In 1948, pilots from around the world, both Jews and non-Jews, who had fought in the Second World War, came to help the birth of the state of Israel by defending it from the air.
They were known as MACHAL (Hebrew: מח"ל), an acronym for Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz (Hebrew: מתנדבי חוץ לארץ), meaning volunteers from abroad.
Smuggling themselves and their aircraft into the country, they fought, outnumbered and outgunned. Even though outnumbered and facing superior enemy aircraft they were still victorious.
Interestingly, the hodge-podge of aircraft put together for the fledging Israeli Air force included three B-17s, and four Czech-made Avia-199s - a postwar build of leftover parts of German Messerschmidt BF-109Gs. Eventually by the war's end the IAF would have a total of twenty-three S-199s. Later in the war, some Bristol Beaufighters, de Havilland Mosquitoes, and P-51D Mustangs joined in the fray.
The Avia S-199 was apparently a complete beast to fly,trying to kill its pilots whenever it took off or landed, but in these pilots' hands it proved a match for their enemies, including shooting down Spitfires in air to air combat.
Above and Beyond is a movie that tells the story of the American volunteer aviators and includes interviews with the surviving pilots themselves to tell their stories.
The trailer certainly grabs your attention:
Currently available in HD on Amazon
It will be coming for a screening (and in other cities at different times) on the big screen in the Detroit area on May 11, so I think I'll wait and try to get ticket and see it for the first time then. Based on the trailer and the film's website, it promises to be a great film.
5 comments:
The story of Israel's birth is amazing. Most people don't realize how little they had or what great deeds were done with that little bit.
The story of Israel's birth is amazing. Most people don't realize how little they had or what great deeds were done with that little bit.
I've heard good things about this movie!
Interesting that the mainstays of the people who brought Israel into being included Messerschmitt 109s and Mauser 98s.
Could this mean that "weapons of war" are not intrinsically evil, but are just tools of the people who wield them?
PH- Indeed, that they won was a miracle combined with amazing valor, courage, and fortitude.
OldNFO- Me too, looks like a great film.
Old 1811 - Quite so. When you're fighting for your survival, where your tools came form don't matter all that much, so long as they work well enough to do the job.
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