Ingenuity, Daring and More Than a Few Good Men Helped to Win the War of Independence: a Book Review

Angels in the Sky: How a Band of Volunteer Airmen Saved the New State of Israel is a great book I would recommend. If you love history, love Israel and marvel at the miracle of the Jewish nation’s rebirth and successful fight for survival, this book is for you. It is an especially appropriate read as we near the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence.

It was only a few years after the Holocaust when the Jews declared their independence on May 14, 1948. The modern state of Israel was born. However, five neighbors were determined to defeat the new country and the balances were weighed heavily against her. One of the reasons for this was that each of those nations had well-equipped militaries while Israel did not and international law forbade the importation of arms and able bodied men into the area of conflict. However, Jews and Gentiles, many of whom fought in World War II, volunteered to be the fledgling air force of the new Jewish state. Amazing efforts were brought to bear to find Jewish pilots around the world who were willing to commit to service despite it being against their nations’ laws to do so. Among these were many Americans, Canadians, South Africans and more.

The new Jewish state had shrewd operators in the world of business and intelligence working covertly for Israel in a world-wide search to recruit pilots, find and purchase planes, move them, refurbish them and get them to Israel. This is the story of the ups and downs of those efforts, the triumphs and the tragedies, and the twists and the turns. Some of these men died in training, others were jailed and still others became heroes of what would become the Israeli Air Force. This is their story. It is a fascinating read that I think you will thoroughly enjoy.

My review on Amazon

Supplemental Reading: 

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israeli-war-of-independence

Pardoned American served Israel in 1948
By JTA Staff February 28, 2001

... he was a U.S. felon, convicted for his role in smuggling airplanes from the United States to Israel as it fought its War of Independence in 1948.

Now, a half-century after his conviction, Schwimmer has been exonerated, one of the many pardons granted by President Clinton on his last days in office.

George W. Bush pardons man who helped Israel in war of independence
In a gesture of forgiveness for an American considered a hero in Israel, President George W Bush on Tuesday granted a pardon posthumously to a man who broke the law to supply aircraft to Jews fighting in Israel's 1948 war of independence.