Operation Velvetta (; also known as Operation Alabama) was a 1948

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defens ...

operation to ferry Supermarine Spitfires purchased in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The fighter planes were purchased from Czechoslovakia at $23,000 per plane. Arrangements were also made with the

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

n leader Josip Broz Tito to use the city of

Nikšić Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...

(an abandoned

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

airbase) as a waystation for 60 purchased Spitfires (codenamed "Yoram"). The commander of the Israelis at Nikšić airfield was Gideon (Geda) Shochat, son of Manya Shochat and former RAF officer. The first of the two legs of the journey was from Kunovice, Czechoslovakia to Nikšić (

codename A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...

d "Alabama"). The second leg was more difficult, crossing 2,250 km of open water from Nikšić to Israel.

Secrecy

This operation was of high secrecy, as it was opposed by both

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. To preserve secrecy, the Israelis were not allowed to talk with Yugoslavian soldiers or citizens. They were given permission to use the base at Nikšić and repaint their aircraft markings with Yugoslav

roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of diff ...

s for the flight to Israel so that the shipment would not arouse any suspicions. After landing in Israel, the roundels were removed to uncover hidden Israeli roundels.

Velvetta 1

From Czechoslovakia to Yugoslavia

The first leg of the journey took place on September 24. This section, which took an hour and a half, went well for the most part. Blau's

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

failed to deploy, and although he was fine, the aircraft was severely damaged.

From Yugoslavia to Israel

The second part of the mission was much more difficult. This was a non-stop, five-hour-long flight over 2,500 miles of open water - quite a feat for the Spitfire. Sam Pomerance, the mechanic-in-chief in Czechoslovakia, suggested that to make the planes as light and efficient as possible, they should be fitted with extra fuel tanks and that nonessentials, such as radios and guns, should be removed.

Walkie-talkie A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver (HT), is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, ...

s were used to talk during the flight. If forced to land in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

on the way to Israel, the pilots decided to say that they were flying to Israel. The mission was successful and helped support the Israelis during the 1947–1949 Palestine war. On September 27, 5 planes left for Israel. Alon and Senior ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing in

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

. They were arrested and interrogated, but did not reveal the flight path. On October 3, Israel sent an envoy to Greece and they were returned. The rest of the Spitfires successfully landed in

Ramat David Ramat David ( he, רָמַת דָּוִד, ''lit.'' David Heights) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Jezreel Valley near Ramat David Airbase, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In it had a population ...

Velvetta 2

Pomerance returned to Czechoslovakia and made 15 more flights to Israel, dividing the pilots into two formations. The planes left on December 15 and yet again on the December 18, but both times were forced to return due to rain and other poor weather conditions. Bill and Sam Pomerance were lost in flight, and it was later found out that Bill made an emergency landing 160 miles north of the Yoram airfield and Sam was killed when his plane crashed into the mountains. On December 19, 12 more Spitfires were flown to Israel. One plane was disabled due to technical issues. On December 22, the first formation of 5 planes flew to Israel; one plane turned back due to an engine failure. On December 26, the second 6-plane formation successfully arrived in Israel. A Skymaster was sent to Czechoslovakia to retrieve the guns and other parts that had been stripped from the aircraft.

Members

The following is a list of people known to have participated in the operation:http://www.saskatoon.uscjhost.net/files/MarApr2011.pdf * Modi Alon *Rudy Augarten *Tuxie Blau *Jack Cohen *Syd Cohen *Bob Dawn *Jack Doyle *Aaron (Red) Finkel *Sandy Jacobs * Mordechai Hod *John McElroy *Leo Nomis *William (Bill) Pomerance *Sam Pomerance *Bill Schroeder *Boris Senior *Gideon (Geda) Shochat *Lee Sinclair *Ted Stern *Karel Vítek

References

{{Reflist

External links

*http://www.haaretz.com/news/montenegro-air-base-that-played-role-in-israel-s-birth-under-threat-1.236959 *http://www.iaf.org.il/3203-7607-he/IAF.aspx Velvetta Velvetta Arms trafficking