I’ve not been able to locate all the information I have on this, but here’s a summary of how the Israeli Air Force acquired their Beaufighters.
When the newly-formed Israeli state was threatened with attack and invasion, the urgent call went out for combat aircraft of any description to be acquired to form an air force. A Jewish former RAF pilot (name lost within my missing info) somehow managed to gather together five surplus Beaufighter TFX’s (RAF serials RD135, RD448, RD427, LZ185, and one unknown).
The British Government had placed an embargo on arms shipments to Israel, and so a surreptitious method of delivery had to be found. The five Beaus were gathered together at Haddenham airfield, Oxfordshire, in July 1948, and permission was sought, and granted, for the five to fly north to Scotland for use in a film about the exploits of Coastal Command Beaufighters during the second world war. The film, of course, was a red herring, and after take off, during which the unknown-serialled Beau was lost, the fours surviving Beaufighters made their way to Israel.
On arrival in Israel, the four were allocated the Israeli serials D-170 (RD448), D-171 (RD135, D-172 (RD427) and D-173 (LZ185), and were immediately pressed into service.
As for the fates of the four; one was quickly relegated to ‘Hangar Queen’ duties in order to keep the other three flying, although their operational career did not last long during the fierce fighting of late 1948.
Around 1999, Beaufighter remains were discovered on the beach at Asdot, and were recovered for the IAF Museum, where they are now (at least partially) displayed. I understand that the parts located included both engines, the outer wings, and the empennage, which still had the number ‘48’ painted on the port side, thereby confirming the aircraft as RD448 / D-170, which apparently was lost during an attack on an Iraqi / Sudanese police station during Operation Yoav in October 1948.
By: skythe - 23rd January 2004 at 20:44
February 2004? Oh no, we should be so lucky. Current publishing date is no less than June 2005.
FiltonFlyer, nice page you got. Imanuel Tzur is a very important figure in the history of the Israeli Air Force. Chief Pilot of “Aviron”, the seed from the IDF/AF emerged.
The link I provided does work but Geocities have an annoying habit of limiting traffic every once in a while, just wait a while and try again.
By: Mark12 - 23rd January 2004 at 20:26
UB425
David B,
£5k. I don’t think so.
I had a good look over her at Mingaladon, I spent two solid days at Cassville in the US going through her with a fine tooth comb to find the RAF serial but still nothing. The guys at HFL have also dug quite deeply and drilled off some non structral parts that have given clues in the past, but still nothing. I havn’t given up and we have been this close before as with SM845. The evidence of Israeli converted camera windows are indications that the aircraft was 20-42, one of three so converted of which one 42 went to Burma.
The answer will most probably lie in the paperwork.
No she is folorn and still worth £150k plus. With an RAF provenance probably a fair bit more.
Mark
By: David Burke - 23rd January 2004 at 19:43
Mark 12 is she still worth about £150k in her ‘forlorn’ condition or do you think an offer of £5k would take her off their hands?
By: Mark12 - 23rd January 2004 at 19:20
On the Edge
In year 2000, Midlands Counties Publications advertised heavily a new book from there own publishing division:-
On the Edge – A history of the Israeli Air Force and Its Aircraft since 1947 by Bill Norton. Price then £45.
I ordered a copy. Some four years later and after several false starts, Midland Counties advised yesterday by post that the book was finally going to press in February 2004 and the price was now £50.
The reason for the delay was new information that kept turning up. :rolleyes:
It is billed as being the last word on the subject with thousands of documents and reports trawled through to produce this tome.
I am keen to see if it can throw any light on the RAF serials of Spitfires in from Czechoslovakia and out to Burma – particularly anything that will help to identify UB425 residing forlorn and without RAF lineage at Historic Flying.
It will be interesting to see what it has to say about these Beaufighters.
Mark
By: FiltonFlyer - 23rd January 2004 at 17:01
more details
I have a few more details on my website, at http://www.filton.flyer.co.uk, then click on Features. It includes an article from the IAF website, plus a few more details. I don’t think I have the IAF serial tie-ups correct, the general concensus seems to be as earlier in the thread. I can add a few more details on the UK side.
The 6 aircraft were registered to R.D1ckson and Partners in 1948, although the IAF article states the they were bought in the name of an RAF pilot called Dixon. The deal was made by an IAF acquisitions agent named Imanuel Tzur. They were registered G-AJMB to G-AJMG.
I had heard that the airfield used was at Thame, but hadn’t realised it was called Haddenham airfield.
Ted Jakobs of the Bristol Aero Collection had been trying to piece together the RAF histories for each of the aircraft, but he sadly died last year.
cheers,
Andy
p.s. Couldn’t get the skythe link to work….
By: skythe - 19th January 2004 at 13:32
Great, thanks.
From the same conflict and fitting the current Spitfire mood of the forum, Royal Egyptian Air Force Spitfire striking Tel Aviv, May 15 1948 :
By: Arabella-Cox - 18th January 2004 at 16:40
Skythe,
Thanks very much for filling in some of the gaps and giving the necessary corrections. Interesting to see it was six initially… 🙂
I’ll keep searching for the rest of my information, and I’ll let you know when I find it. I’m pretty sure I’ve got some more information about how and where the Beau’s were acquired, I just have to find it all.
Regards,
Steve
By: skythe - 17th January 2004 at 22:23
Re: Israel’s Beaufighters
Thanks for all the info Steve, a great deal is new to me, but allow me to make a few corrections and additions :
Originally posted by SteveYoung
A Jewish former RAF pilot (name lost within my missing info) somehow managed to gather together five surplus Beaufighter TFX’s (RAF serials RD135, RD448, RD427, LZ185, and one unknown).
Six actually, the above four and NT929 & NV306, the latter scrapped while still in the UK.
The five Beaus were gathered together at Haddenham airfield, Oxfordshire, in July 1948, and permission was sought, and granted, for the five to fly north to Scotland for use in a film about the exploits of Coastal Command Beaufighters during the second world war. The film, of course, was a red herring, and after take off, during which the unknown-serialled Beau was lost, the fours surviving Beaufighters made their way to Israel.
NT929 crashed on July 28 1948, killing its pilot, Mitchell Campbell.
Around 1999, Beaufighter remains were discovered on the beach at Asdot, and were recovered for the IAF Museum, where they are now (at least partially) displayed.
November 1994, near Ashdod. A photo of the remains is available here
I understand that the parts located included both engines, the outer wings, and the empennage, which still had the number ‘48’ painted on the port side, thereby confirming the aircraft as RD448 / D-170, which apparently was lost during an attack on an Iraqi / Sudanese police station during Operation Yoav in October 1948.
Not Iraqi/Sudanese – Iraq-Suidan, the name of a former British police station occupied by Egyptian troops, today known as Fort Yoav. D-170 was lost on October 20 1948.
Thanks for the info again, I would very glad to see any more you may have, especially anything concerning the people involved in acquisition in Britain. More about IDF/AF Beaufighters, including the downing of an Egyptian Hawker Fury, at http://www.geocities.com/skythe_99/bomber1.htm#Beau .
By: Graeme C - 17th January 2004 at 21:59
second picture.
By: Graeme C - 17th January 2004 at 21:58
taking of beaufighters, i took some photos when i was at duxford today, in a very dark TFC hanger. Sorry for slightly changing the subject.
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January 17, 2004 at 7:47 pm