The First IAF Fighter Mission
(May 29, 1948)
On 29 May
1948, an Egyptian column, numbering some 500 armored vehicles and
cannons, crossed Kibbutz Nitzanim on its way up northward. The
Egyptian column advanced toward Ashdod.
If the Egyptian force would not be halted at Ashdod, it would be able
to continue its advance to Tel
Aviv. Therefore, the IDF General Staff decided to strike hard at
the advancing column and employ aircraft for the first time. With
little to defend itself in May '48, Israel hurriedly purchased a
number of second rate Czech-made Messerschmitts. The planes were
taken apart, transported to Israel at night, and secretly reassembled
at Ekron (later to become Tel Nof AFB). The first pilots hoped to
employ this force against the main Egyptian air threat based at El
Arish. Yet fate had other plans for them.
An Egyptian column of some 500 vehicles was making
its way up the Coastal Road towards Tel Aviv. The column halted
briefly at a bombed-out bridge near Ashdod. Barely 20 miles separated
the enemy from its objective. With no alternative, the first four
fully assembled planes were pressed into action. Lou Lenart, an
experienced American volunteer, was selected to lead the historic
mission. He was joined by Moddy Alon, Ezer
Weizmann and Eddie Cohen. Each plane swooped down on the enemy
with two 70-kg bombs. They continued to strafe the column despite the
heavy ground fire. Unfortunately, the Messerschmitts' untested 20 mm
cannons and machine guns jammed quickly and the few rounds that they
fired didn't inflict much damage. But the psychological effect was
enormous. The surprised Egyptians scattered for cover in the face of
a bona fide aerial attack. By the time they regrouped, they had lost
the offensive. Israel's outnumbered Givati forces seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack and stopped
the advance in its tracks. The bombed-out bridge later became known
as Gesher Ad Halom (Until Here). The price of success was high: Eddie
Cohen, a South African-born pilot, was killed when his Messerschmitt
crashed and burned. As a result, the First Fighter Squadron lost
one-fourth of its pilots on its maiden combat sortie. This was to set
the tone for the future: achieving the mission despite personal
sacrifice.
Sources: IDF |