this young but innovative nation acquired its first Spitfires. The Israeli Air Force built Spitfires from junk. 

When British forces evacuated the land, they left behind the wrecked RAF Spitfires destroyed in the Egyptian attacks. Using these parts as well as components from the six downed Spitfires belonging to Egypt, Israel reconstructed a fleet of Spitfires ready to defend itself. 

Despite Israel now having these reconstructed Spitfires along with a few other planes, it was significantly outnumbered by the invading Arab forces. Israel needed more planes if it was to avoid defeat.

The problem was that neither America nor Britain agreed to sell planes to Israel. So, Israel decided to approach Czechoslovakia, which agreed to sell the Jewish state 50 Supermarine Spitfires. The planes were to be dismantled and airlifted using transport aircraft. However, in August 1948 political pressure from the US and Britain stopped the air-bridge from Czechoslovakia to Israel and prevented the sale from taking place. 

Determined to find a solution, Israel and Czechoslovakia made a secret plan. Instead of transporting them in pieces, they would instead fly the fleet of Spitfires themselves to Israel. This required one refuelling stop in Yugoslavia (300 miles) and a daring 1200 mile non-stop flight from there to Israel. Spitfires were not designed to fly this long distance, so Israel turned to Sam Pomerance, an American volunteer and experienced flight mechanic, who proposed the plan and would take command, supported by a group of voluntary pilots and mechanics, along with a Czech ground crew. To complete this daunting flight, the Spitfires were stripped of their guns, oxygen cylinders and other excess weight. Additional fuel tanks were fitted onto the bomb racks on each wing and a long-range fuel tank under the belly. The radio was removed and replaced with another fuel tank. All these modifications were made to increase the flight time of the Spitfires.

Codenamed Operation Velvetta, the first six Spitfires left Czechoslovakia on 24 September 1948 led by Pomerance, followed by five more. The formation was accompanied from Yugoslavia by a larger C-54 aircraft, which they called “the mother ship”, that contained the surplus Spitfire parts, and dinghies in case a Spitfire crashed in the sea. Meanwhile in Israel, fighter planes waited on standby to protect the unarmed planes as they evaded Egyptian warplanes.

After two hours in flight, two of the planes had to make an emergency landing on the Greek island of Rhodes. Both pilots were arrested as suspected Communist sympathizers and the Spitfires were impounded. The other planes arrived safely in Israel with only a few drops of fuel left in their tanks after an intense 5 hour and 20 minute flight. Eventually the two pilots in Greece were released following intervention from Israeli officials.

The newly arrived planes were integrated immediately into Israel’s 101 Squadron and by mid-December 1948, more Spitfires were ready to be flown to Israel in Operation Velvetta II. Even though the operation saw Israel equipped with several more Spitfires, it did come at a human cost. Sadly, Sam Promerance was killed when he crashed into a mountain during a snowstorm and a second pilot, Bill Pomerantz, also crashed but survived. 

Before Israel received its Spitfires through the Velvetta Operations, the Egyptian Air Force dominated the skies and pounded Israeli targets on the ground, but with the arrival of the Spitfires from Czechoslovakia, control of the skies shifted from the Egyptian Air Force to the Israel Air Force. On 15 October 1948, the first day of “Operation Yoav,” Israeli pilots Rudy Augarten, Syd Cohen, and Jack Cohen, each one flying a Spitfire, made an extremely successful attack on the El-Arish air base in Egypt, destroying several Egyptian aircraft on the ground and in their hangars, and putting the airfield temporarily out of action. This was an example of an excellent low-flying attack that the Spitfire had become renowned for. The Spitfires also participated in “Operation Hiram” which liberated the Galilee.

According to the 101 Squadron’s records, 24 enemy aircraft were shot down from the air during the War of Independence. Israel rapidly established air superiority and there is no doubt that Spitfires played a crucial part in Israel’s victory in the War of Independence.

Although Spitfires were used by Israel’s enemies, Britain’s battle in the air in World War 2 reminds us that the Spitfire was originally built to defend freedom and fight against evil. They were not designed to be used by our enemies. They were built for good. In 1948, Israel reclaimed the Spitfire from the debris of its enemies and united British engineering with Israeli ingenuity. Evil was defeated. Good triumphed.