Pioneer Israeli pilot – 1948

Passport used to smuggle to Israel its first fighter planes.

 

Yitzhak Efraim Henenson was one of the county’s early pilots, taking part in some of the decisive battles following the declaration of Independence; before and after.

 

The fascinating document can contribute to the understanding of early air force history or early Israeliana 1948-1950 related material.

 

Issued in British Palestine on October 18^th 1947, it was not put to use for nearly half a year.  Then, beginning of May 1948, the holder was drafted into a mission for the would-be-to-come young Israeli Air Force

(Henenson graduated from the first Hebrew aviation course, that was held in British Palestine, on July 20^th 1939).

 

The first visas are for Austria, Czechoslovakia, dating from May 2^nd and followed by a transit visa from the Swiss consulate, May 5^th. The destination was Czechoslovakia (Ruzyně & Jatech airports) and the mission was to collect and bring to Israel the first fighter planes (25 were sold to the Haganah by the Czech government): the Avia S-199, under the design of the famed Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6s; now under the name Avia S-199 and built in two factories in Czechoslovakia; and for that reason his passport was used to travel there. He, with additional other pilots, took off from the Tel Aviv airport (today named Sde Dov) on May 5^th on board a Czech Dc-3 (an important note: the date is very important as well because there was an air-blockade placed on all of Palestine just before this date, meaning that only emergency & military flights were permitted to take off).

This was known as “Operation Balak”.

 

The passport was used only to leave the Mandate during its last days and by the time the pilot returned back, around May 20^th, a new state was born and these passports became obsolete.

 

Among his other duties: First officer in the flight of bringing to Israel its first president, Chaim Weizmann, from Geneva to Akron air field (today Tel Nof base). The flight, on board a Skymaster plane, took close to 10 hours, and was considered as the first flight of Israel’s new El Al aviation company (end of September 1948).

 

Later on Yitzhak continued his career as becoming one of Israel’s first official civilian pilots, working for El Al. Among the images I added here are of his later passports (1951 & 1953) indicating inside that his profession was a pilot and place of work.

 

Smaller image source: Wikipedia.

 

Images source: Archive.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for reading “Our Passports”.