Arms shipments from Czechoslovakia to Israel 1947-1949
Encyclopedia
Between June 1947 and October 31, 1949 the Jewish agency (later to become the Israel
i government) seeking weapons for Operation Balak
, made several purchases of weapons in Czechoslovakia
, some of them of former German army weapons, captured by the Czechoslovak army on its national territory, or newly produced German weapons from Czechoslovakia's post-war production.
In this deal, sale activities of Czechoslovak arms factories were coordinated by a special-purpose department of the Československé závody strojírenské a kovodělné, n.p. (Czechoslovak Metal-Working and Engineering Works, Nat.Ent.) Holding, called Sekretariát D (Secretariat D), headed by Ret.Gen. Jan Heřman.
One of the first large contracts was signed on January 14, 1948, and included 200 MG 34
machine guns, 4,500 P 18 rifle
s and 50,400,000 rounds of ammunition. The deliveries from Czechoslovakia proved important for the establishment of Israel.
Some of the aircraft
were lost en route to Israel. The delivery of aircraft began on May 20, 1948, and was conducted from the Czech airfield near the town of Žatec
.
Some of the deliveries were not finished until after cessation of hostilities
. Only eighteen Spitfires reached Israel prior to end of war
by direct flight from Czechoslovakia during operations Velveta 1
in September (6 planes) and Velveta 2 in December 1948 (12 planes), both operations with a refueling stop in Yugoslavia
.
During operation Velveta 2 Spitfires were repainted in Yugoslav Air Force
markings for the flight from Kunovice to Nikšić
.
The rest were shipped in crates, officially declared as scrap iron, along with 12 Merlin 66
engines, and deliveries lasted until the end of April 1950.
of the Israeli Air Force
, and on the soil of Czechoslovakia
a group of Jewish volunteers the size of approximately a brigade
(about 1,300 men and women) were also trained, from August 20, 1948 until November 4, 1948 . The Czechoslovak Armed Force's codename of the training (mainly) was «DI» (an abbreviation from "Důvěrné Israel", literally meaning "Classified, Israel"). Moto-Mechanized Brigade Group of Jewish volunteers trained in Czechoslovakia didn't take part in the 1948 war.
in Czechoslovakia, as well as the changing views of the Communist Party and the decline of Stalin's support for state of Israel, the Czechoslovak government was forced to end its weapons sales to Israel.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government) seeking weapons for Operation Balak
Operation Balak
Operation Balak was a smuggling operation, during the founding of Israel in 1948, that purchased arms in Europe to avoid various embargoes and boycotts transferring them to the Zionists...
, made several purchases of weapons in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, some of them of former German army weapons, captured by the Czechoslovak army on its national territory, or newly produced German weapons from Czechoslovakia's post-war production.
In this deal, sale activities of Czechoslovak arms factories were coordinated by a special-purpose department of the Československé závody strojírenské a kovodělné, n.p. (Czechoslovak Metal-Working and Engineering Works, Nat.Ent.) Holding, called Sekretariát D (Secretariat D), headed by Ret.Gen. Jan Heřman.
One of the first large contracts was signed on January 14, 1948, and included 200 MG 34
MG 34
The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German air-cooled machine gun that was first produced and accepted into service in 1934, and first issued to units in 1935. It accepts the 8x57mm IS cartridge....
machine guns, 4,500 P 18 rifle
Karabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 Kurz was a bolt action rifle chambered for the 8x57mm IS/7.92×57mm IS cartridge that was adopted as the standard service rifle in 1935 by the German Wehrmacht. It was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles...
s and 50,400,000 rounds of ammunition. The deliveries from Czechoslovakia proved important for the establishment of Israel.
Infantry weapons
- 34,500 P 18 riflesKarabiner 98kThe Karabiner 98 Kurz was a bolt action rifle chambered for the 8x57mm IS/7.92×57mm IS cartridge that was adopted as the standard service rifle in 1935 by the German Wehrmacht. It was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles...
- 5,515 MG 34MG 34The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German air-cooled machine gun that was first produced and accepted into service in 1934, and first issued to units in 1935. It accepts the 8x57mm IS cartridge....
machine guns with 10,000 ammo beltsBelt (firearm)A belt or ammunition belt is a device used to retain and feed cartridges into a firearm. Belts and the associated feed systems are typically employed to feed machine guns or other automatic weapons... - 10,000 bayonetBayonetA bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s vz.24 - 900 vz. 37 heavy machine gunsBesa machine gunThe Besa Machine Gun was a British version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53 air-cooled, belt-fed machine-gun, which in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the TK vz. 37...
- 500 vz. 27 pistolPistolWhen distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s
Other infantry weapons
- 12 ZK-383ZK-383The ZK-338 is a submachine gun and was developed by Koucký brothers who worked at the Zbrojovka Brno arms factory in Czechoslovakia. It was produced at a slow rate from 1938 and was exported as far as Latin American to Bolivia and Venezuela.-History:...
submachine guns - 10 ZK 420 semi-automatic rifleSemi-automatic rifleA semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
s - 500 vz. 26 light machine guns (shipped, yet delivery not confirmed in Czech sources)
Ammunition
- 91,500,000 7,92 x 57 mm cartridges
- 15,000,000 9mm Parabellum9 mm Luger ParabellumThe 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge was designed by Georg Luger and introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken for their Luger semi-automatic pistol...
cartridges - 375,000 13mm cartridges for MG 131
- 150,000 20mm cartridges for MG 151
- 375,000 7.65mm.32 ACP.32 ACP , also known as the .32 Automatic is a pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol...
cartridges for vz. 27 pistol
Aircraft
- 25 Avia S-199Avia S-199|-See also:-External links: *** with more pictures and further information...
fighters - 61 Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Mk. IX fighters
Some of the aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
were lost en route to Israel. The delivery of aircraft began on May 20, 1948, and was conducted from the Czech airfield near the town of Žatec
Žatec
Žatec is an old town in the Czech Republic, in Louny District, Ústí nad Labem Region. It has a population of 19,813 .The earliest historical reference to Sacz is in the Latin chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg of 1004. During the 11th century it belonged to the Vršovci - a powerful Czech...
.
Some of the deliveries were not finished until after cessation of hostilities
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
. Only eighteen Spitfires reached Israel prior to end of war
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
by direct flight from Czechoslovakia during operations Velveta 1
Operation Velvetta
Operation Velvetta was the name of an Israeli mission in 1948...
in September (6 planes) and Velveta 2 in December 1948 (12 planes), both operations with a refueling stop in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
During operation Velveta 2 Spitfires were repainted in Yugoslav Air Force
SFR Yugoslav Air Force
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Air Force , was the air force of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . Formed in 1945, it was preceded by the Yugoslav Royal Air Force which was disbanded in 1941, following the German occupation of Yugoslavia...
markings for the flight from Kunovice to Nikšić
Nikšić
Nikšić is a city in Montenegro . In 2003 the city had a total population about 75,000.Nikšić is located in Nikšić plain, at the foot of Mount Trebjesa. It is the center of the municipality , which is the largest in Montenegro by area...
.
The rest were shipped in crates, officially declared as scrap iron, along with 12 Merlin 66
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
engines, and deliveries lasted until the end of April 1950.
Other defense cooperation
Czechoslovakia also trained 81 pilots and 69 ground crew specialists, some of them later forming the first fighter unit101 Squadron IAF
The 101 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the First Fighter Squadron, is Israel's first fighter squadron, created May 20, 1948 at former RAF Aqir Airbase. Four Avia S-199s flew the squadron's first mission on May 29 in the prelude to Operation Pleshet. The squadron currently operates...
of the Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
, and on the soil of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
a group of Jewish volunteers the size of approximately a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
(about 1,300 men and women) were also trained, from August 20, 1948 until November 4, 1948 . The Czechoslovak Armed Force's codename of the training (mainly) was «DI» (an abbreviation from "Důvěrné Israel", literally meaning "Classified, Israel"). Moto-Mechanized Brigade Group of Jewish volunteers trained in Czechoslovakia didn't take part in the 1948 war.
The end of cooperation
With the rising power of communistsCzechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
in Czechoslovakia, as well as the changing views of the Communist Party and the decline of Stalin's support for state of Israel, the Czechoslovak government was forced to end its weapons sales to Israel.
Sources
- Jan Skramoušský: Zbraně pro Izrael, Střelecký magazín 11/2005
- Arnold Krammer: The Forgotten Friendship. Israel and the Soviet Bloc, 1947–53, pp. 54–123. University of Illinois Press 1974